A friend of mine and I went to see Dawn of the Dead yesterday (for the second time). We got to the theater a bit early and were just chatting and watching all the other movie patrions shuffle in. A couple and their adult son walk in and they happen to know the people sitting directly behind me. The family walks into the row I’m seated in and starts talking with their friends. I wasn’t really listening to their conversation, but this caught my attention:
Father (pretty loudly): “Well, we wanted to see the Passion, but we got here a little too late.”
Without skipping a beat and without forming a conscious decision to say anything, I hear myself deadpan (also quite loudly),
“So you kept with the fictional theme of dead people who come back to life.”
My buddy starts howling and so did this couple sitting in front of us. The father looked at me and gave a half-hearted laugh, but the mom and son glared at me and were visibly upset. They all then stormed off to sit down… away from me.
OK, I will say that I find the comment funny. I will also go so far as to state that I probably agree with it. However, I do think that it was sort of rude.
Should you feel bad? Your comment was rude and disrespectful. Is it normally your practice to deride the beliefs of other people whom you don’t know to their faces? If it is not your normal practice, then you should feel bad, and probably do. If it is your normal practice, then you should still feel bad but probably don’t.
It’s fine to think that comment, or if the opportunity arises, share it with like-minded friends. IMHO, blurting it out to them crosses the line.
At the risk of making myself out to be a complete and total Jesusfreak, I’ll say that I cried for the last 45 minutes of The Passion. It’s pretty darn moving if you believe in Christ. Plus, today happens to be just about the most important religious holiday for us weirdo Christians, so I’m not surprised you were given dirty looks.
BUT, one semi-rude remark in a day shouldn’t be something to lose sleep over. And I’m surprised that those folks actually got up and moved - sometimes how seriously we Christians take ourselves makes me cringe.
I am a Christian and think your calling there beliefs fictional was a little offensive, but with out that word I think the joke was quite funny and may have said it myself.
This is why I titled this thread, “my mouth needs an interlock.” If I had “thought” that comment instead of saying it, I would’ve kept my mouth shut.
I actually did feel bad because I obviously upset people who did not deserve it.
I don’t believe in karma, but I got my just desserts on that one. After the family moved, a gaggle of teenagers sat next to me. They were noisy throughout the entire movie.
Eh, yeah, it was kinda rude. Funny as hell, though. Should you lose sleep over it? No. Christians can be just as rude and obnixious as us heathens…
On the Metro one Easter morning I was going with a couple of college friends to an Ethiopian service out in the Maryland burbs. Only out of curiosity and respect for my friend’s family, really - a whole group of us was going. I was all suited up and kinda slouched in the seat with my hat over my face when one of the other fellows decides he’s going to take my picture. Casually, just before he pushes the button, I flip the bird.
A few minutes later, a man comes up to me and says “I think that was a rather rude thing to do on this holiest of days.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” I reply, “but I’m not religious.”
“Well, if I weren’t a Christian,” he said very snarkily, “I’d cut your heart out.” :eek:
Trust me, dude, us godless have nothing close to the exclusive provenance of being rude.
Those people who seemed upset by it probably forgot all about it as soon as the film started. And if they were the type of people to be offended by their beliefs being called ‘fictional’ then I can bet they would be offended by the film they were about to watch.
I say No, you shouldn’t feel bad. As long as you don’t make a habit of it.
Now, for future reference, this is where you follow up with a reference to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. I suggest something along the lines of saying (evilly and half-crazy, of course)
and then miming ripping his heart out his chest barehanded. Getting that whacko grin down just right would be a plus. Extra points if you can get your friends to chime in
I do think it was quite rude. But it was an accident - you said it before you could think - so chalk it up to ‘oops, one of those things’ and don’t worry about it.
Lazlo, buddy, you’re my new hero. As a fellow wise-ass who can’t always keep his mouth shut, I salute you! The offense of the easily offended is a just a noble cause!
(And yes, I can laugh when someone makes fun of my beliefs, too - funny is funny, and the greatest sin is taking oneself too seriously)
