# Stupid, Stupid Moviegoers **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 15, 2004, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stupid-moviegoers/264605 "2004-09-15T22:15:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2004, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stupid-moviegoers/264605/41 "2004-09-18T17:15:21Z")
> [@pizzabrat](#): > > No I don’t want to re-think this. You preceed a common sense statement with “I think it’s intersting…” as if you’ve uncovered some grand hyprocisy about modern society, and then present this corny non-parellel (is central park a “class of people”?). And “duh” is all that’s necessary - I don’t need to write a thesis paper explaining why positive is good and negative is bad. I suspect if you were attempting to defend the position that “positive is good and negative is bad” you would soon find yourself in deep water. However, a thesis paper is not required here. What you do need to do is explain why it is a bad thing to say something negative that is true. I did not precede my statement “I find it fascinating…” with anything at all. My “corny” example was in response to this statement of yours, " So saying something positive is viewed as a good thing and saying something negative is viewed as a bad thing. Again, duh." I gave you an example of “saying something negative” that is not a “bad thing.” I know it isn’t much but it refutes your “duh.” ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2004, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stupid-moviegoers/264605/42 "2004-09-18T17:22:08Z")
I want to know: When are the beatings finally called for? I’m really within a hair’s-breadth of being serious. My wife and I were in a local (mega) theater a few weekends ago, and sure enough, we got stuck behind the crowd of obnoxiously loquacious teenagers. They completely ruined the film for us. Usually I know to ignore the little fecal impactions because any attempt to entreat them to show even a modicum of respect and courtesy is pointless. But my wife cannot restrain herself when the level of offensiveness has gone past the point of absurdity. She glared. Then she shooshed. Then she asked. Then demanded. Then, with arms akimbo, commanded then to SHUT UP. She even got a cheer from a couple of folks. Worse than useless. Kids have no fear or sense of obligation to others. Of course the were not chastened or intimidated by my wife’s sterness; rather, they took it as a challenge, an opportunity to show their friends and the wider world just how very like a festering malignancy they could be. One of them even threw popcorn at her. It’s no use, I say. Forget it. Ignore them. But the popcorn thing…that made my blood boil. It was a teeth-grinding, jaw-clenching kind of moment. I’m not a big guy, but it doesn’t stop me sometimes (even though it should) from ratcheting up the threat from verbal to physical if I think I’ve no choice. In this case there was no real physical threat, but I had a seething desire to enact _retribution_. What good would talking to the manager do? He’s a hair-gel-encrusted punk not much older than these little shitstains. The police? Hah! Ushers? What ushers? At best we could get our money back; but that’s not what I wanted. I wanted these fulminating pustules to feel some kind of _pain_, that’s how angry I was for their disrespecting my wife. Physical, psychological, whatever. It’s incredibly frustrating when your only recourse is ot walk away. Needless to say, we won’t be seeing any summer-blockbuster-type films in a theater anymore. One more excuse to get the widescreen plasma TV. Kiss my ass, Showcase Cinemas. If you can’t expend any effort to maintain even a basic level of human decorum in your establishment, I see no further reason to give you my patronage. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2004, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stupid-moviegoers/264605/43 "2004-09-18T17:45:35Z")
Oh yeah, **lissener** , to use one of your favorite phrases on the SDMB, “get a sense of humor.” Apply the selective enforcement of your offenderati traits somewhere else, please. Again, until proven otherwise, **fuck you**. ---
**Author:** ![pizzabrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e9c0ed/32.png) [@pizzabrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pizzabrat)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2004, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stupid-moviegoers/264605/44 "2004-09-18T18:12:45Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > Oh yeah, **lissener** , to use one of your favorite phrases on the SDMB, “get a sense of humor.” Apply the selective enforcement of your offenderati traits somewhere else, please. > > Again, until proven otherwise, **fuck you**. You’re the one who shoved race(ism) into the thread for no reason. Were you expecting applause? ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2004, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stupid-moviegoers/264605/45 "2004-09-18T19:04:27Z")
> [@pizzabrat](#): > > You’re the one who shoved race(ism) into the thread for no reason. Were you expecting applause? You really are a nickel rocket , aren’t you **pizzabrat**? Enlighten me on this example. Our local schools have a big problem with unruly students. The worst are removed from regular classes and attend an alternative school. All of the students at the school are there because of disciplinary problems. 90% of them are Black, whereas around 40% of the entire school population is Black. I have two questions about the preceding paragraph. -Have I said anything negative in that statement? -Have I said anything racist in that statement? ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2004, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stupid-moviegoers/264605/46 "2004-09-18T19:14:19Z")
I doubt it will ever happen, but I wish somebody would make a rule saying that kids under a certain age (eight or nine, maybe?) will not be allowed into R-rated features at all…not just for our sakes, but for theirs. I’m still reeling from the memory of an eedjit who brought a young girl, about six years old, with him to see **Monster**. To her credit, she didn’t do more than bee-bop around a bit. But how could he inflict such a thing on her? ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2004, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stupid-moviegoers/264605/47 "2004-09-18T19:20:52Z")
> [@trandallt](#): > > Read it again. I said nothing about whether the groups of people being described were happy or upset, or even whether they were the ones calling the description racist. The point was that positive generalizations are deemed proper, while negative generalizations are deemed improper, _even if they are accurate_. I don’t see why you’re claiming it’s true. The people I see talking loudly in movie theaters are generally teenagers, and the last time I was really irritated at people talking it was a group of middle-aged white women talking over all the dramatic parts of “Girl With A Pearl Earring”. I don’t deny that there’s a stereotype that holds that black people yell at characters on movie screens, but I’ve never seen any evidence that it’s true, and to me it seems like a belief about on par with claiming that French people smell bad - almost completely groundless and used as a of confirming deeper prejudices. And if you believe you’ve seen a disproportionate number of black people talking during movies, you might want to consider the common psychological effect known as confirmation bias - since you’ve picked up a cultural stereotype somewhere (whether or not it’s based on a real difference in behavior), when you see individual circumstances that confirm it, you take note, while not noticing the fact that the vast majority of black people in the theater are being perfectly civil. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2004, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stupid-moviegoers/264605/48 "2004-09-18T19:46:20Z")
> [@Excalibre](#): > > I don’t see why you’re claiming it’s true. The people I see talking loudly in movie theaters are generally teenagers, and the last time I was really irritated at people talking it was a group of middle-aged white women talking over all the dramatic parts of “Girl With A Pearl Earring”. > > I don’t deny that there’s a stereotype that holds that black people yell at characters on movie screens, but I’ve never seen any evidence that it’s true, and to me it seems like a belief about on par with claiming that French people smell bad - almost completely groundless and used as a of confirming deeper prejudices. And if you believe you’ve seen a disproportionate number of black people talking during movies, you might want to consider the common psychological effect known as confirmation bias - since you’ve picked up a cultural stereotype somewhere (whether or not it’s based on a real difference in behavior), when you see individual circumstances that confirm it, you take note, while not noticing the fact that the vast majority of black people in the theater are being perfectly civil. I’m claiming its true because I have observed it. I realize that makes it anecdotal. And, like you, the last time I was irritated at people talking they were middle-aged white women. They were not, however, talking back to the screen. Around here it is not just individual circumstances that confirm this stereotype, although I do understand what you are saying. I am talking about large portions of the audience who sit together and and engage in loud dialogues with and commentaries on the actors in the movie, as well as comments within the group. Around here, the only groups who do so are on a consistent basis are Black. It is not exclusively a Black phenomenon, and by know means do all Blacks do it. However, as I have said before, it happens often enough to be a fair generalization, and one that is not really in dispute by Blacks and non-Blacks alike. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2004, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stupid-moviegoers/264605/49 "2004-09-18T22:31:48Z")
It’s a lost cause, **trandallt**. You made a racial generalization, and no amount of truth behind it will make any difference whatosever to some people. One probably couldn’t say “Blacks seem to have darker skin than me” or “Many blacks trace their ancestory to Africa” without someone taking offense. ---
**Author:** ![High\_Cheese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8797f3/32.png) [@High\_Cheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/High_Cheese)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2004, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stupid-moviegoers/264605/50 "2004-09-18T22:58:03Z")
> [@Excalibre](#): > > I don’t see why you’re claiming it’s true. The people I see talking loudly in movie theaters are generally teenagers, and the last time I was really irritated at people talking it was a group of middle-aged white women talking over all the dramatic parts of “Girl With A Pearl Earring”. You are such a ageist! ---
**Author:** ![pizzabrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e9c0ed/32.png) [@pizzabrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pizzabrat)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2004, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stupid-moviegoers/264605/51 "2004-09-19T02:57:48Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > It’s a lost cause, **trandallt**. You made a racial generalization, and no amount of truth behind it will make any difference whatosever to some people. One probably couldn’t say “Blacks seem to have darker skin than me” or “Many blacks trace their ancestory to Africa” without someone taking offense. What TF ever. The lost cause is the idea that people on this board can have a conversation about _anything_ without some needless dig at black people being thrown in. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2004, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stupid-moviegoers/264605/52 "2004-09-19T05:41:04Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > I realize you were being ironic and all but to insinuate that race is a factor in this sort of behaviour \*is \* a bit bigoted. While I’ve yet to experience the phenomenon personally, I’ve known a number of people that do it (and thus avoid watching movies with them) unabashedly and there is no preponderance of skin color in those particular people. I’m guessing that neither **Aesiron** or **Lissener** have seen the movie theater scene in one of the Scary Movie movie (1?) the actress talking back to the screen was not [Shannon Elizabeth](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002436/) or [Anna Faris](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0267506/) 'Course this doesn’t count because this movie was made by those known racists the Wayans brothers. 😃 My question is, if such an activity wasn’t fairly well known (talking back to the screen) they why would the Wayans spoof it? You only spoof well known things otherwise the audience will sit there thinking WTF? After all this type of movie is not well known for subtle nuances. 😕 IIRC corectly [Regina Hall](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0356021/) was eating fried chicken during this scene also. Another sterotype. For sure not true of all black people, but a good sterotype, as is blacks talking back to the screen. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2004, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stupid-moviegoers/264605/53 "2004-09-19T06:33:26Z")
I’ve seen the movie but don’t consider the Wayanses to be credulous social commentators nor do I have any idea how to respond to someone who apparently does. Please tell me I’m being whooshed. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2004, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stupid-moviegoers/264605/54 "2004-09-19T18:23:11Z")
> [@Lillith Fair](#): > > When I went to see Titanic there were people behind me of another nationality. One person was apparently translating in a low voice the entire movie. > > Let’s face it, the dumbest part is that I just sat there steaming instead of moving or telling her to shut up. > > :smack: No, the dumbest part was paying good money to see _Titanic_. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2004, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stupid-moviegoers/264605/55 "2004-09-19T22:04:51Z")
> [@Loopydude](#): > > One of them even threw popcorn at her. It’s no use, I say. Forget it. Ignore them. > > But the popcorn thing…that made my blood boil. It was a teeth-grinding, jaw-clenching kind of moment. I’m not a big guy, but it doesn’t stop me sometimes (even though it should) from ratcheting up the threat from verbal to physical if I think I’ve no choice. In this case there was no real physical threat, but I had a seething desire to enact _retribution_. What good would talking to the manager do? He’s a hair-gel-encrusted punk not much older than these little shitstains. The police? Hah! Ushers? What ushers? At best we could get our money back; but that’s not what I wanted. I wanted these fulminating pustules to feel some kind of _pain_, that’s how angry I was for their disrespecting my wife. Physical, psychological, whatever. It’s incredibly frustrating when your only recourse is ot walk away. If you can afford it, pay to see the full-priced screening of the film. That keeps out some of the riffraff. In the case of _anyone_ throwing _anything_ at my wife, the fucker had better be prepared to put his popcorn in a blender for the next six months and sing soprano his entire life. In your case, you could have taken your drink cup out to the bathroom, filled it with a mixture of urine and tap water and given this little fuck a bath he wouldn’t soon forget. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stupid-moviegoers/264605/56 "2004-09-20T00:16:20Z")
Other questions relating to my earlier post: How much does it cost per hour for a babysitter these days? If people can afford to buy movie tickets, can’t they afford a babysitter instead of dragging the kiddos to the R-rated features? ---
**Author:** ![Blackclaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e68b1a/32.png) [@Blackclaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackclaw)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stupid-moviegoers/264605/57 "2004-09-20T19:35:14Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > In your case, you could have taken your drink cup out to the bathroom, filled it with a mixture of urine and tap water and given this little fuck a bath he wouldn’t soon forget. An interesting idea, but one would have to worry about splash related collateral damage to innocent members of the audience. ---
**Author:** ![Chastain86](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Chastain86](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chastain86)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stupid-moviegoers/264605/58 "2004-09-20T19:56:40Z")
I hate when stupid movie-goer threads are hijacked by people who want to publicly fight a race-war. Take it elsewhere, kids. ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stupid-moviegoers/264605/59 "2004-09-20T20:04:40Z")
> [@](#): > > **Chefguy** said: > If you can afford it, pay to see the full-priced screening of the film. That keeps out some of the riffraff. Not where I live. You’d think that after shelling out $9 for a movie ticket, people would shut the hell up, or there wouldn’t be little kids (9, 10 years old maybe) in _American Wedding_. The error there would be in thinking. ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stupid-moviegoers/264605/60 "2004-09-20T21:12:38Z")
I hate to say it, but your first mistake is thinking you can go see any blockbuster movie and expect it to be quiet and respectful. We considered seeing Mr. 3000 last night, but I knew it would be loud and chatty and I can’t handle that shit. Call me a movie snob, but the only theater I can tolerate is the local arts cinema. They show the obscure movies that the masses ignore, leaving those of us who know how to behave in a movie. They don’t show kiddie movies, so I’ve never seen a child there. And the rest of the crowd tends to be elderly or artsy, all of whom stay quiet at this particular theater. The other bonus is that it doesn’t smell like a gymnasium like our local cineplex. It’s lovely, and the bathrooms are clean. I’ll see the other stuff when it comes out on DVD, or not. The artsy movies fit my tastes better anyways. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stupid-moviegoers/264605.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stupid-moviegoers/264605.md?page=4)