# To the dingleberry who brought his baby in the movie theater **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 21, 2002, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-dingleberry-who-brought-his-baby-in-the-movie-theater/115337 "2002-06-21T20:58:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LolaCocaCola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7cd45c/32.png) [@LolaCocaCola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LolaCocaCola)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-dingleberry-who-brought-his-baby-in-the-movie-theater/115337/1 "2002-06-21T20:58:17Z")
What. the. fuck??? Why the HELL would you bring a baby into Minority Report, ANYWAY?!?! This baby was like less than 6 months old and kept fussing. Your constant “sssshhhh’s” at the baby did not help and only added to the damn noise. And when we, your seat neighbors, asked you to take the baby outside, you got belligerent and said that you have every right to be there. Unfuckingbelievable. That is, until I got the manager and had yer ass kicked out. Serves you right, sucker. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![LilShieste](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@LilShieste](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilShieste)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-dingleberry-who-brought-his-baby-in-the-movie-theater/115337/2 "2002-06-21T21:02:53Z")
Right on, **LolaCocaCola**! I hate how people can be so inconsiderate as to do something like that, and then blame _you_ as if _you’re_ doing something wrong. [echo] Serves you right, sucker. [/echo] LilShieste ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-dingleberry-who-brought-his-baby-in-the-movie-theater/115337/3 "2002-06-21T23:37:15Z")
I forget…is this the magical 1,000,000th time this complaint has been aired or just the 999,999th? Not that you’re wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Elenfair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cc9497/32.png) [@Elenfair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elenfair)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-dingleberry-who-brought-his-baby-in-the-movie-theater/115337/4 "2002-06-22T15:01:05Z")
Hey, we just got a really cool thing happening in Ottawa… Now a handful of theatres are offering “Baby Movie Mornings” where stay at home moms who want to see a movie CAN! It’s great for the mums who can’t get out of the house, and fine for other movie goers because it’s clearly noted on the pannels outside the screening room that this movie is being screened for parents + tots! Wish I could find a link, but this appeared in the Ottawa Sun (crappy paper) and they have put their online archive offline. Bastards! I think the idea, though, kicks ass! 🙂 Elly ---
**Author:** ![LolaCocaCola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7cd45c/32.png) [@LolaCocaCola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LolaCocaCola)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-dingleberry-who-brought-his-baby-in-the-movie-theater/115337/5 "2002-06-22T15:05:47Z")
I am sure this rant is old, but it’s the first time it happened to me! 😛 Can someone bring a baby into a movie rated PG-13, anyway? ---
**Author:** ![Squish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Squish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squish)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-dingleberry-who-brought-his-baby-in-the-movie-theater/115337/6 "2002-06-22T15:31:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by LolaCocaCola \* > \*\*Can someone bring a baby into a movie rated PG-13, anyway? \*\* Yep, as long as they’re “accompanied by a parent or guardian.” Still doesn’t stop it from being annoying as all get out, though. ---
**Author:** ![mighty\_maxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@mighty\_maxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mighty_maxx)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-dingleberry-who-brought-his-baby-in-the-movie-theater/115337/7 "2002-06-22T22:55:09Z")
I hate it too when someone brings a crying a baby into a theatre. But you have to feel sorry for them. They may have really needed to get out of the house, and no other choice but to bring the kid, and hope it keeps quiet. What I hate worse is movie commentators during the movie. “Look out man!..the killer behind that door!..oh shit!..she should have seen that coming…uh huh yeah should have seen it!..how dumb can…” I really hate that. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-dingleberry-who-brought-his-baby-in-the-movie-theater/115337/8 "2002-06-22T23:13:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Squish \* > \*\* Yep, as long as they’re “accompanied by a parent or guardian.” Still doesn’t stop it from being annoying as all get out, though. \*\* There are no laws that enforce MPAA ratings. A theater can let a 2 year old into _Super Mega Gut Slasher XIX_ by himself if they wanted to. ---
**Author:** ![Squish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Squish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squish)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-dingleberry-who-brought-his-baby-in-the-movie-theater/115337/9 "2002-06-22T23:18:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mighty\_maxx \* > **I hate it too when someone brings a crying a baby into a theatre. But you have to feel sorry for them. They may have really needed to get out of the house, and no other choice but to bring the kid, and hope it keeps quiet.** What, they’ve never heard the word, “babysitter”? Or “video rental”? > [@](#): > > \*\* What I hate worse is movie commentators during the movie. “Look out man!..the killer behind that door!..oh shit!..she should have seen that coming…uh huh yeah should have seen it!..how dumb can…” I really hate that. \*\* Or people who’ve seen the movie a few times and have to recite the best lines along with the actors. (RHPS is an exception to this, IMHO, as I regard it more as ‘participatory theater’.) ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2002, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-dingleberry-who-brought-his-baby-in-the-movie-theater/115337/10 "2002-06-23T00:04:12Z")
I’m still amazed at the two women that brought their two kids (ages around 8) to the 10:30pm showing of _From Hell_. On a Tuesday night. During the school year. ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2002, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-dingleberry-who-brought-his-baby-in-the-movie-theater/115337/11 "2002-06-23T03:35:46Z")
Hey… you want inappropriate, obsfucatrist? When I was 11, my mother took me to a 10:30pm showing of **Ghost Story** with her boyfriend. When I was 13, she took me with her to see **9 1/2 Weeks**. That was the moment that I started to wonder about her having a reverse Oedipal complex. ---
**Author:** ![RexDart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b77776/32.png) [@RexDart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RexDart)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2002, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-dingleberry-who-brought-his-baby-in-the-movie-theater/115337/12 "2002-06-23T04:05:27Z")
When people have a kid, they have to realize that their lives are basically over. Finished. Done. Every minute of their lives for the next 11-12 years they will have to know “where is my child” and the only acceptable answers will be “with me” or “with a trusted individual.” You can’t go to the movies or out to dinner without being a nuisance to everyone there. That’s your new, miserable life. Seeing this happen to friends of mine I note that after time their brain convinces itself that parenting is its own reward. If tricking themselves into enjoying children is their solution to avoiding suicide at the magnitude of thier loss, so be it. Personally, I was pretty peeved when I dropped $8 for a movie and children’s chatter and/or crying ruined it. Yeah, it comes with the territory when I went to see “Shrek”, but adult movies are another thing. And when I pay $20 for an entree at a restaurant, I’m paying for more than just the food. Keep kids out of there. So in short, parents listen up. You are no longer free. You are tied down as surely as you had a prison ball tied to your leg. Quit trying to live your life as it was when you still had the option to go places on a whim, decide suddenly that you’d like to see a matinee, etc. Don’t inconvenience those of us who choose to remain free of children. ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2002, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-dingleberry-who-brought-his-baby-in-the-movie-theater/115337/13 "2002-06-23T04:12:15Z")
According to mom, I was good about this. I never complained. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Turbo\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@Turbo\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turbo_Dog)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2002, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-dingleberry-who-brought-his-baby-in-the-movie-theater/115337/14 "2002-06-23T04:47:40Z")
Thankfully, in St. Louis, on at least Friday and Saturday nights, no children under 2 or something like that, are allowed in the movie theatre after 5 p.m., no exceptions. It’s about time someone put their foot down. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2002, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-dingleberry-who-brought-his-baby-in-the-movie-theater/115337/15 "2002-06-23T05:03:39Z")
I saw _Super Mega Gut Slasher XIX_ last month. Better than _XVII_, not as good as _XI_. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2002, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-dingleberry-who-brought-his-baby-in-the-movie-theater/115337/16 "2002-06-23T10:58:04Z")
Hope you didn’t miss too much of the movie lola. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Elenfair \* > **I think the idea, though, kicks ass! 🙂** I do too, cool. ---
**Author:** ![THespos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@THespos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/THespos)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2002, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-dingleberry-who-brought-his-baby-in-the-movie-theater/115337/17 "2002-06-23T11:34:19Z")
I think I may have chimed in on a “screaming baby in movie theater thread” once or twice. Probably because the sound of a screaming child is especially irritating to me, regardless of the context. You could scrape a metal landscaping rake down a chalkboard and I think the sound would be less irritating to me than the sound of a screeching kid. Always best to do what you did, **Lola** - call the manager. Sometimes parents will insist that they have the right to be there, disrupting everyone’s fun, this being the era of “me” and all… ---
**Author:** ![Squish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Squish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squish)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2002, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-dingleberry-who-brought-his-baby-in-the-movie-theater/115337/18 "2002-06-23T13:08:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by THespos \* > **I think I may have chimed in on a “screaming baby in movie theater thread” once or twice. Probably because the sound of a screaming child is especially irritating to me, regardless of the context. You could scrape a metal landscaping rake down a chalkboard and I think the sound would be less irritating to me than the sound of a screeching kid.** Oh, good, it’s not just me. Phew! That particular sound just shatters my eardrums and nerves. ---
**Author:** ![Slainte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a698b9/32.png) [@Slainte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slainte)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2002, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-dingleberry-who-brought-his-baby-in-the-movie-theater/115337/19 "2002-06-23T13:41:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mighty\_maxx \* > \*\*I hate it too when someone brings a crying a baby into a theatre. But you have to feel sorry for them. They may have really needed to get out of the house, and no other choice but to bring the kid, and hope it keeps quiet. What I hate worse is movie commentators during the movie. “Look out man!..the killer behind that door!..oh shit!..she should have seen that coming…uh huh yeah should have seen it!..how dumb can…” I really hate that. \*\* It’s a toss up for me, as to which is more annoying. I may have to also cast a vote for movie commentators though. Last weekend I went to see _Bourne Identity_ and the woman seated nearby was commentating/translating the film to her (poor) husband. I mean translating in the sense that they both spoke _English_ as did the main characters in the film… Annoying Movie-Goer was more like: “Uh-oh, he better get rid of that red bag! They’re looking for him!” or “Harry, did you see that? How he just climbed down the building?”. Yes, presumably Harry has vision & is watching the same movie that you & I are, lady. Please shut up. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2002, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-dingleberry-who-brought-his-baby-in-the-movie-theater/115337/20 "2002-06-23T14:08:24Z")
When I was 13 my parents took me to see _Jurassic Park_. (Side note: I hated it. HATED it.) As we were walking out of the theater, I heard a father talking to his daughter. “Did you like the movie, honey?” _tiny voice_"It was scawy." _Scawy?_ Quick glance over to the family. The girl was four. FOUR! They took a frickin’ FOUR YEAR OLD to _Jurassic Park_!?!? “But it has dinosaurs! Kids love dinosaurs!” Like fun they do! That one’s probably had nightmares for years about those cute fun-lovin’ dinos. Hey folks! MPAA ratings may be a pain in the two-by-four but they are a good indicator about that wonderful thing called **Age-Appropriatness**. And a big shiny gold star to the OP for using the word “dingleberry.” That’s a word that just isn’t being used to its fullest potential. ;j [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-dingleberry-who-brought-his-baby-in-the-movie-theater/115337.md?page=2)