Rudeness at TV Theatres
 

I really don't like to complain, but I see a disturbing trend occuring at the theatres in both LSL and SS.

My wife and I are movie buffs and try to go out to a movie one or two times a week. Since we have moved here we observe way too many incidents of downright rude behavior in the theatres. Last week we had a woman in front of us carry on an entire conversation on her cell phone. I nicely asked her to have the conversation elsewhere but she ignored me.

Today we had a couple sitting one row in front of us that carried on a conversation in front of us. It made listening to parts of the dialogue very difficult. The first couple of times my wife gave a quiet "ssshhhh!" They stopped the conversation and then began it again a few minute later. This time I leaned forward ad politely asked if they could have their conversation elsewhere. They stopped again for a little while. Shortly afterwards they resumed their conversation and I lost it--I gave a sharp kick to the gentleman's seat in front of me. I'm angry with myself for losing my cool, but it did work. They were silent the rest of the flick. I know I could have gone to the usher, but this would have meant missing more of the movie and more disturbance once the usher arrived.

I wish these were just occasional occurences, but it seems like it happens almost every time we go to the movies. Sometimes it is in another section of the theatre but it is still disturbing to those of us trying to listen to the dialogue. I don't recall seeing this type of behavior in other places I have lived (certainly not as frequently), are we just experiencing a string of bad luck or have other people noticed this type of behavior here?

Check your manners
 

Oh the dreaded theater etiquette. I feel your pain. Poor theater manners are everywhere! In fact, poor manners, in general, are everywhere. Perhaps it's worse in TV because some of the people are hard of hearing and a whisper cannot be heard? I expect that may be some of it. Where I live, we deal with a lot of kids going to movies without parents. They text and talk and laugh and just about anything they can do to disrupt the film. I guess my best solution would be to contact an usher. We once had trouble with an infant, yes an infant in the theater who cried. We told the front desk that it was very disruptive and they gave us free tickets to another show.

Oh Cappy, I so understand. It is everywhere. People seem to think they are home watching the TV. Even at live theater, and concerts. They just continue talking as if they had no "bringin's up".

They certainly weren't raised by parents like mine who would give you a pinch in church if you didn't sit quietly.

It is just plain wrong and just plain selfish to do that sort of thing.

Remember the girls posse stand at the ready. Give us a call and we will beat the crap outa them.

I "hear" you! Have experienced that here as well. BUT did you see (maybe on the news) of a person at an orchestra concert (I think in New York) who was sitting in a front row and had their cellphone ring? They didn't turn it off...and it rang and rang so the conductor stopped the music and then "addressed" the rudeness!!!

I observe ALOT of rudeness elsewhere, here in TV as well. People just plain don't have any "fetching up" as we used to call it. I'm surprised a bit since most folks seem to have come from areas in the country where they held jobs of distinction and are people of "means". I would think because of that they also have a "good" education! What a legacy to leave.....a "me first"...get out of my way mentality. Life is just too short!!!

While I have experienced great kindness and friendliness from fellow Villagers, I have also witnessed unbelievable rudeness. Fortunately, the acts of kindness far exceed the incidents of rudeness.

Husband The Actor
 

My husband is an actor here in TV, and has been astounded at the brazen use of cell phones by audience members during stage performances. It is not restricted to teenagers playing games on their phones (bored by actual living beings performing), but senior adults talking loudly as if they were in their home living room or kitchen. He had a working career in both military and law enforcement and is therefore the possessor of a VERY LOUD VOICE when needed. He managed to speak louder than the person in the audience talking on their cell phone, and who had to hang up in frustration. Go figure.

I don't know about you but I'm taking Gracie with me when I go to the movies. :popcorn::boxing2:

I guess what really surprises me the most is that in the rare instances I have seen this behavior in the past, it has always been kids/teenagers, but when I have seen it here, it has always been adults. I guess I expect it to some extent with children (even though I wasn't raised that way!), but it is quite unexpected in supposedly mature adults.

One of the main reasons I was relocating to TV is because of the rudeness and inconsiderate people here. I'm disappointed to hear so much of this behavior in TV. I thought that since it is a community of adults they would have more manners. :sigh:

my take on this
 

:)I would say its up to the management of the theater to make an anouncement before the movies starts, to turn off cell phones and no conversations during the show. If someone uses a phone or has a long winded conversation the usher should be able to throw THE BUM OUT, lol

Theater behavior really is disappointing and one of the reasons that I rarely go to the movies anymore. If there's a movie that I really want to see I wait for the DVD to come out. If I invite someone over to watch with me and they don't watch quietly, I just wait until I'm alone to watch it if it means seeing a good movie uninterrupted.

As an aside, my son was home on leave during the Christmas holiday and we went to see "Hugo" at a weekday matinee. We ended up being the only two people in the theater for that showing. Even though there were only two of us there, we turned off our cell phones and watched quietly. We didn't say a word until the lights came back up. I guess that makes us pretty serious movie fans, eh?

Not there yet ... But is there an application for the posse?...... We sure need one here in the Atlanta area, crude and rude.......

Cappy, Its the ole " I'm the only one in the world " syndrome. I run into this often and found that if you remind the offender that they "ARE NOT THE ONLY HUMAN BEING ON THE PLANET" it seems to wake them from their dillusional state. Or a swift kick works too.:clap2:

A McNeill Observation of Life:
Age is not an accurate measurement of maturity.

I have an interest in TV after visiting a friend there several times in the last decade. Sorry to hear that theater rudeness exists in TV just as it does everywhere. I have the same problem when cell phones are used in quiet restaurants. The worst I've ever seen was about a week ago when a person put a cell phone on speaker phone, so that everyone within 50 feet could hear both sides of the conversation!

Here's a suggestion ...
 

Always bring a flashlight to the movies. If someone is on their cell phone, light the flashlight at them and loudly state "Turn off your phone!":popcorn:

Oh those very important calls that must be handled in movies, Savannah Center and yes Church. Folks are requested to mute their cell phones before Mass begins at our Church, yet we still hear occasional ringtones during Mass. Guess some folks just can't figure out how this mute button works, or they show no consideration for anyone other than themselves. I like the idea of shining a flashlight on them in a darkened theater.

You are a genius (or at least, a very bright person).:clap2:

Thanks Bestmickey,
Instead of our water guns, girl's posse can use flashlights at theaters to quiet the rudenicks.:coolsmiley:

When did adults start doing this??? I visited my Mom this weekend in south Florida. We went to a movie and a senior man in the front row started talking loudly near the end of the show. His wife tried to shush him, but he kept gabbing. Someone shouted, "shut up," which he ignored until he finished whatever he was saying.

Sheesh. :ohdear:

This is why we quit going to the movies.....

OK I'm going to throw this out.......

There has been a measurble increase in rudeness on the roads, in the squares, the movies, golf courses , restaruants and just about every corner of TV in the last month or 2. We have experienced it at every turn. The only difference between the times we rarely experienced this "attitude" and now is "in season". Too many people crammed in a small space... Wife and I are counting the days until summer when it is quiet and polite..... Now I ain't sayin it's the snowbirds draw your own conclusions

BTW experienced the same rudeness this week at the movies I LIKE the idea of a flash light or a red laser.

Now don't get me started about smoking BUT PEOPLE! IF YOU ARE STANDING NEXT TO AN ASHTRAY AT THE SQUARES EXPECT THERE TO BE SMOKERS THERE TOO. STOP demanding them to stop smoking in their designated area!

We try to attend the first movie of the day. So far, haven't noticed a rudeness problem then. Could it be at later shows there are less inhibitions.

We usually attend the matiness too. Yesterday's incident was at the 2:25 show--prior to happy hour so there shouldn't have been any lowered inhibitions due to the effects of libation.

Sounds like they are acting like children at the movies.

I believe it is the responsibility of the theater management to correct this situation. If they don't it will have a negative effect on their business as it gets worse.
BTW they cannot correct something that they are not aware of.

The use of lasers could be a dangerous.

I agree with you, but logistically this has its drawbacks. If someone is being noisy it means: 1. I have to leave my seat and miss a portion of the movie in the process, and 2. Once the management (or usher) arrives, I have to deal with the ensuing discussion between the rude patrons and management. At this point, I will have missed too much of the dialogue.

I am not a confrontational person (and I abhor violence), but perhaps a light smack in the head is a more effective response.

Sorry about your bad time. But to get you back in a happy frame of mind I see in your photo that you are stand up paddle boarding. I will be in Sarasota in a few weeks and will give it a try. It looks like a Blast! Do you still do it? Anywhere around the Villages that you can do it safe from gators? Any other SUP folk in the Villages?

A bucket full of buttered popcorn on the head might be effective too! :1rotfl:

:a040: :pepper2: :popcorn: :thumbup: :clap2:

That would be called assault. Then you would probably miss the whole movie.
You may have to give up some of the dialogue to get the problem stopped.

When movies come out that appeal to the younger generation and kids, I try to go when it is a not a popular time. I do not expect kids to be quiet when a movie is on.

Adults should be mature enough to zip their lips once the movie starts.T

This is another sign of the times that some people are just not caring for the concerns of other. :(

I would move to another seat to avoid confrontation. It they are so insensitive to the needs of others then I doubt whether they really care to change.

Some people are just in their own world.

I go out to Lake Miona a couple of times a week (so far, the gators keep their distance). My wife and i have also done Clearwater, New Smyrna, Crystal River, and Cedar Key. We are planning on doing St. Augustine soon. We have a couple of boards and are hoping to start a SUP club here in TV. I even have a board supplier in Tampa who is willing to give the club wholesale prices on boards.

Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP) is a blast and it provides an unbelievable workout. I started doing it in Panama in April and went out almost daily until we moved here in late August. During that period, I lost almost 50 pounds. It is not difficult--I am a klutz and I mastered it in about an hour.

Even better than the great workout it provides a great way to get close to nature. Because it is so quiet you get right up next to the wildlife. When we went to Crystal River we silently glided over a dozen manatees. In Cedar Key we had a school od spotted eagle rays go right under our boards. I regularly see herons, cranes, kingfishers and turtles at Lake Miona. Standing up gives you a much better angle of sight (compared to canoeing/kayaking) for observing nature.

Now I am in a better frame of mind. If I just spent more time paddleboarding and less time at the movies I'd be just peachy!

PM me if you want to go out and paddleboard Lake Miona sometime.

You are correct. Perhaps an "accidental" kick of their seat (as I did yesterday) or "accidently" spilling my soft drink or popcorn is a better idea. OOOps, so sorry--I didn't mean to spill it.

Perhaps going to theater management and demanding a refund by enough people would force management to take action. Rude people are very self centered and think the world owes them something. This will create a verbal storm, but people who are always late create the same issue.

It really is not that hard to be a nice person. Be considerate of others, put your phone on vibrate, take your calls outside, be on time, be quiet in places where it is expected, if your not on time, call and let folks know, if you want to drive 10 mph under the speed limit then stay out of other peoples way, don't sneeze on the salad bar, use the tongs and not your hands, when the light changes move forward to allow as many cars as possible to get through the light, consider how your actions impact others, it's all pretty basic and easy to do.

So true, and so simply put :bigbow:

Pointing a laser at another person is a crime in some states. Be careful.

using your manners
 

I2ridehd - you forgot to add - don't blow your nose at the table when out to dinner on sniff up a lung. The rest of us have to enjoy our dinner too.

I once had to ask to be moved in a restaurant because a gentleman sitting close to our table was a smoker and he coughed excessively like he was going to cough up a lung. I lost my appetite really fast.

Please you your manners when among others....

Manners?
 

What manners.

It's all about them. Just ask them and they will tell you. :)

Seriously, I find it amazing that some people are unconcerned and or oblivious to the effect they have on other people.

:popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:

....a part of the reason I prefer to spend a lot of time at home...:shocked:

Prices in movie theatres up. rudeness up...Movie snacks up...Quality of most movies over-stated. seems like a good argument for investing in pay TV. and I can watch my movies in my pj's...ok too much information.

Why the heck would someone pay good money just to talk in a movie threatre. they could talk, free, all they wanted outside

Seems I keep seeing more and more reasons for NOT moving to TV. Seems all the good that has been in place there is slowly disappearing. Why for a life style that is no longer.