An Open Letter to the Movie-Going Mama: The Video!

You went to see Puss in Boots and you told someone's child to be quiet?

Are you sure she was being polite, or was she terrified of the stranger sitting next to her?

I know it sucks to have to listen to kids (or people for that matter) talk during a movie, but when you go see PUSS IN BOOTS or TANGLED you lose that option of hoping to watch in silence. I always thought that was a given, unless you are watching the 11:00 pm show.

And this is something you felt the need to brag about?

I don't want to call you a dick but.....you're a dick. You went to a children's movie, sat next to an overexcited child and instead of politely asking the child's parent if she could talk to her daughter to see if she would calm down you decided that you would take it into your own hands and possibly scare the shit out of her. And now you feel the need to pat yourself on the back for it and whore some Youtube hits as a convenient byproduct?

Yep, that doesn't sound awful at all.

First off, this is not the argument we are making against yours: " Do you feel that children should have carte blanche to be as noisy as they see fit and that adult theater-goers should quietly put up with it?" Thats an obvious "No."

You are very good at getting your point across, but you are not good at listening to how you may have been wrong. I hear excuses from you, but you are not taking into account the real issues here:

1. Just as you say common ettiquete allows you to "hush" a theater goer during a film, it is also common ettiqute to not speak directly to someone's small child when the parent is there with them. You talk to the parent. Would you coddle someone else's baby if it was crying in a theater? No, you speak to the parent, Just as you would with any other small child.
2. A theatergoer understands the type of film they are seeing determines the type of reactions you are going to get from the audience. You wouldn't tell people to hush if they were laughing too much in a comedy would you? One should expect silence in a drama, laughter in a comedy, and children speaking up during a family/childrens film.  Them's the breaks. It sucks, yes, but there are certain things one gives up when going to a family film on opening weekend during kid-friendly hours.
3. If someone told my young kid, especially when they were at the "excited" stage, and I heard them sitting three chairs down, I would say "You speak to me, and let me tell my kid to be quiet."

It's still amazing to me that you state your case so dramatically and you're complaining about PUSS IN BOOTS and TANGLED. I watched your video and had to rewind it to make sure you said TANGLED.

You know, some day you are going to have kids, and you'll look back and remember how you thought you could have that perfect companion who doesn't peep at the movies, and you'll know the truth. And then you'll call yourself a dick, too.

I eagerly await your followup video: An Open Letter to the Cross Dresser Dancing During the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

I dislike the signing of posts.

Does anyone remember Cambece?  He was a short-lived poster who signed his posts, to wit, Cambece.

Man, those were the days.

ETA:

Found the thread!

http://www.chud.com/community/t/86924/panic-at-the-disco

Cambece

God that's old time greatness! And Cambece comes across as so much more dignified than this topic's OP.

Lauren Ortega

Wow.  Just Wow.  This whole thing got my mamabear alert up.

 Never would I advocate telling a kid to be quiet in a KID movie, but if you absolutely can't function around small people who do make noises and smells and spill things, as Chris Allen said you talk to the parent NOT the kid.   Had it been my kid you told to be quiet, things would have gone differently, not only because she's incapable of being quiet at something she's excited about 

 But because, you know, she's a kid, have you never heard of stranger danger?  I'm nearly certain you scared the crap out of her AND her mother.  They probably left like that because she was afraid of what you might do to her kid if she didn't leave.  And for you to say you don't care why she was quiet,if you scared her or she was polite?

Way to go.  That sort of thing can only bring good karma.

You're like that guy who moves into a family neighborhood and yells at everyone to "stay off my lawn"  If you expect people around you to be sensitive to your needs you should consider being sensitive to the needs of others around you.  Like to not be frightened, or have expectations beyond your developmental capacity thrust upon you. Or having what could have been your first theater experience ever ruined by a smug gentleman who needs to hear exactly what Flynn Ryder just sang.

 The kid you sat next to had more self control than you did, so go her!  

All that said.  I don't give my kids carte blanche in a movie.  I spent most of Tangled in the aisle (by the door, not the seats large theater) keeping my youngest away from people trying to watch the movie while my older children watched from their seats.

I find it oddly hilarious and seriously creepy when non parents judge parents skills.  You have NO idea.  And after watching your slightly disturbing video, I sort of hope you never do.  

Also? Just for pure safety's sake? Don't think this is a good thing that you should repeat frequently. Because I'm sure there's a few people who might possibly to qouth The Wire "Cut your ass."

I can't believe I missed this. Holy shit. 

"Hush" and then the wink at the end.

*Shudder*

You're the worst kind of person.