OT: Bet This Dude Wishes He had Just Shut It Off.

[TobyTyler]

Again nobody here was there. So we don't know all the facts. Even I don't know if the old man was in a fight. But it sure doesn't sound like it.

I can't condone anyone getting shot over texting or god damn popcorn. Again let's wait till it all comes out. But the witnesses basically said they argued and he threw popcorn. Who the fuck shoots somebody over something as little as that?

I'm not condoning what the old man did even a little bit. I'm simply saying that by exercising a little common courtesy the texter could have avoided the whole thing and been enjoying his little daughter's company tonight instead of laying in a morgue somewhere.

 

[SDPaddlefish]

You are the problem. You think the rules don't apply to you. You are in an establishment that has made it clear to you that texting and phoning is not allowed in the theater. You should respect that rule. Rules and following those rules are what make for a civilized society. It doesn't matter whether you think it is right or wrong. It is the rule of the establishment and you need to abide by it. If it bothers you that much, then wait for the DVD and text to your heart's content at home on your couch.

LOL, I'm not making a sound and 99% of the audience doesn't give a wit. Why in the world would a soundless look at a phone bother anybody? Little short on the attention span? Are you able to watch TV and be on the interweb? I'm not even a miniscule problem in life.

 

[Crimsoncrew]

I didn't say "expect, I said "accept". I'm not going to argue your facts about murder rates but tell me the last time you heard about a couple of shitbirds going into a high school and shooting a bunch of kids like Columbine, Sandy Hook or the theater in Aurora. It just didn't happen. I stand by my statement that you are more likely to get killed in a "routine" confrontation today than when I was young.

1966: former marine Charles Whitman kills 16 from a clock tower on the UT campus, after killing his mother and wife.

1973: Mark Essex goes on a rampage at the Howard Johnson in NO, killing 9 people.

1982: a) George Banks uses an assault rifle to go on a killing spree that claims the lives of 13 people. b) Carl Brown, upset about a repair bill, walks into a machine shop and kills 8 people.

1984: a) James Huberty walks into a McDonalds and kills 18 kids and adults. b) Army veteran Michael Silka goes on a rampage, killing 8 people.

1986: Patrick Sherrill, a disgruntled postal worker, walks into a post office and kills 14 employees.

Mass shootings have spiked recently, no doubt. In terms of individual, fairly random acts of extreme violence? I don't think it's any different than it was when you were young. It's just more publicized.

 

[SDPaddlefish]

That's the problem, though. People DO notice it and it impacts their ability to enjoy the movie they paid to see. Why do you think movie theaters tell their patrons to be courteous of the other patrons and turn them off?

And if you're so disinterested in the movie, why did you waste the money to be there? What, you can't wait 90 minutes to check a sports score? Your attention span is THAT short?

LOL, who said I was disinterested in the movie (but, since it's during a game, I'm probably there cuz of the GF). It takes 5 seconds and doesn't bother anyone but the people looking for a reason to be bugged. How would you even notice if someone checked a score if you were really interested in the movie.

 

[RobertPhD01]

The movie Devil's Due starts Friday! If anybody is interested!

 

[TobyTyler]

LOL, I'm not making a sound and 99% of the audience doesn't give a wit. Why in the world would a soundless look at a phone bother anybody? Little short on the attention span? Are you able to watch TV and be on the interweb? I'm not even a miniscule problem in life.

The fact that you cannot see it further illustrates the point that you, and people like you, are the problem.

 

[TobyTyler]

1966: former marine Charles Whitman kills 16 from a clock tower on the UT campus, after killing his mother and wife.

1973: Mark Essex goes on a rampage at the Howard Johnson in NO, killing 9 people.

1982: a) George Banks uses an assault rifle to go on a killing spree that claims the lives of 13 people. b) Carl Brown, upset about a repair bill, walks into a machine shop and kills 8 people.

1984: a) James Huberty walks into a McDonalds and kills 18 kids and adults. b) Army veteran Michael Silka goes on a rampage, killing 8 people.

1986: Patrick Sherrill, a disgruntled postal worker, walks into a post office and kills 14 employees.

Mass shootings have spiked recently, no doubt. In terms of individual, fairly random acts of extreme violence? I don't think it's any different than it was when you were young. It's just more publicized.

You win.

 

[sjballer03]

When I'm at the theater I usually make to lower the brightness all the way down on my phone and cuff my hands around my phone when I do check it. Some discretion is absolutely necessary. If someone does ask me to stop, I'll play it off and apologize profusely. Picking a fight would be the last thing on my mind. The moment you start responding in kind and escalating the situation, you've lost already. What's the point of throwing popcorn at a senile old man anyways?

 

[Crimsoncrew]

You're making too many assumptions and generalizing. There is no data to support this and you are just assuming.

I am making some assumptions. Do you disagree with them? And keep in mind, I said "we regularly see," not "most people who carry...." Regardless, if someone is carrying a gun, they should act with far less aggression than they otherwise might. Clearly that wasn't the case here.

 

[Crimsoncrew]

You are the problem. You think the rules don't apply to you. You are in an establishment that has made it clear to you that texting and phoning is not allowed in the theater. You should respect that rule. Rules and following those rules are what make for a civilized society. It doesn't matter whether you think it is right or wrong. It is the rule of the establishment and you need to abide by it. If it bothers you that much, then wait for the DVD and text to your heart's content at home on your couch.

The rules also say not to shoot someone. The laws say that too, for that matter. You seem much more hung up on the texting than the shooting. To the surprise of absolutely no one.

 

[Crimsoncrew]

That's the problem, though. People DO notice it and it impacts their ability to enjoy the movie they paid to see. Why do you think movie theaters tell their patrons to be courteous of the other patrons and turn them off?

And if you're so disinterested in the movie, why did you waste the money to be there? What, you can't wait 90 minutes to check a sports score? Your attention span is THAT short?

What movies are you going to, Warty? I have trouble finding a movie that's less than 150 minutes.

 

[RoboticDreams]

I think he didn't expect it. I hear he said "I can't believe he shot me" as he was going down. Its very sad for the child though and the dude's wife.

These days, I never confront anyone I don't know because you never know how these idiots are going to react.

Lol, really? I'm not laughing at the incident but did he really say "I can't believe he shot me?"

 

[TobyTyler]

The rules also say not to shoot someone. The laws say that too, for that matter. You seem much more hung up on the texting than the shooting. To the surprise of absolutely no one.

Exactly why the old man is in jail right now with no bail. As far as being more hung up on the texting than the shooting; don't be a fool. I've said numerous times in this thread that texting in a theater is a very trivial thing. What I did say, however, is that the man only had to obey the rules or do what he should have done when asked to stop texting and he'd be alive today.

 

[TobyTyler]

Lol, really? I'm not laughing at the incident but did he really say that?

That is what I read in the article.

 

[TobyTyler]

What movies are you going to, Warty? I have trouble finding a movie that's less than 150 minutes.

Name two. And I'll name 25 that are less than 2 hours.

 

[sjballer03]

The rules also say not to shoot someone. The laws say that too, for that matter. You seem much more hung up on the texting than the shooting. To the surprise of absolutely no one.

Ideally the old man should've complained to the theater management if he felt annoyed by the texting. The general policy at theaters nowadays is that you will be asked to leave. And throwing popcorn is definitely grounds for ejection. If anything, he could've complained enough and got some free movie tickets. Instead he let his gun do the talking, which is never going to end well. It just sucks when all it takes is one party to make a better decision at that moment.

 

[TobyTyler]

Ideally the old man should've complained to the theater management if he felt annoyed by the texting. The general policy at theaters nowadays is that you will be asked to leave. And throwing popcorn is definitely grounds for ejection. If anything, he could've complained enough and got some free movie tickets. Instead he let his gun do the talking, which is never going to end well. It just sucks when all it takes is one party to make a better decision at that moment.

He did and that is what escalated the problem. The younger guy started harrassing the old dude about going to management and trying to get him kicked out. But you are right, pulling a gun never ends well.

 

[RoboticDreams]

That is what I read in the article.

That seems very dramatic, cartoon-ish in fact.

 

[sjballer03]

He did and that is what escalated the problem. The younger guy started harrassing the old dude about going to management and trying to get him kicked out. But you are right, pulling a gun never ends well.

I guess the next question is why didn't management do anything about it? If they're going to show the ads before movies about not texting, then why not immediately act upon a complaint? I sense a lawsuit coming from the family of the deceased as sad as it may sound.

 

[RoboticDreams]

I guess the next question is why didn't management do anything about it? If they're going to show the ads before movies about not texting, then why not act upon it?

Because they are understaffed. They don't employ security to assure adherence to every rule, in every theater.

At some point they expect adults to act responsibly and maintain a certain level of civility.