Theater Etiquette

[KimberlyH]

Date: 1/7/2008 4:46:18 PM
Author: Mara

Along the same lines as you mentioned is people chewing or eating...earlier this year during Sleeping Beauty Ballet in SF we had this experience where this woman and her child were at the end of the row behind us, like 3 seats over to our left, again these were like $70 seats and they are opening CANDY in rustling cellophane paper and eating. It was driving me friggin BATTY. This is the BALLET. There''s no speaking from the characters, so I certainly don''t want to hear anyone else making noises. I end up leaning over behind us and saying SHHHH in a really loud voice. Well this guy next to me looks at me and goes ''It''s just a little girl''. OMG I almost had a fit. I wasn''t shhhing the girl, but the Mother who should really know better. But regardless, just because she''s a child, she gets a special pass? I don''t subscribe to that way of thinking...children should be taught the right way to act by their parents and the Mom was being a bad example. I looked at the dude and don''t even remember what I said but it was something along the lines of ''Are you serious, this is the ballet...I don''t come here to hear people rustle and talk.'' He actually told me to ''Shut Up!'' I just glared at him. I mean I wasn''t going to get into an altercation at the BALLET...but seriously. I feel like (a) people are inconsiderate of others and (b) others just tolerate it..and this perpetuates the behavior. Again, this was an 8pm show on a Saturday night. They have 12pm shows on Sundays which I feel are more appropriate for children. I don''t think I am totally unreasonable. If I was at the NOON show for families and sitting in the balcony area, I would expect more commotion.

Oh and this family who brought 4 kids to the Nutcracker this time paid $100+ for each of their kids seats. And trust me, the kids did not care! They could have been in the $20 balcony and been happy. The youngest ones also kept complaining they couldn''t SEE...the parents should have had them on their laps. I don''t mind kids when they are well behaved, some kids are really exemplary. But others...the parents should know that they aren''t going to be able to sit there for 2 hours or whatever and act appropriately.

It goes back to figuring out if your child is mature enough to sit through a show quietly, and if the answer is ''no'' get a babysitter or stay home. But if the parents don''t know what polite is how can the child?

Last night at dinner we were seated next to a family of four, two young boys, ages 2and 4 I''d guess, and their parents. The boys were both getting restless but the little one was way done with sitting at the table; he was in a highchair with wheels and when he discovered this he started pushing himself away from the table then pulling himself back. It was noisy, because the floors are tile, and a bit distracting. The dad picked him up and took him outside, the mom asked for the check and they were done. He really wasn''t being bad, just bored, but they handled it so gracefully. Instead of it allowing the child to annoy those around him, they removed him.

 

[OUpearlgirl]

I am a huge theater fanatic.. My parents started taking me when I was a little kid. We always put on our best dresses and hairbows, quietly sat in our seats, and acted like little ladies. It''s sad to say that I behaved better at age 7 than MANY adults at the theaters these days. I would never DREAM of wearing jeans to a show. I don''t even wear black pants. It''s amazing to me that everything is on the same level to some people. Be it a football game, wedding, funeral, concert, musical, rodeo, etc. People have gotten so rude!

I was really upset when the theaters started allowing candy in, because you can hear the crinkle, crinkle of the plastic as they eat it during the show!

 

[Haven]

Date: 1/7/2008 5:17:13 PM
Author: KimberlyH

Date: 1/7/2008 4:04:57 PM
Author: Haven
I choose my movie theatres very wisely, some of them have horrible atmospheres with a lot of talking, and others are quite lovely. Whenever there''s talking in the theatre the teacher comes out in me and I politely yet sternly implore the offenders to be quiet. If they don''t listen the first time, I calmly tell them I''m going out to fetch an usher, and the usher usually takes care of the problem.

As for plays, fortunately, I haven''t noticed much rudeness in the theatres I''ve been to in Chicago, and I love attending the theatre in England. I''m sorry to hear that so many people have had such awful experiences, a play is a horrible thing to waste!

Haven, can I go to the movies with you?

A play is a terrible thing to waste.

Do you have that fantastic ability to tune people out? My sister and husband do, but I just can''t manage it.

See, Kimberly--you should have moved to Chicago, then we could have had a movie date!
I do tune people out, so perhaps that''s what''s really going on!

 

[Fancy605]

Date: 1/7/2008 4:46:18 PM
Author: Mara

Oh and this family who brought 4 kids to the Nutcracker this time paid $100+ for each of their kids seats. And trust me, the kids did not care! They could have been in the $20 balcony and been happy. The youngest ones also kept complaining they couldn''t SEE...the parents should have had them on their laps. I don''t mind kids when they are well behaved, some kids are really exemplary. But others...the parents should know that they aren''t going to be able to sit there for 2 hours or whatever and act appropriately.

Geeze, I would like to say to these people, "If you can''t afford a babysitter, then you can''t afford to be at a ballet that is $100/ticket."
Uhg, few things irk me more than parents who can not or do not care to make their children act appropriately in public (or at home for that matter).

 

[KimberlyH]

Date: 1/7/2008 5:45:19 PM
Author: Haven

Date: 1/7/2008 5:17:13 PM
Author: KimberlyH

Date: 1/7/2008 4:04:57 PM
Author: Haven
I choose my movie theatres very wisely, some of them have horrible atmospheres with a lot of talking, and others are quite lovely. Whenever there''s talking in the theatre the teacher comes out in me and I politely yet sternly implore the offenders to be quiet. If they don''t listen the first time, I calmly tell them I''m going out to fetch an usher, and the usher usually takes care of the problem.

As for plays, fortunately, I haven''t noticed much rudeness in the theatres I''ve been to in Chicago, and I love attending the theatre in England. I''m sorry to hear that so many people have had such awful experiences, a play is a horrible thing to waste!

Haven, can I go to the movies with you?

A play is a terrible thing to waste.

Do you have that fantastic ability to tune people out? My sister and husband do, but I just can''t manage it.

See, Kimberly--you should have moved to Chicago, then we could have had a movie date!
I do tune people out, so perhaps that''s what''s really going on!

I know, I know. The topic of moving still rears its head on occasion and there is a large part of me that regrets not moving.

I wish I had that magical ability...I am always aware of what is going on around me, I can''t just shut off certain things. It''s such a talent, I so envy you for having it!

I do have a proposition for you and DeeJay. I''m dying to go to tea at The Drake next Christmas (we do a December trip to Chicago every year to see A Christmas Carol, shop and experience a bit of cold weather and snow). It''s definitely not a DH thing to do, but perhaps the two of you would be willing to join me? I know you, in all your Miss Manners lovin'' glory, will behave appropriately!

 

[Mara]

LOL Miranda, yes the farting at the gym is beyond gross to me. I mean I understand you are running on the treadmill, maybe something pops out but anything beyond that, FRIGGIN go to the bathroom!!!

In general, I am often disgusted by people's manners or lack thereof while out in public. The local gym or movie theatre or ballet or whatever is not your home, so don't behave like you are in your private residence.

And LOL re: the parenting book. It would mostly be a rant.

The most hilarious part is that I was a VERY energetic and exuberant (*coughunrulycough*) child. My Mom SO had her hands full with me. I used to hide in the circular clothing racks and people would freak out when they parted the clothes. I just liked to play in there. I can't even count the # of times I was hauled out of the clothing store and spanked in the parking lot...hahaha.

But I *never* was taken to places like the theatre or nice restaurants also because my Mom knew I just could NOT keep still. My special treat was KFC once a week or something. I know that some kids are just more mellow and do well in some environments like that, it's awesome. My sister is more like that, we took her to the ballet starting at a youngish age but she was enthralled by the show. And we were in cheapo seats.

I'm sure that I will get my behavior back in SPADES when we finally decide to procreate. Thank goodness Greg was a fabulously behaved golden child so maybe we'll even out the karma a bit and we won't get too bad of a kidlet.

 

[AmberGretchen]

Date: 1/7/2008 4:46:18 PM
Author: Mara
We don''t go to the movies that often anymore mostly because it irritates me how clueless other people are about those around them. It''s much nicer to watch a DVD at home where we can control the environment. But sometimes we will go in the afternoons when it''s less crowded.


Along the same lines as you mentioned is people chewing or eating...earlier this year during Sleeping Beauty Ballet in SF we had this experience where this woman and her child were at the end of the row behind us, like 3 seats over to our left, again these were like $70 seats and they are opening CANDY in rustling cellophane paper and eating. It was driving me friggin BATTY. This is the BALLET. There''s no speaking from the characters, so I certainly don''t want to hear anyone else making noises. I end up leaning over behind us and saying SHHHH in a really loud voice. Well this guy next to me looks at me and goes ''It''s just a little girl''. OMG I almost had a fit. I wasn''t shhhing the girl, but the Mother who should really know better. But regardless, just because she''s a child, she gets a special pass? I don''t subscribe to that way of thinking...children should be taught the right way to act by their parents and the Mom was being a bad example. I looked at the dude and don''t even remember what I said but it was something along the lines of ''Are you serious, this is the ballet...I don''t come here to hear people rustle and talk.'' He actually told me to ''Shut Up!'' I just glared at him. I mean I wasn''t going to get into an altercation at the BALLET...but seriously. I feel like (a) people are inconsiderate of others and (b) others just tolerate it..and this perpetuates the behavior. Again, this was an 8pm show on a Saturday night. They have 12pm shows on Sundays which I feel are more appropriate for children. I don''t think I am totally unreasonable. If I was at the NOON show for families and sitting in the balcony area, I would expect more commotion.


Oh and this family who brought 4 kids to the Nutcracker this time paid $100+ for each of their kids seats. And trust me, the kids did not care! They could have been in the $20 balcony and been happy. The youngest ones also kept complaining they couldn''t SEE...the parents should have had them on their laps. I don''t mind kids when they are well behaved, some kids are really exemplary. But others...the parents should know that they aren''t going to be able to sit there for 2 hours or whatever and act appropriately.


People farting, don''t get me started. At the GYM this happens all the time. I understand bodily functions, you are working out etc, but when it happens AGAIN AND AGAIN? Go to the friggin bathroom! Have some respect for people around you. Also those people SINGING while they work out ? I don''t want to hear you singing while I am suffering on the elliptical.

OMG Mara, I can''t believe that guy said those things to you!!

My mom gets season tickets to SF Ballet, really good seats, and I''m always shocked at the people who bring their horribly-behaved children, often week after week after week. And somehow they always seem to insist that it is YOUR fault for getting upset, rather than their fault for not parenting their children properly. I know that when I was a kid, I got taken out to the car if I couldn''t behave, not left in the performance/movie/restaurant/whatever to annoy the people around me.

 

[AmberGretchen]

Date: 1/7/2008 4:51:03 PM
Author: orbaya
The same goes for airplane etiquette.


On a flight from Las Vegas to Boston, we had a mother and two little girls (probably age 8 and 10 or so) directly in front of us, and the father was in the aisle seat across from them. The kids kept pushing the attendant button for no reason and you could tell the attendants were getting irritated. The girls were fighting and yelling at each other and keeping other passengers awake. The parents never said a word. I had finally had it and said VERY loudly to hubby, ''if the parents don''t say something to their kids, I will''. Right after that the mother tried (poorly, at that) to shush the kids up. Once we landed I went to the ladies room in the airport and it was very loud in there. Turns out it was those girls. Hubby was waiting for me outside the bathroom and I came out and said to him, ''those girls don''t how to be quiet.'' Hubby told me that their father was standing right next to him. I didn''t care. Call me a biotch, but I had had enough!


Another plane story was when we were getting off the plane, a woman from the back of the plane was yelling for people to get out of the way because she has was having trouble breathing. We got off the plane and saw the woman smoking.

Oh man, plane etiquette annoys me no end. I had a guy on one flight with a little girl (maybe like 5 years old), and she was seated on a raised seat thing behind me, and kept kicking my seat (I don''t know why I always get the kickers

). Anyway, I turned around and asked the father politely to please have his child stop kicking my seat. He made a half-hearted attempt to stop her, but sure enough, it started again a little while later. I asked again, and he told me "she''s just a little kid" so I turned back around and tried to ignore it. Then he got up to take her to the bathroom, and while he was standing next to my seat holding her, she kicked me, HARD, in the HEAD. I said "ow" loudly, because it hurt. Dad didn''t apologize, didn''t say a word, and let her do it again when they were on their way back from the bathroom, but I ducked that time so she didn''t get me as hard.

I also had someone on a flight where it was two seats in a row (one window, one aisle seat), and they were in the window seat and had gotten their first. It was a pretty overweight woman, and she had raised the armrest between the two seats. When I sat down, I very politely said "pardon me, I''m going to be put this down now" and she glared at me and said in a really exasperated voice "fine, whatever, if you have to." Then proceeded to spill over the armrest and dig her elbow into me the whole flight.

 

[princesss]

Ooooh, AG, I *hate* the kickers.

I think you ladies will appriciate this, even if it is a little mean. I was at dinner with a good friend of mine and her mother. She and I were seated in a booth that had two little boys on the other side of it (maybe 5 and 6-ish?). They began to swing their legs and kick against the bench, and managed to make the bench thump under our butts. I turned around and told the parents what was going on, and asked if they could get their children to stop. They nodded, and I turned around to eat, thinking the problem was solved. 5 minutes later, the thumping began again. And it''s not like it was quiet, either. So, I turned around again and asked. Same response. 2 minutes later, the kids are at it again. My friend turns around and looks at the children, and says (loudly enough for the parents to hear), "Your parents never taught you manners, did they?" It was so out of character (usually she''ll just put up with annoyances and laugh about them later) that I almost spit out my water when she said it. (Like I said, it was a little mean...but haven''t you always wanted to say something like that?)

I absolutely cannot stand poorly behaved kids at plays/the ballet/etc. I can''t afford to go that often, so when I do I expect a certain standard of behaviour, that, sadly, many adults can''t handle. Is it that hard to go 2 to 2.5 hours without food? Can''t a person enjoy the ballet they paid for, and let everybody who wants to talk to them wait for just a little bit? Is it so hard to arrive on time, and properly dressed? I had a roommate one year whose boyfriend took her to see a play in DC. As she was getting ready (in a pair of jeans) I asked her if she''d ever been to the theatre. When I found out she hadn''t, I suggested that she wear something a little more appropriate, if only out of respect for the actors that put so much work into the show. When she came back the next day, she was annoyed at me because everybody else was wearing jeans! Apparently my standards are too high.

 

[zoebartlett]

We love going to shows, and in fact, we have tickets to Avenue Q in March and I can''t wait. We also love going to the movies but there haven''t been too many in the theaters we''ve been dying to see. The thing that bugs me, more in movie theaters because you can choose your own seats, is that I ALWAYS get the tall people who sit in front of me. On more than one occasion, we''ve actually been in empty movie theaters, way before the movie has begun, and couples have come come in and chosen seats right in front of us. The taller one always seems to choose the seat directly in front of mine (I''m a shortie). Seriously, we were the only four people in the whole theater. I think they could have chosen other seats. I come to expect it now but it totally irritates me.

 

[KimberlyH]

Date: 1/7/2008 10:15:52 PM
Author: zoebartlett
we have tickets to Avenue Q in March

Enjoy every minute of it; such a hysterically funny show!!!

 

[matildawong]

Oh my gosh I love this thread. Rude theater-goers! Arrrrrgh!
I''m lucky enough to get to review performing arts and I actually mention these bad mannered audiences in my reviews. I wish I could write more about them. From people checking their cell phones (opening them up so the light comes on) in the middle of an aria at the opera, fergawdssakes, to pushing to get to the parking lot when the show is over. It''s unreal.

And, like Kimberley said about being the anti-complainer --- I am so patient, so polite, so terrified to bother people.

I sometimes wonder if one of these days I''m gonna blow my top at one of these rude people.

 

[monarch64]

Hate going to the movies for many of the above mentioned reasons. Will not go, period. Unless it is with friends who bribe us with prepaid tickets to one of those dinner and a movie shows...we''ve been twice but the movies have sucked anyway. Live theater? We saw Wicked for my 29th b-day but paid dearly for fab seats and suite service (don''t do it...totally not worth it...unless you like 15 minutes of a private bathroom break and s&itty appetizers). DH and I have invested in a wonderful home theater system and will never go back to public viewings of ANYTHING.

 

[captainobvious]

Wow, this thread realy hits a sore note for me. I think the newer generations of Americans are really just, in general, a bunch of rude donkeys. Aside from the
minority who were raised properly by their parents and have enough common sense and courtesy to respect others, all you find are people who seem totally oblivious to anything going on around them that doesnt affect them directly.

As far as plane etiquette goes, I''ve experienced my share as well. Last flight I was on, the gentleman behind me kept yapping to the passenger in the seat next to him despite all of the "signals" the guy was giving him that he didnt want to talk. I just had to laugh when guy #2 put on his head phones and the guy would continue talking and tap him to get his attention so that he would remove the headphones and listen...

some people never learn.

Movies/Plays:
The sad thing is that a movie can be rewatched with the same result everytime.
A play/opera is a live performance that will never be exactly duplicated and will be different
everytime you see it. Nuances, feelings, expressions, atmosphere...
Recently my fiance and I saw a movie at the local theater. The guy in front of us
(about 23 or so) reeked of body odor which we kept getting nice whiffs of everytime
he would shuffle around in his seat. (I guess his Right Guard took a left. Or maybe it just
never got on the highway period...) Since when did bathing become "optional" before going
out?

In most of our theatres in Philadelphia, they do have snack vending. However, they only serve
snacks during intermissions, and food is only allowed in the lobby. Additionally, if you dont make it back
to your seat before the next act, you have to wait until the next intermission to get back in.
This is common courtesy and is EXACTLY the way it should be. There''s no excuse for any theater or
opera house allowing food to be brought in to the performace area. And if they dont have the capacity to
provide a dining area, then they shouldnt sell food/snacks at all.
Zoebartlett,
Being a tall guy myself at 6''2", I always try to sit catty-corner to others if I''m in a row in
front of them whenever possible. When it''s not however, I always try to sink down as best I can.
Problem is, the seats weren''t made with leg room in mind for 6 footers+... My legs are always to
one side or the other and I find myself shifting back and forth throughout the movie because of
discomfort

Stadium seating should be mandatory unless your going to provide adequate leg
room!

 

[bee*]

Date: 1/8/2008 3:36:54 AM


Recently my fiance and I saw a movie at the local theater. The guy in front of us

(about 23 or so) reeked of body odor which we kept getting nice whiffs of everytime

he would shuffle around in his seat. (I guess his Right Guard took a left. Or maybe it just

never got on the highway period...) Since when did bathing become ''optional'' before going

out?

Or another is when the person beside you has so much aftershave/perfume on that it gives you a headache!

 

[KimberlyH]

Date: 1/8/2008 3:36:54 AM
Author: captainobvious

Wow, this thread realy hits a sore note for me. I think the newer generations of Americans are really just, in general, a bunch of rude donkeys. Aside from the
minority who were raised properly by their parents and have enough common sense and courtesy to respect others, all you find are people who seem totally oblivious to anything going on around them that doesnt affect them directly.

As a substitute teacher I spend a ton of time with a lot of different children and this perception is one I hear a lot and it makes me so sad. My experience is that there are a small group of people who make a lot of noise/cause a lot of upset and tarnish the reputations of those in the same category/group as them. Of the many children and young adults I''ve encountered about 10% of them are extremely rude and self centered and the other 90% sit somewhere else on the etiquette spectrum, from average to amazingly polite. But it''s not so likely that we will notice those who are sitting quietly in their seats being polite. My husband reminded me of this when we left the movies and I was like "Teenagers!" He said, "K, there were a couple groups of terribly behaved in that movie, but there were more people, all around us, included several other groups of teens, that were totally appropriate." It''s that whole one bad egg syndrome.

I''m sorry this hasn''t been your experience and glad someone else relates to my frustration. I felt so stupid for being so bothered by their actions this weekend but I was just stunned.

 

[KimberlyH]

Date: 1/8/2008 2:41:35 AM
Author: monarch64
Hate going to the movies for many of the above mentioned reasons. Will not go, period. Unless it is with friends who bribe us with prepaid tickets to one of those dinner and a movie shows...we''ve been twice but the movies have sucked anyway. Live theater? We saw Wicked for my 29th b-day but paid dearly for fab seats and suite service (don''t do it...totally not worth it...unless you like 15 minutes of a private bathroom break and s&itty appetizers). DH and I have invested in a wonderful home theater system and will never go back to public viewings of ANYTHING.

Oh no! I can''t imagine never going to the theater again, it''s something I enjoy so very much. But I''m glad to know I''m not alone. Should we join together and start an appropriate theater behavior club? My sister and I have movie going rules, we''d be happy to contribute them!

 

[CrownJewel]

I remember in middle school and high school, we used to have school performances and stuff. The back of the programs would always have "theatre etiquette rules." I guess they don''t do that anymore?!

I also hate the kickers. SO ANNOYING. Even worse is an adult who is a kicker...you know, one of those people who just can''t keep his/her foot still and must tap tap tap against my chair? UGH.

I think some people have no consideration for others'' personal space, like when someone tries to stand up from his seat and decides to use the back of my seat to stand up, which results in me catapulting backwards from the force. That happens in theatres, in movie theatres, on airplanes, on buses. Hasn''t it happened to them too? Don''t they know how annoying it is?

 

[AmberGretchen]

OMG CJ - I totally feel you on the using your seat to get places. I seriously have gotten bruises from how forcefully people do that sometime. I''ve also noticed on airplanes, that the same people who do that are also the people who seem to swing their baggage around uncontrollably when getting it down from the overhead compartment or walking down the aisle, hitting people all around them with their heavy bags, and of course never apologizing

Zoe - enjoy Avenue Q - DH and I saw it in September when it came to San Francisco, and I can''t remember when I''ve laughed so hard in a show, it was really wonderful

 

[Delster]

Oh dear me, sadly way too many of these posts are striking a chord

On a flight once (in the US) I was seated beside a beautiful little African boy, maybe three or so, and his father was sitting next to him. Mum and another six or so siblings were in one of the side aisles. Dad went to sleep as soon as we took off and the wee boy turned to me for entertainment. There followed lots of tugging my earphones out of my ears (ouch) and discman robbing, until the cabin crew brought round drinks. Dad woke up and got a carton of OJ for the wee boy before going back to sleep. Of course, without any help, the little fella couldn''t manage the carton and the straw and he squeezed the OJ all over me and promptly started crying. Dad woke up and, no kidding, PUNCHED the kid. Not full force, but still, a closed fist used on a three year old. The child clambered out of his seat like a flash, leapt into my lap, and promptly wet himself before dissolving in hysterics. I mustered up the dirtiest look I could manage for the father (I felt it was useless to SAY anything, as he had no English) and tried to console this very frightened little boy. Eventually he fell asleep and I sat for the next FOUR HOURS with someone else''s child curled up in lap whimpering in his sleep. I was only 21 and I didn''t know what else to do. I arrived at my destination (lodgings that had been organised by my employer, with a lovely lady that obviously I had never met before) exhausted, tearful, and stinking of a mixture of OJ and pee. What a great first impression I must have made. I cried my eyes out that night because I didn''t know what I should have done for the poor child.

 

[AmberGretchen]

OMG Delster - what a horrible experience! That must have been just horrible, for both you and the poor child

 

[surfgirl]

I wanted to contribute to this thread because rudeness today is the bane of my existence but it''s so intensely annoying to me, I cant even write it out in a post. Suffice to say to all your posts I say a big fat WORD!

 

[FrekeChild]

Not long ago we went to see 28 Weeks Later in a movie theater in a more ghetto area of town than we usually venture into. Only because it was the only place showing it anymore, and the theater was one that I hadn''t been to in about 10 years because THE PATRONS were so bad. Anyway, there was an ENTIRE ROW of rowdy teenagers that talked, laughed, text messaged, called their other friends on the phone-THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE movie. We really should have left but it was about a 20 minute drive to that theater and it would have been a complete waste of time and gas. So instead I threw candy over my head at them.

Probably not the best response, but there were too many of them and too few of us (only BF and I), but I''ve vowed to wait until it''s for rent instead of go back to that theater.

My FSIL texts during movies. I HATE IT. And I always get stuck going to movies with her because BF and her BF always want to go see some random action/horror/sci fi flick that neither her or I want to see. Ugh.

When I was 18 and had just graduated from HS my parents and I went to NYC for one of my dad''s conferences. The people who organized it had reserved blocks of tickets for a bunch of shows-including The Lion King, which hadn''t been out for too long and I was APPALLED to see people going to a $100 ticket performance wearings jeans, sneakers/flip flops, and t-shirts. My bf is laughing at me writing this which shows you what side of the fence he''s on.

However, when we go see anything (Phantom, Cirque du Soleil, anything with live performers basically), I''m the one who dresses him.

 

[TravelingGal]

TGuy''s dad says going to the movies in America was an experience...said he had never seen anything like it. Apparently they are much quieter in Oz at the pictures.

I won''t get started on airplane etiquette...I have flown way too much and have way too many opinions on the matter. I will say re: seat grabbers - if the offender is an older person, I do tend to be more understanding.

 

[zoebartlett]

Date: 1/8/2008 12:26:58 PM
Author: Delster
Oh dear me, sadly way too many of these posts are striking a chord

On a flight once (in the US) I was seated beside a beautiful little African boy, maybe three or so, and his father was sitting next to him. Mum and another six or so siblings were in one of the side aisles. Dad went to sleep as soon as we took off and the wee boy turned to me for entertainment. There followed lots of tugging my earphones out of my ears (ouch) and discman robbing, until the cabin crew brought round drinks. Dad woke up and got a carton of OJ for the wee boy before going back to sleep. Of course, without any help, the little fella couldn''t manage the carton and the straw and he squeezed the OJ all over me and promptly started crying. Dad woke up and, no kidding, PUNCHED the kid. Not full force, but still, a closed fist used on a three year old. The child clambered out of his seat like a flash, leapt into my lap, and promptly wet himself before dissolving in hysterics. I mustered up the dirtiest look I could manage for the father (I felt it was useless to SAY anything, as he had no English) and tried to console this very frightened little boy. Eventually he fell asleep and I sat for the next FOUR HOURS with someone else''s child curled up in lap whimpering in his sleep. I was only 21 and I didn''t know what else to do. I arrived at my destination (lodgings that had been organised by my employer, with a lovely lady that obviously I had never met before) exhausted, tearful, and stinking of a mixture of OJ and pee. What a great first impression I must have made. I cried my eyes out that night because I didn''t know what I should have done for the poor child.

Wow. I can''t believe someone (the dad) would do something like that. How could he not pay more attention -- positive, of course, to his own son?