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NYC Law Aims To Ban Cell Phones In Theatres
LunarFox writes: "This article on Wired says a New York City councilman is trying to ban cellphones in 'places of public performance'. It would be the first legislation of its kind, following the recent state-wide ban on cellphone use while driving. Wired mentions that actor Laurence Fishburne, in the middle of a Broadway performance, yelled to an audience member to "turn your f___ing phone off!" And here I thought I was the only one who didn't like hearing Flight of the Bumblebee as a ringtone."
This isn't exactly something that should be a law. It's like outlawing putting your elbows on the table,farting at the table, etc. It is simple bad manners that people need to realize. Maybe a sign 'please shut off your cell phones.' Alot of people just forget and alot of people just don't care. Fine. Use the ol' peer pressure to get them to realize that it is a damm good idea to turn off there cellphones. How much you want to bet that the person mr. fishbourne yelled at will never leave his/her cellphone on in a movie theater/play/whatever again? Than again, if I have to hear another goddam cellphone go off in a movie I just might have to kill someone. Nothing ruins a nice porn .. er movie flick than a cellphone going off.
I don't know how much this irritates other people, but cell phones in theaters are the worst. I was out seeing Signs a few weeks ago and during some of the most suspensful scenes someone's cell phone would go off. Damnit I hate that. It just ruins the essence of the film.
Now this doesn't stop people from talking. Sitting behind me were 4 people, 3 girls and 1 guy. They wouldn't shut the hell up! I mean, an insightful or sarcastic comment every now and then is ok, but carrying on a conversation (and one that didn't have anything to do with the movie) is just down-right rude. I sure don't pay $9 to hear someone else talk about the itch that appeared after sleeping with a guy, or the test they cheated on in school. The solution: They should have a duct tape dispenser at the ticket-taker booth and every single person should have their mouths taped shut. There we go, a solution to all the problems.
Ban those whining, crying babies, those are more annoying.
One day, a phone rings and it was the scooby doo theme, my buddy next to me says "FAAAAG!!!" and the whole class bursts out laughing. The next day another phone rings and I yell "FAAAAAAG!!!". This went on for about two weeks until everyone got the picture: Turn your phone off or the entire class is going to laugh at you and call you a fag.
Social pressure really worked in this case, people started using vibrate mode, and it was a good thing.
So to Laurence Fishburne: way to go!
(now I know someone is going to attack with some PC crap about the word fag -- get over yourself, that was what really happened, and it was funny, and I dont wanna hear it :)
Religion is a gateway psychosis. -- Dave Foley
>>it's because I'm from the bay area, but using a cell phone while driving is a god given right as far as I'm concerned, as long as you remember to pay full attention to the road.
Which is nearly impossible for the brain, as numerous scientific studies have shown.
>>If they're going to ban cell phones while driving, they need to ban radios
You listen to a radio only. Unless you're using a cell phone to call in. Listening to music (or even a talk/news show) is far different from carrying on a conversation.
>>conversations and other passengers altogether,
Conversations with other passengers aren't as dangerous, because if you for instance start to swirve, the other person can go "look out" while the guy at the other end of the phone will keep yakking away because he doesn't know any better, and your brain will try - and fail - to both concentrate on the phone call and correct the situation. Pretty much the only exception to this is small children.
You know what I think we should do about cellular phones in public...
(ba-da-da-ba-da-da-ba-da-da-ba-BO-NAN-ZA!!)
Oh, excuse me for a second.
Hey, what's up?
Naw, I'm just posting on Slashdot.
Slashdot. You know. It's like, a big web site thingy. People post comments and stuff. It's kind of like the Roman senate if the Roman senate had been populated by thirty thousand incensed midgets.
Yeah, I know. I TOTALLY get that all the time.
Cell phones. We're talking about cellular phones in public places.
I *KNOW*! That TOTALLY drives me insane. Like, when you're talking to someone and their phone rings and they start talking on their phone instead of to you?
Totally. So, what's up with you? How's it going....
Seems to me this is not legislating morality at all. It's legislating what people can or cannot do in a public place. It has nothing to do with morality, but everything to do with people in large groups being able to get along without wringing each other's necks.
I'm adamantly opposed to DMCA, US Patriot, etc, but comparing those two misguided pieces of legislation to a simple prohibition in one city agains the use of cell phones in theaters is pretty silly.
Read the EFF's Fair Use FAQ
It's pretty simple actually. There are perhaps eleven thousand people in the U.S.A. that are important enough to have to take a call whereever and whenever. But the rest of people don't rate and have no business taking a call in a theatre, a resturaunt, or even in the grocery. It's funny but it used to be that the ones who carried pagers in the 80's were either physicians, corporate captains or drug dealers. Then when I was an undergrad everyone had pagers. Now when I walk through campus on the way to the hospital or my lab EVERYONE is talking on cell phones constantly. Who are they talking to? Even in a history class I was sitting in on recently had a student who actually took a call while in class! I was flabbergasted as you would be crucified if that happened in any of my medical school classes or in any of my PhD coursework. But my friend teaching the history class says it happens from time to time.
We have become amazingly selfish as a nation and it is being reflected in everything from speeding through neighborhoods, to taking phone calls in inappropriate places to feeling justified in taking that extra half hour for lunch on company time. (Don't forget all of those "first post" punks. Nobody cares. You are just noise to be filtered through.) Because of this general societal disregard that some folks have, we have to start enforcing certain issues that should be checked due to a sense of shame that seems to be lacking. Ergo, speedbumps in neighborhoods to slow people down and because our hospital had problems with employees who were billing the hospital for extra time around lunch and in the mornings and evenings, time clocks that check you in and out were implemented. As for cell phones? We also have problems with cell phones in hospitals as they can disrupt certain electronic equipment being used for patient care. But do people care? No. We have signs up all over the place saying please do not use your cell phone, but folks simply ignore it. Therefore, could the solution here simply be cell free zones that are electronically enforced? They have them in resturaunts in Japan after all. This way no new laws need to be created or enforced and it would probably be cheaper to proactively block the signals.
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I wish the government would spend its time and money encouraging people to educate their kids, be responsible for themselves, and to be citizens who take an active part in the betterment of society rather than trying to control people through micromanagment via petty ordinances.
And then Flight of the Bumblebee started up.
Everyone cringed, because it was already muffled - it was in somebody's handbag, so the audience knew they'd have to suffer while the guilty party furiously dug around for it, and that it would get worse (i.e. LOUDER) when they took it out to shut it off.
There was a deep gruff voice from the back:
"Let it ring. So I can find you."
It got shut off pretty quick.
As I was watching LotR in the cinema, it occurred to me early on that some fucker'd probably have his phone going off at a critical moment. Sure enough, just as (don't read this if you don't know Boromir died) Boromir was giving his dying speech, the phone went off. The well-poisoning motherfucker didn't turn it off or answer it; he just pretended it wasn't his, and the entire cinema was treated to the entire tune. I wasn't close enough to berate him and/or her, and I didn't hear anyone else do it either. They probably got away with it.
Then there's last night, when not only did some wench get a call during Eight-Legged Freaks[1], she answered and carried out a loud conversation.
Why do I mention these? Because they're illustrative of the sort of asshole that's endemic these days; the sort who doesn't give a shit, and who can only be controlled by laws and/or 2x4s. And as they'd go whining to the cops if you larted them, making it illegal to have the ring tone enabled on your phone while in a theatre. I've nothing against vibrators (so to speak), as long as the user leaves the cinema to answer any call deemed important.
[1].Interestingly, the film's called "Eight Legged Freaks" sans hyphen, and had me rushing to the cinema to see a film about eight freaks with legs. I was bitterly disappointed, and not just because it was a shite film.
This is a case where "the market" can regulate itself; theatres which strictly enforce bans on audible phones and beepers will do better than ones which don't.
You'd think so, wouldn't you?
I thought the very same thing about smoking in restaurants, before my city enacted a smoking ban. Why didn't some enterprising type open up a chain of non-smoking restaurants, seeing as (according to statistics) 75% of people don't smoke, and an overwhelming majority of people say they'd rather not have smoking in restaurants?
It never happened. A few places went non-smoking, did decent business, but I guess not enough to warrant more restaurants doing it on their own. The city ended up with the ban (so far you can still smoke in bars and lounges here, so it's sorta half-ass), and most people think it's been a roaring success.
As much as I hate to say it, sometimes it seems that legislation is the only way for people's behaviour to change. Most people wanted smoke-free eating, but without a law, it was never going to happen. Same goes for cell-phones, I'd imagine. Even though I think most people make way too big a deal out of it - I hear more screaming/crying infants in most places I go, and that lasts a lot more than the 10 seconds a phone ring does, but NO ONE in their right mind has proposed a ban on children at public performances - at least not yet.
Endless arguments over trivial contradictions in books written by ignorant savages to explain thunder in the dark.
I understand she's a health care provider and she (along with firefighters, doctors, etc.) need to stay in communication. Put it on vibrate and carry it on your person, not in your purse. Duh. Even better, get someone to cover for you for a couple of hours.
In any case, when you get such a call in the theater, step into the lobby and call the back. Don't fucking answer your phone in the theater. Sheesh.
On military bases, there are alert crews that are on standby to bomb the shit out of Russia or Iraq or whoever. They go to the arcade, movie theatre, and whatnot when they're on standby. In the theatre there are flashing alert lights that come on in case of an alert. They get up and run to the nearest exit. Interruption in movie is maybe 15-30 seconds.
In the last year, I've have a number of surreal incidents brought about by the fact that I didn't have a cell phone with me, kept it turned off if I did, or asked other people the seemingly obvious questions about why they are bothering with a cell phone instead of ignoring their caller.
I do own a cell phone. I reluctantly bought one for my wife and I only because we had a child. Two people, not counting myself have my phone number: My wife and my father (well 3 if you count my mom). Usually I don't bring the phone with me, unless I am expecting to hear something specific from my wife. And even then, I will *never* bother to take or make a call while driving, and my wife knows that. (What's the point of a having a super-performance car if you're not dedicated to driving it?)
People are amazed to find out I own a phone but don't have it with me, and that I could care less. I would swear that it is becoming a status thing to not have to immediately answer to anyone who calls you -- rather they have to wait for you to contact them at your convienence. The expressions I see on people's faces after questioning why they let someone else interrupt them are priceless. It's as if they never realized it until just now...
What's happened here? Are we now all beholdend to answer someone and anyone's call at any hour of the day? Sorry, but that's a quick way to lead a high stress life. What about time and place that is our own? Did people just give that up without realizing the price paid?
Sure, other people have more ligitemate callers and calls to make --- but really, are they all necessary? or are we just conditioned to talk on the phone because it's there? I'll bet most people can't see or admit to themselves that their calls are alot more noise and less signal then they'd like to think... i.e. many of their calls could be eliminated and they wouldn't be any worse off.
Must all calls allways be answered? Does that mean everyone calling is more important than you are?
I vote for a box to make cell phones ring as you enter an establishment, so that whoever is at the door can hand out a clue.
In movie theaters, you could put up a "have you turned off the ringer on your cell phone?" slide, and then make the things ring. Do this 4 or 5 times before the previews, etc., start.
Another alternative is to actually put a *cell* in the theater, and give it a $50 call termination/origination fee. 8-).
-- Terry
They should just make the ringtone a coughing sound.
No one will suspect it's a phone ringing.