The Daily Gripe #30 - At The Movies

It's time for The Daily Gripe, from Average Joe American.

Yesterday I took my three-year-old son to see Disney's animated movie Cars. It's only the third movie he's been to the theater to see. This time it was a father/son outing: Mommy stayed home with the baby.

First, let me say that my son was remarkably well-behaved for a three-year-old in a movie theater, especially considering the length of the movie (two full hours, including a cartoon short at the beginning). Not that I expected him to misbehave, but I think anyone with a toddler understands that that's always a possibility.

My gripe, actually, is with other people at the movie; the people in line in front of us; more specifically, a group of five adults. They were huddled together just outside of the theater and, as they saw me approach with my son, they apparently decided that they didn't want to get stuck in line behund us. They broke their huddle and rushed through the doors in front of us. Not a major problem, really, but rude nonetheless.

After purchasing tickets, we went to the snack counter for popcorn and a drink, where we were the one's stuck in line behind these five rude adults who bum-rushed the door as we approached. We had a very simple snack order, but apparently those who were in such a hurry to beat us into the theater had never been to one before, as they stood indecisively awestruck at the mounds of candy and popcorn before them. They just couldn't seem to figure out what they wanted from the display before them.

Meanwhile, my son and I waited quietly behind them, anxious to get our munchies and get into the movie. My son was probably more patient than I was. There were three people working the snack counter: one to take the order, one to prep the order, and one to take the money. All three of them were standing around waiting for this group of confused movie-goers to place their order. I kept looking over the huddled mass before me, hoping to catch the eye of one of the three employees so I could place my order and move on. It didn't happen.

When finally the rude five had received their orders and moved on, my son and I did the same. We were seated in the theater about half way through the Pixar cartoon short that precedes most Disney movies these days.

What really gripes me is that these five people, who were not in any hurry until we arrived, were so rude as to jump in front of a little boy who was obviously eager to see the movie, and to keep him waiting at the snack counter for five full minutes. Were they not children themselves before? Do they not understand how much more excited that three-year-old little boy was to see that movie? Have they never heard of women and children first? What ever happened to common courtesy? Like common sense, there is nothing common about courtesy.

To my son's credit, he was the perfect gentleman. More so than the grown men who kept him waiting.

Joe