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Hope this catches on here, only with more violent punishments.

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout' started by coma, Feb 12, 2003.

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  1. coma

    coma Member

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    SHUT THE #@$#@$ UP!!!!!

    NYC bans cell phones at movies
    Users face fine for dialing up at concert, other performances

    ASSOCIATED PRESS

    NEW YORK, Feb. 12 — No more cell phones ringing at the movies. No more dudes holding up their phones so friends can hear a concert. And no more rude interruptions for Broadway theatergoers. Overriding Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s veto, the City Council voted 38-5 on Wednesday to ban the use of cell phones at public performances.

    Talking on a cell phone, dialing, listening or even having one ring during a performance will constitute a violation punishable by a $50 fine.
    The law covers concerts, movies, plays, lectures, dance performances, museums, libraries and galleries. Cell phone use would still be permitted at sporting events and in emergencies, and people would still be allowed to speak on phones in lobbies and during intermissions.
    The use of audible pagers was also banned.
    The prime sponsor, City Councilman Phil Reed, said the idea came from theater owners tired of incessant phone ringing and loud conversations during performances.
    “I think it’s a real quality-of-life issue,” Reed said. “People overwhelmingly want this to happen. And because it would only apply during the performance, it’s not a lot to ask of people to do.”
    The mayor, however, has said the legislation would be unnecessary and almost impossible to enforce.
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    “We do not hesitate to ‘shush,’” Bloomberg wrote in his veto letter last month. “Some standards of conduct, not directly affecting public health or safety, can best be enforced not through legislation but through less formal means.”
    City Council Speaker Gifford Miller said the law will be largely self-enforcing. “I don’t expect the police to spend any time enforcing it,” he said.
    The Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association, an industry organization, lobbied against the bill.
    “Wireless phones are part of a long list of potentially inconsiderate behavior, a list that includes talking during performances, singing aloud — except when sanctioned — unwrapping candy and cough drops and even attending a public performance when suffering from a cough or allergy,” said Thomas Wheeler, the group’s president. “No matter how laudable the goal, the city cannot legislate courtesy and common sense.”
    The ban takes effect in 60 days.
     
    #1 coma, Feb 12, 2003
  2. coma

    coma Member

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    Hmmph.

    So the Preview Post button does have a use.
     
    #2 coma, Feb 12, 2003
  3. Supermac34

    Supermac34 President, Von Wafer Fan Club

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    How would this be enforced? The theater would probably have to bring in officers to witness and write the tickets.

    Somebody could always deny having their cell phone go off when the officer showed up, and he probably wouldn't write the ticket on somebody's word.
     
    #3 Supermac34, Feb 12, 2003
  4. Jeff

    Jeff Clutch Crew

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    Let's go down this laundry list:

    Talking - I understand this one. But, since the human mouth doesn't have an off button or a vibrating feature (well, at least not one usually used in public), not exactly the same.

    Singing Aloud - Has anyone ever had this problem at any performance other than a concert or a midnight showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show?

    Unwrapping Candy and Cough Drops - Oh, man, this is such a reach. Damn you Milky Way! DAMN YOU TO HELL!!!

    Suffereing from a Cough or Allergy - Again, since the human body doesn't have an...oh, screw it.

    I love hearing the rebuttal from industry groups when they get an adverse ruling. It is like the soft drink manufacturers of America saying, "Well, jumping off a cliff or being shot in the chest with a shotgun are much more dangerous than drinking a six pack of Pepsi every day."

    From the "WELL DUH!" department.
     
    #4 Jeff, Feb 12, 2003
  5. MR. MEOWGI

    MR. MEOWGI Contributing Member

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    I friend of mine told me that when he was 15, he saw Robocop in the theater in NYC. He said it was one of the craziest experiences of his life. He said guys had their boomboxes playing in the isle, and were drinking, smoking doobies, yelling at each other and at the screen, etc. It was like going to see a movie at a big party. :)

    I wish cell phones were banned. I wish other people were banned. I hardly go see movies anymore because of all of this ****. That's kind of what made going to see Jack-Ass cool. It didn't matter at all if people talked, what would you miss in the plot? Cell phones always piss me off though.
     
    #5 MR. MEOWGI, Feb 12, 2003
  6. Heretic

    Heretic Member

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    People who bring small children into pg-13 and R rated movies annoy me. Especially if they don't keep their children quiet.
     
    #6 Heretic, Feb 12, 2003
  7. Mr. Mooch

    Mr. Mooch Contributing Member

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    I once yelled in the middle of a packed theater to get a whining child to "shut the hell up".

    Well, most people laughed, and believe it or not, it worked.

    But what's great is if you go to any theater on a usual busy weekday and buy tix for the movie with the worst reviews.

    Since you're the only one in the theater (it's great with friends) you can do whatever the hell you want. For instance, I went to see Cruel Intentions when it was in theaters at about noon. Everyone that was in the theater went to see 10 things I hate about you. God I hated that movie so much. So my friends and I just went into the Cruel Intentions theater instead.

    It was great, we through stuff at the screen, "desecrated" the theater, smeared the glass where the picture goes through.

    Ahh that was fun. And no, we never got caught. But it's not like anything bad happened:rolleyes: .

    Anyway, here's another tip. When there's only one other person in the theater, sit down right next to him. It'll freak him out.

    But anyway, cell phones wouldn't be so bad if people wouldn't talk so damn loud!!! But it's really funny seing the people looking psychotic when they have the hands-free phones and they're talking to themselves. Quite funny, indeed.
     
    #7 Mr. Mooch, Feb 12, 2003
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