Man Slaps Kid for Talking at the Movies
And you thought shushing was harsh
By William Goss May 22, 2012 3:27PM
The odds are unfortunately good that we all have our fair share of moviegoing horror stories to vent about (which you're welcome to do in the comments section below). You go to a movie, and a stranger takes a phone call, sends texts, repeats every other line, translates every single line, attempts to add jokes to the experience, or simply proceeds with idle chatter. Sometimes, you shush to occasional effect. Sometimes, you get a manager and the jerk clams up. Sometimes, people threaten to come to blows out in the parking lot.And sometimes, you mistake a popcorn-throwing, motor-mouthed misfit for a grown man and hit him hard enough to knock a tooth out and leave him with a bloody nose. According to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, a 21-year-old attendee of an unknown 3D movie was fed up enough to do just that, only to not realize how young his adversary was... and that his mother was apparently sitting beside him. The man now faces felony charges.
Was the man wrong for lashing out physically? Yes. Was the mother wrong for not keeping the behavior of those children in check? In all likelihood. Could the kid have had a loose tooth already? It's possible. The point is, don't do any of it. Don't talk. Don't slap. Don't throw popcorn. You know what, just don't leave your house. It's easier that way.
664Comments
May 22, 2012 7:44PM
This is why i hate this world. It's full of enablers and dysfunctional inconsiderate ****s. Everyone and Anybody can do whatever the hell they want to, and if you try to inform or correct them, then you're in the wrong. If that man faces felony charges, then the mother should, too. If i've worked hard throughout the week, and paid my hard earned money to detach from reality for a few hours, i'd be pissed too if someone was adding extra and unwanted elements to the movie. I salute the guy for standing up and to the mother and child...i sincerely hope that every time you go somewhere that you truly like, someone f*cks up your experience for the rest of your life....two losers. Disclaimer- i did not condone punching a child, although it's clear that discipline is solely lacking in his upbringing...
May 22, 2012 7:41PM
May 22, 2012 7:39PM
May 22, 2012 7:37PM
May 22, 2012 7:36PM
Put his **** in jail.
You want quiet, move to the country. You want silence, rent a movie and stay home. Public places are just that, PUBLIC places!! And everyone has a right to enjoy it as they please, that includes talking or making noise. And your enjoyment doesnt supercede theirs. If you want silence during a movie, stay home and rent.
All noise ordances should be removed. If you want quiet, you should move out of the city. People work all hours now, there should not be any night time hours. You should be able to make the same amount of noise no matter what time it is. Noise bylaws were written 50 years ago for a different world, that world no longer exists, if it ever did exist.
May 22, 2012 7:36PM
May 22, 2012 7:34PM
Just an FYI for some of you too. A buddy of mine was at a party, and some guy started trouble, and no one really knowing who he was, my bud walked over and slapped him. Ashamed and embarrassed, the guy left. The next morning, my buddy walks outside into his driveway, only to see the guy standing there with a pistol and sawed off shotgun. That guy killed my friend that morning. Unloaded the pistol as my friend rolled across his front lawn trying to get away from him. That guy, turned out to be a 16 year old kid. You just never know who you're dealing with these days. R.I.P. Travis! Miss you man.
May 22, 2012 7:33PM
I don't know that hitting was the answer but I know the frustration that must have been felt. You pay a lot of money to see a movie that you can't enjoy. The problem I see is the mother sitting next to the child allowing that behavior to go on. If she could not keep him quiet, she was part of the problem. A problem that her son now suffered from. In my days, a look from mom or dad would have given me the message.
May 22, 2012 7:31PM
When I have problems with kids, I don't touch them but I do go after the parents. The moron is a coward to have hit a child, he should have complained to management, moved elsewhere or had it out with the brat's mother. This is a major reason as to why I don't go out to the movies because you have parents that don't discipline their children and have the nerve to take them to watch R rated movies ruining it for the rest of us. Also at fault are the movie theaters for allowing such behavior, they rather not lose any revenue then to enforced rules to make it pleasant for everyone to enjoy a much too expensive ticketed movie. I can see movie theaters going down hill because of this very soon.
May 22, 2012 7:29PM
May 22, 2012 7:23PM
May 22, 2012 7:22PM
There is no excuse for a grown man to slap a 10 year old. I don't know of any 10 year olds that would pass for an adult. And to slap the boy hard enough to give him a bloody nose and knock out a tooth is assault and child abuse. I don't care how obnoxious the boy was. The man had other options, such as complain to an usher. People need to quit trying to take matters into their own hands. It always ends badly for someone. This is a civilized society and we need to start remembering to act civilized or we will loose that status.
May 22, 2012 7:21PM
May 22, 2012 7:18PM
It would be just fantastic if we could sue parents of disruptive children. There should be matinee's for kids under 12 for movies. No kids under 12 after 6 PM. I certainly do not want to be disturbed by kids while watching a movie. However the worst thing about kids in public is on an aircraft especially the screamer. New rule no kids under 12 on aircrafts. I like it & now have a peaceful flight.
May 22, 2012 7:15PM
May 22, 2012 7:13PM
May 22, 2012 7:12PM
You the person writing this stuff. I think your attitude sucks in this matter. You feel that it is okay for this kid to ruin the movie for others. That a person should stay home instead of going to the movies if they can handle a punk (with his punk mother) talking loud and ruining it for others around him. People pay good money to go see and hear a movie. They don't pay to go and hear a punk talking. I am sad that this guy hit a kid, and it was not an adult. All of us good people have the right to go see a movie without someone sitting there talking through the movie. I would have gone to the Manager myself in this situation. I do not condon physical violence in something like this, but must admit that I have had some physical violence with people over the years in theatres because they put their feet on the back or armrest of my seat. I ask them to stop, and if they don't I take it as an assault on me. Anyways, you should not make it sound like we should put up with the crap or stay home. It should be the other way around...they shut up or stay home.
May 22, 2012 7:12PM
May 22, 2012 7:09PM
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