A response blog - we go to the cinema to WATCH THE MOVIE!

Now, it's not very often that I feel the need to write a response to something, but in this case I think I will. It is a response to a recent blog article in a local newspaper about going to the cinema.

http://blogs.thenational.ae/others/hey-habibti/hate-people-chatting-at-the-movies-then-watch-at-home-alone

Now let me start with this comment from Haneen 'The whole point of a public cinema is to have fun with your friends while watching the movie of your choice.' er no Haneen, the whole point of going to the cinema, is to watch the movie!!! I haven't just paid my hard earned cash, to listen to you have a conversation with your friends or chatter away on your phone - bring back mobile blockers in cinemas I say. You should absolutely, 100% treat going to the movies, like being in a library and KEEP QUIET.

Sadly, it would seem that people like Haneen, do not know what is and what is not socially acceptable. If you want to socialise with your friends, then you go to a coffee shop, or a bar, or a shisha cafe, where it is acceptable to talk and have a conversation - arrange to go to one of your friends houses, stick on a DVD and have your fun there.

Now, for many people going to watch a film on the big screen is a personal experience, it's a couple of hours of escapism, a chance to get away from the grind of daily life and have a flight of fantasy for a while - which is why, where I come from, people have no issues with going to the movies alone, because everyone is there for the same reason, again TO WATCH THE FILM.

Whether this article is indeed tongue in cheek, it certainly doesn't come across like that to me, or to many other people. Sadly what it has done, has backfire rather spectacularly. What Haneen also fails to realise, is that her 'freedom of speech' ends when her actions affect other people. It also rather tragically, reflects certain nationalities in a bad light and only goes to reinforce the stereotype that some people live in a fantasy world of false self importance and superiority over others, where making others lives miserable is of great enjoyment to them. All this before stating the obvious, in that if you are writing in a publication, then you have a social responsibility of someone in the media to not cause upset, antagonize or cause division.

Haneen also fails to grasp that her and her friends attitudes and behaviour has an impact on the local economy - bet she never thought of that did she? Why might this be? Well it's rather obvious, certain peoples behaviour and failure to behave in a socially acceptable manner is a deterrent to many actually going to the movies to start with, because they know it's going to be an event filled with grief and aggravation, rather than an enjoyable experience. So, therefore lower audience figures = higher prices for those who attempt to go and watch a film.

If people acted this way where I come from, you'd be booted out the cinema in an instant and have a whole lot of public humiliation to go with it!

So, here is my suggestion to Haneen and her friends. Cinemas have mums and toddlers showings, why don't you pop along to those, where you can behave like the children you are, be as disruptive and as noisy as you like, and leave the rest of us, who actually go to the cinema to watch a film, do so in peace.

To those of you who actually do know how to behave at the movies, carry on and enjoy :-)