To think people are more selfish than ever before?

[LosAmigos]

I went to the theatre this evening. The show was wonderful, but people made me mad. There was a woman with two teenage girls behind me and the woman and one of the girls were frequently talking.

Woman sat next to me, constantly rustling a bag of sweets throughout. She also couldn't seem to sit still in her seat. After she had finished the Haribo, she pulled a bag of something crunchy out.

Also, while I am having a rant, there's not a public transport journey I take where someone isn't talking with their phone on speakerphone or they're playing music/media out loud without headphones.

They sell the food! How could they possibly sell you food then demand you do not eat it?

@DuplicateUserName I’m not sure it’s fair to say that people would prefer sitting in silence than tell someone their behaviour is bothering them. This is part of the whole problem. I spoke to a guy who kept spitting near me and when I asked him to stop he threatened to kill me. It’s not the first time I’ve had people react with such vitriol (it happens at work regularly) and it’s put me off because I’ve been scared in the past. You never know the reaction you’ll get. Generally it’s either swearing/violence or they take the piss and do it more. It’s not that easy to confront.

Selfish entitled tory society

That's awful

His behaviour was disgusting in the first place.

They seem to have no shame

I think theatres sell food to eat in intervals, and because Of increasing public demand and want to increase profit. NOT because they are happy with people scarfing through the shows. If you look at the progression over my life time- theatres sold pre drinks and ice cream at interval , then they added snacks but still no consumption within the auditorium, now they sell snacks and cans of drink, which aren't specifically disallowed within the auditorium.
It is rude to eat during the theatre IMO. Those are people on stage, they can hear and see you just as you can hear and see them. To be scoffing is disrespectful, and indicative that your attention isn't fully on the show.
But that's just my opinion.

I was boarding a plane recently, queuing with my kids to walk up the aisle to our seats. There was a girl in her early 30's sitting in her seat at the front of the plaine talking on her mobile on speaker setting, she was busy relaying the fact that a friend had decided to keep the baby this time, she was preggers after a fling, as it might be her last chance and she had had two abortions already - probably at least 80 people were listening to this conversation including really small children - WTAF

It used to be pretty simple. Eat before. Gin and tonic at the interval, small tub of ice cream or packet of sweets for the kids at the same time. Adults did not eat in the theatre. Hell, you had to finish your drink in the bar before going back in.

Now it's pretty infantile as the theatre is apparently just like live action cinema so do crack on with your crisps.

The reason you didn't eat in the theatre was to respect the actors. Basically people don't really think of them much, same with phone use etc.

People are entitled arseholes. Same with publicly broadcasting their phone conversation. All about how important they are but it shows how unimportant really. Like teenagers who have to show everyone.

I'm working class and enjoy the theatre "on me cheap tickets" of course and I manage perfectly well to get through a performance without eating a kebab and packet of crisps washed down with a can of lager even though nobody taught me this wasn't the done thing. Meanwhile you will certainly find plenty of educated middle class people with hot smelly or noisy food, talking all the way through ballets and opera, twiddling on their phones. What's their excuse?

Just like on here huh.....

@Kanaloa same as they ask you not to use your phone during the performance. They can can request that food is eaten during the interval, that would probably deter quite a few people who seem unable to go an hour without scoffing their faces. But either way, I'm just expressing a general annoyance as per the subject of the thread. You seem to be getting very angry and taking it all very personally

People didn't used to flash their phones all over the cinema. Or sing along when at a musical. Or talk all through a movie. Or stuff their faces as they walk.

Obviously they didn't used to do the first of these things before there were mobile phones! But the other things certainly happened in the past! I remember a fair bit of noisy behaviour at performances and shows in the 80s- in fact, overall worse than now in my experience, though that may in part reflect changes with age in the types of performance that I attend.

And there was one form of inconsiderate behaviour which was very common then, and is thankfully now illegal: smoking in other people's faces!

Well TBF most supermarkets sell condoms and I'm pretty sure shagging in the aisles is frowned upon.

there's not a public transport journey I take where someone isn't talking with their phone on speakerphone or they're playing music/media out loud without headphones.

This is the worst. I was on the coach the other day and this man decided to sit next to me and FaceTime his daughter with no headphones the entire journey! Beyond annoying

We were at a remembrance parade a couple of years ago. Near the memorial a couple of men were swearing. I don't mean an accidental "bad word" but f this and c that for quite a while as the uniformed organisations were assembling for the service. They were probably ex forces as well based on how they were dressed. The cubs meanwhile behaved beautifully. So I definitely disagree when people say that the young have no respect. My then 5 year old DS said to me in a sort of stage whisper "why are those men saying bad words?" They heard and did try to tone it down a bit. Compare to some old newspaper pages that I have from the WW1 era. There is a report that someone was fined 2s for the use of obscene language in the street. I worked out that that is probably equivalent to a modern day parking fine in severity but it made a statement that the behaviour was not ok and tried to disincentivise it.

I took my teen DC to the cinema recently and we went in sainsburys first to get some snacks. DS doesn't really eat sweets so I (stupidly) suggested crisps. Both kids said mum those will be too noisy to eat at the cinema!
(I would have probably ended up eating 1 crisp, felt self conscious and then put them away!)

I travel to work on the train and can't believe the amount of people who have loud tv shows/youtube/music on their phones - sometimes to entertain kids but mostly to entertain themselves and presumably the others in the carriage . People also eat all manner of messy/smelly food, I've seen men shaving on the train and one man even noisily brushing/flossing his teeth next to me.

Yes!!
I went to the cinema in October. First time in months. DH and I sat with a coffee beforehand deciding we would buy the unlimited pass and make a weekly cinema date a thing.
Nope. People behind us sat with their shoes off, feet up behind our chairs, plastic bag of a multi bag of crisps, chocolate bars etc, rustling away and talked through the whole movie. Actually say there thinking how much more enjoyable the film would be in our home with the fire lit.
I find people all walk around like zombies in supermarkets too, just taking 25 mins to pick their item with no regard for the fact they are taking up the whole space with their trolley.
And the amount of people speeding on the road by my residential area is getting ridiculous.

I have stopped buying theatre tickets as I am fed up paying lots of money and not being able to concentrate or enjoy the show because if selfish, rude and entitled people I have had the misfortune if being sat near. Such a shame as going to the theatre used to be such an enjoyable experience .

I agree with you. Eating, talking in places where other people are was done quietly and with consideration for others. Everybody behaved that way so it was the norm. Now we have gobblers and brayers everywhere, constantly on their phones as loudly as they feel like being, and there are no 'brakes'.

Going out is expensive and, if you challenge somebody and ask them to be quiet, you can expect a torrent of abuse.

Cinemas will be first to go... the rest will follow. I don't go to either any more, it's just not worth it.

Not comparable in the slightest. You’re also not expected to eat the food you’ve bought in the supermarket over the checkout. Theaters sell food with the intention of customers buying it to eat it in the theatre. It’s just stupid to say otherwise.

I’m not at all angry. I do find on here people often say that to try to make out the person disagreeing with them is somehow unreasonable. I’m just pointing out that theatres expect people to eat, they sell food and drinks with the intention of people buying and eating it. Pulling people up or insisting they’re breaking theatre etiquette by purchasing food the theatre sells is silly - they are not being rude in the slightest, they’re simply making use of the facilities the theatre offers.

Theaters are unlikely to add no eating to their list of rules because it would limit the food/drink they would sell.

And presumably if theaters were so unhappy with people ‘scoffing their faces’ and actually wanted everyone to eat in the interval, they would only sell food during the interval and would ask customers not to take the food back inside with them. They don’t - they sell food beforehand, and are happy for people to take it into the theatre with them. To eat it, I presume.

I generally don't have an issue with people eating in cinemas and theatres, but constant talking really pisses me off! It amazes me that people who've paid good money for a show blether on and on throughout it.

There's a certain type of bloke at gigs who constantly explain the songs to their female companions ("oh this is such an amazing song, yeah, it's, like, from their second album, yeah").

And don't get me started about people on buses without headphones....!!

Yes, talking in the cinema is rude though. I used to work at a cinema and remember a group of teens spoiling a movie by shouting and acting stupid - by the time we’d ejected them (no easy matter) I had to issue refunds for loads of people as well, because the film experience had already been spoiled. Very annoying. The cinema was very close to my house and I remember thinking ‘I hope I see one of you little twits out and about with your parent so I can grass you up!’

Not theatre/cinema related, but even eating out is now becoming unenjoyable because of other customers with no consideration for others - e.g. loudly watching videos or playing music at their table, or simply just sitting there and staring at me.

No, I disagree that theatres want people to eat in them. It does depend where you go and what you see.

At the panto, West End, no one is eating. You can buy sweets etc but everyone seems to have conformed to the rule of sweets at interval. Drinks for the groan ups.

Opera house, people have eaten before, interval drinks.

West End musical. Place full of crisp noshers.

Likewise eating out. Good restaurant no phones, no music, polite chatter.

Chain restaurant (Nando's) - sticky, loud, food okay, social graces nil.

Money makes a difference, it seems.