“And maybe one of the things that sucks about it is that you can’t attend a regular movie screening.”
Its never stopped me…

More than ten years passed before I finally kicked the habit. Even then, it was several more years before the cough went away. My point is that I voluntarily deprived myself because I felt it was wrong to force others to endure distractions which can and should be avoided.

One point towers above all others in the discussion of this article: tolerance is in extremely short supply on both sides of the issue. I firmly believe that a person should be able to go to the theater without being subjected to distractions which serve to spoil the experience; but I also feel that persons with handicaps and disabilities should be accorded a degree of leeway.

My heart rallies to Anthony’s side of the issue, and I hate to see any kid ostracized or discriminated against. A child’s laughter is almost as wondrous as a great operatic performance. However, I can also appreciate the fact that the other patrons also have rights. And therein lies the crux. How do we achieve a balance between the rights of all parties involved?

Certainly, we cannot expect Anthony to make a conscientious decision to forego the immense pleasure he experiences when going to the movies. And yet, analyze the situation carefully: after all is said and done, who, alone, has the ability to alleviate the discomfort everyone felt that afternoon?

There is probably a solution that hasn’t been considered — one that would prove satisfactory to all.
Placing blame, calling names, intolerance, law suits, and drawing lines in the sand will not be found in that solution. It seems to me that we see enough of that in the actions of such entities as the RIAA and the MPAA. Let’s not emulate the villainies we decry in others.

“* Anthony Pratti went to a matinee performance of a G-rated film.
This is the session you take kids to, and there were other kids there who were laughing. Anthony was singled out.”

I started by saying “we don’t know the extent of the distraction” – and from what you’ve said, it seems unlikely that one child could possibly create enough distraction to be significant. If the manager blindly responded to a complaint (as “Rick” suggests) then I’m on Gina’s side.

Unfortunately, we’ll never know…

http://www.recordonline.com/archive/2005/08/18/laughter2.html
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(idiot corporation lip service.)

sue this guy too.

also, sue the makers of whoopee cushions, feathers, and comic books. sue libraries for having books that make people laugh. sue the makers of movie cameras, sound equipment, and film for allowing their products to be used in inappropriate ways.

all this suing will teach them a lesson: i am crushing your head.

2. Box office staff refusing to accept concession ID.

3. Over priced candy bar.

4. 20 minutes worth of coming attractions.

5. Sitting in the first five rows in a packed theatre and getting neck cramp.

6. Sitting in something sticky.

7. Ushers shining torches in your face while looking for camcorders (it’s already on the net guys, don’t bother).

8. Disgusting bathrooms.

9. Out of focus projectors (everybody’s had at least one).

10. Closing the curtains before the credits have finished rolling.

Now that we’ve been reminded of some of the things the cinema IS responsible for, can we cut the disabled kid some slack?

My best friend in high school had a brother with Down Syndrome and he would sometimes behave in what we would call an inappropriate way. He, of course didn’t know that what he was doing was inappropriate. Yes it was annoying at times, but shit happens and you learn to live with it. He certainly had to.

It would be nice to think that people could stand to be sitting in the same room as a happy child, and let’s face it – penguins are pretty funny.

However, remember a few things:

* Anthony Pratti is 7 years old.
Can anybody here get a 7 year old kid to shut up when you want them to? Please enlighten us as I’m sure there are millions of parents around the world who want to know how its done.

* Anthony Pratti went to a matinee performance of a G-rated film.
This is the session you take kids to, and there were other kids there who were laughing. Anthony was singled out.

* Anthony Pratti was kicked out 15 minutes into the film.
His parents also were not given a chance to quieten him down.

How someone treats disabled people says a lot about them.

I supose taking this stance elevates your sense of morality and self justification for all the other rediculous things you’ve said. If we draw the line as you suggest this statement is then just meaningless.

I was agreeing with you whole heartedly until I read this. I won’t comment on that remark other than it was very stupid.

“because we don’t know the extent of the distraction.”

No we don’t but I’m willing to bet (and this is from personal experience) that it was due to a patron who was bothered by the fact it was a disabled child. People react differently around the disabled and can’t concentrate because they’re focused on the disability. soon as the child does something (in this case laughing) that normally doesn’t bother them when an average person does it, their irritation and discomfort grows. Sorry but it’s the truth. it happens all the time.

“Let’s be blunt about this, being autistic sucks.”

no kidding. I’m sure you didn’t come to that conclusion from personal experience. the child also had Ceribal Palsey.

“And maybe one of the things that sucks about it is that you can’t attend a regular movie screening.”

Bull… any parent of a disabled child or a disabled adult has the same rights to attend public performances as anyone else. the difference is social acceptance. Because they don’t fit a social norm we can’t hide them away. there are those people who don’t want disabled in stores, in schools (my son was kicked out of JC. even though he got A’s and B’s) so Where do we draw the line??

“Is it fair to cut the volume of rock concerts to a whisper so that people disabled with hyperacusis can attend? Is it fair to remove all the protective curbs from the sidewalks so that people disabled in wheelchairs can move about freely? Is it fair to stop 1,000 employees from wearing perfume, because one is allergic? If we don’t, as a society, agree a reasonable cap on this, disabled people will, over time, be elevated to an untouchable superclass, and anyone who dares to question will be sent off in disgrace for some “sensitivity training”.

That has to be the most rediculous statement I’ve ever heard in all my years of dealing with narrowminded people who have no tollerance for the disabled. All your examples deal with health and safety, not annoyance. A superclass?? what have you been smoking, giving accomidations so that those not as fortunante as yourself can enjoy those things in life that you take for granted is hardly turning anyone into a superclass. I feel you are the one who is truely disabled.

Rick

And its OK if we are different because this is how God created us and there is a lot of people and children with special needs or old people who are different or slow and you don’t know how smart or nice or kind or good they are even if they are different. And you may be old and slow and have special needs yourself one day so do you want other manegers to through you out and say you can’t come to the same movie theatre or the same store or to the same restaurant because you are slow and different or laugh loud????? I learned about many great important people like Helen Keller and Beethoven and President Roosevelt and Christopher Reeves. Do you think that they should have lived away from others because they have special needs?
If anyone has anthony’s email please send it to me because I want to write him and give him some ideas. I’m also an advocate for children with special needs . I have a petition on line at http://www.ucp.org/rasha. Please sign my petition and tell other people about it too.

God bless,
Rasha kawar

I’m willing to bet it started with some patron unable to cope with their own uneasiness about having to be in the same room with a disabled child in a wheelchair. there are people, good people, who actually get physically sick and throw up when they are faced with that. to me these people are the disabled.

I’ve seen distractions in theatres far worse than laughing too loud and those people were not removed. for me hearing others laugh heightens the movie going experience.

accomidations for the disabled is whats necessary and that means more then putting in wheel chair ramps. Like I said earlier the only alternitive is seperating the disabled from the general public and that’s unacceptable. perhaps we should seperate those who have problems with the disabled (I feel sorry for them but not in my neighborhood attitude) until they get some sensitivity training or better yet have them volenteer with the local mental health department or any number of private groups devoted to helping the developmentally disabled.

I say sue the theatre chain, not the manager. not for punishment, but for public awareness.

I am not saying the situation was handled well but I find it a bit heavy handed to go to a lawyer because your kid was ejected from a movie theater; disabled or not.
Gina