Dear Crabby, Will I soon be able to text in a movie theater or not, lol?
Sincerely, I. Phony
Dear Mr. Phony,
Why don’t you come sit next to me at the theater and try – you’ll get your answer. I get the idea that lol means you may be fibbing with me. Or you may be making fun of the proposed AMC policy that was all over the news a couple weeks ago. Either way, I’ll clear it up for you and the readers.
Here is the story we ran about this in mid-April: Texting at the Movies, AMC Rethinking Cell Phone use at the Movies
No, texting will not be allowed in any movie theater any time soon. AMC was testing the waters with the idea that allowing movie-goers the chance to text during the show would bring in more millennials. This young group cannot live without their phones and the instant contact with everyone they know, all the time, everywhere, right now and forever. True.
However, most of them seem to get it in certain places, such as movie theaters. And AMC plans to keep the ban on cell phone usage as we have it now, once the lights go down, the phones must be turned off. Sure, there a few who will sneak in a text, especially just before the show during the ads and previews. Then (maybe because of the announcements) they put them away.
I wrote about this phenomenon of texting a few years ago: Why Do Kids Text Instead of Calling?
We don’t want people texting around us when it can interrupt our enjoyment factor. We also don’t want kids texting in school, which I hear is a big problem. When I went to school, there was one phone in the office and that was it. When my kids went to school, they had intercoms where the office and rooms could communicate with each other. Now, every student and teacher has a cell phone. All mobile phones at school should go in a locker, in the hallway. If parents need to reach the kid, they can call the office.
The real problem is with texting while driving. There’s a rant I need a whole column for. States keep adding laws, but it’s really out of control, and it’s surpassing alcohol as the most serious problem behind the wheel. For now I’ll just say …
STOP TEXTING WHILE DRIVING!
Until next time,
Dear Crabby
Please email (don’t call or text) your questions to DearCrabby@rochestermedia.com and please visit my Facebook page and tell me how wonderful I am.
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