Shut Up!

One of my major whinges happens when we go to the cinema or theatre. It costs a fair amount to do either these days so the last thing you need is people nearby having a good old chat all the way through the film or production. Surely if you want to chat, you should just go to a bar or coffee shop and chat there? I assume you buy a ticket because you want to see a show, a performer or a film so why chatter to your friend all the way through. If it is a concert, I think it is really disrespectful to the performer to talk as they work.

So how do people react? Some will actually tell the natterers to shut up. This will often result in a short expletive response. Others just ‘Shhhhh!’ loudly in the dark. Most just quietly grumble to themselves and say nothing.

There are other annoyances too. The consistent sweetie packet crackler, the person who sits in the middle of the row even though they have a weak bladder, the person who puts their feet on the back of your seat, the people in front who insist on standing up during the performance so you have to stand up then the people behind you have to stand up – a Mexican wave of annoyance.

I once went to a lovely concert where there were four cabin crew sitting in front of us. I learned so much about where they had been, what their shifts were for the following week, who had been their most difficult customers last week and what they had done about them, all the latest gossip from work, what they’d done the night before and a lot more. They ruined the night for me as they were a constant distraction. I really wondered why they had paid £25 a ticket to attend when they could have saved their money and gone to a bar for a good chat instead?

Of course, going to the bar can be difficult for chatting when the music is playing so loudly that you can’t hear each other talk……but that’s a whole other whinge!