Hello peeps. Yes, I know I have been away for a while. I just went through a very busy time at work during which the association I work for had its big annual meeting. In my valiant effort to keep my blog going I promised myself I would continue to blog in the week leading up to and then during the meeting. As evidenced by the silence, that was a ridiculously stupid, unrealistic plan because as it turns out, when exhausted at 11 PM and confronted with having to get up the next day at 5:30 for another 17 hour day, I chose to go to bed rather than write a new blog every time! Yes, I know, poor work ethic. I’ll try to address that in the coming year.
But enough about my laziness – I have other people’s bad behaviors to address. I have the week off (battery recharge after excessive use) and have been perusing the paper and came across a story about one of the actresses in Game of Thrones (one of my favorite shows) appearing on Broadway. Of course, it was not about her performance per se but rather how she is topless in part of the show and attendees were taking pictures of her onstage in the buff “ignoring strict rules against taking photos inside the Cort Theatre” (actual newspaper quote). Here are some more actual quotes: “production has released a statement Thursday threatening to evict any picture takers” and “theatergoers are reminded that photography of any kind during the performance is strictly prohibited and offenders will be asked to leave the theater.” Note the "are reminded." Yes, this is an existing rule and has been for some time I believe in - well in just about every theater in the world I believe.
I’m not sure what bothers me more – the complete and total ignoring of the rule by people or the complete and total inability of the theatre to enforce their own stated consequence. Because anyone with a toddler can tell you that if you never actually impose the threatened consequence then the rule will be frequently broken with no concerns. This is where the term “empty threat” gets its meaning. I suspect I will not see an article about the people who were kicked out for taking pictures because no one is going to be kicked out – because they will then create an uproar about their being treated so badly. This has become a specialty in our society – people ignore rules and then when faced with a consequence complain about how they are being treated badly. And pretty much as a society we have decided it is too hard to deal with a prick so we let them get away with bad behavior even if it affects others (I’m going to guess that you can’t take a picture in a dark theater without a flash and having been in theaters, I have to say that several flashes going off would be quite distracting to the experience).
People go on the express line at the supermarket with 16 items when the limit is 12 but know that nothing will happen. People board airplanes before their row is announced (thanks for blocking the aisle) knowing the attendant checking everyone in won’t tell them to wait. Parents put their kids on railings at the zoo so they can see better despite the very prominent “don’t stand or sit on the railings" signs. Here is where it starts sliding into particularly frustrating situations for me. I'm tired of telling my kids we have to go to the end of the line even as their friend and their parents just cut in front of 75 other people patiently waiting and effortlessly say they are with the two people they clearly just accidentally bumped into (Larry David's infamous chat and cut in real life). I’m tired of explaining to a four year old the logic behind why she can’t take a toy to school or her cheerios in with her - when she gives you a list of her friends that do this all the time. I sympathize – truly I do – and understand that sometimes you just want to do what it is easiest. And I appreciate that it’s not a bad thing that I am teaching my kids that they don’t do something just because everyone else does. But must I do it so frequently? And won’t the other kids benefit from learning that “tough shit we got here late so we have a wait" or "tough shit you are going in - and no you can’t take that with you?”
After all, if they don’t learn it now they might get kicked out of a theater one day for taking pictures of an actress’ boobs despite the rule against taking photos. Actually, on second thought, they probably won’t.
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