Baby-Friendly Matinee at the Somerville tomorrow!

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

Because Ian is awesome, The Somerville Theatre will now be offering a Baby-Friendly Matinee each THURSDAY afternoon at 1:30pm, starting Thursday September 22 (that's tomorrow) with CONTAGION.

Just $5. Hope to see a bunch of you there. :)

ETA: With about 25 adults and almost as many babies, the inaugural event was a success! Tune in next week for Moneyball.

Comments

[ron_newman]

Do you know if this is in the main theatre?

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

I don't know if it always will be, but tomorrow's, yes.

[jamiesquared.livejournal.com]

Ian is my new neighbor. He told me about this recently and I was so excited...only to find a new job I start soon :(

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

I guess that's a mixed bag of good and bad (yay money?). Maybe you can make it before the job starts.

[turil.livejournal.com]

I still think I would refuse to support anyone who actively discriminates against anyone prejudicially. Sure, if someone is making noise or something, ask them to leave, regardless of their age. Otherwise treat them equally.

[ringrose.livejournal.com]

Then this is a showing you should probably avoid.

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

The point is that this is a matinee where people can make noise without being asked to leave.

[turil.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's obvious. And MY point is that I don't think I'd want to give my money to some place that allowed black people during the daytime, or maybe to black people movies at night...

Know what I mean? Maybe you didn't know, but there is a discriminatory policy that they've got at the theater against people under age 8, after 6pm, in place, and I think that's kind of immoral. That's what I'm talking about. Official policies that involve prejudice against certain groups of people just doesn't sit well with me...

[turil.livejournal.com]

So prejudice is ok by you. Got it. You're entitled to think whatever you want.

[turil.livejournal.com]

Again, I got it. Prejudice against some groups of people isn't prejudice in your mind, and is totally fine.

I think that's very clear. But feel free to reiterate it again! :-)

[craigindaville.livejournal.com]

Jesus Effing Christ, are you this dense and troll-y offline?

[thnidu.livejournal.com]

Apparently. Something a true friend of mine said led me to look here. Oh yeah.

[derekp.livejournal.com]

Who pissed in your cornflakes?

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

Turil - come off it - I find it highly unlikely that you practice ZERO prejudice.

[turil.livejournal.com]

You're absolutely right. I very likely do have some prejudice. And I work very hard to keep it out of my actions, and certainly out of my work and official policies. And I very much hope that people tell me about how dangerous I'm behaving if I really am acting on particularly harmful prejudices.

[craigindaville.livejournal.com]

You must be a lot of fun at parties.

[ron_newman]

Refers to this old discussion from 2008, which referred to a Somerville News article. Three quick points:

- the News article was poorly written, and the incident it described had nothing to do with a specific age-restriction policy at the Somerville, and everything to do with enforcing a R rating

- the article was also based on erroneous information -- Somerville Theatre manager Ian Judge incorrectly told the reporter that the theatre banned children under 12 after 6 pm, when the actual policy was to ban children under 8 after 6 pm

- the theatre's policy has since changed, and now says: "Children under the age of 8 are not allowed in R rated movies beginning after 6pm" ... which I find quite reasonable.

[treacle-well.livejournal.com]

Actually, I don't really get why presumably children under the age of 8 might be allowed (with a parent/guardian) at R rated movies before 6, but not at R rated movies (with a parent/guardian) after 6.

[ron_newman]

I think it's just an expectation that people attending an adult-themed movie in the evening want to be able to enjoy it quietly.

[treacle-well.livejournal.com]

I think people attending an adult-themed movie at any time of day might want to be able to enjoy it quietly. I think most adults bringing children to adult-themed movies at any time of day don't bring children who are likely to be noisy or disruptive.

Now, if the Somerville Theatre was in fact experiencing a high-incidence of adults bringing children to these movies and there was a high-incidence of these children being noisy or disruptive, then I might think the policy might be reasonable. But if it was only an occasional disturbance, then I'd think it more fair to handle that the way you would handle disruptive behavior on the part of any movie-goer.

[blk]

I'm guessing that most people who attend a movie at any time prefer to do it quietly.

I'd also guess that every time there is an incident where an audience member makes enough noise to disturb other patrons, it involves at least one theatre worker to take time off whatever their job is to come in and ask the disturber to leave. It could potentially also involve more workers, a paused movie, unhappy patrons, and lost money for the theater.

I'd further guess this could be a bigger issue in the evening hours if the theater is busier (and thus fewer workers who can afford 10 minutes to escort the disturber out), or is more likely to attract loud people who will refuse to leave quietly. I doubt it's just a rule the theater put in place for the sake of their patrons (although possible), it's also a financial risk management practice for their business.

Give me a break

[duffless2323.livejournal.com]

You are either trolling or completely insane. This is not discriminatory in ANY WAY. ANY WAY. Please stop wasting everyone's time.

[bombardiette.livejournal.com]

I find your assertion that there is a genre of film called "black people movies" racist and prejudicially motivated.

Further, I fail to understand why you don't support a place that states that children aged 8 and under are not allowed in to view R rated movies after 6pm? Most theaters don't allow children under a certain age to do this. There is no discriminatory practice here...only you.

[bombardiette.livejournal.com]

That phrase made me have to pee.

[lbmango.livejournal.com]

Oh, I think it's safe to say that Turil objects to keeping 8 year old children out of R rated movies at all. After all, she is the one who says that 5 year olds can have consensual sex...

[bombardiette.livejournal.com]

This is a valid point. And it was actually 3 year old's. [vomit]

[ron_newman]

See my other comment. Such things actually existed in the memory of people still alive today.

[molyflogs.livejournal.com]

Black people movies? WTF is that? You're sitting here making an ass out of yourself about a theater setting aside time for moms and dads to feel WELCOME at a theater with their babies while making such a thoroughly racist stereotype as "Black people movies?" What in the hell is wrong with you?

[ron_newman]

Well, back in the 1950s and before, there really were 'race movies' and theatres (mostly in the South) that were intended to cater solely to Black people. More recently in the 70s was the 'Blaxploitation' genre (Shaft, Superfly, etc.)

[bluesauce.livejournal.com]

And some of the Blaxploitation movies were damn good cinema, too. As a complete aside to what has become a batshit conversation.

[bombardiette.livejournal.com]

Indeed! But there's still a rather vast difference between Blaxsploitation which is a basic and recognized genre and..."Black people movies" which is a rather miasmic definition apparently coined by none other than our famously crazy turil.

I find it hilarious that she dropped that racially charged gem whilst attempting to make an argument (I think) against prejudice.

[moria923.livejournal.com]

This might be good not only for babies, but also for blind people who have someone describing for them what's going on in the movie.

[gingicat]

That would be cool! Clearly I need to take a Thursday morning to go to the movies with you sometime.

[lbmango.livejournal.com]

Um, I'm going to try once to explain this:

Is it a problem to kick babies out of a theater because they are making noise?
Your answer: No.
Good. We agree on that.

Do mothers with babies still want to see movies?
The answer to this is clearly yes.

Can mothers with babies CURRENTLY see movies?
No, because their babies make noise.

Is this discriminatory?
No, as you said before, it's perfectly ok to exclude babies that make noise (and all babies do make noise) and the mother's are going to follow, because ... Duh.

The solution?
Have a special showing where it is **OK FOR BABIES TO MAKE NOISE**

I (and everyone else in the thread) fail to see who is being discriminated against with this showing.

[turil.livejournal.com]

OK.

If you don't believe refusing to allow some humans to use your facility based entirely on the group they happen to belong to (rather than on their actual individual selves), is prejudice, then ok.

Or, if you think it's ok to be prejudiced against (or just discriminate against) certain kinds of groups (but not others), then that's ok too.

Or if you just don't want to admit that there is prejudice here, then that's even ok.

I do. Is that ok?

[lbmango.livejournal.com]

Who is being excluded from what?

Babies are excluded from normal showings because they would have to leave eventually anyway because they would make noise.

This new showing doesn't ALLOWS mothers to see movies that they wouldn't otherwise be able to see because their babies would make it impossible for anyone else to actually watch the movie.

If I don't want to watch a movie with Black people in the room, or want Black people to sit in the back, and make a rule to that effect, that's discriminating.
If I don't want to watch a movie with people with giant afros in front of me, so I can't see the screen, making the movie un-watchable, and make a rule that says that anyone who obstructs other people's views needs to sit in the back, where they're not blocking anyone's view, that's NOT discriminating.

Evidently, I am an idiot (This happens). I don't see who is being kept from doing what. The only thing I see is babies being kept from normal movies, and you said that that was acceptable, because they make noise.

OR, are you implying that they should be allowed in UNTIL they make noise, and so, every mother will basically see 15 minutes of movies, and then be forced to leave, and everyone else will be forced to deal with a crying baby being removed from the theater?

[teddywolf.livejournal.com]

Tell me, how often do you walk into the kitchen at a restaurant you're visiting and start cooking?
How often do you go to services in a house of worship that is not of your faith, uninvited, and start praying loudly for your faith?
Do you routinely use the men's room?
When was the last time you brought a baby onto a carnival ride that states "Thou Shalt Be At Least Yea Tall To Ride This Ride"?
Tell me about the last time you let a random group of strangers ringing your doorbell into your house and let them raid your fridge.

[turil.livejournal.com]

Some of those are discriminatory and aren't that healthy (the usually moronic signs about height restrictions on rides! overly rigid gendered bathrooms!). Others aren't about being prejudiced, but are about totally reasonable decisions - personal choices based on specific circumstances, which clearly aren't PRE judging things, but judging things, which is normal.

As for random strangers who are hungry, I would likely feed them. In fact, it's what I do as a project with Binikou.org right now. I got a grant to feel whomever wants to be fed, with exceptionally healthy, local food. :-)

I'm not sure of your point though, as it relates to my point. I voiced my conflict about supporting a company that actively and prejudicialy discriminates against a certain groups. If other people think that it's ok to do that sort of thing, then ok. I'm not here to tell you what to do. Just to offer my perspective of things, as someone who believes the science that says that the more equal a society is, the healthier it is.

[emcicle.livejournal.com]

This is very exciting, although I won't be able to take advantage of it anytime soon. I'll pass it on to a friend of mine who just had a baby.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

Yes, passing the word is a good thing! It's going to run for a trial period, basically, but if there's enough interest, they'll keep it going.

has this been posted to the SomervilleMoms list?

[mamabunny72.livejournal.com]

If not, I can post it for you, though I may not get to it until late afternoon today.

Re: has this been posted to the SomervilleMoms list?

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

Indeed. I posted there back when I first talked to Ian about it, then again when he put it on the schedule, and someone else posted a reminder this morning. :)

[molyflogs.livejournal.com]

This is awesome! My husband and I have been dying to see Contagion, but we're not ready to leave our 7 week old with someone else yet, and we're certainly not willing to subject other patrons to her cries.

Oh, boo. It's today. Can't do it. But it's still really awesome! I'm going to schedule this as a regular thing for us!

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

As the instigator, I've been trying to spread the word and am ashamed that I only remembered to post it here today!

But as long as the average number of attendees is high enough, Ian will keep it going. So come when you can. :)

[daviscubed.livejournal.com]

I for one can't believe the Somerville Theatre is allowing THOSE PEOPLE into their theaters.

Mark my words, 18 years from now, they'll be able to vote, too. This country has gone to hell.

[ifotismeni]

+1

[otherdeb.livejournal.com]

+1