|
|
 
|
|
Author
|
Topic: Child With Down Syndrom Booted for Laughing too Loud
|
Michael Putlack
Expert Film Handler
Posts: 187
From: Fort Collins, Colorado
Registered: Sep 2011
|
posted 03-28-2013 09:36 AM
It's stories like these that make me want to ram my face through a wall.
quote:
Down's Syndrome Child Booted Out Of Cineworld 'For Laughing Too Loud'
A mother has complained to Cineworld after her daughter, who has Down's Syndrome, was kicked out of a children's film for laughing too loudly.
Ema Louise Brown took her seven-year-old daughter Sienna and nine-year-old son Shaun to watch The Croods, an animated comedy, on Broad Street in Birmingham.
However despite the whole theatre laughing uproariously, she said she was surprised to be approached by an usher.
She posted on the Facebook page for Down Syndrome Awareness later to explain what happened, writing: "Sienna was laughing her head off, as were the other children, but we were asked to leave by a very rude member of staff because she was apparently laughing too loud!
"I said to him she has down's and is quite loud at times, but was only laughing, and he said to me 'well I need you to leave.'"
After Ms Brown asked to speak to his manager, another member of staff came over and repeated their request for the family to go.
Though Ms Brown told them they were guilty of discrimination, the manager ignored her pleas and walked off, while the first member of staff reportedly replied: "You shouldn't take your child to the cinema."
She said she then lost her temper, and shouted at the man: "Because my child has downs and is loud with her laugh, because she doesnt understand she needs to laugh quietly, I shouldn't take her out?"
Calling on other members of the group to boycott the chain, she said she had repeatedly complained but no one had replied.
However after she posted her story on several Facebook groups, including Cineworld's own page, social media users rallied on her behalf.
Cineworld later posted "To all those who have commented, we were extremely sorry to hear about Ema Louise Brown's experience with her family on Saturday. We are arranging for her to return to our cinema later this week to meet our senior management team and share views on how we can handle these situations more sensitively."
However some Facebook users were not pacified, with one writing: "Handle these situations! That girl was shamed through no fault of her own. The staff had no right doing what they did, discriminating because of her disability. Let's hope that they can make it up to this child who probably feels as though she has done something wrong when she hasn't! Something like this could easily halt the progress she has made and stop her wanting to go to social gatherings for fear of being thrown out! Hope the staff involved are proud of themselves!!"
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/03/26/mum-downs-syndrome-cineworld-ema-louise-brown-_n_2954893.html
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
Randy Stankey
Film God
Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99
|
posted 03-28-2013 11:48 AM
I don't care who you are, what you are, whether you are retarded, normal or whether you claim to be affected by any disease or or condition; you can laugh during the funny parts of a movie, cry during the sad parts or scream during the scary parts but, during the rest of the movie, shut the fuck up! Abide by that rule and everything's cool by me. If you don't abide by that rule, get the fuck out! It's simple, really. ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
Okay, I said that just to be funny but I think most people get the idea.
I've been watching movie in theaters or have presided over the presentations of movies in theaters where one of the customers has had Down's Syndrome, Tourette Syndrome or Spastic Cerebral Palsy and, for the most part, those people are quite well behaved. Once in a while there will be an afflicted individual who laughs louder, longer or idiosyncratically but, unless they do it when there is no "stimulus" I don't have a problem with that. Occasionally, it is entertaining in its own right. Occasionally, I have come across an individual who, through no fault of his own, can't stop making "Retard noises" during the quite parts of the movie. Those people can be really annoying!
Most of the time, family, friends and aides for people with these conditions try to attend movies during the day when there are fewer people and, therefore, have less chances of disrupting the movie for others. I have, however, had to speak with people who have companions who can't stay quiet. There are a couple of times I can remember, specifically.
The first time, the people left on their own. Presumably, they came back later. I don't know for sure because I was watching the movie, not paying attention to them. The other time was at the Tom Ridge Center when the person's companion specifically asked me whether there would be anybody else watching the movie. I helped them find a showtime where nobody else would be in the theater. It worked out well. Everybody was happy. They bought lots of popcorn, too... most of which I had to sweep up, later!
The bottom line goes back to what I said at the beginning. Laugh, cry, scream or make retarded noises when it's appropriate. Be quiet the rest of the time. If you can't do that, leave. I don't care who you are. If you can't behave, don't come to the movies in the first place.
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dustin Mitchell
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1865
From: Mondovi, WI, USA
Registered: Mar 2000
|
posted 03-29-2013 11:15 PM
These situations are never easy to handle. Unless we were there its very hard to judge either side; perhaps the theatre staff were out of line, perhaps the child was laughing so loudly and so continuously the other customers had a hard time hearing the dialogue, who knows.
One specific incident I remember was when I had to ask a disabled patron and their chaperone to leave because he was grinding his teeth too loudly.
Yes, grinding his teeth too loudly. This happened before Myspace/Facebook got big, so perhaps that saved me some internet embarrassment, but can you imagine how that could have gone down in today's social media landscape?
Now that half the people reading this have judged me as being some sort of asshole, let me elaborate. I actually received a complaint from another patron that someone was grinding their teeth loudly. I thought the person had to be freaking nuts, but I went to check on the situation regardless, to at least show the complainer that I cared. To my shock I could her the person-sitting near the front of the theatre-grinding their teeth immediately as I walked in the back of the auditorium. It was LOUD and very distracting, especially because it was a quiet movie.
I refunded their tickets and half eaten concessions, I might have even given them a pass, I don't remember; all I do remember is it was the most awkward and uncomfortable thing I have ever had to do as a theatre employee, and that's saying a lot.
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
All times are Central (GMT -6:00)
|
|
Powered by Infopop Corporation
UBB.classicTM
6.3.1.2
The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion
and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.
|
Home
![[evil]](graemlins/evil.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[sex]](graemlins/sex.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Printer-friendly view of this topic