Manners shouldn’t vanish when the lights go down

This column was originally published in 2015, before self-quarantining over COVID-19 concerns.

Dear Annie: Last week, my husband and I were able to secure tickets to a movie that had been sold out for several weeks. We looked forward to a nice evening until a woman with popcorn and an icy drink sat next to me. As soon as the movie started, she began to chomp and crunch on the popcorn, rattle the paper bag and jiggle the soda, over and over. I tried moving away as much as possible, but it didn’t help. Because

the theatre was so dark, I couldn’t tell whether there were other seats available. I was stuck.

Very quietly, I asked her whether she was going to be finished eating soon, because the racket was very annoying. She said she likes to eat popcorn at the movies. Afterward, my husband told me I was rude and that eating during a movie should be allowed.

I didn’t expect to be “right,” but am I wrong to expect courtesy from those around me? Why can’t people enjoy their treats without disturbing everyone else? Chomping in Florida

Dear Chomping: It is customary for people to eat popcorn and other snacks during a movie. But it is also incumbent on those in attendance not to be an annoyance to the people around them.

Crunchy stuff should be chewed quietly. No one needs to swish ice around in the cup.

Your best bet would have been to find an usher and ask for help locating another seat, but these days, ushers are hard to come by. You also could have complained to the manager after the movie, which would not have changed the annoyance, but may have garnered you a complimentary ticket.

We know there are folks who believe they are entitled to behave however they wish, giving no thought to anyone else. Those are the same people who would be the first to complain were they on the receiving end of such rudeness.

In public places, one has an obligation to be considerate. It is selfish to do otherwise.

Annie’s Mailbox is written by

Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column.