Random MetaBanter – Random Banter no. 236 (now with Flowers!)

[Fyraltari]

If you work at the movie theater, you should have some knowledge of what the movie is about.

All of the movies? That sounds like a high bar for no real reason. The cashier does not need to have watched (probably can't afford to watch, too) every single movie shown in the theater to sell you your ticket.

[Bartmanhomer]

All of the movies? That sounds like a high bar for no real reason. The cashier does not need to have watched (probably can't afford to watch, too) every single movie shown in the theater to sell you your ticket.

I didn't say to watch every single movie that was shown in theaters. I'm saying that if you should have some knowledge of what this movie is about.

[Peelee]

I didn't say to watch every single movie that was shown in theaters. I'm saying that if you should have some knowledge of what this movie is about.

As someone who worked at a movie theater, no. You're wanting them to know what every movie is about, because that's the only way for them to know about the movie that you, specifically, care about. And they don't need to at all. Their job is to take your money and give you your ticket/food, and tell you what room your movie is in. That is the be-all, end-all of what you should expect from interactions with the staff. They are not obligated to know what any given movie is about.

(probably can't afford to watch, too)

Most theaters tend to have some form of "you can watch movies for free" system, with reasonable restrictions. Which still doesn't mean anyone will actually watch everything - Sturgeon's Law applies here, I can promise you.

[Bartmanhomer]

As someone who worked at a movie theater, no. You're wanting them to know what every movie is about, because that's the only way for them to know about the movie that you, specifically, care about. And they don't need to at all. Their job is to take your money and give you your ticket/food, and tell you what room your movie is in. That is the be-all, end-all of what you should expect from interactions with the staff. They are not obligated to know what any given movie is about.

Well, in my opinion, they should have some knowledge of what the movie is about. I mean seriously they do work in the movie theater. I'm sure they get freebies to watch the movie now and then.

[Peelee]

Well, in my opinion, they should have some knowledge of what the movie is about. I mean seriously they do work in the movie theater. I'm sure they get freebies to watch the movie now and then.

And you have the internet. You can find out what a movie is about in seconds. They have better things to do than watch movies in their time off just to be able to let you know what it's about when you can do that yourself instantly.

[Bartmanhomer]

And you have the internet. You can find out what a movie is about in seconds. They have better things to do than watch movies in their time off just to be able to let you know what it's about when you can do that yourself instantly.

Then they should use the internet instead. Problem solved.

[Peelee]

Then they should use the internet instead. Problem solved.

They're not supposed to be on the internet at work, and they are not beholden to do things to serve you in their time off. They are not your personal servants.

[Bartmanhomer]

They're not supposed to be on the internet at work, and they are not beholden to do things to serve you in their time off. They are not your personal servants.

I didn't say anything like that. I was saying that the cashier was asking me what the movie is about and I kindly told the cashier the summary of this movie. I never once said anything that they're my personal servants whatsoever.

[Anonymouswizard]

Yeah, it's like expecting a book store employee to know something about every book in the store, except much less extreme (because the cinema tends to have far fewer films). Go into a random bookstore and ask an employee to recommend an LGBT romance, or a book of mythology, and there's a good chance they can't because they're just not interested in the genre.

But I have another theory: their job is boring and they were trying to make it less so by having a bit of a conversation.

[Bartmanhomer]

Anyway moving on. I'm thinking of getting the booster shot.

[Rater202]

The theatre combination reminds me of an issue of Unbelivable Gwenpool.

For context: Gwendolyn Pool is... You ever read a self-insert fanfic? Imagine that, but... You know, good? Her orignal series was written by Chris Hastings, the guy behind Doctor McNinja.

As initially presented to us, Gwen is a girl from a world where Marvel Comics exists as it does in the real world(she's claimed to be from the universe with 'our' world's universe designation number but this has been confirmed to be false for obvious reasons) who 1: Is a major comic book geek and 2: Implied to be some kind of mentally ill. The most likely causes are clinical depression or a mild form of manic-depressive bipolar.

She finds herself in the Marvel Universe and decides "I need to become a big name hero and/or villain in order to avoid being a random civilian casualty or the token D-Lister who gets killed in a major event." buys a costume from an eccentric lady who makes custom super suits(imagine a taller Edna Mode who just flat out has publically open shop in New Yor City) and starts doing mercenary work. One thing leads to another...

(An interesting running plot is that Gwen starts out gleefully Ammoral becuase she assumes that nobody here is real and that a status quo reset will happen if she somehow manages to do any real damage... Only for it to be smashed into her hard that no, that's not how it works more than once and by the end of it she's starting to think that the Marvel characters are more real than she is)

Anyway, at one point a group consisting of one of Gwen's supporting characters and of Miles Morales come back in time from the future becuase in that future Timeline Gwen has gone full Supervillain and done things like... Out all of the secret identities, she knows publically, getting the families of various heroes killed, and so on... (Evil future Gwen is defeated by regular Gwen... Promising to never be that.) But in order to prevent that future, they send Gwen "back to her own world."

(Actually, they send her to a pocket reality based on Gwen's memories but they didn't know that at the time.)

While there, and with her memories suppressed, she gets a job at a movie theatre just to have something to do(she dropped out of high school and barely has the motivation to finish anything, even things she likes doing) and people coming in and out just assume she's seen the latest MCU Movie becuase she works in the theatre and end up carelessly spoiling for her in the same sentence where they ask about it and the only hen has she pointed out that she's been so busy with her job at the theatre that she hasn't been able to watch any movies.

[dafrca]

Their job is to take your money and give you your ticket/food, and tell you what room your movie is in. That is the be-all, end-all of what you should expect from interactions with the staff.

I don't know, I would like them to be able to point me toward the closest rest room as well. LOL

Ok, I know I am being a twit so I will go stand in the corner for a self imposed time out.

[Peelee]

I don't know, I would like them to be able to point me toward the closest rest room as well. LOL

Ok, I know I am being a twit so I will go stand in the corner for a self imposed time out.

Those were actually well labelled, and in braille, at mine.

[dafrca]

Those were actually well labelled, and in braille, at mine.

Sorry, I can't hear you over here in the corner. LOL

To be serious, in our one 16 screen theaters we have the down one of the four main halls next to the bar. Yes they have a bar inside where those who are 21 can get drinks.

But yes, after visiting the theater I do not need to ask.

[Bartmanhomer]

I just don't understand people in this world anymore. Earlier tonight one of my friends on Facebook made a post that he had to block someone on Twitter because that person made a death threat on my friend that he was vaccinated.

[Rater202]

So twice in less than a week, I had someone come into my room to say that my windows were dirty and needed to be cleaned.

Not sure exactly how "your window is dusty and looks bad" was more noticeable and more urgent than "that looks like black mold."

(I'm pretty sure it was just accumulated dust, but...)

My windows are now cleaner than they were when we moved in, my entire room smell vaguely like bleach, and I had to move some stuff to get to one window and I wasn't able to put it back the way I had it so having that out of balance is going to have me annoyed for a week or two.

[dafrca]

I just don't understand people in this world anymore. Earlier tonight one of my friends on Facebook made a post that he had to block someone on Twitter because that person made a death threat on my friend that he was vaccinated.

It is like the world has gone crazy.

[Bartmanhomer]

It is like the world has gone crazy.

The whole world has lost their damn minds. This is one of the reasons why I will never associate people with no sense of intelligence and sanity because they're anti-vax/anti-mask.

[Anonymouswizard]

Well, I'm off to Peelee's old home to see my girlfriend sing! Sadly she's busy during the day with rehersals, so I'm hopefully meeting a friend when I land.

But yeah, excited to see her after a few weeks of us both being busy.

[Form]

It seems I've regained the ability to sleep in with the onset of winter now that the sun rises later. It's kind of nice! I missed this.

[Fyraltari]

So, my cousin and her family had a car accident last night. They were visiting family for their son's first birthday when some lorry driver fell asleep at the wheel or something, we don't really know yet and crashed into their car. Thr baby is apparently completely fine, but she is in an arrificially-maintained coma right now and her husband is dead.

[Anonymouswizard]

So, my cousin and her family had a car accident last night. They were visiting family for their son's first birthday when some lorry driver fell asleep at the wheel or something, we don't really know yet and crashed into their car. Thr baby is apparently completely fine, but she is in an arrificially-maintained coma right now and her husband is dead.

****.

I hope you're doing okay, and that she recovers. But that sucks majorly, especially at this time of year.

Hope there's somebody able to take care of the baby.

[Bartmanhomer]

So, my cousin and her family had a car accident last night. They were visiting family for their son's first birthday when some lorry driver fell asleep at the wheel or something, we don't really know yet and crashed into their car. Thr baby is apparently completely fine, but she is in an arrificially-maintained coma right now and her husband is dead.

I'm so sorry to hear that, Fyraltari. My condolences.

[factotum]

Thr baby is apparently completely fine, but she is in an arrificially-maintained coma right now and her husband is dead.

Jesus. Don't really know what to say other than hope she recovers, both physically and mentally.

[Form]

So, my cousin and her family had a car accident last night. They were visiting family for their son's first birthday when some lorry driver fell asleep at the wheel or something, we don't really know yet and crashed into their car. Thr baby is apparently completely fine, but she is in an arrificially-maintained coma right now and her husband is dead.

There's never a good time for this kind of tragedy. My condolences.

[Fyraltari]

Thank you, everybody. It doesn't feel actually real yet, if you understand what I mean. It probably won't until the funeral or until I visit her in the hospital (we're not in the same region of the country).

They're gradually my cousin up. One surgeon said she will be fine "in the long-term" but I don't really knows if he meant physically or mentally, I am getting news third-hand by my mother.

The baby is with my aunt, his grandmother, right now. I kind of feel bad for thinking that, but in a way, he's lucky that this didn't happen later in his life, because he's going to grow up without memories of his father and so won't miss him as a person. I don't know.

Because of our difference in age, this cousin was always closer with my elder siblings while I was closer to her younger sister, so I've only met her husband a couple of times. Still, he looked like a lovely man, and I wish I could have known him better.

[Rater202]

Thank you, everybody. It doesn't feel actually real yet, if you understand what I mean.

More than I wish anyone did or will ever have to.

...This isn't the kind of thing that typing *hugs* can help with and that's the only thing I have to offer.

[enderlord99]

Peelee, I have a question...

Is "Y'oth" a word?

[halfeye]

Sturgeon's Law applies here, I can promise you.

I think I disagee with Sturgeon on this matter.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturgeon%27s_law

The first written reference to the adage is in the September 1957 issue of Venture:

And on that hangs Sturgeon’s revelation. It came to him that [science fiction] is indeed ninety-percent crud, but that also—Eureka!—ninety-percent of everything is crud. All things—cars, books, cheeses, hairstyles, people and pins are, to the expert and discerning eye, crud, except for the acceptable tithe which we each happen to like.[3]

Pins? we have to throw away 90% of pins because they are not fit for their purpose? I don't use a lot of pins myself, but that seems a ridiculously high percentage failure rate. I would say that even of the more or less self published webserials, 10% being excellent would be overstating the case, but of the rest the vast majority are at least barely adequate, the truly appalling maybe reach one or two percent but certainly no more than that in my experience so far (I've little doubt that someone could point out some examples to counter that, but I hope they will refrain).

What of people? by which standard are 90% of people sub-standard?

This is not a law of nature, it's not even a decent rule of thumb.

[dafrca]

This is not a law of nature, it's not even a decent rule of thumb.

But it is a great sarcastic riff on how many people judge things: "except for the acceptable tithe which we each happen to like."