The last time we checked in with public health experts on whether it would be a good idea to heed Russell Crowe and Christopher Nolan and head out to the cinema, the answer was an unambiguous no. But that was before COVID-19 vaccines were approved for use, let alone widely available. Now, vaccination rates are slowly going up in the United States, and CDC guidelines are loosening. (Controversially so—more on that later.) And with films like In The Heights and A Quiet Place Part II positioning themselves as summer movie events that simply must be experienced on the big screen, now seemed like a good time to revisit the issue.
So we reconnected with Dr. Anne W. Rimoin, professor of epidemiology and director of the Center For Global And Immigrant Health at the University Of California, Los Angeles, as well as Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a physician, epidemiologist, former city health commissioner, and host of the podcast America Dissected. Both of our experts agreed that, once you’re fully vaccinated, going to a movie with a mask on carries a very low probability of catching or spreading COVID-19. From there, it’s up to the individual to decide what they’re comfortable with: Taking off your mask in the theater adds another layer of risk, as does eating and drinking during the movie, as do smaller, more crowded rooms.
One point that our experts underlined again and again was that there is individual responsibility and then there is collective responsibility. Sometimes being a good citizen means wearing a mask even if you don’t have to, and depending on your risk factors, you might want to keep wearing a mask for a while even after you’re fully vaccinated. In short, now is the time to sit down and figure out what your personal risk threshold is—Dr. Rimoin has some advice on how to do that—pair it with your local mandates, and act accordingly.
The A.V. Club: In our interview last August, we discussed certain indicators that would signal when it’s safe to go back to activities like going to a movie theater. How is the U.S. doing on those metrics as a country?
Dr. Anne W. Rimoin: We have places where the rate of infection is extremely low, and we have some places where we we have a lot of transmission. It really does depend. The bottom line is that fully vaccinated people are at much lower risk, but unvaccinated people are still at risk. Movie theaters are closed environments, which involve being in crowds. Many of them are poorly ventilated. And so therefore, if you are unvaccinated, being in a theater really puts you at a greater risk for infection. People who aren’t vaccinated still need to wear masks and social distance and be much more cautious. But at this point, in places where there is low community transmission, if you are vaccinated, going to a theater is a very-low-risk situation.
At this point, people are going to really have to think about their own threshold for risk tolerance. Everybody has to remember there’s no zero-risk scenario, but the probability of a serious infection if you are vaccinated is extremely low. So to me, the issue here is really understanding what you consider low-risk, and the risk of transmission in the community. But for vaccinated people, it is really low.
Dr. Abdul El-Sayed: We’re doing well. We’ve got a growing vaccination rate, although it’s not growing at the rate that any of us might want. But it’s growing, and cases are falling. Hospitalizations are falling. That’s good news. And we’ve got really good science now that shows us that vaccinated people are protected against symptomatic and serious COVID-19, meaning that they are substantially less likely to pass the virus on. And those two things mean that a lot of the protections that we have been relying on to protect people from COVID-19 production and people are not necessary anymore—thus the CDC guidance in that respect. I think there’s a lot more justification for going back to the movies, although I just want to make sure that people understand that this is still a place that, considering all of the circumstances that lead to the spread, it is still, on its face, one of the riskier places to go.
For vaccinated people, I think it’s justified to go without a mask. That being said, when it comes to the policy [for theaters], I would recommend that if you’re going to have [patrons taking their] masks off, there needs to be vaccine verification. Because the risk comes when you have people who are unvaccinated taking their masks off and spreading the virus amongst each other. And that’s particularly important when you talk about more vulnerable people—people who can’t get a vaccine yet, like kids, or people for whom vaccines are just less effective, like folks who are immunocompromised. And that’s where I think it is on theaters to say, “We’re going to reopen, but when it comes to masking, we’re going to have to verify that you’ve been vaccinated if you want to take it off.”
AVC: So, for vaccinated people, going to the movies is risky, but not an unreasonable risk. Would you agree with that?
AWR: Absolutely. That’s exactly what I’m saying. For vaccinated people, there is an extremely low risk of infection—and, if you do get infected, transmitting it to other people. That’s a developing scenario. We’re still learning about this. But the things that we all have to think about are, for example, even if you are vaccinated, if you’re immunocompromised, you still may wish to be more cautious, and possibly avoid certain activities that carry any risk. It’s all about the individual’s risk threshold.
AE-S: It’s not an unreasonable risk. Vaccines are extremely effective, but they’re not perfect, right? And in those circumstances, there is still an added risk for the SARS-CoV-2 virus to be in the air in theaters. That being said, it’s not a risk that I think is overwhelming or should take people away from enjoying something they want to do. I’m just saying that it’s not the safest possible thing. But it’s not unwarranted to go and enjoy some time at the movie theater—and to do so without a mask, if you so please.
AVC: What about concessions?
AE-S: There’s the broader policy guidelines I would offer, and then there’s the individual guidance. In terms of the broader policy, I would say that if you want to have concessions that you should have vaccine verification. If they’re vaccine-verified, they can be opening their mouth and laughing and chewing and doing all those things as much as they want. The risk of passing on the virus and having the virus is really quite low. Whereas for people who are unvaccinated, the risk is real. For theaters that want to do this, I would just say to verify vaccines. And for people who are not vaccinated, there may be a different theater where masks are required. Maybe taking face masks off in the theater is not allowed for people who are unvaccinated. From an individual standpoint, I would say that if you’re vaccinated, enjoy your concessions. If you’re not vaccinated or are worried about illness, keep your mask on—if you’re going to go to the theater in the first place.
AVC: Does it matter how big the theater is?
AWR: It matters how big the theater is, how many people are in that theater, and what the ventilation is in the theater. Are they practicing social distancing? You want to look at the capacity and the space. If you’re in a small, teeny little theater, that’s very different from a big one with high ceilings and state of the art ventilation. But you should also be thinking about [whether] you can stay 6 feet away from others.
AE-S: I would say it’s more about the ratio, the number of people per square foot of space. One person in a small theater—whatever. It’s basically no risk. Now, a hundred people in that same theater? That’s another thing. As for a lot of people in a large theater—it’s certainly less risky, just because you’re thinking about the concentration of virus [in the air]. A) The probability that someone has a virus that they’re putting out in the theater is a function of how many people are there. B) How much of a concentration of that virus gets in the air is a function of how big the space is. And so, a bigger space with fewer people is always better.
AVC: What if you’re only partially vaccinated?
AWC: The benefits of vaccination really kick in when you are fully vaccinated. You should only consider yourself fully vaccinated when you have had two doses of Pfizer or Moderna and then waited another two weeks, or two weeks after a single Johnson & Johnson shot.
AE-S: You should behave as if you’re unvaccinated. The guideline is that you should act as if you’re unvaccinated up until about two weeks—or, more specifically, 10 days—from the date of the first vaccine. After you’ve gotten past two weeks from the first vaccine, our evidence suggests that you’re 84% less likely to get symptomatic illness, as compared to 94% two weeks after the second vaccine. So there is a level of protection [after the first shot]. But the recommendation is still to wait until you’ve gotten the second vaccine, and you’re two weeks out from that. Then you are as protected as you are going to be.
AVC: This question is a bit more complicated—even though the CDC has said that vaccinated people can go maskless in most situations, many are still hesitant. “How do I know that the people around me are also vaccinated?” That kind of thing. They’re not quite ready to just go about their daily business as before. Do you have any thoughts or ideas for those people?
AWC: First of all, the CDC guidance is just that. It’s guidance. The recommendations are just recommendations, and they are for fully vaccinated individuals. But that doesn’t necessarily correlate with what the rules are in your area where you live. And you need to follow local guidance in terms of whether or not you can take your mask off if you’re fully vaccinated. For example, here in Los Angeles, mask mandates are still in place. So that’s number one. But number two is that, even if the mask mandates are lifted, if you feel more comfortable wearing a mask, it’s always safer to wear a mask. It’s not a problem! In fact, I think that being more cautious is better, personally. Whether or not there were mask mandates in my area, in many situations, I would wear a mask. There is no reason for people who are more comfortable wearing a mask not to wear a mask. And in particular, some people who have underlying conditions, who are immunocompromised—they have real reasons [to wear a mask]. There may be many circumstances in which wearing a mask is a smarter decision.
AVC: One thing I thought was very interesting is that we didn’t have much flu last year because of mask-wearing.
AWC: That’s correct. Masks are very effective at preventing respiratory pathogens from spreading, and so there are many reasons to be wearing a mask in enclosed indoor settings. And if people are more comfortable wearing one, they should.
AE-S: If you’re vaccinated, the evidence shows us that you’re really quite protected. The issue is if you’re immunocompromised and the vaccine may not have been as effective, or are parents of a child who is unvaccinated. Those folks really are at higher risk in situations where people who are unvaccinated are free riding off of policies [designed] for vaccinated people. If you yourself are vaccinated, even if there are people who are unvaccinated around you, it doesn’t really put you at such a great risk. More risk than if they were vaccinated, obviously, but not that great of a risk.
The challenge is when you end up having multiple unvaccinated people who are all not wearing masks in indoor places who then spread it among each other. We still have a responsibility as a society to protect people from some of the situations in which they can get infected, and there is a broader risk here where, if unvaccinated people who are not masking are spreading the virus among each other, that increases the probability of the evolution of a variant that could render all of our immunity moot. So it’s in everybody’s interest to have less virus floating around. And there is a responsibility, I think, for institutions to be thoughtful about making sure that people aren’t spreading COVID in their places. And that’s why I do think it’s problematic when large stores like Walmart go with the honor system, because we know that there are a lot of folks who may choose to go unmasked and who are not vaccinated, who could be passing it among each other. And that’s bad for all of us. I worry when institutions choose to forego that responsibility.
I’m fully vaccinated. I will likely keep putting my mask on in indoor spaces. Outdoors, I won’t be wearing masks, but indoor spaces I will, just because I think it’s important to protect the norm that allows people to wear masks if they feel uncomfortable. I have a 3-year-old daughter, and if we go inside and I tell her to wear a mask, but I’m not wearing one, she doesn’t have the nuance to be able to appreciate what that means. Maintaining that norm is important. There are people for whom a COVID-19 infection could be catastrophic, who are immunocompromised and could still get sick even if they’ve been vaccinated. And so then they do need to wear a mask. I don’t want to create a norm where all of us just take off our masks, even if we haven’t been vaccinated, and people who do choose to keep wearing a mask to protect themselves get bullied.
The thing I want folks to understand is that these vaccines work. They’re effective. If you are vaccinated and choose to take the mask off, you’re perfectly reasonable in doing that. It’s not that the science isn’t clear about this. The challenge is a public policy one. How do we make sure that people who have been denying the pandemic and choosing not to wear masks and choosing not to get their vaccines don’t ruin it for everybody? There are a lot of people who can’t get vaccinated right now or for whom vaccines are not as effective, who rely on public policy to keep them safe.
AVC: Do you have any advice for people to try to calculate what their risk tolerance is?
AWC: I think that the [question to] answer is, “What would be the consequence if I did get COVID?” You have a low probability of getting it [if you’re vaccinated], but what are the consequences if you do? The consequences if you’re immunocompromised are much greater than somebody who has a robust immune system. And so you have to think carefully about that. If you’re bringing your 90-year-old parent to a movie, vaccines may not be as effective in older individuals, and there’s the immune system issue, so you’d want to be more careful in that situation. The bottom line here is people have to think about what the consequences would be for them as an individual, as a part of a family, or as a part of the community were they to become infected, and looking at what the risk is of that happening.
AVC: It sounds like it’s really just a matter of taking some time to sit and think through what your risk factors are, and what you’re comfortable with.
AWC: Exactly. It’s being thoughtful, thinking about your risk, the risk to your family, the risks in your community, and their consequences. And then weighing them.
193 Comments
I heard from my friend’s brother’s former girlfriend’s roommate that popcorn butter is better than a vaccination for preventing COVID! So get extra when you go!
It’s all “blockbusters” and “tent-pole”and IMAX releases from here on in.If not for special effects and event films, I think most to of have adapted to streaming the latest rom-com, period drama, buddy film at home on our increasing large screen TVs.
Probably true for most, but I think they’re wrong. Those movies are still better at a theater. I saw Nomadland at the movies. No way I don’t look at my tablet two to three times if I watched that at home. Can’t gasp with 20 other people when she shit in a bucket. Communal, dark room is still superior for all types of films. I’m going to watch them all in theaters when mine open up.
I’m not having a go (because, why would I care how other people watch things?) but… what is on that tablet?OK, you got me, I’m having a go at my wife and, bonerland, you are her proxy (lucky!). She’ll choose the film and then I look over after 2 minutes and she’s scrolling through her phone! Hundreds of people worked on this thing. Millions of pounds were spent on it. It’s expensive art and we’ve paid to view it, dammit, pay attention.Having said that, my dad used to read the paper while films were on so I don’t think it’s the technology. I’m breathing, I’m breathing… it’s ok, everyone stand down. Divorce proceedings fading, fading…
She shits in a bucket!?! Spoilers, man!
To me I’m convinced any film that’s at all decently photographed is better on the big screen. Also horror films are really great with a crowd. Around October 2019 I got to see the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre in a theater and next to me were people who were clearly seeing this for the first time and that adds to the experience.
Not entirely off topic: I went to the grocery last night and all of the employees decided to forego masks. Roughly half the customers there had done the same. There weren’t really many people there. After checkout, my grocery bag slipped out of my hand and the bottle of wine I bought hit the floor and emptied immediately. I won’t say that everyone was mean about it but they didn’t have to be so churlish. Like seriously, I helped clean up, apologized profusely and even paid for another bottle. Didn’t matter; everyone wanted to be an asshole.I’m guessing that it had been a VERY trying day for everyone there, and I don’t know why I’m making excuses for their behavior.
Sounds more like you broke open a bottle of whine, amiright?
It’s been two weeks since my second shot so today I went out and managed to catch Godzilla vs. Kong on a big screen. (Saw it during its Max run, but a dinosaur fighting an ape demands a big venue.) The good news is, I was the only one in the theater, so while I was snacking and didn’t always have the mask on my chances of spreading anything to anyone were pretty low. I do think that’ll be it for a while, not the least because I had to get a Lyft there and back because Kansas City at the moment has no theaters in the metropolitan area. (The theater that was a Drafthouse did get bought by a group called B&B but they’re renovating it a little and won’t be open until Fall.)
Theres no evidence of shedding of your vaxxed. And the only people you would be shedding to are those who refuse to get vaxxed. So who gives a fuck?
And the only people you would be shedding to are those who refuse to get vaxxed.
My son is too young to get vaccinated. People shedding virus are a danger to him.
Your son’s chance of dying of covid are like next to zero. Let it go.
Don’t take him to the movie theater then?
We’re not at herd immunity yet, and there are some people who cannot get vaxxed whether they want to or not.
Oh well life goes on. I’m not going to stay at home another year because some AVClub commenters are addicted to being terrified.
Neither am I! I’m just going to be polite and have a mask on when I’m around other people, maybe only for the next few months even depending on how the rollout goes.
Like who?
People with autoimmune disorders.
Nope try again
Do you… not believe there are people who have autoimmune disorders?
No I just don’t believe you. The CDC recommends that everyone with an autoimmune disorder should get vaccinated.
If you seriously just can’t wait to go to the cinema during the transitionary period out of a global pandemic, then you need to seriously reconsider your priorities. FFS.
I swear people like you don’t want this to end. If you’re vaxxed there’s no danger to you or others. It’s fine to get on with your life again.
I literally wrote “transitionary period out of a global pandemic”. That implies there’s an end. The simple fact is scientists don’t fully know yet how much the vaccines reduce transmission of the virus from a vaccinated person to others.
There’s not really going to be an end in the sense that the virus will never disappear. There will always be a lot of unvaccinated people in the United States and some of them will always be spreading this virus. Maybe at significantly lower levels than today, but they’ll be there.Exceedingly few people who are vaccinated have anything to worry about — scientists are now pretty sure that vaccinated people very rarely get infected or transmit to others. Frankly, they only ever pretended this was a huge unknown because they knew vaccine passports were a political problem and that enforcement of two sets of rules was practically difficult. They wanted to keep the rules in place for vaccinated people to protect the unvaccinated, not because they believed it was actually unsafe for vaccinated people to go back to normal.There was a time when we were all doing our part by staying home and going out with a mask only for the barest essentials. Now we can do our part by going out and spending money on leisure activities that support a lot of jobs, because it’s completely safe to do so. If we keep staying in for another year just in case, there won’t be any movie theaters open when we want to patronize them.
I wasn’t gonna read this because it looked too long but I’m very glad i did, nice take.
“There’s not really going to be an end in the sense that the virus will never disappear.”Sure, but the pandemic will end, just not yet. There’s still hundreds of deaths a day in the US from COVID. It’s better than thousands, but still a concern. We can start getting life back to normal, starting with essentials like work places and schools. I just can’t see cinemas as being particularly high on that list. Give it a few more months. Not another year, just a few more months, just to be sure. After what the world’s just been through, why make yourself the guinea pig to test out unnecessary situations.
The more important point is that, at least in a movie theater, it doesn’t matter. As another commenter said, every adult in the country has had an opportunity to get vaccinated already. It’s shockingly easy! If you decide not to, and to still go to a movie theater, that’s you making a stupid decision and putting your own life at risk. Why should I, a vaccinated person, not go to restaurants or theaters just because people who have actively made the choice to not get vaccinated are stupidly showing up in those spaces? I can choose to not shoot someone in the foot but I can’t stop them from doing it to themselves.
You could have read the article where the experts say that there is still risk to people who are vaccinated. Much lower risk =/= no risk.
He is an ignorant fucking moron who likely lives in an anti-science echo chamber… but you expect him to read the article he’s commenting on?
The finer points of the article are, well, more fine.
Going maskless in a packed theater full of unmasked people in an area with low vaccine rates and a stubborn case rate even if you have the shots is a different thing than wearing a mask while vaccinated in a low attendence matinee in an area with high vaccine rates and low infection rates.Both still have risks but I’m inclined to say the first situation is squicky while the second is OK.
I’d still stay away from the nachos in either case.
Staying away from the nachos has always been good advice.
So we just stay home forever then? Another year because of an extremely hypothetical risk the vaccine doesn’t work?
Life is a risk. FFS, you don’t even have to leave your house to risk dying. The entirety of our lives, we gauge the risks and determine if the risk is worth it. Most of the time it is, because most of the time the risk is pretty low. This is one of those times (for fully vaccinated people.)
“If you’re vaxxed there’s no danger to you or others.”That simply isn’t fucking true. I don’t know how fucking stupid you need to be to come to that conclusion this far into all this shit.
Prove me wrong fuckface.
“Prove me wrong fuckface” Per the WORLD HEALTH ORGANAZATION website:“While a COVID-19 vaccine will protect you from serious illness and death, we still don’t know the extent to which it keeps you from being infected and passing the virus on to others. To help keep others safe, continue to maintain at least a 1-metre distance from others, cover a cough or sneeze in your elbow, clean your hands frequently and wear a mask, particularly in enclosed, crowded or poorly ventilated spaces. Always follow guidance from local authorities based on the situation and risk where you live.”That took 30 seconds you STUPID. FUCKING. CUNT.
Lol dude you are fucking deranged. Screaming from the street corner about the virus and demanding we all keep hiding. You’re just wrong, dude. Public health officials are letting us do these things because…they’re okay. You are literally inventing a level of risk that doesn’t exist and screaming at people like a nutcase for not following it.
I literally just proved you wrong and you’re still talking shit. The science, quite literally, is not on your side. You said there was zero risk. That is a lie. You’re either ignorant as fuck, or a goddamned liar.Also, lol – posting a quote from the WHO website that refutes your statement(that you asked me to do) is tantamount to “screaming from the street corner and demanding you keep hiding”. Fucking dramatic little bitch, much?
Lol dude you are actually deranged and probably extremely unwell. I hope you get the medical attention you need.
That’s what I thought.
Seek help buddy.
Also, if dumb mother fuckers like you STAYED AT HOME FOR LESS THAN A MONTH – this would have all been over a year ago. But y’all ignorant clowns just keep spreading this shit.
Another guy who has developed a pathology. Let’s stay home forever even when we’re vaxxed. Keep being afraid. Stay home even though your vaxxed. For fucks sakes not even public health officers are saying this. You want more restrictions than what even strict states are mandating.
If you’re vaxxed there’s no danger to you or others.My kids aren’t old enough to be vaxxed.
So don’t take them to movie theaters?
There’s less danger, there’s not no danger.
I’m very happy to be fully vaccinated. I’m also diabetic and my wife is immunocompromised thanks to meds she has to take. Community transmission in my neighborhood is about what it was this time last year. And there are chuckleheads going maskless who haven’t been vaccinated because nobody’s requiring verification.
Am I going to the movies this weekend? Hell no.
Read the article maybe? The danger is not zero. Its significantly reduced, but not zero.We’re all allowed to have our own particularities about which risks we are and are not willing to take. A movie, godt it would have to be some incredible movie, better than anything I’ve yet seen in my life to risk it. Especially when day on date on my awesome set up at home is available, or worst case a few months later.
I can’t speak for OP but I really do believe that some people get a boner from wearing a mask and staying home scared.
I’m going to be honest, the list of films worth risking your life at all for is a blank sheet of paper.So there’s no reason not to wait until things are as safe as humanely possible. I wouldn’t blame you if even then it just didn’t feel worth it.Because odds are it really isn’t.
Exactly. The pandemic will be over someday. That day isn’t today. There are plenty of other leisure activities people can do in the meantime that isn’t trying to enjoy a public activity in an enclosed space with recycled air.
It’s already over. No mask! No vax! I’m headin’ to AMC!
No, babe. That’s dangerously untrue and you’re the reason people don’t want to go to public spaces. Just stop it. At least wear a mask to respect the needs of others for crying out loud.
Fuck you! HAHAHAHAHA!
See, the problem is people acting like it’s all or nothing. It isn’t. For some people, it’s still not safe to participate in most public activities. But, according to the experts, since I am fully vaccinated, it is safe for me and I am safe for others. I’m going to listen to them because I’ve been listening to them all along and things have gone well for me on my end. I’m not going to get mad at anyone else for being cautious, but don’t shame me because I’m listening to the experts and following what they are saying.
I want to give you perhaps a different perspective here. The global pandemic will wax and wane in various different places and different times. No reasonable person would base a decision on how many layers to wear one morning based on the global weather situation and we should think of the pandemic similarly.Moreover, as many health experts have attested to, mental health issues are going to be the most widespread long-term impact of this pandemic without a doubt. While I wouldn’t say it’s 100% safe, I’m an immunocompromised individual who plans on going to theatres when they re-open. I went to see Tenet in the fall because in the Canadian province where I live, theatres were open. People were spaced I think 5 seats apart, and restaurant rules applied regarding masking until your seat. Frankly, to me, it seemed no more unsafe that eating indoors at a restaurant and was far less crowded. By the time theatres were shut down again, there were zero transmissions that had been connected to movie theatres at all. And at that point we didn’t have any vaccines either.The reason I bring this up is that, in spite of the “I’m not sure what the fuck I’m watching” nature of the movie, it was some of the peaceful I’d felt during this whole pandemic. For me, the movies have always been a refuge of escape and of sanity away from the terrors of everyday life. I have friends who I’m used to watching movies with every few weeks. However, in my case, I’m immunocompromised because of a disability that actually makes all that exercise outdoors and shit rather difficult. I have to exercise with professional supervision and support (almost exclusively in an indoor setting because that’s where the machinery is) and I’ve got bad allergies so heavily filtered air is much preferred to the outdoors.Now, that’s just my story admittedly and it probably doesn’t directly apply to many others. But what I’m trying to get across is that you can’t judge from afar. Those who are saying “What are you talking about?! You’re not following the science and you’re being stupid! If you’re vaxxed there’s no risk!” are being obtuse, incorrect, and unhelpful. That said, it is still true that there will be no international pandemic V Day. When that day is, is about your own personal circumstances- where you are, who you live with, what you do etc. Admittedly, that can also be scary because a lot of people make that decision more based on what they want than what is best for them and their community, but only each of us (and maybe our doctors) actually has all the information to make that determination.TL; DR – If you’re vaccinated and it brings you joy and you’ve factored in the risks, go to the movies! But also don’t think that people are being unscientific if they choose not to or choose to wear a mask to reduce whatever risk they may have. Risk reduction is good; so is enjoying life. It just looks a little different for everyone.
“risking your life over”loljunior, we know the science behind whose lives are at risk. the same ones whose lives are at risk every time they wheeze and cough after gulping down a 3rd big mac
You honestly sound traumatized by Covid to the extent you no longer know how to gauge risk. If you have your vaccinations it’s fine. You can leave the house. You can live again. You don’t have to wait for some non existent signal that things are “as safe as humanely possible”.
luckily, the scientists in this article say you are not risking your life to go see movies, lol.
People now have institutional syndrome. The warden has let them out but they’re like Morgan Freeman at the end of Shawshank who can’t piss if he doesn’t get permission from someone. They don’t care what the scientists say, they’re now conditioned to be afraid
you’re right, and its sad. i recently interviewed for a job and the interviewers were *terrified* to ask if i was comfortable working in a face-to-face capacity, i can’t imagine the indignant responses they must have got to that question before asking it of me; like, okay you’re either comfortable or not but this whole ‘an unmasked face is the new maga hat’ shit has got to stop
but if you have the vax you’re not risking your life
For me, the theater experience has always been a mental health refuge. Now that I’m fully vaccinated I have to think about whether that experience will be soured if I encounter assholes without masks on or hear someone coughing in the theater. With all the shit each person has been dealing with recently, I can totally empathize with someone who decides the mental boost is worth it, as much as those who don’t.Just be responsible and mask up when not chowing down.
May I still suggest that now might be a good time to find more than one mental health refuge.
I promise the cinemas will still be there once the pandemic is actually over.
Just be responsible and mask up when not chowing down.Rendering the times you *are* wearing a mask between bites utterly pointless.
don’t listen to ONE PUNCH! I completely agree with you and had one of the most wonderful experiences of the last year and a half at a theater just last week, and fun fact, since there’s more [redacted] like ONE PUNCH! who shriek trust the science, but not when the science says its reasonable to go to the theater, than you and I, the theater will likely be totally empty.I’ve been to the theaters four times since March 2019 and at only ONE of those movies were there other patrons.
Why?I’m fully vaccinated, and have been for more than a month. Give me one good reason that I should be cautious about going to the movies, or resuming any of the activities I enjoyed in 2019 and prior.
What part of “transitionary period out of a global pandemic” is unclear?
If that phrase isn’t enough of a reason to exercise caution until the period is over, which hopefully won’t be too much longer, then how about because you probably have better (and less risky) things to do.
I think I understand your point of view. But here’s mine:Every adult in the USA has had the ability to be vaccinated, completely free of charge. If you’re not vaccinated in this country, it is by choice. If you, or I, avoid the movie theater or anything else….why? For whom? What exactly are you afraid of? If the vaccine wasn’t your ticket to a normal life, why even get it?
Well, there are truly some people who are immunocompromised and can’t get vaccinated, or who can but it’s not as effective for them. But that’s why everyone else should be vaccinated.That said, I think the idea that a movie theater is still risky even if you’re fully vaccinated is silly.
Very strange reasoning.I drive, which is risky, but I attempt to minimize the risks to myself (safe driving, wearing a seatbelt, maintaining my vehicle) and to others (not driving when drunk or otherwise impaired).In addition, I may change my regular behavior when circumstances substantially increase my risks. Not driving while impaired is the obvious example of that, but being alert to other high-risk circumstances (driving on New Year’s Eve, for example) is also prudent.This is normal life: being aware of risks and attempting to respond prudently and responsibly to them.For you to assume you can reasonably assess the risk of an anonymous person on the Internet is condescending at best. But what is generally true is that the risks of COVID, even for the vaccinated, will drop substantially as more people receive the vaccine. Waiting until 2030 to return to the theater seems unreasonable–surely vaccination rates are going to drop massively before that point–but waiting until September is reasonable because the risks will be lower. What is at stake for you in pushing other people back into theaters? Are you a theater owner?
Think of it like getting a cast off your arm. Your arm is better than when it was broken, but you probably shouldn’t go straight into a boxing match.
Only it’s more like everyone is getting casts off their arms gradually over time, so better to wait until your opponents are strong enough to fight otherwise it’s not really fair to anyone.
‘great’ metaphor one punch. the movies is more of a thumb wrestle than a boxing match but go off king, we’re all jealous of the home theater you have but the rest of us are sick of watching shit on our iPhones lol
So you finally decided to reply to me directly instead of insulting me behind my back. ‘k.
So substitute broken arm for broken thumb, boxing match for thumb wrestle and it’s a similar thing.
And I don’t have a great home theater system or anything. I’ve just found better things to do than go to a cinema in the next few months until most people have been fully vaccinated for a while. You know, when it’s actually possible to have real data of something that’s happened over time instead of projecting hopeful results ahead of time.
projecting hopeful resultsis that what you think Dr El-Sayed did?
As one of the other doctors says “That’s a developing scenario. We’re still learning about this.”Dr El-Sayed says a lot of things, including: “I think there’s a lot more justification for going back to the movies, although I just want to make sure that people understand that this is still a place that, considering all of the circumstances that lead to the spread, it is still, on its face, one of the riskier places to go.”Mate, I live in Australia. A place that has comparatively few cases of COVID. And yet, a neighbouring state is currently having a bit of an outbreak of which one of the exposure sites was… A cinema. If Australia can have so little COVID and still have it in our cinemas, then it’s almost certainly in American cinemas. But all of this is beside the point that you just don’t have to be there.
If your best screen is an iPhone, maybe you shouldn’t be spending money on movie theaters. Yikes.
Because you can still CARRY THE FUCKING VIRUS AND GET PEOPLE SICK you fucking idiot.
Have you been driving anywhere for leisure purposes during the last year? I think you need to seriously reconsider your priorities FFS!
…because if you’re vaccinated, your risk of COVID from a movie theater is far lower than your risk of serious harm in a car accident
Thanks for that false equivalency.
That’s not a false equivalency at all – that’s a comparison of risk. And a rather apt one. Both COVID and driving can cause risk to yourself or to others. So the key is to be careful and prudent. Maybe if it’s a torrential rainstorm, don’t drive to pick up some food because the risks are more significant. But when you’re vaccinated and the risk of transmission and infection is low, it shouldn’t be a big deal to go to a movie theater.
More people have car accidents than catch COVID, so you’re basically comparing a mountain to a molehill.
So we agree?
That it was a false equivalency from the start, sure.
People have to drive. People don’t have to go to the cinema. There’s no comparison.
I specifically said “drive for leisure purposes”, nice try there buddy.
Well, if we’re going to be pedantic about it, then I’d say if you’re vaccinated your risk of COVID from a movie theater is about the same as your risk of serious harm in a leisure driving car accident.
But how do we verify that’s why a person is driving? Or why the person they hit is driving? There are no stats on “leisure driving car accidents this year”, just car accidents or fatal car accidents over a time period. Of which there are always more than catching COVID in a cinema. It’s like saying there’s more liquid in the ocean than a bottle of soda. Both will make you wet, but they’re not really the same thing to be compared.
Personally, I don’t drive for leisure. I drive to get to places. Maybe to a leisure activity, but I just can’t find being in traffic leisure. And if the roads are empty, then the chances of an accident drop and so does your argument.
If you drive to get to a leisure destination, whether it’s a cinema, an airport, a park, or a restaurant, you are increasing the likelihood of harm to yourself and others. But that’s okay, that’s how this works, right? We weigh risks and rewards. But for some people, COVID is put in a separate class of risk. If I told you I drove in a heavy rainstorm to see Godzilla in 1998 (Jesus, it wasn’t worth it) you wouldn’t think — prior to us having this conversation at least — that I was a deeply irresponsible human being. But if I told you I went to a movie theater in January to see News of the World you probably would. COVID has made people often irrational in their risk assessment and very strident and self-righteous. And I’m not sure what the point of it is. We want COVID to go away. We want the healthiest and best America we can have. The single greatest factor which will lead to this is maximum vaccination. So shouldn’t we be convincing the unvaccinated that they can do things like, say, go to a movie theater once they get vaccinated?
“If I told you I drove in a heavy rainstorm to see Godzilla in 1998 (Jesus, it wasn’t worth it) you wouldn’t think — prior to us having this conversation at least — that I was a deeply irresponsible human being.”Actually, yes, I think it’s fair to say that’s irresponsible. If the rainstorm was such that it made driving more dangerous to you and other drivers, I’d pull over and wait it out. And I’d only be on the road in the first place if I there was someplace I had to be. Seeing Godzilla wouldn’t qualify. Neither would News of the World last January.
But is that what you mean by a leisure drive? The activity at the destination is leisure, not the drive itself. A leisure drive is typically going for a drive with no particular destination and just enjoying the drive for the drive itself, like on empty country roads where the chance of an accident is minimal. But I’d still keep my eyes peeled for any wildlife about to run onto the road, and there’s some roads I’d probably avoid altogether. Similarly I want to avoid unnecessary possible spread of COVID to the unvaccinated and avoid enclosed public spaces if I don’t have to be there.
“So shouldn’t we be convincing the unvaccinated that they can do things like, say, go to a movie theater once they get vaccinated?”Once mostly everyone is vaccinated, sure. It’s not just about you or individuals, it’s about taking care of each other in public places. We’re only just starting to see the effects of widespread vaccination. We’re only starting to get proper data. The data is still coming in. People are still getting fully vaccinated. Hundreds are still dying each day. Soon, like in a matter of months, we’ll have lots more data and hopefully lots less death. That would be when I’d say “Well done everyone, now we can celebrate together where-ever.” But May of 2020 is just simply not when I’d recommend socialising in an enclosed public space unnecessarily.
Soon, like in a matter of months, we’ll have lots more data and hopefully lots less death. That would be when I’d say “Well done everyone, now we can celebrate together where-ever.” But May of 2020 is just simply not when I’d recommend socialising in an enclosed public space unnecessarily.
Now that’s a completely fine point; even if we might disagree on it I think it’s a perfectly respectable point of view. I just don’t get why you can’t lead with points like this rather than “…then you need to seriously reconsider your priorities. FFS.”
First, it’s the internet.
Second, I think making cinema going a priority right now is worth a FFS in light of circumstances surrounding a once in a century pandemic.
Third, it’s the internet.
STAY SAFE, STAY INSIDE
The stupidity of making movie theaters completely off limits while people ate in restaurants and flew on planes is still baffling to me
I say this with the utmost respect: the global pandemic isn’t in its transitory period out. The effects of the global pandemic on the US might very well be, but the global pandemic has been at its worst (yes, its worst) during these past four months. It’s barely slowed down from a second peak right now.
Yeah, people wanting to go back to doing things they like. What’s wrong with them?!!?
/s
One of our multi-screen theatres closed even before COVID, that’s his little interest there is in cinemas now. It just re-opened as a cannabis dispensary (and possible grow-site).
I had decided I was going to watch Black Widow in the theater and that would likely be it. This was before I knew what a covid was.My television is large, my speakers are effective and my couch doesn’t smell like stale popcorn and farts.The movie theater is dead.
Yeah, I’m not nostalgic about it, although it is disappointing that when I Google “Who is the famous person that said the cinema is the modern-day church” I get nada.
Indoor farming is actually a really nifty use of empty theater space. I can’t think of much else to do with a vacant multiplex if the area it’s in can’t support any kind of theater, because that’s a very awkward building layout for most other things.
It really does seem kind of brilliant. But this move is SO out of character for this city, especially since the black market is doing better than ever (weed here is taxed at over 40%!).
“re-opened as a cannabis dispensary”Time to leverage some synergies.
Yeah, I don’t think that even crossed their minds.
I haven’t been in a theater since Feb 2020, but once my family is fully vaccinated (our 13-year-old gets his second shot next week, and everyone else is long since past fully vaccinated), we’re planning to go see something in a theater. (Not sure which one, since Arclight closed…)Even then I am still mostly willing to forgo theatergoing in the name of being extra-cautious, at least for now, making exceptions only for things I really want to see on the big screen. Los Angeles County has been in the lowest-tier risk category for several weeks now (California has a four-tier system), so if that persists then it seems safe, as a vaccinated person, to at least occasionally go to the movies. (But I’m sure as hell going to wear a mask the whole time and not be eating.)
Can I ask – if you’re fully vaccinated then what are you being extra cautious about? What is it that you think might happen?
A few things:Even being vaccinated doesn’t give you 100% protection against COVID. It’s very rare for a fully-vaccinated individual to get infected, much less seriously ill, but I’d rather play it safe.There are other airborne-transmissible viruses besides SARS-CoV-2. My family has very much enjoyed not getting any colds for the last 15 months.Staying masked when in public and near other people is polite.
Staying masked when in public and near other people is polite.Hard disagree there. Masks are not the new norm. They were something we did as per CDC guidelines because it was the best option to prevent the spread. Now the guidelines are that we (vaccinated people) don’t need them.I respect anyone’s choice to wear a mask if you want to (seems to me like you don’t trust the vaccine though), but arguing that not doing it is impolite is just wrong.
I’m going to be blunt, you don’t need to see A Quiet Place Part 2 in cinemas. Or if you’ve seen Part 1. It’s the same film!(But nowhere near as good IMO.)PS: Pun not intended.
No one needs to see any movie, in theater or at home.
Bad take.
Honestly, I’d rather watch films on streaming than risk the theater.
Before Covid I used Moviepass, then AMC Stubbs to frequently hit the theater but all the money spent on movie food/drink and tickets (almost $25~30 per person, per film before the ‘pass’ services came about) can easily go towards a decent home theater setup.
I’m willing to do drive-in theaters but those are barely a thing around me. Given the blatant stupidity of the last year alone, I’m not willing to risk anything else when it comes to theatrical releases.
As is, people took too long to take the pandemic seriously and now they’re quick to risk additional outbreaks while knowing that the thing is still going strong is some places.
Being fully vaccinated and going to see a movie is not risking additional outbreaks. People aren’t doing this on their own. The experts are the ones saying that fully vaccinated people can go back to doing normal things.
Which doesn’t change that vaccinated people can still get and spread Covid-19. Which means I could still get it and spread it to the people who aren’t vaccinated that I may knowingly or unknowingly interact with.
Or that people lie about vaccinations/don’t know how they work/don’t get both shots/run with that herd mentality to excuse not getting vaccinated because everyone else is/etc.
The question comes down to “after spending so many months being isolated in one place, why should i sit in a dark room with strangers without interacting with them when i can enjoy the great outdoors and engage in social human behavior?” I’ve seen so many films and tv shows for the past year. I’ve had enough of looking at moving images. Even if theatres are completely safe i’d rather enjoy the streets, the parks, the beaches, the mountains and everything else that being outside offers.
Because it’s something that people genuinely enjoy? I love seeing movies in the theater and in the before times, I’d often go at least once a week, if not more. Going to the theater has been the thing that I’ve missed most during the pandemic, excluding of course being able to see and visit friends and family. Yeah, I’ve watched a lot, but it’s not the same.
I mean, I want to be outside, I want to visit my friends, but … I went outside plenty last summer, it’s not like I was literally stuck inside for a year. And watching a movie on a big screen is an immersive experience that’s not really comparable to sitting at home on my couch, scrolling through my phone intermittently, petting the dog and getting up to get a drink of water.
cool i guess we should just do the world according to Gaveston? can i keep running or do you not like that either? how about video games? writing? are those approved activities are or you sick of those so i gotta stop doing them too?
How does Gaveston not going to see a movie have any effect whatsoever on your ability to do things?
I don’t think Gaveston gave you any orders? So I am not so sure why you took their choices for their own life so personally. USA, land of the free until its someone else’s freedom.
First, I’m sick of everyone acting like everyone was sitting alone in their house with nothing to do all of last year. Lots of us still had to work. I was lucky and worked from home, but I still had to put in my 40 hours every week, so I didn’t have time to watch everything on all the streaming platforms. I also wasn’t alone, because I live with other people. So, I had even less time as I wanted to talk to them sometimes, too.But, also, some of us really like going to movies. It’s OK that you don’t, but you come off as if you think no one should want to go do that because you don’t want to, so how could anyone else want to. And, a person can go see a movie and then go to the park or something (or vice versa.) It’s not an either/or proposition.
theaters should have setup big screens in their parking lots and had out door movies
Spoken like a true extrovert.
Because movies are one of the primary joys in my life, and there’s a vast difference, to my mind, between experiencing them in the theater on a big screen while having a communal experience with other people, and experiencing them on a comparatively tiny screen alone at home. I’ve been aching to go to a movie theater for over a year. And it isn’t an either/or choice between experiencing the outdoors and going to a movie, the latter of which only takes two or three hours. One can easily go on a day hike, come back to town, grab dinner and then hit the theater in the evening.
So the real question comes down to “why are you so eager to judge how other people spend their leisure time outside the home after a year-plus in lockdown?”
I don’t quite understand this pervasive attitude of: “I’m vaccinated, but I just can’t trust these other people.”If you’re vax’d, your odds of getting Covid-19 and actually having symptoms are virtually zero. If someone, whatever their reason, declines to be vaccinated and gets sick, or worse, that’s on them at this point. Time to start livin’
My guess? That attitude of not trusting other people, often for good reason, has likely kept those people safe for more than a year. It’s hard to let go of that at the drop of a hat because we’re not perfectly rational beings.
My problem is Disney putting stuff in theaters suggests I should bring my kid to see a movie.Except I can’t safely because my kid isn’t old enough to get vaccinated.So if I can’t trust the people in the theater with me are either vaxxed or taking precautions if they aren’t, I’m putting my kid at risk of contracting COVID even if I was 100% safe.
Yeah, that is of course the one sticking point with all of this, the kids who can’t be vaccinated yet as well as immunocompromised people who may not have the optimal vaccine response. I’m not sure that Disney is making the smartest decision with stopping the premier access for new movies after Black Widow, but what do I know.
And you’ve got the reactionaires going “Oh lol so you’re not gonna send your kid to school?”…both my kids go to a daycare that is currently requiring all teachers and parents to wear masks when inside. All kids older than 6 are also masking while in class rooms. And all of the teachers are vaccinated.So they’re as safe as they can be, but are keeping the kids their top priority.
Wait until you discover that your kid has to go to school.
If only Disney was also putting its stuff on some kind of direct-to-consumer streaming platform that is ultimately cheaper for families.
If only…
Not just that, but being vaccinated doesn’t mean everyone around you is safe from it. There’s still that risk of bringing it home to someone who may not have been vaccinated. … oooor much more likely give it to the guy who claimed he was vaccinated, but wasn’t and ends up being a superspreader that shuts down the whole economy again.
More and more research is coming out that indicates that fully vaccinated people pass long FAR less COVID-19 and thus aren’t likely to be the source of infection. This part of the puzzle is likely the reason why the CDC said fully vaxxed people don’t need to mask, except in certain locations and when required by state law or a business’s rules. But yes, I’m still wearing masks most place, partially because it’ll take awhile for me to be ok without it, but also because it’ll help keep kids from feeling weird because they still need to wear them.
then that’s a case of not trusting the vax or the scientists
Except, as the two PhDs in the interview patiently explained, your odds aren’t zero, and if you live in a hotspot then they’re even further from zero. Now, most people will risk very low odds and be well within their rights to do so. But saying you’re totally safe and it’s “time to start livin’” isn’t true for someone with health issues that means a COVID diagnosis is “time to start dyin’” (or lives with someone for whom that’s the case).
Simple Rhyme didn’t say zero. OP said “virtually zero”. It’s the same language the experts have been using because while yes, technically there’s not a “zero” percent chance (nothing ever really is exact zero), statistically speaking its close enough to zero to where its not a danger to the larger public. This is exactly why the CDC dropped the mask guidelines for fully vaxxed people.
For the last year, reasonable people have rightly said “Trust the science. Trust the experts”. Well now we’re reaching the point where its ok to gradually move back to normal, the science says so, and people are like “Woah. Hold on now. This science conflicts with my gut feelings right now”. Are there cases where vaxxed people still have higher risk than a larger vaxxed population? Sure. But you can find these outlier cases for just about anything. And the CDC and experts have said those people should take extra precautions as necessary on their case by case basis. They haven’t dismissed them. But again, to the larger population, the statistical risk is small enough to move on and not have that fear. If you don’t have those circumstances, there’s no real reason to not forge ahead towards normalcy. The science says its ok. The only thing holding you back in those cases is you. Those are the people Simple Rhyme is talking about.
Then don’t leave the house, FFS.
Found the guy who didn’t read the article.
“Dr. Abdul El-Sayed: …..we’ve got really good science now that shows us that vaccinated people are protected against symptomatic and serious COVID-19, meaning that they are substantially less likely to pass the virus on.”
Hi friend, I can’t take my kids to a movie theater because they’re not able to get vaxxed but thanks.
If someone is immunocompromised or taking certain medication, the vaccine doesn’t reduce your odds nearly as much. You can very much still get it and can still very much die.And frankly, the “time to start livin” people who are trying to push so hard for everyone to return to normal… maybe you don’t realize that y’all sound like the lives of the vaccinated-but-still-at-risk population aren’t important, but you kinda do. Not to mention the lower-risk-but-still-at-risk population otherwise known as CHILDREN.
Next to zero is NOT the same as zero. This is a virus that can be lethal and the idiots at the CDC didn’t devise a way to prove a person was vaccinated and is allowing people to go maskless in public via the honor system. Little kids can’t be vaccinated yet, fully vaccinated people can still spread the disease asymptomatically and I really shouldn’t have to explain this to a fully functioning adult. This whole thing should have been handled like polio. Ok everybody line up and get your shot. Oh you don’t want to get one? Tough shit, it’s mandatory. Guess what? No more polio EVER.People in this country don’t seem to understand that refusing to get a shot isn’t freedom of expression if the shot prevents the spread of a lethal, highly infectious disease. The public good ALWAYS overrides personal freedoms, or at least it did when politicians had the balls to use laws on the books that give them expanded powers during a pandemic. If FDR was alive we wouldn’t be having this conversation because we would all be vaccinated by now.
It’s really puzzling to me. Not too long ago, there was a measles outbreak in my area – a disease that had largely been eradicated in the developed world. I didn’t go around asking strangers (or even friends and acquaintances) if they’d had a measles vaccine. I knew that I had gotten mine, and even though I understand that vaccines never provide 100% protection, I knew that I was doing everything I could to protect myself.
1. You don’t understand why someone might have an attitude besides “I’m OK, so fuck other people”?2. The persistent resistance to getting vaccinated means a population of incubators who can not only catch COVID, but pass along mutated versions of the virus. More exposure and more spread increases the odds of a mutated strain that is different enough that the vaccine is only partly effective. People assessing risk should be allowed to plan for the worst-case scenario, especially in a case like this, where the “mask or no mask” choice only matters to those who need to see people’s lips (like the hearing impaired). If someone decides to carry an umbrella on a sunny day, you wouldn’t be posting angrily about it on the Internet, so why does this upset you?3. Individual risks will vary wildly depending upon community, and they will keep changing over time. Why in the world would you want to deprive people of the discretion to make choices for themselves about how much risk is acceptable?It also doesn’t help that multiple states have passed laws banning any kind of vaccination “passport” or verification or requirement, written so poorly that they could apply to nursing homes and nurseries. These states also tend to have the lowest vaccination rates and lower levels of testing, making it harder to assess and control risk. I know of at least one state that banned schools from requiring students to have any vaccinations that were not already required as of January 1, 2021, which not only prevents schools from requiring the COVID vaccine, it prevents them from requiring any future vaccines for any future contagions.Be mad at the politicians who have decided that deliberately increasing everyone’s risks is the best way to get everyone to start “livin’” again.
“It also doesn’t help that multiple states have passed laws banning any kind of vaccination “passport” or verification or requirement…”I really don’t see how these can be legal. Maybe for government buildings, but how can you tell private businesses they can’t turn people away for reasons that are not covered by protected classes laws? I mean, businesses can tell you you can’t come in if you don’t have shoes or a shirt on. They can tell you you have to leave because you’re being angry and loud or even violent. They can tell you to never come back if you tried to steal something. Private businesses can refuse service to anyone for any reason not covered by protected classes laws, so they should be able to refuse maskless, unvaccinated people from entering, too. Especially since they are more of a health risk than shoeless, shirtless people.
Personally I have a young baby at home who can’t get vaccinated. If I go out and don’t wear a mask, I’m basically unconcerned about myself at this point. But—can I come home and transmit the virus to my unprotected infant? PROBABLY not, but why the fuck do I need to risk it, you know?
This is the only correct take.
Honestly, I’m looking forward to being able to go to the theater again, especially if they actually clean the theaters between showings.My wife and I are vaccinated (my son isn’t old enough yet, but he’ll be first in line once they approve it for young kids) so that won’t really be a worry for me. That said, before the pandemic I was going to the Friday morning showings (usually the first showing) so there was rarely many people in the theater anyhow (Endgame being the exception).
there needs to be vaccine verificationThis is common sense and by extension will never happen
We don’t need vaccine verification. We just need people to get vaccines. And if they don’t they’re only creating risk for each other.
if they don’t they’re only creating risk for each otherDisagree. The unvaccinated act as a host and safe harbor for the virus to thrive and mutate. They are a threat, especially to those who cannot be vaccinated due to compromised immunity or age. Like my child. If there is a more lethal strain of coronavirus that surfaces in the future, or a variation for which we cannot find a booster, it will likely be the fault of anti-vaxxers. At a minimum, precious resources will now need to be expended, year after year, for a regular booster program because we have failed to eradicate corona. A person who intentionally chooses not to vaccinate, despite being eligible, is essentially a bioterrorist who has weaponized their own body. If I could press a button that would wipe every anti-vaxxer above the age of 18 off the face of the earth I would do it without hesitation, and sleep like a lamb.
While I agree and understand the sentiment, I think this type of language only fractures our society and overall, pushes the unvaccinated further away from getting a vaccine. There’s no need to call anti-vaxxers “bioterrorists” or speak in hypotheticals about wanting them all gone.We need to treat everyone with kindness and, most importantly, continue to talk about how vaccines are safe and effective. There is a group of unvaccinated that can be convinced, but they likely feel nervous about the technology or distrust the government (which is fair, given how polarized the parties are).Let’s also keep in mind that the majority of the world doesn’t have the same access to vaccines as the United States, so there are a ton of people unvaccinated because they don’t yet have access to one.
I’m not a talking head on a news program, or a political leader, or a government official. I’m an anonymous dude on the internet who gets to say exactly how he feels:I see no need to parse intent. There is a stubborn, deliberately malicious segment of the population that will never get vaccinated. I will never reach them. You will never reach them. They will persist, and fester, and be an open wound on our society. And there is literally nothing I can say that hurts as much or causes as much damage as the actual, deliberate action of not getting vaccinated and going out into the world to act as a walking disease vector.
I’m also well aware there are billions of people who don’t have the same access to vaccines that we do. That’s why I was careful to qualify my statements as specifically about anti-vaxxers and those “who intentionally choose not to vaccinate”. Best case scenario is people like you, who have the patience and understanding to do so, can reach these people and convince them to vaccinate in short order, or at least convince enough of them to make a difference. But I don’t see that happening and I’m out of patience. The next best case scenario to everyone getting vaccinated is that those who choose not do simply cease to exist. If I actually lived in a universe where such a thing was possible, I’d wish for a pony as well. I do wish you luck on your mission though, sincerely. I’m just out of fucks to give.
Again, you’re leaving out those who legitimately cannot- people with autoimmune disorders.
I could not possibly be clearer that I am not including those people in my assessment. I wouldn’t be surprised if people with autoimmune disorders share my frustration, given they’re at most risk from the asinine behavior of the anti-vax community.
Fair enough! I don’t blame you for being tired of the people who refuse the vaccine.
yo did not expect sociopath genociders in the movies-might-be-safe-to-see-again article comments!
Tough but fair 👍
Chirst. I agree with your overall points but rhetoric like yours is literally the main problem.
And if they don’t they’re only creating risk for each other.
Any anyone who can’t get vaccinated for legitimate reasons.Also, unvaccinated people bouncing the virus around themselves is how variants are made…and that’s how vaccines are rendered worthless, thus fucking over the rest of us.
If there were only a small number of people not getting vaccinated for reasons unrelated to medical conditions, this would be true. The more people who refuse to vaccinate, though, the more likely the virus will mutate and one or more of those mutations could be something the vaccine won’t protect against.
While it would have made sense to have this, by end of the summer (maybe sooner) this will more or less be irrelevant (in the US).
I love the cinema, I’m so glad they were only briefly closed in Australia. Not a lot of big hits playing, but enough to pop in every now and then, and my local cinema played the classics. Took my fiancé to see grease on Valentine’s Day because he loves that film!
“Sometimes being a good citizen means wearing a mask even if you don’t have to”Are you kidding me? You people are lunatics, honestly
I’m with the crowd that lost interest in going to the cinemas even before the pandemic. I enjoy watching movies at my own pace. With or without subtitles. The power to pause or hit rewind. Have whatever to eat or drink….or even just drinking. See special features like deleted scenes, or alternate endings, or bloopers. Enjoy alone or with friends in a comfortable setting and environment. So good luck to those who just can’t live without a cinema. To each their own.
I’m fully vaxxed and over a month past my second shot. When the CDC relaxed guidelines for vaccinated people a week and a half ago, I reactivated my AMC A-List and started going to movies again. I’m not working right now, so I have a lot of free time and have gone to 3 movies even though the good movies don’t start coming out until this weekend with Quite Place 2 leading the charge. I feel safe, the theaters are still pretty empty for most showings, and I keep my mask on when I’m not eating and sneak the straw under my mask when I want to drink rather than leave my mask off.I don’t feel bad about it, I don’t feel I’m risking my health or the health of others. For 12 months we got on the case of people ignoring the advice of the CDC by not wearing masks. And yeah, it feels weird being inside anywhere except my apartment and take off my mask, and I plan to continue rocking masks maybe forever on public transit and when I feel sick, but I don’t want to fall into the trap of using it as a declaration of political allegiance and self-righteousness.We’re not out of the woods yet and there are still risks, but we’re on the right track and I’ve done what I needed to do to help us get there. And dammit, I’ve missed movie theaters!
After a year and a half of not getting sick, the longest I can remember in all 38 years of it, masks are gonna be with me for a while. As for cinemas, they’re dead to me. I was basically only ever going to Marvel movies anyway. But the experience at home is much more superior. Yeah I’ll miss cheering with the crowds, but I won’t miss all the other nonsense that happens at cinemas.
Regardless, I’m glad you’re having a good experience. If my country continues vaccinations at it’s current rate I will get one any where between now and 2028 (that’s not even an exageration).
Oh for fuck’s sake, no, it’s not complicated. If you’re vaccinated, go back to living your life. Also just wear a damn mask if you’re asked to.
This. I don’t get what’s so hard here.
I hate wearing masks but not once in the last 18 months have I ever had the urge to yell at minimum wage employees for telling me to follow the rules they aren’t in charge of making.
And I didn’t spend those 18 months crying about “trusting the science” just to turn around and say I don’t believe these scientists that say I can start going back to my normal life.
I went to see demon slayer last week and I’m seeing A quiet Place 2 this week, both myself and anyone I invite has to be vaccinated before going (and I mean at least a couple weeks after the shot). I also still wear my mask in the theater. it’s mainly just being responsible about how you gather at this point. my grandfather has his 85th birthday in a couple weeks and my grandmother made vaccines mandatory for anyone coming (they already have theirs) even though it has set them at odds with one of his sons whose family is staunchly anti-vax.be smart, make good decisions.
So at this point we’re just openly trying to get Trump elected in 2024, right?
This statementSo, for vaccinated people, going to the movies is risky, but not an unreasonable riskdoesn’t make sense to me. If you’re fully vaccinated, going to the movies is not really any riskier than it was pre-pandemic. I understand feeling uneasy about it, and if you’re not vaccinated it IS a moderately risky thing to do, but not once you’ve gotten your shot.
The person quoted is just using “risky” as meaning “non-zero risk.”
I mean, walking outside the house carries a risk. I could get hit by a car or fall and break my leg or attacked by a rabid squirrel.
Yes, and the person quoted agrees with you, hence the second half of their sentence.
It is at best a poorly worded question. Most people understand “risky” to mean “moderate to high risk”.
True, but well-clarified in the responses, so now we can lay this pedantry to rest.
Oh come on, it’s my username 😉
The only thing that has truly gotten me out into the theater was because I had no other option other than downloading a pirated video with Russian subtitles, shaky cameras, and people walking in front of the camera.And then only because I did not want the move to be spoiled for me by the internet.
Hmm, the educated public health experts in the article, or the random nobodies giving their little one-line simplifications of the situation in the comments… so hard to choose sometimes.
idk if you’re pro movie or not but both the experts said it was a reasonably safe thing to do to go see a movie so i’m gonna run with that, lol.
I guarantee every last one of them were the ones saying through the last year that we have to listen to the experts (and not wrongly–I was saying the same thing) but suddenly the experts aren’t, what, expert enough?
the movie theater issue has been interesting to watch because all the trust the science shriekers (who don’t wanna trust the very same science saying it is a very low risk to go lol) also cop on themselves for being proud haters of the movie going experience.like you aren’t going anyway so hang tough in your zone and mind your lil business, i don’t hop on kinja and talk about all the shit you like that i think you shouldn’t do lol!
Oh, but people on AV Club (and io9) just love to tell everyone how much they hate things that other people like (just read the comments on any TWD article.) I mean, it’s not specific to these sites, but it happens a lot here.
i know, i know.but at least in those instances its ‘you like a tv show that sucks’ not ‘a thing you enjoy doing which has been described as reasonably safe is responsible for killing millions’
Yeah, I’m tired of being shamed for doing what I’ve been doing from the beginning–listening to the experts.
I’m in the “movie theaters are outdated and generally prefer my superior home theater experience” camp, but also had AMC A-List since it came out (until the pandemic hit). When I can get an ICEE at home, then I’ll be ready to ditch regular movie theater going.
That said, I trust the science. It 100% made sense to shut theaters down last year and require masks as things started opening up. Now it 100% makes sense to drop the requirement for the vaccinated and only have people who want to wear masks wear them.
You can’t have it both ways. If you want to ignore the science and demand others do the same – you’re really not that much different from the anti-vaxxers/maskers, imo.
This article is like a “Knee Jerk Reaction” / “Reading Comprehension” test. And it’s not going well, folks.
Since the AC for most theaters is set to two degrees above freezing, I’ll keep the mask on for warmth.
airplanes too, everybody’s bitching about how uncomfortable wearing a mask for the duration of a flight (and maybe i’m charmed, i was only on a short 90 minute regional flight) but damn if that little cotton buddy didn’t keep me nice and warm!
Kidding aside, the evidence seems pretty clear that all of the mask wearing and social distancing has led to a major drop in cold and flu cases. I think there is a decent argument over the longterm of keeping an eye on other illness rates and masking up more often, and thinking harder about when we shop, fly and go to movies.
yeah I agree, I think if we can normalize (hate that word) caution, we’ll have a better shot avoiding future total shutdowns and might end up with a better societal attitude towards public health. win win.
I have nothing against wearing a mask if I’m sick, but I am not curtailing my life on the off chance I could get a cold if I go shopping. It wasn’t a factor in those decisions before covid and it’s not going to be a factor in those decisions now. (I get the flu shot every year and am fully covid vaccinated.)
I didn’t get vaccinated for nothing. If I was willing to continue to live like a damned hermit I wouldn’t have gotten it. Screw restrictions and screw masks. Feel free to stay home and continue to live off the government’s tit if you’re afraid.
The gripping hand is that where I live 3 of 4 cinemas aren’t even open and the third still requires masks to be worn inside.
Thank you for this article — appreciate the detailed responses.