More than a Movie

Last night I had an interesting experience. I was at the movie theater with my friends, getting ready to watch Thor 2 (my second time seeing it.) The five of us had reserved seats on the very back row all the way on the left side of the theater. As we walked in, we all noticed a horrible smell. After taking our seats, I realized the smell was coming from the man sitting directly in front of me; he had a big beard, long hair, was wearing several coats, and had a bag of clothes and a backpack on the chair next to him. He was homeless, no doubt. I texted my friends to let them know where the smell was coming from, in fear that one of them would say something about the smell out loud, offending the homeless man.

            I admit that at first I wasn’t thrilled about sitting through an entire movie with a gross stench in the air, but as I thought more about the situation, I realized that the man was probably happy just to be inside a warm building. The ticket he bought guaranteed him at least two hours away from the chilling, 30 degree weather we were having. My friends and I were just fine with him being in the theater.

            A few minutes later, a movie attendant, accompanied by a police officer walked up the stairs to the homeless man. The police officer said, “Sir, we’re going to have to ask you to leave the theater.” I was stunned and couldn’t help but stare as the situation unfolded. The homeless man replied, “Why?” That’s exactly what I wanted to know. He bought a ticket, just like the rest of us, and he has a right to be there. The officer responded, “We will refund your ticket. Please grab your stuff.” After that, the homeless man picked up his backpack and sack of clothes and left the theater with the officer. A few minutes after that, a different movie attendant came in with a spray bottle and sprayed the entire theater.

            What just happened? This poor man bought a movie ticket and wanted to watch the movie, just like anyone else in the theater. I’m sure the theater reserves the right to kick anyone out that they want, but how could this possibly be considered morally right? He wasn’t doing anything wrong. I felt sorry for him and embarrassed that I didn’t do anything about it. I just sat by and let this happen.

            So what’s the moral of this story? First, go see Thor 2 because it was amazing. Second, let’s stand up for what we know is right. Maybe I wouldn’t have been able to convince the police officer to let the man stay, but at least the man would have known that at least one person was on his side. I’ve emailed the theater to leave a complaint, but I wish I would have been brave. Let’s remember to do what we know is right no matter the consequences.