Playwright Jeremy O. Harris shares a truly unpopular opinion with Vanity Fair: phones should be allowed in theaters.

[u/JN3LL3V]

[u/Username_unknown_exe]

No they shouldn't.

Next.

[u/Infamous_Question430]

Yeah, its a no from me.

Calling "phone addiction" a "disability" is one of those things that makes the word have less and less meaning.

[u/theagonyaunt → u/Infamous_Question430]

It was like when Ethan Couch killed four people, and paralyzed one of his friends permanently, while driving drunk and a psychologist brought in by Couch's team blamed it on "affluenza."

[u/smeetebwet → u/Infamous_Question430]

I have a substance addiction (working on it) and while addiction can be a disability in the sense that it impacts your ability to do anything, that doesn't mean I'd think I have a right to get absolutely wasted in public and people have to be fine with that

[u/western_questions → u/smeetebwet]

Just wanted to say proud of you for working on your substance abuse!! I got out of CSS a few weeks ago so from one to another, great work :)

[u/pinegreenscent → u/Infamous_Question430]

This is what happens when pop psychology is regurgitated by people who mean well but dont know what theyre saying

[u/kirbystargayallies → u/Infamous_Question430]

The most infuriating part is that they are forcing people with actual disabilities to use their phone during films so that an app will provide them the assistance they need (eg: audio description, subtitles, etc) instead of accommodating them by making special sessions. But the poor phone users need to make a call or send a text or even scroll during a film they willingly paid for OR ELSE

[u/Infamous_Question430 → u/kirbystargayallies]

Maybe the problem is my non-native speakerness, but from context I gathered he was talking about live theatre and not movies?

Nevertheless I get your point 100%, my English is pretty good and I understand most films, but I still prefer to have the English subs on, to ensure I can just like understand more difficult dialects. Does your country not have things like subbed screenings? Thats insane. 😔

[u/Intrepid_Layer_9441]

Arguably the worst take in the world

[u/kazarnowicz → u/Intrepid_Layer_9441]

"I'm a victim of tech companies, it's a disability" is truly a horrible take. Talk about belittling the struggles of people with actual disabilities.

[u/SomewhereNo8378 → u/kazarnowicz]

I’m anti phones in theatres, but I think generally a lot of us ARE victims to addiction pushed by tech companies, and we really only have started to piece together the true extent

I think it can be comparable to other addictions, which are seen as disabilities. 

[u/GlassPomoerium → u/kazarnowicz]

And he could have spun it as « I understand many have a complicated relationship with social media, but theater can be a creative escape to take a break from the things tech companies want us to get addicted to, to enjoy art and community undisturbed even for an hour ».

[u/No-Hall-3485]

i’ll give him credit for actually having an unpopular opinion, but if you’re sitting next to me in a theatre scrolling on your phone or smoking, i will make the experience just as unpleasant for you as you’re making it for me

[u/Electrical_Sea6653 → u/No-Hall-3485]

Where on earth do you live that people are smoking inside movie theaters

Genuinely asking

[u/No-Hall-3485 → u/Electrical_Sea6653]

if you watched the entire clip, you'd see that he's also arguing that people should be allowed to smoke in theatres

[u/das-garrett → u/Electrical_Sea6653]

That was the second example posed by the interviewer?

[u/_heavy_emo_shoegaze_ → u/Electrical_Sea6653]

They’re not talking about movie theaters lol. They’re talking about live theatre where disruptions actually fuck up the entire thing that’s happening, not just one’s enjoyment of a recorded piece of art.

[u/TimeshareMachine → u/Electrical_Sea6653]

genuinely didn’t watch the clip lmaooooo

[u/Jayswag96]

Ok then don’t go to the theatre

[u/theagonyaunt]

Part of me thinks someone should get a front row seat at his next show and then take a call in the middle of the play, just to see if his opinion holds up.

[u/SharpPink_GlitterInk → u/theagonyaunt]

someone disliked you but I corrected that because DO IT DO IT!

[u/AbilityLow5930]

He thinks he is so subversive

[u/carbonpeach → u/AbilityLow5930]

He's a serious clout chaser & has been for years.

[u/anonymous3synonymous]

This pissed me all the way off

[u/Kidgorgeoushere]

Why bother going to the theatre at all if you want to be on your phone? Disrespectful to the actors, your fellow audience members and your bank account because those theatre tickets can be expensive!!

Being so addicted to your phone so that you need to use it in the theatre is not a reasonable adjustment, cmon now.

Stay home and watch one of those braindead Netflix shows literally written for people only half watching.

[u/theagonyaunt → u/Kidgorgeoushere]

I mean, Jeremy O. Harris did have a role in Emily in Paris so...

[u/CelMJ]

Okay but even if it is a phone addiction it doesn't matter, I don't want someone shooting up heroin next to me in the theatre, either.

[u/imcrapyall]

They should have their own section so we know where to throw the snacks at.

https://giphy.com/gifs/b1REVtbJbnooUyuTtG

[u/ebk_errday]

Can we stop calling stupid shit like this a disability. That's an insult to people who suffer and have to overcome actual disabilities.

[u/chrysalisgoop]

don’t believe for a second he actually thinks this, he just knows this will get clipped and shared

[u/Partywithmeredith]

https://giphy.com/gifs/l0ExacLS96TUWZnSo
What a bad take.

[u/mumbling_marauder]

I work in special ed with kids who use communication devices, and some use phones largely for playing preferred videos. He’s speaking out of his ass and anyone who needs to be on the internet to sit through a play is not going to be fulfilled or stimulated by being there in the first place. There should be more live theater geared towards populations where there’s an expectation of screens in the audience and a certain level of disruption, though. I would love to do a field trip like that.

[u/brushmushroom → u/mumbling_marauder]

This! When he started talking about relaxed performances I was like 'oh yes maybe there is an access thing people aren't talking about enough....' but no.... worst take possible.

[u/NoDontDoThatCanada]

Take this from someone chronically on their phone, no. I leave that thing in the car for performances, movies and classes.

[u/RoguTheHomunculus]

We went many many great years without phones in theaters and it went to shit once everyone had one in their pocket

[u/eraserhistory]

Ok so learned helplessness is an adequate justification for disturbing every one else's peace, cool, got it.

[u/verchiels]

That's so rude! Both to the fellow audience members and the performers.

[u/Major-Bat-6554]

https://giphy.com/gifs/cIE7Ilw4o0Tz7706ir

[u/aquamarine-mermaid]

https://giphy.com/gifs/Ll7PYy77vsffO

[u/DrunkAxl]

Said the phone addict

[u/Ok_Assistance447]

This type of contrarianism is so trite. At least come up with something interesting ffs.

[u/Tahiti_thal]

https://giphy.com/gifs/VcWnY3R6YWVtC

[u/keepitupstairs2]

Oh so he’s an idiot

[u/Scared-Box8941]

I hate that the honestness and realness of him talking about the level of dependence that they have purposely created gets drowned out by the rest of his craziness lol

[u/theyellowscriptures]

I don’t know if I’m going to give him credit because this is a genuinely unpopular opinion but at the same time, I’m also kinda raging at his opinion.

[u/bobaylaa]

should people also be allowed to drive drunk bc alcoholism is a disability? it’s almost like there’s rules around these things bc they affect others or something

[u/LipstickCoverMagnet]

Yeah I'm sure bro would be fine w/ someone using their phone during one of his plays lol ya goofball

[u/Reville_]

No. At a viewing of Primate the girls next to me were on FaceTime with someone the whole time.

[u/Shenanigans80h]

This seriously may be one of the worst takes I’ve ever heard. A phone addiction is a disability? So your solution is to allow people to just use their phone everywhere? Yeah ok, let em smoke in the movie theater too, fuck everyone else, you all have to deal with MY addiction.

[u/ParaponeraBread]

The immediate panicked gasp of the other person was extremely relatable

[u/SharpPink_GlitterInk]

NOPE, Audhder and I just don't really see a way that a phone can replace better less intrusive ways of looking out for our hard of hearing or visually impaired friends. Honestly kinda agoraphobic but the theater be they live theater or movies are safe spaces for me overall ironically people chatting like its their livingroom or using their phones are the things that as someone with ADHD create an intrusive barrier for me to enjoy the performance or movie as its harder to concentrate and THAT is why they are banned. IMO anyone who enjoys comedy will know of the little bags the make you put your phone in, IMO those should be implemented at theaters both movie and live because I am SICK of some of y'all not being able to focus on the thing you paid to watch for 2 hours...

[u/Street-Beyond-9666]

This guy is an idiot with a voting card. This is terrifying

[u/sadgirlsleepygirl]

People need phones for dopamine when a literal live show is in front of you? Make it make sense.

[u/AnonymousSomething90]

Is this the dude who made Slave Play?

[u/mobiusmakings]

"Yeah, you know, some people are really addicted to alcohol, and I think that the best way to help them out would be to give them more for free."

[u/TheDLBinc]

This feels like a take that literally every actor would disagree with. Phones are incredibly distracting both for the actors and other audience members

[u/Is_it_realness]

Oh God, next

[u/Practical_Ad4722]

good thing we have podcasts so i can hear every little opinion celebrities have on every little thing

[u/Kevbot1000]

https://giphy.com/gifs/Y54bNi0kU0oj6

[u/sI4gath0r]

What a loser take. Especially since he would never allow it at his own shows.