For most people, the cinema experience is simply incomplete without a bag of crunchy popcorn, but believe it or not, there’s actually a guy trying to get popcorn banned in movie theaters.
Mike Shotton, from Newcastle, England, says that he’s never been able to enjoy himself at the theater because his experience is always ruined by having to put up with people chomping on popcorn. His patience finally snapped when he went to watch the newly released Star Wars movie as he just couldn’t get over children rustling and chowing down on popcorn.
“The noise is something that’s always bothered me, ever since I was a little kid,” Shotton said. “I’m the kind of person that if I hear something in the background, I focus on that until that’s all I can hear. But it was the popcorn noise ruining Star Wars that really did it for me. I was really looking forward to that film. I couldn’t believe the amount of noise during the film – it completely ruined it for me.”
Photo: Mike Shotton/Facebook
So the 39-year-old started a petition on PetitionBuzz.com, hoping to get rid of popcorn from cinemas across the U.K. On the site, he unabashedly proclaimed his disgust for the popular snack: “Popcorn stinks!! Literally, the next time you’re around some, give it a sniff, you’ll be stunned.” He also contends that the snack needs to go on grounds of noise pollution.
“I call on you now to stand with me, and tell cinema chains, the government, and the world at large, that no longer are we prepared to let open mouthed grazers ruin our film viewing,” he added. “Popcorn is the least appropriate snack for an environment that requires silence.”
Photo: Facebook
“Cinema chains bombard us with constant reminders to be quiet during the film and then they sell the loudest food known to man on the premises!!! In no other situation would anybody consider a bucket of cooked grain the snack choice for 2 hours of entertainment.”
Unsurprisingly, Shotton’s petition has only received 126 signatures so far. In fact, someone launched a counter petition in response, arguing that “popcorn is an essential part of the cinema experience.” Shotton then challenged the rival to a signature duel – the person with the least number of signatures by a specific date would back down. He actually won that duel by 106 to 92.
“My next plan is to start a further petition which, if it gathers enough signatures, will mean it has to be debated by the Government in the Houses of Parliament,” he said. “I’m also planning to campaign outside cinemas and give people leaflets explaining the petition and trying to encourage them not to buy popcorn when they go into the cinema.”
Sounds ambitious, but I think people love popcorn too much for this to actually work.
Source: SWNS
