Sit Down and Shut Up

A Summary of the Essay “Sit Down and Shut Up or Don’t Sit By Me”

In his essay “Sit Down and Shut Up or Don’t Sit by Me,” Dennis Dermody explains how to survive the craziness of going to a movie theatre. Dermody outlines the key points in how to make your trip to the movies a little easier for yourself and those around you.

Dermody explains how over the years he has amused himself by watching a movie theatre fill up with people. Even though the movie hasn’t started yet doesn’t mean there is no chaos to witness. His first tip: leave the kids at home. If you’re not going to a family movie then don’t bother tagging along the kids. There is nothing worse than kids whining for candy or walking about the theatre because they get bored. Next Dermody explains the process of choosing a seat. He emphasizes the difficulty of choosing a seat with many examples. Dermody discusses those who choose seats based on height; those who choose seats based on who is sitting next to them; and those who choose seats based on the angle from the screen to their seat. There is one more interruption left to discuss just before the movie is about to begin. Latecomers. Dermody explains how their eyes are not accustomed to the dark and how they become in a panic to search for their friends or for any empty seat at all. Arriving to a movie early is everyone’s best option in avoiding the awkwardness of showing up late.

Now that the movie has begun, Dermody moves onto people’s behavior during the movie. He explains those who tend to chat to one another during the movie. “The chatters comment blithely on everything that is happening on the screen” (183). He describes these people as suffering from Tourette’s syndrome, unable to control what they blurt out. Next are the krinklers. Dermody describes how they forage in their shopping bags throughout the movie making the most annoying noise. Sometimes they can make enough noise to make others yell at them from across the theatre to shut up. The...