Chinese Pranksters Force Couples to Sit Apart at Cinema - Polidicks

[URL]http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/feb/14/valentines-day-odd-numbered-cinema-seats-china[/URL] [QUOTE]A group of embittered singles worked together to buy up the tickets to a 7.30pm screening of Beijing Love Story, a sappy big-budget romance, at the Shanghai Xintiandi cinema, according to the Shanghai Morning Post newspaper. In a seating chart posted online, every other seat in the cinema is marked occupied. "Want to see a movie on Valentine's Day?" the prank's organiser, an internet user going by the name UP, wrote online. "Sorry, you'll have to sit separately. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Give us singles a chance." [/QUOTE] [IMG]http://img3.cache.netease.com/cnews/2014/2/14/20140214073933bfd39.jpg[/IMG]

Genius. Douchey, but genius.

Those heartless bastards

That's really pathetic.

[QUOTE=debmaster;43911866]That's really pathetic.[/QUOTE] And hilarious. Mainly hilarious.

"Let's raise awareness of single people by being absolute assholes to couples! That will work!"

Gotta admit, clever way to ruin someone's day.

My heroes

I see this as more of a service. You mean I get to watch a movie on Valentine's Day [I]AND[/I] don't have to sit next to my naggy girlfriend?

That must have been expensive :v:

i find it interesting they actually sell tickets by seat in china, at least in the U.S. its just a ticket to get in the cinema then you sit where ever you want

[QUOTE=Sableye;43912157]i find it interesting they actually sell tickets by seat in china, at least in the U.S. its just a ticket to get in the cinema then you sit where ever you want[/QUOTE] It depends on where you go. Where I live there's one theater where you just buy a ticket and sit wherever, but there's another one that got redone after it flooded a few years back and now you pay for specific seating. There are pros and cons to each way of doing it.

I'd just sit next to my partner either way.

Pretty dumb and not thought out. If they can choose seats, so can couples. When a couple finds that they cant buy seats side by side, they can just leave and go to another theater

"hey sit on my lap" would this work i am not very good at these things

[QUOTE=Tweevle;43911728][URL]http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/feb/14/valentines-day-odd-numbered-cinema-seats-china[/URL] [IMG]http://img3.cache.netease.com/cnews/2014/2/14/20140214073933bfd39.jpg[/IMG] [quote] "Sorry, you'll have to sit separately. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. [B]Give us singles a chance.[/B]"[/quote] [/QUOTE] Why not sit beside other singles instead of being cocks? Honestly this prank is kind of undermined by the fact that they paid for half a theaters attendance to sit through a sappy romance movie.

Well if the couples manage to arrive before the singles, no one's gonna stop them from sitting next to eachother.

Vice did a documentary about the Chinese dating scene, and there is a big difference between how westerners see relationships compared to the Chinese. Because of the one child policy, the man (and only son between both pairs of parents) of the relationship is solely responsible for caring for both his parents and his wife's parents as they become old. This, paired with the fact that there are more men than women in China means that there is extreme competition from the perspective of a guy. Many of the marriages are arranged by the parents, and subsequently relationships are valued by the economic stability it brings to the couple's future children and parents, rather than the typical focus that westerners put on romance. I'd imagine the pranksters in this case are guys who don't hold a financially high enough position to attract a girlfriend and must be pretty bitter about it. TLDR; In China you can be the nicest guy in the world, but if you don't rake in the dough you ain't getting no poon.

[QUOTE=Thlis;43912521]Why not sit beside other singles instead of being cocks? Honestly this prank is kind of undermined by the fact that they paid for half a theaters attendance to sit through a sappy romance movie.[/QUOTE] In addition, when couples realize they cant buy side by side seats and leave, itll be a half empty theater full of singles. Assuming no other singles will want to watch a romance movie, the theater will be pretty pissed when they see theyve lost a bunch of potential money due to this prank

[QUOTE=FordLord;43912561]In addition, when couples realize they cant buy side by side seats and leave, itll be a half empty theater full of singles. Assuming no other singles will want to watch a romance movie, the theater will be pretty pissed when they see theyve lost a bunch of potential money due to this prank[/QUOTE] The theatre is already offering discounts on the seats. But the thing is, if most of the people who bought the odd numbered seats don't show up, then the only thing that will happen is Couples -Sit next to each other -Get discounts Also this is a gem [quote]UP described himself as a "computer nerd" in an anonymous interview with the newspaper, adding that he suffered a breakup late last year.[/quote]

[QUOTE=pedrus24;43912547]Well if the couples manage to arrive before the singles, no one's gonna stop them from sitting next to eachother.[/QUOTE] nobody except for, like, the staff?