Why are we being ripped off at every turn?

I don’t mention this much, but I have a couple of kids. Not that I’m a super-celeb or anything, but I don’t believe in having kids involved in the media. Maybe that’s because I know what kind of pariah’s the media can be.

Yesterday, we took the kids to the movies to see Kung Fu Panda 2. What amazes me is the ways in which we are continually ripped off. For a start, ticket prices in Australia are ridiculous. Kids normally start around $13 and adults around $18 – but if you want to see a 3D movie these days, those prices go up.

To my surprise, the cinema where I went (Event Cinemas at the Brisbane Myer Centre) had a “Family Pass’ which I presume was just for the school holidays. But here’s the thing: the Family Pass is for ONE adult and 2 children. Not a big deal, you might say, but it’s a sly trick to catch people out. Why?

The cinema (and other places that are now pulling this stunt) will argue that it’s a sign of the times that the “Family Unit” isn’t what it was back in the 60′s. But a Family Unit is STILL generally a Mother, a Father and two children. Isn’t it? I won’t get into our multicultural country here, but Australia is traditionally a Christian country, and therefore we should be working on Christian theories.

So back to my story. Even with a Family Pass, we still had to buy an extra ticket. We’re now at $43 just to see a movie (which will be on Foxtel in a month for $5.95), but we haven’t purchased anything to eat yet. And who goes to the movie without snacks? So, another $45 later we make our way to the theatre to see our movie. So it’s cost almost $90 to see a damn movie!

What I WANTED to do was take the kids to see the movie in Gold Class. For those who aren’t aware, Gold Class is like the VIP version of the cinema where you get to watch the movie in a proper recliner chair. There are less seats, and you order your food prior to the movie. They have an extensive menu – including alcohol and proper meals – and you can have things brought at different times throughout the movie.

But the thing is, Gold Class tickets are $42 each, and there is no discount for kids. Plus, if you book things online in Australia there is a booking fee (generally up to about $7), plus there’s then a credit card fee. So it would have cost us $181 JUST FOR TICKETS. If you’re a regular reader of my posts, you’ll know that food isn’t cheap here either, so you could potentially expect to add another $100 for four people to have food. Isn’t that insane? $300 to see a damn movie?

But even without going Gold Class, I’m $90 out of pocket. And let me tell you why. A large popcorn at Event Cinemas costs EIGHT DOLLARS. If you’re an American reader, I’d love to hear what you guys pay. How the hell do they justify $8? There’d be all of 50 cents worth of popcorn in there, and maybe 15 cents worth of cardboard.

One of the things I learned during my recent trip to America is that Americans don’t put up with s**t from people. Americans wouldn’t put up with paying extortionate prices like that. But, as I mentioned in my recent post Not happy, Jan trying to get Australians to band together and NOT do something so that things can be better in the long run – will never happen.

I know I have readers out there from different countries, and I would love to hear what it costs to go see a movie in YOUR country. Are you ripped off like we are? Or is a day at the movies within the reach of even the lowest paid?

How dumb do you think I am?

See this photo?? Do you know what it is??

This photo, taken by Mike Le Gray (sorry Mike. I tried to e-mail you, but couldn’t find your contact) shows a pistol with an empty magazine. That means that the operator has fired every round from the magazine, and there are none left. The tell-tale sign is the way the slide stays back. Notice how you can see the barrel protruding from the end??

I don’t mean to over-simplify things, but it seems that either most people don’t know what a pistol looks like when it’s out of ammo, or Hollywood producers think we’re all stupid. Nothing against you if you didn’t know.

Without giving away too much about myself, let’s just say I know a thing or two about firearms. I’m no expert, but I know the basics. What frustrates me is when I watch a movie, and our hero goes blasting away with a pistol. There’s always three things that drive me (and my colleagues) crazy about these movies:

1. Accuracy. Your average pistol is effectively useless at ranges over about 25 – 30 metres. Unless you’re from Hollywood, in which case if you steady your hand, you can hit the bad guy who’s escaping, about 250 metres away.

2. The “Hollywood magazine”. Most pistols of this type hold about 13 rounds in the magazine. Unless you’re from Hollywood, in which case that increases to somewhere in the vicinity of twenty…….thousand. They never seem to run out of ammo. Ever notice that?

3. (This is kind of tied to point 2) The magazine empties, you see the slide stay back, but in the next scene, our hero continues firing. Hence my earlier comment that the producers think we’re stupid or ignorant.

Let me point out that when I watch an action movie, I don’t try and pause the action to look for the exposed barrel. If you know weapons, it stands out just as much as if Forrest Gump had suddenly appeared wearing a tutu. Trust me. The next time you watch one of these movies, keep an eye out. Just watch how many times the hero empties his magazine, only to be hitting his target 150m away in the next scene, without reloading.

And it’s not just the pistol thing. Different weapons have different capabilities. You wouldn’t try to sink a submarine with a spear gun would you? So why, in Hollywood, do we constantly see the hero rush into battle with a completely useless weapon? It makes great copy, for sure, but sometimes I just get sick of being expected to forget everything I know.

Have you seen that happen with your job? Maybe you’re a doctor, and you have to put up with watching some guy remove an appendix with the wrong implements, or you’re a mechanic, and you see someone fix a car by putting a Toyota part in a Honda, or something like that. Not something the layman would pick up, but something that stands out for you like a lemon on an orange tree.

I’m interested in just how stupid I am. Leave me a comment if this has happened to you, so I know just how naive I am, and how the producers have fooled me.