Back in 2015, Ethics Alarms sagely predicted that an election of Donald Trump as President would begin a death spiral of American manners, civility and societal comity. It proved to be a lot more accurate than any cliamte change predictions so far, but it was still too optimistic. As EA has documented since, all ends of the political spectrum have devoted themselves to trashing respect, manners and decorum since 2016. Yes, Trump has been a catalyst, but so has “the resistance,” Democrats, Black Lives Matter and popular culture. And the destructive pandemic lockdown: don’t forget that.

We continue to discover the breadth and width of the unanticipated carnage of that dumb policy, from children who can’t read to the horrible “ghost runner” in Major League Baseball extra-inning games. Now, the Wall Street Journal reports:

Etiquette at public events has become harder to control and manage after the pandemic. At concerts, fans are rowdier than ever, shrieking at artists, blocking people’s views with signs, even throwing items at artists. At Broadway shows, Playbill inserts now remind people to turn off their phones and let the actors do the singing. And now, some movie venues are posting videos to teach people how to behave.

With sizable audiences once again coming to movie theaters, a disturbing trend is being detected: the “new” moviegoers talk, snap selfies and conduct phone conversations mid-movie. Hollywood conservative critic Christian Toto blames “the nation of assholes,” not the pandemic.

He writes,

It’s a societal issue and we have only ourselves to blame. Look no further than a country that allows shoplifting to run wild in major cities. Criminals now get a slap on the wrist, if that, while citizens who take a stand get the book thrown at them. Discipline in schools now falls under woke bylaws, meaning if a child belongs to a specific demographic he or she may get a pass. Take one long, hard look at our Southern border and you’ll see how easily we look the other way rather than obey the rules.

We no longer respect the rule of law, and that includes government officials and the media. What we’re seeing now shouldn’t shock anyone.

The toxic trend is arriving right on schedule. That’s terrible news for the nation, of course, but it’s also bad for the theatrical model. Moviegoers who finally returned to theaters this summer now pay exorbitant prices for the honor of being distracted throughout a movie.

They won’t stick around for long. Instead, they’ll wait a few weeks and see the movies in question from the comfort of their home, just like they did during the pandemic. Theaters will only have themselves to blame if they don’t enforce strict but fair rules about in-theater behavior.

They won’t, most likely. If big city mayors look the other way at rising crime rates, and voters won’t punish them at the ballot box, what chance do we have that theatrical managers will show a stiffer spine?

I can’t disagree with any of that analysis, depressing as it is.

When I read Toto’s column, I immediately thought of the opening bit in “Scary Movie,” the Wayans Bros. funny, irreverent and consistently gross box office hit. Those of you who saw “Scream 2” will immediately recognize the scene being parodied above. Talk about how quickly cultural norms change, and in this case, go backwards: that scene was written and filmed in 2000 by black writers and directors. Today, they would be accused of endorsing negative stereotypes and enabling “white supremacy.” The Wayans were courageous and gutsy then (as in their wonderful satire show, “In Living Color”), but I doubt they would have dared to make that scene today, or that any studio would have distributed the film if they did. Which was the healthier culture? I think the answer is obvious, and yes, I assign much of the blame to Barack Obama for racial tolerance, trust and good will going backwards.