Screaming Children Will NOT Be Tolerated!: Age discrimination?

[aimeeandbeatles]

Recently I had to go to a grocery store and there seemed to be hundreds of little screaming kids running around and almost causing me to fall. (Also, it seems every time I trip over one of the little animals, the parents yell at me. Keep your brats under control!)

So anyways I decided to google all sorts of rude terms involving little screaming kids (which are NSFCFC) and then I googled not-so-rude terms and I found this from last year:
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/39075...restaurant-parents-no-screaming-kids-allowed/

On an airplane, in a movie theater or in a restaurant, the shrill sound of a childish voice raised in distress can resemble nails across a blackboard — especially when it’s not your child. Now one North Carolina eatery has drawn a line in the sand by posting signs prohibiting children’s uproar.

“Screaming Children Will NOT Be Tolerated!” say placards posted at the Olde Salty restaurant in Carolina Beach. N.C. And while the signs may seem to be telling some parents their patronage is unwelcome, restaurant owner Brenda Armes said it’s actually been a business boon.

The Olde Salty restaurant in North Carolina has stirred passions with this message to patrons who are parents.

“It has been a good thing for us,” Armes told NBC affiliate WECT. “It has brought in more customers than it has ever kept away.”

But not all agree: In fact, one local woman told the station she believes the sign is downright illegal. Kelly Chambliss, the mother of an autistic child, accused Armes of discriminating against special-needs children.

“I think she needs to meet some of these kids, and I think she needs to see that they are awesome,” Chambliss told WECT. “Please don’t shut them out because they don’t fit in the perfect box everyone wants them in.”

And then I found this one (from just a few months back)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4371887...estaurant-says-it-has-heard-enough-bans-kids/

If your 5-year-old has a jones for the crab cakes at McDain's Restaurant, which the menu boasts are “The Best Around — Period,” you’d best take him or her there by Friday. Or be prepared to get the food to go.

Beginning Saturday, children 6 and under are no longer welcome at the restaurant in Monroeville, Pa., just outside of Pittsburgh. They’ve just become too much of a bother for the other customers.

Vuick describes McDain’s as “upscale casual” and isn’t even sure why customers would want to bring their kids.

“This is a very genteel, quiet place. Very adult. We have 68 seats here, and 24 of them are in the bar.”

“If I had children of these ages I would never contemplate taking them to this place,” he said. "We've never even had a children's menu."

He let customers know about the impending policy in an e-mail. The response, he said, has been overwhelmingly positive.

“I’m looking at 419 e-mails in my inbox right now,” he said, saying the subject lines were along the lines of “Thank you” and “Nice job.”

Not everyone, of course, agrees. Pittsburgh TV station WTAE spoke to customer Stephanie Kelley, mother of a 13-month-old, who said she eats at McDain's weekly. Or used to.

“I can't believe this. I am offended. This is just an ignorant policy," Kelley said.

So, what do you think? is this age discrimination, or is it a property owner exercising their property rights?

 

[Whiskey_Lord]

Not sure why it counts as discrimination. Being a screaming, tantrum-throwing brat is not intrinsic to being a small child.

 

[Junius]

Not sure why this would be a problem. I'd be more likely to go to a place like that to be honest. I could have an adult conversation without having to listen to someone's kid screaming while the parents pretend it isn't happening. Can't even go to the grocery store without hearing it. Though i'll admit i'm not a kid person. If Ms. Kelly doesn't like it she is free to eat elsewhere as is anyone else who wants to bring their kids. Let the people decide, if they like it McDains will do well, if not the policy will be retracted.

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

The thing being discriminated against is the screaming, not the children. If you are a responsible parent who does their duty of disciplining their children in addition to knowing the right time and right place to bring them then you need not worry about such a regulation.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

The thing being discriminated against is the screaming, not the children. If you are a responsible parent who does their duty of disciplining their children then you need not worry about such a regulation.

Well in the second article is is all children under 6.

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

Possibly because here in North America a lot of parents who bring their small children around fail at the tasks I have described.

 

[Leonel]

I'm certain screaming adults wouldn't be tolerated either.

 

[Junius]

I'm certain screaming adults wouldn't be tolerated either.

I was thinking that as well. Young children are simply more likely to misbehave.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

I forgot to turn on public voting and now I am curious who voted yes

 

[deanej]

I'd say the ageist thing is needing a separate policy to handle kids. If an adult was screaming and throwing a tantrum, they'd be thrown out no questions asked. Why should kids get a free pass if their parents are too lazy to teach them not to do that?

 

[Dreadnought]

If it's a private business, then they can restrict whomever they wish to.

If it's public, yet a quiet atmosphere is required, then those restrictions are also fine (ie, a library).

 

[Kozmos]

Only if they offer duct tape for my future children.

 

[amadeus]

Sure it's discrimination! But is discrimination always wrong? I wouldn't say so. Should discrimination be illegal? Of course not!

If I'm out with friends or on a date, I don't want to go to a restaurant where there's going to be a bunch of annoying kids. We don't allow kids in bars or casinos, either -- is that discrimination? It sure is, and thank goodness for it!

 

[illram]

The thing being discriminated against is the screaming, not the children. If you are a responsible parent who does their duty of disciplining their children in addition to knowing the right time and right place to bring them then you need not worry about such a regulation.

Have you raised kids? Even the most iron fisted parent cannot keep a child under 6 from having the occasional outburst. Especially a child under 3, or a baby.

With that said I understand why some restaurants do this

 

[Luckymoose]

The parents yell at you because you are in the way of their kids! Move!

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

Have you raised kids? Even the most iron fisted parent cannot keep a child under 6 from having the occasional outburst. Especially a child under 3, or a baby.

I don't know, I guess back in the Philippines little children knew how to keep quiet. And any outburst was dealt with immediately by the parent and not allowed to continue.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

The parents yell at you because you are in the way of their kids! Move!

Except I am there first, looking at something, they come whipping around the corner and literally ran between my freaking legs. I have a bit of a balance problem and I start coming down and I land hard on my bad knee (I didnt have to but I would have squashed the brat otherwise) and the parents come running up and yelled at me.

Another time, a little kid knocked right into me, causing me to wrench the bad knee. I was in bed for over a week.

 

[Tani Coyote]

I believe property owners should have the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason, really.

Including age. I will of course, happily take my business to someone who DOESN'T discriminate based on age.

That said, children have high-pitched voices. Of course their screams will drive you nuts far more than an adult's.

 

[Quackers]

Am being age discriminated cuz I couldn't join the army at 7 years old

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

I am curious of the reasoning of people voting yes but none of them replied.