Posted on 06/11/2008 9:36:41 PM PDT by Kellis91789
This is definitely a vanity post. My first, but it has been bothering me for several days and I have toget it off my chest. It does have serious social implications, however, and I hope not uninteresting to Freepers.
Last Saturday night, my brother (46) and I (43) decided to go to a movie, King Fu Panda. Being an animated feature, we were wary of screaming kids so we specifically chose a showtime after 10PM.
Four guys came in at the last minute and sat four seats away, with empty seats between us. Five minutes into the movie, the guy closest to me opened his cell-phone and made a call. I whispered to him that the movie had started and could he put it away ? He ignored me and finished his call a few minutes later. Then 15 minutes later he made another call. I got up from my seat this time and walked over to him and told him to leave the theater if he was going to use his phone, otherwise put it away and keep it off. He waved me off with an "Or what ?"
I was steamed but could do nothing. In the past I've gone out and asked theater management to eject a person, and it's always been a waste of time; they've never done anything. I went back to my seat and was forced to shield my eye from the light of his cell phone for the rest of the movie. Once he knew it bothered me, he opened and closed the phone throughout the film just to annoy me.
Finally, the movie was over and my brother and I waited until the credits had completely rolled past. This group of guys had waited also, even though they had little interest in the movie and therefor why the interest in the credits ? No. They stayed so they could block us from reaching the aisle and leaving, thereby forcing a confrontation. The "Or what ?" from earlier.
We got up and as I approached them I said, "Coming through, let us out."
The annoying cell-phone user replied, "I didn't hear you say 'Please.'"
I said, "And you won't. You used up all my politeness and patience screwing around with your cell-phone. Move ! Now !"
He said, "Not until you say 'Please.'"
Well, I'm sure some of you have guessed what happened next. I grabbed him by the upper arms and frog marched him back into his three friends until the path to the aisle was clear.
This is apparently illegal.
He screamed, "That's assault ! I'm calling the police ! And I'm a minor !" (Which last part stunned me since there were no parents present, and curfew in most Orange County, CA cities is 10PM for minors. They looked 18 - 20 to me.)
And then he actually called the police. I couldn't believe it. He'd baited me into pushing him and was now calling the police on that annoying cell-phone of his.
My brother and I ignored him and his friends and walked out to the parking lot. Only to be intercepted by Security guards and forced to wait for the police. The police came, I explained what had happened. The punks had some other story, which I didn't hear, but the cops said it was "their word against yours". The police said they'd have to write me up for misdemeanor assault and a judge would have to sort it out. Then somebody talked the guy into "dropping the charges" if I apologized.
WTF ??
Apparently, detaining somebody and demanding they say "please" before you stop detaining them is not a crime, but pushing the person out of your way IS a crime. The police never told me I could press charges in return, at any rate.
So, rather than go to court, and feeling completely emasculated, I said I was "sorry I touched you." And then we all went our separate ways. After they'd left, I asked the cops what was I supposed to do, just let them detain us forever ? The cops said, "You should have called us, and not tried to handle the confrontation yourself."
So ... tell me Freepers: Am I a rage-filled psychopath ? Or does society have a serious problem ? Are free people no longer allowed to stand up for themselves ?
I’ve done it many times. It’s even come to blows a couple of times, and the police told the individuals each time that it was tough cookies, they should have cooperated.
This sounds like living to me? If I had to be that damned afraid, I'd just give up.
Society is f*cked. Those cops are a symptom and their attitudes are even worse.
Angry? Violent? About damn time. This namby pamby crap is how we got here in the first place.
You touched him on purpose against his will, that’s assault. It probably shouldn’t be but it is.
The good news is if somebody touches you similarly you are now in a self defense situation.
I'd make it so that IF they wanted to take this to max,I would too.Either way,get a good lawyer and fight it.Won't hurt to add that you thought the kid was using the cellphone as a "detination device".(OK,kidding about the last one again.You should have used that one when he wouldn't close his phone the first couple of times)
Oh hell no. You standing up to these punks is what is needed in America today. Know your rights in every situation and act on them.
It’s going to take deep pockets to sue all of those people in both legal fees and time in court. Given the almost certainty of losing each suit, no lawyer is going to take it on contingency, so he’d have to have cash on the barrelhead and be prepared to miss a lot of work.
Be my guest. Have fun!
I sure as hell won’t sit there like a good little pacifist...
Reading about your adventure in the theater, about you being all annoyed and offended by kids with a cell phone...Well, my advise to you would be to stay out of rough areas and stick to your local theater. You might last a bit longer.
I got to pee, move or get soaked.....
It works every time.
Related in a cell-phone etiquette way - We attend a Renaissance Festival every year, all live shows. One year a comedian was doing his show and a woman in the front row had her cell phone ring. She went to answer it and the entertainer stopped the show and announced “Go ahead, answer it. It must be important. We’ll (gesturing to the entire 200+ audience) wait.” She blushed, hesitated and he urged her again to answer it while we all waited. She finally got up and left the area to take the call, the entertainer opened up his arms to the crowd and every single person there applauded.
Don't worry cupcake, big meanies like me will keep things safe for you.
We'll you responded to my initial quote below that was posted to another member of the board here, and muscled up on your keyboard suggesting my quote below was somehow cowardice or pacifists in nature.
I don't think the quote below supports your junenile, no nothing position. Of course most bad ass bucket mouthed key board meanies like you are easy, and your response was sadly predictable.
Here's my original response to someone else on this thread.
"Keep to yourself, avoid crowds, and public places as much as possible. Avoid confrontations if possible, stay low profile, low key, but be totally prepared. Same when your driving. Many people are wound way tight nowadays, lots of angry violent attitudes, and others just hunting for trouble. Minor confrontations nowadays often explode causing sudden senseless death." Don't worry cupcake, big meanies like me will keep things safe for you
Cupcake? Hmmm...So you're a big meany eh? I guess you'd have to be a super bad ass living on the mean streets in Minnesota.
Ya know ya don't have to come off like that, calling names and all that.
Listen, you don't know me from zip slick.
Ya might want think about your next response.
I did. And you know what? I still think yer' just another mealy mouthed worm. Situational awareness doesn't mean slinking around like a whipped dog as your poorly phrased paragraph suggests.
Interesting that you've bothered to check out my profile page.
Too bad for you that you didn't learn anything.
Try not to piss yourself next time you see your own shadow.
Don't worry cupcake, big meanies like me will keep things safe for you
yer' just another mealy mouthed worm. Situational awareness doesn't mean slinking around like a whipped dog
Try not to piss yourself next time you see your own shadow.
LOL!
I had no idea I was corresponding with such a bad hombre. You should change your moniker to "Super Bad Dead Corpse".
“You’re suggesting my brother an I just stop having dinner together and seeing movies rather than face the off chance that a group of punks will cause a confrontation ?”
Well, your options are limited since you couldn’t get away with beating the snot out of the kid(s).
I wouldn’t (and don’t) patronize places that treat me badly. I guarantee you that I would never set foot in a place after I’d had a run-in with their security.
You still have no idea. If you are trying to goad me into some show of keyboard bravado, forget it. I'm not willing to put up with crap from others, while you advocate sticking to the shadows and slinking about your daily "life". If this makes me a "badass" in your opinion, you are even more of a whimp than I had you pegged at.
Stop your sniveling and run along now. Maybe you should find yourself some nice finger paints.
A little late for that slick. You shot your bravado wad early on.
Don't worry cupcake, big meanies like me will keep things safe for you.
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