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When did standing up become illegal ?
Vanity | 6-11-2008 | Me

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 ?


TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: adolescents; donutwatch; falsereport; movies; rudeness
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To: dragnet2
A little late for that slick.

Awww... schucks. Did that hurt your tiny little feelings? Well, I'll tell you what, you whine, piss, and moan about it for a while, make yourself feel better. Maybe have a good cry.

I'll be somewhere else not cowering in the shadows like you advocate.

101 posted on 06/16/2008 5:27:54 AM PDT by Dead Corpse (What would a free man do?)
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To: Dead Corpse

LOL!


102 posted on 06/16/2008 8:23:53 AM PDT by dragnet2
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To: Kellis91789

“(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.)”

You should have asked the cops why the minors were out past curfew causing trouble.


103 posted on 06/16/2008 8:27:24 AM PDT by Rebelbase
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To: Kellis91789

I don’t know if you’re going to court or not, but he falsely imprisoned you. You could press charges for that.


104 posted on 06/29/2008 8:23:32 AM PDT by Melpomene
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To: Kellis91789

Everybody has different ways of dealing with society’s flotsam.
I know people who would have set him on fire. No joke.


105 posted on 06/29/2008 8:33:55 AM PDT by Lancey Howard
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To: Kellis91789
I have moved to another seat in a theater more than once because of an annoying person. Don't get mad, just move. Then when I was told to be quiet (by the person in front of me) when I wasn't doing anything other than cough a few times and look for my cough drops in my purse. I continued to annoy the person in front of me, just like this jerk continued to annoy you. This guy set you up and you fell for it. Its not worth it, as you are finding out.

Then there was the time I parked in a contract parking space while I ran in to pay a bill. Let me set this up there were at least 15 empty parking spaces in this section, so I wasn't inconveniencing anyone, I was gone at least 5 minutes. When I returned to my car a black Surburban was deliberately blocking me in. As an older woman alone in a deserted parking garage, I should have called the police.

I was being blocked by the owner of the building and he eventually came back and gave me a severe tongue lashing. I was in the wrong but he had no reason to be so obnoxious. He eventually let me loose but not until both of our blood pressures went off the scale. I am still sorry I didn't call the police when I found myself trapped in there.

106 posted on 06/29/2008 8:49:44 AM PDT by Ditter
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To: Melpomene

Not going to court. The false imprisonment charge wouldn’t stick because I COULD have given these punks the satisfaction of turning around and exiting the opposite (longer) direction. Nope. I’m afraid if I’d gone to court in SoCal I’d likely have lost. Lib courts here have thrown out common sense and taken the phrase “violence is a last resort” to extremes.


107 posted on 06/29/2008 6:51:29 PM PDT by Kellis91789 (I used to be Dilbert. Then I was Wally. I retired before I became the Pointy Haired One.)
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To: Lancey Howard

On the drive home I decided it was a good thing I don’t have a concealed carry permit.


108 posted on 06/29/2008 6:52:49 PM PDT by Kellis91789 (I used to be Dilbert. Then I was Wally. I retired before I became the Pointy Haired One.)
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