“Picture yourself here. You carry a pistol for self protection. Someone in the theater is texting on a phone, you ask them politely to stop and they go off on you. You go and speak to the manager. When you come back the guy won’t let it go, he is getting more and more irate, words get more and more heated, then he throws his bag of popcorn at you. What do you really think is going to happen next? Do you think he’s suddenly going to come to his senses, apologies and offer to pay your dry cleaning bill? Throwing the popcorn was a clear escalation of force that went past a rational tipping point, the next step was going to be physical, even the aggressors wife was trying to hold him back. The elderly man clearly suspected what was going to happen next. He wasn’t afraid of the popcorn, he was afraid of a younger and stronger man getting his hand on him before he could deploy his legal, and rational, means of self defense.”
One of the things to consider before starting a confrontation while armed is how this will play before a jury. Grandpa seems to have a pet peeve about people using their phone in a theater. Rather than change seats he decided to say something. If the guy’s response was rude he could still try to de-escalate the situation, he didnt. He decided to rat the guy out to the manager. The texter is also being a D**K by not de-escalating this. This could have been easily avoided if either one would have been reasonable.
You're kidding right??? that called for the use of deadly force???
BTW I have it on good authority that all the kernels were popped in that bag, therefore lessening the chance of escalation.
There is nothing wrong about that action. And certainly nothing worthy of taunts and violence.
Rat? We aren't 12 or part of some gangster culture (if there is a difference) where "ratting" is immoral. Your premise that ignoring bad behavior is the moral high ground is deeply flawed and historically futile. "This could have been easily avoided if either one would have been reasonable".
It is reasonable to ask someone to stop texting in a theater. It is also reasonable to speak to management if they fail to stop. So far the elderly gentleman has done nothing wrong. What happened past that point isn't very clear.