Inflexible People

[Anonymous]

So at the movies a couple refused to move one seat so another couple could sit together. The theatre was packed. The theatre actually started chanting "scoot over! scoot over!" Everyone knew he was in the wrong and he just kept going off as if he was entitled to be an a**hole . What gives? I see this behavior a lot, and am not sure if it is regional, southern, or whatever. It just seems a needless pissing contest. Is it an a**hole contest? It costs nothing to to do the right thing, yet so many seem hell bent against it, as if they need to make a point. It is not as if "they didn't know", they clearly and adamantly refused to scoot over one. There was no "pressing need" to be an a**hole. Clearly it is indicative of the inflexible people having bigger issues and needing help, and clearly it is antisocial, if not asocial and a bit psychotic. The fact that it is so prevalent is disturbing. Why would it be acceptable to be this psychotic? It's just a seat. Are people that out of reality as to what is in perspective and what is not? Do people have this much blatant disregard for doing the right thing and this high a need for feeling they are right? I've also seen others take people's assigned seats at events and feel entitled, which makes no sense at all. If I have not seen it so much, I wouldn't mention it. It seems epidemic. What gives? Is this a new acting out? No love from mommy and daddy? No mommy and daddy?

[Anonymous]

They didn't move over with all that chanting and social pressure? Wow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

So at the movies a couple refused to move one seat so another couple could sit together. The theatre was packed. The theatre actually started chanting "scoot over! scoot over!" Everyone knew he was in the wrong and he just kept going off as if he was entitled to be an a**hole . What gives? I see this behavior a lot, and am not sure if it is regional, southern, or whatever. It just seems a needless pissing contest. Is it an a**hole contest? It costs nothing to to do the right thing, yet so many seem hell bent against it, as if they need to make a point. It is not as if "they didn't know", they clearly and adamantly refused to scoot over one. There was no "pressing need" to be an a**hole. Clearly it is indicative of the inflexible people having bigger issues and needing help, and clearly it is antisocial, if not asocial and a bit psychotic. The fact that it is so prevalent is disturbing. Why would it be acceptable to be this psychotic? It's just a seat. Are people that out of reality as to what is in perspective and what is not? Do people have this much blatant disregard for doing the right thing and this high a need for feeling they are right? I've also seen others take people's assigned seats at events and feel entitled, which makes no sense at all. If I have not seen it so much, I wouldn't mention it. It seems epidemic. What gives? Is this a new acting out? No love from mommy and daddy? No mommy and daddy?

My theory? This town is all about power and that need//desire for power permeates EVERYTHING people do. From not scooting over in a movie theater to speeding up so you can't change lanes, etc. Its about not giving up a perceived position of power or letting anyone else get into a perceived position of power. Its true in other cities, too, but I think its particularly pervasive here and it crosses socioeconomic lines.

[Anonymous]

Ah, perhaps they arrived early and chose those particular seats for a reason, and didn't feel like moving to accomodate latecomers - especially after being heckled? I know when I was pregnant the only way I could go to a movie was to sit in an end seat so I could make multiple trips to the restroom without making people stand up for me each time. Why did the other couple feel entitled to arrive late and be accomodated?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

So at the movies a couple refused to move one seat so another couple could sit together. The theatre was packed. The theatre actually started chanting "scoot over! scoot over!" Everyone knew he was in the wrong and he just kept going off as if he was entitled to be an a**hole . What gives? I see this behavior a lot, and am not sure if it is regional, southern, or whatever. It just seems a needless pissing contest. Is it an a**hole contest? It costs nothing to to do the right thing, yet so many seem hell bent against it, as if they need to make a point. It is not as if "they didn't know", they clearly and adamantly refused to scoot over one. There was no "pressing need" to be an a**hole. Clearly it is indicative of the inflexible people having bigger issues and needing help, and clearly it is antisocial, if not asocial and a bit psychotic. The fact that it is so prevalent is disturbing. Why would it be acceptable to be this psychotic? It's just a seat. Are people that out of reality as to what is in perspective and what is not? Do people have this much blatant disregard for doing the right thing and this high a need for feeling they are right? I've also seen others take people's assigned seats at events and feel entitled, which makes no sense at all. If I have not seen it so much, I wouldn't mention it. It seems epidemic. What gives? Is this a new acting out? No love from mommy and daddy? No mommy and daddy?

You can erase southern from your possible reasons. There's nothing "southern" about Washington DC and northern Virginia!

[Anonymous]

ok, i just want to cut through the inuendo...were they super defensive black people with neck snap and attitude? and were the folks asking them to move predominantly white of lower socioeconomic class?

[Anonymous]

oh this is getting good. popcorn (hahaha) anyone?

[Anonymous]

I never run into this behavior. Ever.

[Anonymous]

Bullshit. Utter bullshit.

[Anonymous]

Definitely NOT southern.

[Anonymous]

My mother is like this. Definitely asocial, definitely bordering on psychotic. I have seen her refuse to "scoot over" at the movies...not when it is the last seat available, but still when it is rude not to do so. For the record, we are not black and not poor. There is definitely a weird dynamic going on here. Through therapy a few decades ago, she came to a realization that she had been passive and bullied all her life. So apparently now she feels that she can be the bully. I don't think her therapy really worked well for her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:ok, i just want to cut through the inuendo...were they super defensive black people with neck snap and attitude? and were the folks asking them to move predominantly white of lower socioeconomic class?

I can't wait to here the responses to this query. This is going to be another 20 page thread that starts off bad and gets badder.

[Anonymous]

Were they leaving an empty seat between them? Or were they bookended by empty seats? If they had an empty seat between them, I would have just parked myself between them, spread my knees wide, and battled for the arm rests. If they were bookended, they probably should have slid down one, but were no means obligated to.

Ask yourself this... why was the standing couple any more entitled to sit in seats of their choosing than the sitting couple was? Think of it from the sitting couple's perspective... they got there, scoped out their seats, and were suddenly berated for having done so. How were they approached? Was it a friendly request? Or a demand?

I'm sure there is more to this story than meets the eye.

And to the person who wants to make this a race issue, are you prepared to eat your words and admit your ignorance if it turns out the sitting couple was white? No? Didn't think so.

[Anonymous]

What movie was it? This dictates the type of person in the theater and the reason for the reaction.

[Anonymous]

It sounds like the guy was just being a jerk it was just one seat after all. I don't blame his mother because by now he should be able to grasp the concept of common courtesy all on his own.