Curtis Reeves was charged with second-degree murder for allegedly gunning down Chad Oulson, who was texting his 3-year-old daughter’s day-care center while in the suburban theater outside Tampa Monday.Whatever happened to changing seats? I hardly go to the movies anymore. The last movie I saw was the Alien prequel. To Google "changing seats" means on a plane.
“He must have just snapped,” said a neighbor of Reeves.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
"Inside movie murder: Texting and popcorn made ex-cop ‘snap’"
"A retired cop who police say went ballistic and fatally shot a man for texting in a Florida movie theater was ordered held without bail Tuesday."
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109 comments:
If some certain stuff really makes you crazy mad, maybe, just maybe, it's not really the stuff's fault.
Get a grip people. Somebody right now probably wants to kill you for something you just did, but they are controlling themselves somehow, and that's really good for both of you. Just turn to the person next to you and say: "Thank you for not killing me. I'm really an OK person once you get to know me."
One man's senseless act of violence is another man's effective incentivisation of proper etiquette.
Whatever happend to cold cocking, or that was just tv.
Hindsight...
Somebody needed a puppy at home, and a long walk in the woods.
When someone needs an attitude adjustment, I'm more a fan hot cocking, but it depends a lot on who it is that needs it.
A friend was asking Siri what 'cold cock' meant. It kept directing him to sub Blimpies type joints.
Missed gun tag. #Duh
I changed seats at The Great Gatsby. Sat in front of a younger couple who were unquietly whispery.
I always feel better knowing these dumbass concealed carriers will protect me from people who text at movies.
This even tis obviously an argument against concealed carry. For sures.
I'll bet that if the texting guy thought the other guy might be armed this would never have happened. He assumed he was in a gun free zone, and so could do what he wanted while in a flock of sheep.
I miss the good old days when we could say "go postal."
People would all be much nicer to each other if I could wish them out to the cornfield.
If the old guy was unarmed, he would have ended up beaten or just accepting the rudeness like the old, weak or female must when they are unarmed in the jungle. When you know everyone is unarmed, it just cool to be young, strong and free. It's fucking awesome to be the king.
There was a Twilight Zone marathon recently and I got to re-watch that episode.
DVRs are a wonderful thing and I got to replay one particular bit over and over to my heart's content.
He shouldn't have thought those bad thoughts. That's why I made him go on fire.
Now THAT'S some fine scriptwriting!!!
Guns don't kill people. People kill people.
Jesus fuck this is stupid. Of course guns escalate violence. You have to be completely blinded by ideology not to understand this.
I got yer concealed carry righ'chere.
Moral of the story --
Don't text at the movie theatre unless you're packing.
"A friend was asking Siri what 'cold cock' meant. It kept directing him to sub Blimpies type joints."
Is Siri Cuban?
Yeah, that kid texting at my niece's first communion was lucky I wasn't packing.
Another media crock o' crap. How many homicides by knife or gun occurred Monday 13 Jan 2014 in the USA? Yet, we have a national whoope dee do story from Tampa Florida.
This has happened before.
Another media crock o' crap.
I've been out of the loop for a while. Are black kids still killing each other for their sneakers?
Maybe they've moved on to Xboxes or something.
Revenant said...
Let me know when your magic fairy wand arrives in the mail. I want to see what happens when you wave it and ask for all the guns to disappear.
Australians figured out how to control guns without magic, you might want to broaden your reading to include how the rest of the world works.
I know everyone wants to believe we would all be polite and respectful just out of our own goodwill and sense of fairness, but "Jesus fuck this is stupid.... You have to be completely blinded by ideology not to understand this."
What this guy did by pulling a gun was incredibly stupid, and just wrong on every level, but it was the escalating to the confrontation by the texter rather than walking outside to text that directly led to the violence. At that point, someone was going to hurt someone, and you better be careful about making a stranger concerned about your imminent violence.
I hear that the weather, economy, crime, and health care are all great in Australia. You have to wonder why anyone would stay here? Maybe it's the talk radio that keeps them here.
...I'm not impressed by arguments that these bozos are gonna save us from violence.
Us? It's all about you, phx, not us. You wanna feel superior to the "concealed carry dumbass," that's fine. As long as you understand that the "bozo" is defending himself against the very same violence that you, by taking the idiot high road, remain utterly vulnerable to.
bagoh20 said...
What this guy did by pulling a gun was incredibly stupid, and just wrong on every level, but it was the escalating to the confrontation by the texter rather than walking outside to text that directly led to the violence. At that point, someone was going to hurt someone, and you better be careful about making a stranger concerned about your imminent violence.
Men in public places regularly do really stupid aggressive things. Unarmed they generally cannot kill each other before someone intervenes. Not always, sometimes a single punch kills, but in general. Give someone a gun and the equation is dramatically changed. It is mind blowing to me that people think concealed carry in a bar is a good idea.
Everyone clearly feels differently about this and often quite strongly. I can't see any advantage for me to have half the population packing heat.
Australians figured out how to control guns without magic, you might want to broaden your reading to include how the rest of the world works.
Ouch! That smarts, being shown up by another anglophone country. What I'm left wondering is how come the mother country couldn't figure it out? How come the mother country couldn't figure out a way to stop murdering thugs in the streets from wielding machetes?
Anyone can change a topic or derail a thread, ARM.
Seriously.....if the people near you in the theater are annoying and after being asked won't stop texting, talking, using cell phones....whatever. Just get up and move to another seat. Report them to management and they might ask them to stop.
Somethings in life are just not worth getting your knickers in a knot. Especially if you can just remove yourself from the annoyance.
Sounds to me like the retired cop has some mental problems, perhaps even early dementia onset. You can't blame all people who responsibly carry guns because there are a few idiots.
I think that gun permits and concealed carry should be treated like driver's licenses. When you get older you should be re-certified more often. Our faculties fade and degrade as we get older. Dementia can be very fast in its onset.
But on the othe hand, you know what they say: If you can't get laid in Australia, you can't get laid.
And all the women look like Linda Kozlowski.
Every single, last one of them!!!
Australians figured out how to control guns without magic, you might want to broaden your reading to include how the rest of the world works.
Indeed, Australia's 1996 gun control act was so effective that it caused gun homicides to drop over the 15 year period *before* it was passed! That's some powerful legislation, there.
Seriously, though, you might want to follow your own advice and pay more attention to other countries. Australia had a tiny rate of gun violence compared to us before their control laws went into effect. Like us, their homicide rate has been declining for years.
Culture and demographics, not gun laws, determines homicide rate.
Give someone a gun and the equation is dramatically changed.
Well then, I recommend that you never give an angry man a gun. :)
DBQ said ...
I think that gun permits and concealed carry should be treated like driver's licenses.
I can agree with that. My permit in Michigan must be renewed every 4 years just like driver's licenses, with record check etc. It might make sense to subject retired law enforcement to the same renewal criteria, perhaps after 10 years of retirement? Then every 4 years just like me?
Another feature I agree with, and comply with, is no concealed or open carry in bars. You have to have a law enforcement "endorsement" on your CPL here to carry in a saloon. I have had many cop friends and I avoided their haunts...e.g., bunch of drunks with guns is a bunch of drunks with guns :-)
As I have remarked on prior thread(s) I have not shot a living thing since 1972. I told someone once, truthfully, who got in my face about not being a hunter (WTF?) that after hunting two legged game, that can shoot back or shoot first, four legged is boring. I'm sure they still think I'm insane. Maybe so...because I am serious....but I will also be the first one to set aside his weapon to help or assist someone, even when that someone was trying to kill me moments before hand.
Hm, it occurs to me -- if "giving someone a gun" dramatically increases the chances that they'll escalate a hostile confrontation by shooting the other party involved, shouldn't disarming police be our top priority? They get involved in hostile confrontations more often than pretty much anyone else in America. Americans are eight times more likely to be killed by a cop than a terrorist!
Revanent said ...
Culture and demographics, not gun laws, determines homicide rate.
Absolutely correct. I highly recommend no one murder anyone, by any means, in Korea or Japan....both with exceptional low homicide rates. If you wish to assert "self-defense" you'd better have some serious wounds on your body and records of their treatment. The "appeal" periods that I have seen in ROK are less than 30 days...before the noose.
phx said...
It's the guys showing off their guns at a restaurant or shooting rude people that make me nervous.
Me too.
Then again, armed robbers, car jackers, etc., have the same impact on me.
Revenant said...
Hm, it occurs to me -- if "giving someone a gun" dramatically increases the chances that they'll escalate a hostile confrontation by shooting the other party involved, shouldn't disarming police be our top priority? They get involved in hostile confrontations more often than pretty much anyone else in America. Americans are eight times more likely to be killed by a cop than a terrorist!
Personally I feel safer in countries where at least some fraction of the police are unarmed. I have gotten pretty sick of cops swinging their guns around in situations where commonsense is the most useful tool available.
We will never eliminate personal violence. It's like AIDS, we have to manage it and limit its spread and effects. A gradual reduction in the firepower available to everyone in daily life is an obvious step in the right direction. I would like our society to adopt a mutual disarmament pact. Unfortunately we lack the political leadership required for this to happen. There is too much partisan advantage in guns.
Notably, it was John Howard, a right wing darling often compared very favorably to George Bush, who brought about the key changes in Australia.
ARM said ...
Notably, it was John Howard, a right wing darling often compared very favorably to George Bush ...
See? Right there! You think George Bush was a right wing "darling?" Hardly.
Aridog said...
See? Right there! You think George Bush was a right wing "darling?" Hardly.
I did not say Bush was a right wing darling, although he did start out as one. Failure is always an orphan. I said Howard was a darling of the right.
What ever happened to complaining to the usher and getting the guy thrown out (most theaters will do that). I have had theaters give me a free pass for just complaining about it.
@Evi,
What ever happened to complaining to the usher and getting the guy thrown out (most theaters will do that).
In the DC area, the ushers are teen-age twerps who won't do ANYTHING in cases like this. If there's a problem between customers, it's either 1) do nothing or 2) call police if it escalates.
I wouldn't be surprised that one of the reasons that the shooter was so steamed was that, when he went to complained to the theater staff, they essentially did nothing, which honked him off even more.
Back in 1998 three young thugs entered a local restaurant here and casually robbed everyone in the place, sexually assaulted the women, beat and pistol whipped the men, slit the cook's throat, and walked out, taking their time to have fun with it all. This kind of stuff is not nearly rare enough, and that incident along with the 1992 LA riots, which I lived through up close, changed me.
In situations like that restaurant horror, I would like there to be someone around to motivate them to leave earlier, and hopefully to not even attempt it. I wish I was in a position to do that if it ever came up. I can't, because in my town a carry permit is harder to get than AIDS from a lesbian. I do have that power and take that responsibility in my home and business. I don't understand men who don't feel that duty, and don't deeply resent their government for making them helpless, and useless in such a situation.
Personally I feel safer in countries where at least some fraction of the police are unarmed.
Ah, you're fine with giving guns to people who experience hostile confrontations regularly so long as "some fraction" of them are unarmed? Well, I have good news for you. "Some fraction" -- more like 95%+, really -- of the civilian population is unarmed. Problem solved, no?
A gradual reduction in the firepower available to everyone in daily life is an obvious step in the right direction
"Obvious" and "correct" are, sadly, not synonyms. Reductions in legal access to firepower are not correlated with reductions in gun violence.
But in any case, if your little experiment is to be followed I want the government disarmed first. Then we can talk about disarming the rest of us.
So we have an ex-cop and an ex-Navy guy. Both white middle class guys with training in firearms that goes far beyond that of the average gun owner and still we end up with one guy shooting the other. Apparently an armed society is not always a polite society.
bagoh20 said...
I don't understand men who don't feel that duty, and don't deeply resent their government for making them helpless, and useless in such a situation.
It is easy enough to turn this macho BS on its head and argue that only cowards feel the need to be armed when they walk out on the street. I don't see this as a productive way of thinking.
Personal violence is a public health problem that is amenable to public health style remedies. At least some of the reduction in violence in recent years is due to adoption of these kinds of approaches.
" Apparently an armed society is not always a polite society.".
Oh, I can assure the texting guy would have been a lot more polite if he suspected the old guy was armed. I bet he wouldn't even have confronted a young larger man over this. He thought he could bully the guy. He still never should have gotten shot, but he's the one who escalated it out of the polite zone, and only because he felt safe doing so.
"It is easy enough to turn this macho BS on its head and argue that only cowards feel the need to be armed when they walk out on the street"
I've never started a fight in my life, and take great lengths avoid confrontations, but tell your family, or neighbors who become victims of the violence that you stood by and watched, offering public health remedies, how unfair it is of them to expect you to be a macho asshole for them.
ARM, I hear you loud and clear. You refuse the responsibility, and reject the duty I speak of. That is your call. I'm different, and I like myself that way, even if it makes me a macho asshole, or a coward in your eyes. Your opinion of me or that of others like you will have to take a deep second place to my other higher priorities. I wish that wasn't necessary, but I live in the real world, and these things do really happen, and I'm not the strongest, fastest guy in the room by a long shot, and I'm definitely not bullet proof.
@bagoh20: The standard lefty retort is that "being a macho asshole" is deplorable because it unfairly puts the burden on men. But in fact, conceal carry enables both men and women.
A side note: just imagine the conversation we'd be hearing if the victim were black or vice versa.
bagoh20 said...
but tell your family, or neighbors who become victims of the violence that you stood by and watched, offering public health remedies, how unfair it is of them to expect you to be a macho asshole for them.
I don't disagree with this at a personal level. My sons and my mother caught a train in Rome and my mother was pick-pocketed. I was furious and one of my sons, who is quite frankly a bit violent, even more so. Subsequently I discussed this with him and argued that it was fortunate that we didn't find who did it (almost certainly Rom) since they were probably carrying a knife and a minor inconvenience could have escalated into a very bad day.
If the municipality that you live in is subject to levels of violence outside the norm that is a failure of the people and their politics and you are justified in feeling outraged. I doubt that random personal responses to individual acts of violence are likely to be all that effective in solving the broader problem.
chickenlittle said...
@bagoh20: The standard lefty retort is that "being a macho asshole" is deplorable because it unfairly puts the burden on men
I didn't call anyone a "macho asshole", I simply pointed out that there are multiple different conceptions of what it means to be manly in this society.
ARM conveniently leaves out the hundreds, possibly thousands of gun violence incidents that NEVER HAPPEN because of the suspicion on the part of a potential aggressor/criminal that someone in the restaurant, theater, convenience store is carrying.
" I doubt that random personal responses to individual acts of violence are likely to be all that effective in solving the broader problem."
The statistics seem to show that stronger trees do make a stronger forest, but do you really need statistics for that?
Every major mass murder over the last half century has occurred in a gun free zone. Often so gun free that the gunman has to kill himself to be stopped. We shouldn't be putting that additional burden on a clearly disturbed person, but that's probably just the compassionate me talking.
I doubt that random personal responses to individual acts of violence are likely to be all that effective in solving the broader problem.
Given that homicide rates have been trending downwards for a couple of decades now (for centuries, really, if you look at the broader trend) one must ask: solve what problem?
Couple things from my quick reads on this (not wasting a lot of time):
It seems the guy was texting -- not talking -- during the previews. Not during the movie. Not talking.
The old guy went to the manager to complain. He returned to his seat.
Question: What did the management tell him?
Saw today that some woman has contacted the police since and told them that the old guy had scared her when he followed her into the ladies room haranguing her about her texting on a previous occasion.
As far as guns in theaters: It is possible that had there been some concealed carry folks in Colorado James Holmes would not in line for a trial, and a number of people might be alive who are dead.
Sure the younger guy was stupid to throw popcorn at the guy, but it seems like the old guy was creating more of a problem than the guy texting during the previews was. How much of a fuss did he create demanding the guy stop texting? He sure didn't text him.
It would seem that the old guy -- retired cop that he was -- has some mental issues.
Sad story.
And if Florida is like some states they may allow retired LEO to carry --- often without meeting the same requirements the regular citizen has to meet. So no, this probably on several levels is not a poster for the anti-gun lobby.
As for Australia -- hasn't the burglary, robbery and other violent crimes rate increased since guns were banned and confiscated? mmm. Have to check that.
So we have an ex-cop and an ex-Navy guy. Both white middle class guys with training in firearms that goes far beyond that of the average gun owner and still we end up with one guy shooting the other.
It definitely puts into question the notion that the government can be trusted with guns more than civilians can.
Apparently an armed society is not always a polite society.
Hard to say; we aren't an armed society. Hardly anyone carries weapons.
Here's some numbers and charts off the freeper site (I know, I know).
So we have an ex-cop and an ex-Navy guy. Both white middle class guys with training in firearms that goes far beyond that of the average gun owner and still we end up with one guy shooting the other.
Apparently an armed society is not always a polite society.
However, we can look on the bright side. Two more rude assholes have been removed, thereby making society more polite by the number of 2.
Dust Bunny Queen said...
However, we can look on the bright side. Two more rude assholes have been removed, thereby making society more polite by the number of 2.
True. And if it only affected them I would applaud the whole endeavor.
To be fair, it is not clear how bad the ex-navy guy's behavior was. He was only texting during the previews. I usually have my fingers in my ears during these because of the excessive volume. I can't see how texting affects anyone else under these conditions. I am pretty sure my wife was texting during previews at the last movie we went to. I view texting as a minor technological advance over Morse code and can't understand the enthusiasm for this retrograde form of communication, but then I'm old.
The best argument I know of against carrying a gun is that the need for it is so rare nowadays, and it is a dangerous thing to have around.
That said, the accident rate from people legally carrying guns is almost zero. This type of incident is extremely rare, and it's likely this guy was mentally disturbed, and possibly not eligible to carry under the law, if it was enforced properly.
I don't feel a need to carry a gun most of the time, but when I'm going into a dangerous part of town to rescue a dog, or hiking in bear occupied forest, or traveling, I'd like to be able to have one at hand rather than just hope for the best. I can't legally do any of those.
And if it only affected them I would applaud the whole endeavor.
Yeah. It sort of did spoil the movie/theater experience for a lot of people.
But really. Why can't people just let somethings go. Both of them. Old guy, move to another seat and stop trying to be such a control freak. Young guy: stop being such a dick to everyone around you....oh....wait. He has stopped. Permanently.
bagoh20 said...
I don't feel a need to carry a gun most of the time, but when I'm going into a dangerous part of town to rescue a dog, or hiking in bear occupied forest, or traveling, I'd like to be able to have one at hand rather than just hope for the best. I can't legally do any of those.
I am very sympathetic to the desire to have a gun around bears and generally comfortable with the human mediated extinctions of apex predators. I don't particularly dislike guns and have gone hunting on a relative's farm, admittedly only for rabbits.
As I have gotten older I have become more fearful and not that long ago found myself lost in a foreign country wishing I had some better means of protecting myself. Buying a map or using a GPS probably remains the smarter solution.
Buying a map or using a GPS probably remains the smarter solution.
So, if you are in a remote section of Mexico or Brazil or even more dangerously Detroit, for example, and you are being threatened or robbed, you solution is ....what?
Roll the map up and hit the bad guys in the noses? Make threatening origami? Use your GPS to send a message to your family so they know where to find your beaten and broken body?
I view texting as a minor technological advance over Morse code and can't understand the enthusiasm for this retrograde form of communication, but then I'm old.
Is it possible:
Aridog & ARM separated at birth?
Amen...and I am even older.
That said, I greatly appreciate the advent of the personal computer, particularly from 1984 forward...in private sector, personal sector, military and government sectors. In my federal offices I was one of the few gray-hairs who dove in to it with vigor, as I watched my contemporaries stumble learning e-mail alone. WTF?
True today, my guess is that well over 70%+ of senior bureaucrats DO NOT know how to operate between relational spreadsheets, let alone databases. Hell, just witness the amounts of information on Powerpoint decks that weasel Snowden copped.
I cheer the advent of true computing tablet devices, but still am puzzled by the ubiquitous "smart phone" where staring at one's own crotch is de rigueur....that an thumb tapping out messages, just like in Morse code...
Oh, wait...that's where we started, right?
Dust Bunny Queen said...
So, if you are in a remote section of Mexico or Brazil or even more dangerously Detroit, for example, and you are being threatened or robbed, you solution is ....what?
I was thinking it might make sense to just avoid those places.
I was thinking it might make sense to just avoid those places.
My GPS didn't come with a "show people who plan to rob, beat, or murder me" option. See, this is what comes of trusting Amazon product reviews.
ARM ... you know what? I understand what you are saying. I'm not comfortable with a gun on my hip over half the time...which leads me to carry it less than always. I know fully, as at least a couple others who post here do, the totality of what occurs when a bullet is fired at another human. I take it v-e-r-y seriously. I am not comfortable with anyone who wants to show other his/her gun...even at thee trap range I belong to...where I, and a couple of others, forced a rule through the board to prohibit purchases of beer while one's shotgun(s) were still in the rack uncased. Drink a beer, pardner...you are all done shooting for the day.
That said, I am also an idiot, and I will not back down if cornered, nor will I pass an apparent stuck motorist or person in need without trying to offer help. Yeah I know this a not uncommon trap for strong arming or worse. None the less no one will ever say I didn't stop to help when I could have tried. So far my insanity has kept me safe.
At 71+ the only parts of my old Tae Kwon Do black belt from 40 odd years ago is foolish confidence. The parts of the city I visit require me to have at least a 50/50 chances of returning home...so I "carry".
ARM said ...
I was thinking it might make sense to just avoid those places.
And if you live there? :-)
As I am sure Trooper York and other New Yorkers will attest, you develop a sixth sense for trouble and minimize your exposure to it. Same thing here in the "D."
Revenant...yes, YES...that GPS thing et al is only momentary help...and if you are preoccupied staring at it you are distracted and Joe the Strong Arm guy knows to watch for that. THUMP.
When a "panhandler" asks you for a cigarette, he may just want a cigarette...or he may want you distracted, looking down at your pocket, fumbling with both hands, one for the cig pack the other for the lighter...THUMP.
Bago, is there anywhere you can carry a firearm in the California wilderness?
Deborah, California is ostensibly a "may-issue" state on a jurisdiction by jurisdiction basis. It depends on local law enforcement.
Generally speaking, if you're politically connected you'll have no trouble. If you aren't, forget about it.
Thanks, Rev, that's amazing. There's a lot of wilderness and wildlife in CA.
phx said ...
Some people are not going to back off even when facing a gun...When the only tool you have is a gun, hey shoot 'em up
You should never carry a gun. At least until you understand more what it's all about. I am one that will not back down, but I will appear to do so in the face of a gun drawn on me...I can be very meek until I have created a distraction, in accord with my SERE training, and then bingo I have your gun, and you are mine. I no longer want my gun, I want yours.
See, once you draw a gun, and don't fire it immediately, you have just given the advantage to your enemy or opponent. This is why you n-e-v-e-r draw a gun without firing it immediately...so you'd better be 110% certain of the rectitude of your action aforehand. "Period" in the spirit of our dear leader.
I've said enough on this...my record is no mistakes in 42 years. I trust me.
I am one that will not back down, but I will appear to do so in the face of a gun drawn on me.
I'm talking about backing down when someone's refusing to stop texting because you told them to.
"In the face of people who are endangering us all with their texting at movie theaters..."
The danger comes from confronting someone aggressively just because they reminded you of the rules in place where you are both paying to be.
" And then what if the texting guy had a gun, too? And they both start shooting at each other in a crowded theater? "
You want to compare statistics about how often two licensed CC have a shootout to how often one asshole kills an unarmed one?
This guy with the gun was clearly not right, and should not have had one under the law. Saying that is somehow common among CC holders is irresponsible and stupidly uninformed, but otherwise, good point.
"It's okay for me to be stupid and irresponsible. It's the armed c&cs who you say are going to protect us that you should worry about."
Is it OK for you or other irresponsible people to drive a car(a 2000 pound missile)? That license is a lot easier to get, and being irresponsible or even known to be dangerous (even convicted of murder) isn't even disqualifying. How about a machete or a butcher knife. This guy could have done the exact same damage with those. Now how often do you think lives are saved or crimes prevented by a knife, or a car? Try having a knife fight with bear, or a gang of Crips.
Bags, I don't want to pile on but I think phx is right on this one. Your enthusiasm for blaming the texter is unjustified based on what we currently know. The gun carrier was not under any serious threat that we know of and was surrounded by people who could have helped him if he was seriously threatened. His own son was just outside the theater at the time. There was no justification for the use of deadly force.
I'm just saying there are a lot of people who are drawn to the gun culture who are more likely be a problem than a solution to a problem, IMO.
I'm just saying there are a lot of people who are drawn to the pot culture who are more likely be a problem than a solution to a problem, IMO.
I'm just saying there are a lot of people who are drawn to the drinking culture who are more likely be a problem than a solution to a problem, IMO.
After the Aurora CO theater massacre, where numerous innocent unsuspecting people were shot and killed by a madman, I know at least one person who got a concealed carry after that. He's the type of person I would trust armed, 100%, and I would want to be around in an emergency or similar situation.
Now this was a tragedy and without knowing the details, clearly an over-reaction. But like Bags mentioned, this is rare.
Sadly the school shootings are less rare. The latest school shooting here in CO at Arapahoe High School was halted because a good guy had a gun. The miserable angry nut-job socialist was able to kill one innocent girl. He was armed to the teeth and if he had not been stopped by someone with a gun, he probably would have killed more.
I'm not blaming the texter for this shooting, but I bet everyone would be blaming him it it ended in a fist fight. As I said, he definitely should not have been shot, but their is a risk to being rude, and refusing to stop it. You don't know if the other person is nuts, paranoid, or just going to misjudge your bluff, and you don't know what they are capable of. Let's assume the old guy doesn't have a gun. I bet everyone would side with him up to the point the gun appears. That's also the point his lack of sanity becomes apparent. So the old guy is right all along until you find out he's nuts. Too late, unfortunately, but still, who was acting appropriately and who was at fault all along until the violence started? Who started the violence and threats? Who really escalated what could have ended with a simple "Sorry, I'll take the call outside." Who made that decision?
Now, personally, I wouldn't bitch about the texting. That just wouldn't bother me during the trailers, but I also wouldn't start a fight over being asked to stop. I would just stop, because it's clear to everyone that it's rude. See, the point is to avoid escalating your mistake, because you never know where it will go, and it is your mistake.
The next time you are in a theater and someone is texting, you just think about asking him to stop. Think about if he stands up and confronts you over it, gets in your face, and throws some food on you. You just sit back down and say you're sorry, because it's your fault for bringing it up. That's a good boy.
On Thanksgiving, I went to see the new Hunger Games movie with my kids. The sheer number of trailers we had to sit through was maddening -- something like 20 minutes.
I blame Hollywood for the tragedy.
Do we know which movie they all had paid to see?
Phx, Of course I don't know what actually happened, neither do you, but we are having a discussion here. Just throwing around ideas. I assumed we all knew I wasn't there. I'm expressing a opinion based on what I think happened, just like everyone else. You don't have to buy the scenario, but it's not poor judgement on my part to simply present it on this blog.
And, I'm not condemning the texter. He did that when he picked a fight with a stranger who turned out to be crazy and armed. Bad call.
I don't start physical shit with strangers unless I'm protecting something important. And that includes starting it with people who are smaller, or older, or in a wheelchair. When you get physical all the rules dissolve.
They may have both made that mistake.
I guess we could have just ended this thread up top with a single comment where you say: "We don't really know what happened."
Like with the Titanic, the Kennedy assassination, the life of Christ or anything else we didn't actually see in person. Nothing to discuss - it would be bad judgement.
Bagoh20 said ...
When you get physical all the rules dissolve.
That is the sum and essence of confrontation. Throwing something is physical. Where I live you can get your ass thoroughly thumped for far less than that.
Manners.
They are important.
Even when others have none, you need them.
I try hard.
My weakness: I have a circumference of comfort. It is approximately just under 3 feet. You get inside that and you are not the love of my life, or my daughter, you risk harm if you touch me. Not certainly, but it all depends upon just how you do it. I am not a "huggy" person.
An yes, I do have trouble on NYC subways, Chicago "L", and Washington "Metro" when busy and crowded. I try extra hard to be not an asshole. It is excruciating.
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