Yep...no one was ever killed with a knife.

Rolling pin/saucepan/hammer/tire lever/crow bar/shovel

Fint as you- of all people- know...to absolutely certainly kill someone with a knife, you need to close, smell their breath and body odour and hack into their guts.

By all accounts its a dirty smelly and still somewhat uncertain business.

That's why they give the army guns.

We take the same view from opposite perspectives. Society is a complex mechanism and manners/politeness is its friction-reducer, preventing heated exchanges and societal breakdowns like the one we're talking about. Unfortunately, modern America sees polite behavior in others as carte blanc to behave like a complete @sshat, rather than an example to follow. Progress is not a society where these sorts of incidents don't end in violence, it's a society where these sorts of incidents don't happen because people behave themselves.

I don’t post much on this forum, but I do come here almost daily. Over the years I have gained a lot of respect for the members here and when I have a question (about most things) I come here looking for answers.
However, after reading through this thread…I can’t believe some of the attitudes about this shooting. How anyone can attach ANY blame to the phone user is disgusting to me. All the shooting had to do was simply change seats. If something is bothering you, why invite confrontation? As adults, we should AVOID confrontation.
There is a man dead, a widow and now a young child without a father. It’s just shameful

Pretty simple zip, society has regressed to the point where a younger man believes it is ok to attack an older or weaker one. The police are not much help (there were policemen present at the theater). You must defend yourself and your family. A weapon is an equalizer when a younger, stronger person attacks you. If you wait to long...it is too late. Often, there is a only split second to decide...

If you exchange fighting words/threaten an old man/woman and then step into them and strike them in the face...don't assume that they will not be too afraid to take the time to analyze the situation well enough to realize that you are stupid enough to strike them with a box of popcorn...and that was all you intended (assuming that is the case). Expect them to defend them self with any means available. We stopped waiting for someone else to rescue us on 911.

zip, you are spot on, and disgusting is the word.

Fint, not making stuff up to suit your own peculiar world view are you?

Unlike you, Fint, living in your bucolic country surroundings, I'm right in the heart of the city. I have to contend with all sorts of people 24/7. All I can say is that I'm very glad I don't live in your distopia.

http://static2.wikia.nocookie.net/__.../Sam_flagg.jpg

Exactly! :D

Jim
I can see the the US Capital out the window where I work every day...l arrive in the dark and go hone after dark. I have to walk to meetings all over town; through very rough neighborhoods. I see lots of crime and even prevent some now and then. The police only show up afterward...sometimes long afterward...to make a report.

Is there something in my post that you find inaccurate?

But why would the any adult welcome and seek out confrontation? Someone is bothering you...change seats, there were only 25 people in theater. We're not talking about a black eye or bloody nose....he killed another human being. I hope the angry people in this thread will take something from this and avoid confrontation.

I think having that gun on your person makes people more aggressive.

What I've learned here, I wonder how many 'assaults' go unprosecuted on schools everyday, kids throwing 'spitwads'. Food fights are now felonies.

I think the shooter had a chip on his shoulder and went looking for a fight.

Italy
Most folks believe that asking someone to stop breaking a rule will achieve that result. It would likely never occur to them that the person would stand up and hit them. Unfortunately, some folks are like the person who was killed, a bully. I am sure it never occurred to the older man that his simple request would result in an attack by the younger man.

Those who say the shooter could have just changed seats - leave out the technical aspect that when you seat yourself in a theater - positioning is strategic both distance from the screen as well as centering.

I don't know what the shooter's mindset is.......but I wouldn't want to re-position myself after finding just the right position in which to view the presentation - just because a person in front of me was using his phone against theater policy.

He asked for help from the texter..........and was DENIED!.


I don't understand why the texter couldn't have just stopped texting and apologized?


Sure the shooter could have changed seats. But the texter also could have exerted common courtesy........and that would have been the end of the whole thing. Then (1) the shooter wouldn't have had to leave his seat and go get management....then (2) frustration builds up because the manager is busy with someone else...so (3) he returns to the seat.......and the texter initiates confrontational dialogue...and then (4) throws something at the shooter.

All because of the texter's refusal to accommodate another guest in the establishment with a very reasonable request.

And you say the shooter could have just changed seats.....so the texter has NO culpability here?

That's being oblivious to the facts......to fit your own narrative or just in your mind trying to over simplify things.......plain and simple.

You know this for fact, ofcourse fint.

So instead, he shot him dead.

ts a real pissoff when youre not in just the right seat at The Hobbit.

Hard flex...if that were the case, why did he not shoot all the other folks that he corrected for texting?

Kids are often bullied and assaulted in school...and get the living hell beat out of them...and it is unprosecuted.

Good reason to wait for movies on Netflix.

I think your perception is somewhat paranoid. Capitol Hill is safe. Most of NW and SW are fine. Lots of gentrification. There's a lot of new development in SE. Anacostia is a hole. It's kind of funny but the only FFL that I know of in the District is in a pretty sketchy area.

I commute by foot, my wife does it by bicycle. We've been doing that for nearly eight years. Even on these winter days where it's dark during our commutes.

Quite the opposite. There have been a few times when, unarmed, I would have escalated a situation, but because I was armed, I let it go. I think this goes for the vast majority of people who carry guns, since it's rarer than someone getting struck by lightning that a legal gun carrier starts trouble with his gun.

Why should the old man have to change seats? He did the right thing by asking the texter to knock it off. If more people had stepped in when douchebaggery was taking place, perhaps the texter would have learned how to behave in public by the tender age of 43. The old man was absolutely right to go complain to mgt. If I owned a movie theatre, I'd want a dissatisfied customer to let me know someone else was making a disturbance, so I could address it and keep the good customer happy and the bad customers from coming back. He certainly went too far in shooting the guy, but why should he have expected that confrontation when he was doing everything right up until he pulled the gun?

I was thinking the exact thing this morning. SmileWavy

Do you guys really get bullied by other guys in movie theaters, stadiums, etc...and move to worse seats? Seems less than manly.

If he was more concerned about enjoying the movie than he was about policing the behavior of theater-goers, moving to another seat would be an adult response. Instead, he chose to stay where he was upset and look where it lead. Life is too short to let petty annoyances interfere with enjoying your life.

Make sure you shoot anyone that disrespects you, fint! LOL.

Also, where you sit in the theater is a choice. Choose wisely.

What part of my statement was not factual? Even in a society where guns are banned, this man would have had one.

Jim
Are you still trying to claim he shot the man for texting and not the physical altercation?

Thankfully this is an extremely rare event.

I often go to the movies with my son and as always I'm polite because that's the right thing to do in public.
And that's the thing. The movies is one of the rare places you sit next to or near complete strangers so good manners are the norm. Or they should be...

Where, for example?

From FOXNEWS:

'Pasco County Sheriff's officials say Reeves initially asked Oulson to stop texting at the theater in Wesley Chapel, a suburb about a half-hour north of downtown Tampa.

Sheriff's Detective Allen Proctor wrote that Reeves spoke to Oulson during the movie previews, then got up and informed management.

When Reeves returned to his seat "additional words were exchanged" and Oulson threw a bag of popcorn at Reeves, the report said."

If you feel threatened by a BAG of popcorn, you might want to avoid going to the movies. I wouldn't want you to get into any trouble due to your manliness being in jeopardy. ;)

Yep. Golden Rule. Even if other people are ****-heads.

If this had ended up in a bloody fist fight, you would assign blame to both men.

The only reason you don't now is because a man is dead. Yes, that IS shameful, but that doesn't lessen his part in all of this.

True. The victim was stupid and immature.

My understanding is that they were both way in the back of the theater. Will be interesting to see what the witnesses who were inthe noisy dark room in ffront of this have to say.


Rules, shmules. I use my phone during the movie to look at IMDB and wikipedia all the time. It an extension of my living room. Nobody has ever complained or said boo to me.

I have not done a PPOT analysis of what consitiutes a rule worth following....not texting n the movie, not brining a gun into a theatre, not respecting the "lawful order" of a 911 operator....this place is crazy town. At least the taxes are low.

You'd be stupid if you didn't expect any retailiation after an argument and throwing things at a person, even if it is a bag of popcorn.

If you can't put your phone away for a few hours, you might want to wait for the DVD.

Yep. Although a private citizen applying the death penalty to someone for their rude/stupid behavior is not consistent with what society considers good form.

Throwing a bag of popcorn is a serious offense. It probably cost like $15.

Not to mention the clean up.

Only after this:

He asked for help from the texter..........and was DENIED!.


I don't understand why the texter couldn't have just stopped texting and apologized?


Sure the shooter could have changed seats. But the texter also could have exerted common courtesy........and that would have been the end of the whole thing. Then (1) the shooter wouldn't have had to leave his seat and go get management....then (2) frustration builds up because the manager is busy with someone else...so (3) he returns to the seat.......and the texter initiates confrontational dialogue...and then (4) throws something at the shooter.

All because of the texter's refusal to accommodate another guest in the establishment with a very reasonable request.

No the shooter did not have to change seats. As I posted earlier, my wife and I purposely get to movies early so we can have our pick of seats. Why should I be inconvenienced by some one else's lack of etiquette?

Surely you don't advocate AVOIDING all confrontation, which is not the word that I would use. Confrontation is a strong word and is generally associated with a negative or hostile interaction between the opposing sides. If you think of it as confrontation then your mindset may already be predisposed to expect a hostile encounter and you will approach it as such. I prefer conflict resolution.

How would you deal with a neighbor whose dog craps all over your lawn? Are you the person that will anonymously call the Police or Animal Control every time it happens or are you the kind of person that goes over to your neighbors and speaks to him man to man.

Since we heard about Pops plenty I'll share how my mother after moving to a new neighborhood dealt with it.

She went outside, picked up the steaming pile of poo with a paper towel, rang the neighbors bell, very nicely and sweetly introduced herself and told the neighbor "here your dog left this" and then handed them the steaming pile of poo.

Took a couple of days but that was the end of that.

We also had a dog, we walked him several times every day. Along his regular walking path there were neighbors dogs regularly running lose. (in that town ALL dogs were required by law to be registered, tagged and on lead in public) Mom would ring the neighbors bell, nicely and sweetly introduce herself and then tell them "I walk my dog several times a day, I just wanted to let you know if your dog is out running lose and happens to get involved in a scuffle with mine I will have no choice but to drop my leash so my dog can properly defend himself". They'd take one look at the 225 Lbs of English Mastiff at the end of her leash and that, would be the end of that.

Personally I feel people who are afraid to interact with others about their improper behavior are a bigger problem than those exhibiting the behavior. By remaining silent you enable it.

Should you approach every one every time, probably not, it's a judgement call. Like Fint said, if it's a group of bikers who are more likely to pound you into the ground like a tent stake than apologize you'd be wise to leave or find an authority to deal with it. Standing up for yourself does not mean be stupid.

I do agree that shooting someone dead because they threw a bag of popcorn at you is likely a gross over reaction. But so is throwing a bag of popcorn at someone because they asked you to stop texting in a movie theatre.

Both men had options and it is tragic that neither sought to avail themselves of them.

Sociology is the study of human social behavior and its origins, development, organizations, and institutions.

Some of you are overlooking the events leading up to this tragedy.

There is no doubt the shooter was in the wrong.

But the texter was also in the wrong.

The only difference is he brought popcorn to a gunfight.

I know this makes you angry but that's the bottom line here.

He was rude and didn't realize he would be held accountable.

I'm not condoning the shooting - just explaining it was not a black and white issue as some of you think it is.

Sociology....look it up.......there are reasons humans behave the way they do.