Sort of along the same lines, how do you feel about being asked to move your seat for the convenience of someone else?
Mr. Strong and I were at one of the first showings of a movie, meaning it eventually pretty much sold out, last week. The row of seats we were in was full except for one seat on either side of us. That is, with @'s being us, Os being other people and Xs empty seats, the row went something like:
aisleOOOOOOOOOOOOOOX@@XOOaisle
Shortly before the movie was to start a couple stopped at the row, and asked us to move over so they could sit side by side. Normally, I would have done it, but as it happened I had first sat down in the empty seat to my left, but then I discovered the person in the seat before me was REALLY tall and wide, like linebacker build, and I couldn’t see around him in any comfortable position. So I had gotten hubby to move over one seat and took over his old one. And hubby didn’t want to move into the seat to his right because the woman sitting one seat from the aisle had spilled her popcorn all over it, and hubby didn’t want grease stains on the butt of his pants.
So, we sort of explained this (“Sorry, I can’t see from that seat, and the other one’s all greasy.”) and they went ballistic. Yelling and namecalling and whining about not being able to enjoy the movie if they couldn’t sit together. We basically ignored this after we’d offered the first explanation, on the reasonable grounds that we’d paid for seats, we had arrived early enough to be able to find seats we liked, and if they hadn’t done the same, well, it wasn’t our fault.
That “gay seats” really exist and aren’t some narcissistic fantasy made up by certain board members to make some totally innocuous behavior all about them. It wasn’t actually a point I made, it just disprove’s Abbie’s theory. I don’t know about all that extra stuff you put.
Righteously indignant? It’s a pit thread started by someone else about a common annoyance that I’m joining in. And I’m actually going with the flow. So how am I looking for an opportunity to get angry?
Jim-Carroll-type don’t-give-a-s**t raggedy-ass slacker dude walk into Intro Psych first day. Enters a row and starts to sit 3 seats down from Princess.
Princess (with mixture of condescension and disgust): “I’m sorry, those seats are saved.”
Slacker dude, throwing arms in air, very loudly: “Praise Jesus!” ::sits in seat::
If I were the couple, I’d be pissed off too, but wouldn’t really blame you for not moving from the seats you chose. Going ballistic never really helps anyway.
No, you were well within your rights. You got there on time, you chose the seats you wanted. They were yours. Sitting 2 seats away from a companion is not a hardship in any way. Maybe this’ll teach 'em to, I dunno, SHOW UP ON TIME!??!!
As far as wanting both armrests go, I must admit I DO want them both. Unless I’m there with my one true love, that is.
Another vote for “not bastards.” In essence, this couple was saying to you, “Can you change your seat and sit in a bunch of greasy popcorn stuff so that we can sit together?”
And the answer would be—should be: “NO.”
The yukky seats get taken last. Meaning, those who arrive late get to settle for them. You didn’t arrive late. They did. That’s not your problem. What’s the benefit of arriving early (to get seats that you like) if some latecoming jackasses are just going to expect you to give them up?
I saw Spiderman 2 the night it opened. Theater was sold out. I always get to the theater early to get a good seat so I was in the perfect place. Right below me (stadium seating) some guy is saying that he has saved the whole row for a group that is supposed to be meeting at the theater. The minutes pass by, theater fills up, none of his people show up yet. It’s still about 10-15 minutes before the movie (well, trailers and ads before the movie) are going to start, and basically the only places left open are this one entire row (in the perfect spot smack in the middle of the stadium seating) and seats waaayy down in the front by the screen. So the people that are coming in now (and it’s not like they’re late, they’re 10 minutes early), can only take the front seats or the saved seats. Because the showing has been sold out, many people are waiting outside, ushers and the manager are brought in to tell the guy that basically, if his friends don’t get their asses in there within 5 minutes, he will lose the seats. (The ushers are making sure that every single seat is taken. No one is to have any coats on seats or empty chairs or whatever. I guess they overbooked and wanted to get every seat filled). So they get pretty pissed off with this guy. Since I’m just sitting there watching it all, and have no dog in the fight, it’s like an amusing pre-show before the film. People start yelling at the guy, one person that I think was with the guy is totally mortified by the whole thing (scrunching down in the seat). Finally the whole group shows up, like a minute before the film starts. What the hell, people!!?? Is it really that hard to get to a film on time!? I can’t believe this guy had the gall to try this on Spiderman 2’s opening night! You know that film is gonna be packed! Plan ahead!! :smack: :wally
Why do people tolerate “saved seats”? Just tell them, “sorry- I got here before your friends. Let them find their own seats.”
A related species of jerk is the guy that goes into a crowded cafeteria, puts his suitcoat on a chair and then gets in line for his food. The rest of us fight for other empty spots while Mr. Jerk’s suitcoat occupies a prime spot. What I would do on occasion is put a bit of mustard on my finger and casually brush against Mr. Jerk’s coat as I walked by it.
My mother, my husband and I were attending a performance at a local theater. It was a very small theater and filling up fast. We found 4 seats together and took 3 of them. The couple behind us couldn’t find two seats together but they noticed that someone was saving a seat with a jacket draped across it and there was an empty seat beside it. These two seats were directly behind the empty seat next to us. We asked around and no one present was saving it so it was obvious that the person had placed their jacket then gone to back out. We moved the jacket to the empty seat next to us one row forward from where it was thus leaving two seats for the couple.
We were sure the jacket owner wouldn’t notice or mind since he was in exactly the same seat just one row closer. Imagine our surprise when he noticed and made mention of it. He said “Ah, I see I’ve been assigned a new seat” or something to that effect.
But he was pleasant enough and didn’t say anything more about it.
Turns out he was part of the troupe. The “plant” in the audience that “volunteered” to be part of the performance.
We all felt a little embarrassed at having moved his stuff. Didn’t seem to affect the performance though.
