# would you have moved, who was rude **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 6, 2014, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-have-moved-who-was-rude/700577 "2014-10-06T19:24:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2014, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-have-moved-who-was-rude/700577/1 "2014-10-06T19:24:45Z")
I was talking with a friend today and was reminded of an incident from the past. A friend and I seated in a booth at McDonalds eating our lunch. A boy of about 10 or 11 approached us and asked us if we would mind moving to a different table because the table we were at was _their_ (he and his mother’s) table. My friend was wiling to move but I said no because we had already started eating. Had he asked before we had unwrapped and taken bites out of our food it wouldn’t have been a big deal but I wasn’t willing to wrap everything up and put it back on the tray and move. Besides who walks up to total strangers eating in any kind of food establishment and asks them to move because you are sitting in _their_ seat. The McDonalds wasn’t crowded, there were plenty of tables available, including the booths in front and behind us. They ended up sitting in the booth in front of me, the mother staring at me with dagger eyes the entire time until I set my sandwich down and stared back hard at her. My friend said I was rude, it would have been no big deal to move. I say it was rude of the kid and his mother to even think we should move and for her to stare at me that way was beyond rude. ---
**Author:** ![iljitsch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/77aa72/32.png) [@iljitsch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iljitsch)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2014, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-have-moved-who-was-rude/700577/2 "2014-10-06T19:28:40Z")
Nobody was rude unless the dagger thing wasn’t a figure of speech. (A little on the insane side, though.) Then again I find it perfectly reasonable to take the last seat somewhere even if people want to save it for a friend, so maybe my rudeness scale isn’t calibrated properly. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2014, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-have-moved-who-was-rude/700577/3 "2014-10-06T19:30:17Z")
How weird. Absolutely no, I would not have moved. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2014, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-have-moved-who-was-rude/700577/4 "2014-10-06T19:32:15Z")
Not rude. But the kid wasn’t rude to ask either. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2014, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-have-moved-who-was-rude/700577/5 "2014-10-06T19:34:46Z")
Did you ask the kid if his name was on it? ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2014, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-have-moved-who-was-rude/700577/6 "2014-10-06T19:40:11Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Did you ask the kid if his name was on it? I was tempted ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2014, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-have-moved-who-was-rude/700577/7 "2014-10-06T19:40:46Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Did you ask the kid if his name was on it? Maybe the kid was conceived there. ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2014, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-have-moved-who-was-rude/700577/8 "2014-10-06T19:42:07Z")
I’m a pretty easy-going person, and I don’t mind being flexible, but perceived ownership of a particular table in a restaurant isn’t a reason to ask someone to move. We all have our preferences – I like THIS treadmill, but THAT bike at the gym – but if it’s taken, it’s taken. You can use something else or you can wait. I’m perfectly happy to move if there’s some kind of rational reason, like having a big group wanting to get adjacent tables, needing a particular table type due to physical disability, or management getting ready for a birthday, anything sensible. But “move, this is ours” makes zero sense, and getting angry about it enough to rudely stare makes even less sense. Unless you were particularly nasty about the refusal, I don’t see this as rude at all. It’s a strange and unreasonable request. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2014, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-have-moved-who-was-rude/700577/9 "2014-10-06T19:44:46Z")
I think the mother was teachig the boy very bad social graces. She probably saw it as cute and assumed you would also. She was the dummy! ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2014, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-have-moved-who-was-rude/700577/10 "2014-10-06T19:54:20Z")
And that impertinent little boy grew up to be… Ray Kroc. And now you know… …the REST of the story! ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2014, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-have-moved-who-was-rude/700577/11 "2014-10-06T19:57:13Z")
I don’t think anyone was rude. Mom sounds weird and should’ve told the kid that there are no assigned seats in McDonald’s. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2014, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-have-moved-who-was-rude/700577/12 "2014-10-06T19:58:10Z")
That’s a weird request. I’m wondering if the boy was autistic or something, and if the mom knew that this was going to cause all kinds of problems and was unreasonably pissed off at you for something you couldn’t know. but this is totally wild speculation. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2014, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-have-moved-who-was-rude/700577/13 "2014-10-06T20:03:00Z")
It wasn’t rude for the kid to ask; it wasn’t rude for you to refuse. It was rude of the mother to stare at you for refusing. Maybe the kid has emotional or psychological issues. The request sounds a little socially clueless for a 10 year old. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2014, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-have-moved-who-was-rude/700577/14 "2014-10-06T20:09:26Z")
It was a weird request. It was their’s how? Was it their usual seat? I’m thinking maybe the mother told him to sit their to hold it while she got the food but he got up and lost the seat. But the fact that they were able to easily get a seat makes no sense. No it was not rude of you. For such an odd request the burden is on them. What is so special about the seat? “We always sat there with my father and now he’s dead.” OK give them the seat. “Its the only seat and Mom has MS.” Ok give them the seat. “I called dibs when we pulled into the parking lot.” So sorry try again. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2014, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-have-moved-who-was-rude/700577/15 "2014-10-06T20:13:38Z")
Weird requests deserve weird responses. I’d scootch over and offer to let them sit with us. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2014, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-have-moved-who-was-rude/700577/16 "2014-10-06T20:51:18Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Weird requests deserve weird responses. > > I’d scootch over and offer to let them sit with us. Ok you win. That is the best answer. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2014, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-have-moved-who-was-rude/700577/17 "2014-10-06T21:00:29Z")
I would have asked him to prove it was their seat ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2014, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-have-moved-who-was-rude/700577/18 "2014-10-06T21:18:34Z")
Assuming there were other tables available, I’d have moved. Obviously sitting at that particular table has some special meaning to the kid. ---
**Author:** ![Hopeful\_Crow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/da6949/32.png) [@Hopeful\_Crow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hopeful_Crow)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2014, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-have-moved-who-was-rude/700577/19 "2014-10-06T21:25:36Z")
I’m curious as to the kid’s reaction when you told him no. Did he seem upset or did he seem OK with it? I’m betting it was the latter and it’s Mom whose nose got all out of joint over it. I have an acquaintance (I’d call her a friend, reluctantly, if she didn’t do stuff like this herself) who firmly believes that the Biblical phrase, “Ask and you shall receive,” is her personal ticket to getting anything she wants. The place we hang out only has five tables. Since most of the business there is take-out, it usually isn’t a problem, but occasionally there’s someone at our table. She has no compunction whatsoever in telling them to move, much to our chagrin. Sounds like she has a kindred soul in the woman you described. If she keeps this up, Mom will probably wonder why her son doesn’t want much to do with her when he’s an adult. Edited to add that I really liked **kaylasdad99’s** approached to the situation. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2014, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-have-moved-who-was-rude/700577/20 "2014-10-06T21:31:54Z")
> [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > Not rude. But the kid wasn’t rude to ask either. Agreed. Nothing wrong with asking and taking no for an answer. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-have-moved-who-was-rude/700577.md?page=2)