Prosecutors: This wasn't the first blow-up for Florida theater shooter Curtis Reeves

[magical thyme]

131. no, I am not. I am assuming nothing beyond what I have read.

The elderly man approached the younger man and either requested 3 times that he stop texting in the theater. Regardless of whether he polited requested it or was snarly and just nasty (iirc each "request" became louder and more insistant, so the 3rd time was a "demand&quot :

1. The younger man could have apologized for disturbing the elderly man and assured him he would stop before the movie began. That would have been a polite response. He chose not to.

2. The younger man could have stopped texting. That would have been a polite response. He chose not to.

3. The younger man could have left the theater and finished his texting there. That would have been a plite response. He chose not to.

He had 3 opportunities to de-escalate the situation and 3 different possible ways to de-escalate. He chose, each time, to refuse the elderly man's simple request. Was he in his legal right to stay and text? Yes. Was it socially acceptable behavior? The way I was raised, it was rude. Was it smart? Considering the outcome, no.

Then the elderly man left the theater. He returned a few minutes later. The young man had 2 options at this point:

1. he could have remained in his seat and ignored the elderly man. That would have been the polite response. he chose not to.

2. he could go confront the elderly man and initiate an argument. That is what he chose to do. Was it legal for him to approach this strange man and demand to know if he'd gone to management? Yes. Was it polite? no Was it smart? considering the outcome, no.


The elderly man replied that he had been to management to complain. The young man had many options at this point:

1. he could have returned to his seat and minded his own business; since management hadn't come back with the elderly man, he was presumably free to continue texting. That would have been the polite response. He chose not to.

2. he could remain where he was and start arguing with the man, even though management hadn't come back with the elderly man. That is what he chose. Was that legal? Yes. Was that the polite choice? no, it was rude. Was it smart? Not considering the outcome

3. He could, of all things, have thrown his popcorn at the man. That is what he chose to do. Was it legal to do? I guess so; I don't know anything about any laws regarding popcorn throwing. Was it polite? No, it was extremely rude. Was it smart? considering the outcome, no.

IOW, he was approached by an elderly stranger with a reasonable request given the public situation; he chose to be rude and disrespectful. The elderly stranger left and returned. The young man initiated the second contact, getting up from his seat, confronting the elderly man who was acting within his legal rights to talk to the managers, arguing with him about the elderly man daring to go to management, and then throwing things at him.

I have never stated that the elderly man will not deserve whatever he gets for shooting an unarmed man over texting, because he does deserve what is coming to him. I do state the the younger man acted like a bully from the beginning, and sooner or later bullies find themselves facing bigger bullies.

I'm not in a court of law. I'm in general society. And in a social setting, if you treat people the way you'd like to be treated, you usually get better results than if you choose to be confrontational and insist on your right to do whatever you feel like whenever you feel like regardless of how much it may happen to inconvenience others.

It would have cost him nothing to have been accomodating to the elderly mans whim.
Failing that, it would have cost him nothing to have simply refrained from approaching and confronting the elderly man who was exercising his right to leave the theater and return to it.
He made stupid, rude, inconsiderate choices and paid with his life. You shouldn't pay with your life for being stupid or rude, but it is also true in a social setting that if you insist on confrontation and your right to do whatever you want whenever you want to whomever you want, you may meet a bigger bully than you are..