Was I the jerk here?

[Karin1984]

Not a jerk, but I can understand their eyeroll if you said it like you wrote.

I would have moved. I also think that is common curtesy to help sit a group together when it is free seating and in this scenario. Then you both probably had a good view and a good night. Now they were annoyed and you second guess yourself. How often did you think about what you said during the movie and not pay attention? Nobody wins.

Assigned seats on an airplane are something else.

 

[Praying Colonel]

I'm thinking about the Big Bang Theory scene with Sheldon searching for the theater's "acoustic sweet spot" right now.

No, I don't think you were a jerk.

 

[pweyl36]

I think you were justified in staying where you were. HOWEVER, would moving three seats over really affect your viewing? I mean if you were in the center to start with, and move 3 seats (so what? 6 feet) one way or the other, does it change the view of the screen enough to make a difference?

I don't know that I'd go so far as to call you a "jerk", but it seems like a strange hill to die on.

See this irritates me, She was there first. I would of done the same thing. The entitlements just kills me!

 

[disney-inspired]

No, you weren't a jerk. It's their fault for coming in late.

 

[Elle :)]

Not the jerk! You arrived early just so you could pick your favorite seats.
I don’t think anybody has the right to stroll in and just expect other people to move to accommodate them. As someone who’s been late to a packed theater, we just separated our group…not exactly together but close enough.

 

[Disneylover99]

Not a jerk. And if you moved, you would have spent the whole movie stewing about it, feeling like a chump.

 

[pweyl36]

I get it, and don't think you were wrong for taking the stance you did. I just think this is one of those "karma" type of things. There's not really much of a downside for you (IMO, you may disagree of course) by moving, and the upside is you help out your fellow man (ever so slightly).

I do NOT think airplane seating is the same situation as the theater. IMO, there are definite benefits to certain seats. Sitting in a window or aisle is definitely more beneficial (IMO) than a middle seat. Sitting in the front of the plane is more beneficial than sitting in the back of the plane.

Seriously?

 

[Mle8308]

I think you were justified in staying where you were. HOWEVER, would moving three seats over really affect your viewing? I mean if you were in the center to start with, and move 3 seats (so what? 6 feet) one way or the other, does it change the view of the screen enough to make a difference?

I don't know that I'd go so far as to call you a "jerk", but it seems like a strange hill to die on.

I respectfully totally disagree. They (BamaGuy) got there early to get the seats they wanted. Everyone knows, especially for a popular movie, that you need to get there early to get your choice of seats and to be able to sit together if you are a larger group. I think it was rude to expect someone to move to accommodate another's poor or lack of planning. You were absolutely NOT rude.

 

[sam_gordon]

See this irritates me, She was there first. I would of done the same thing. The entitlements just kills me!

What irritates you? That I don't see a downside on moving? I don't. Let's change the scenario just a little...

You (general) get to the theater early and select seats. It's a row of 10 seats... they pick seats 5 & 6. A group of three comes in and takes seats 1-3. Another group of three comes in and takes seats 8-10. So now seats 4 & 7 are empty. A couple comes in and asks you to slide down one so they can sit together. Would you move? Are they "entitled"?

And now that I think about it, someone earlier correctly pointed out person #1 isn't going to talk to #6. But what if they're three couples watching together? Split up the couple? "Too bad, so sad?"

 

[sam_gordon]

Seriously?

What "seriously"? It helps to finish your thought if you'd like to have a conversation.

 

[sam_gordon]

I respectfully totally disagree. They got there early to get the seats they wanted. Everyone knows, especially for a popular movie, that you need to get there early to get your choice of seats and to be able to sit together if you are a larger group. I think it was rude to expect someone to move to accommodate another's poor or lack of planning. You were absolutely NOT rude.

I believe I said repeatedly the OP was not rude or a jerk, and entitled to their stance. I just don't see a downside (in this case) in moving.

 

[Mle8308]

I believe I said repeatedly the OP was not rude or a jerk, and entitled to their stance. I just don't see a downside (in this case) in moving.

Downside is if they moved, the seats would not be the seats they purposely chose to sit in. And arrived early to choose.

 

[Adelle Dazeem]

I wouldn't have moved either. Their late arrival is not your fault nor is it your problem.

 

[Mandy Poppins]

Not a jerk I would not have moved and I certainly would not have asked anyone to move for me. That's why you get there early. The theatre we usually go to at home you can choose your seats and purchase online so not an issue and I love that.

 

[AustinTink]

We only go to theaters where you can choose your seat during purchase for just this reason.

I'm a planner. If it's a free for all for seats, I plan ahead and get there ridiculously early to get the seat I want. I planned and earned my spot. People who fly by the seat of their pants, show up late and expect others to bend to their will infuriate me. I would not have even answered "no" to them I would have ignored them entirely. No eye contact.

Sorry, I have two good friends who are always late to everything and it's a hot button issue for me.

So, no, you were not a jerk. They were the jerks.

 

[Jonfw2]

You were not a jerk in any shape or form. THEY should have shown up early like you did.

I flew to France by myself once in coach, middle aisle, middle seat. It was a nightmare of an 8 hour trip. On the way back, I gloriously got an aisle seat. A girl came up to me before the plan took off and asked if I could switch with her friend so they could sit together. I said "is it an aisle or a middle?" She said "middle". I said "sorry, but no".

 

[tvguy]

Right before the pandemic a number of movie theaters here remodeled and went to reserved seating. And they check that you are in your assigned seat, so not an issue here anymore.

 

[Jonfw2]

Am I a jerk because long, long ago I blocked a poster here who does nothing but make "devil's advocate" arguments about everything just for the sake of irritating people?

 

[brockash]

Ok I'm one that believes deeply in common courtesy. The world is just a better place to be when we treat each other nicely. Having said that...

At the movies the other day to see the new Top Gun (loved it, the original is one of my all time favorites). We are "get to the theater early so we can sit where we want" people. Hate sitting toward the front or way off to the side. So we did, got the seats we wanted about halfway up in the center of the screen. There were 3 of us. Theater was only about 3/4 full so there happened to be 3 empty seats on each side of us.

So a group of 6 comes in pretty last minute, toward the end of the trailers. They ask us to scoot down 3 seats so they can have 6 together. I say "no, these are the seats we like, we're going to stay here". The guy stands there looking at us for an awkward amount of time as if to say "Seriously?". Finally he rolls his eyes and says "whatever, let's go" in a very annoyed tone.

I felt like I was justified in not moving out of the seats we had been in for the last 20 minutes. "First come, first serve " is one of the bedrocks our society is built on, IYAM. So what say you, DISboard? Was I a jerk in this instance?

No, you were not the jerk. however I want to know where you live that you don't have to pick/reserve your seats when you purchase your ticket? I haven't seen that in a long time.

 

[Drewsdad]

Nope, you were not…