And The Stupid Just Keeps On Coming
Dec. 18th, 2010 03:17 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
teleen_fictionSo we went to see Tron: Legacy tonight (more on that later) at an 11:00PM showing. In the row behind us, someone had brought an infant with them. An infant that was less than pleased with the ear-bleeding Dolby sound and made that displeasure known.
At one point, RIII turned back and told them to take the kid out.
At the end of the film, he made a point of saying to the young couple, "Next time leave the kid at home."
The male answered, "Fuck you."
To which, RIII replied, "Fuck you." And then turned and walked away.
As we were leaving, he said he could hear the young man doing the usual macho shit, "You want to do something about it?" that sort of thing, but we didn't look back.
We made it to the parking garage without incident, but as we were pulling up to the light getting ready to turn on the main road, Mr. Stupid and Co were in the car next to us waiting for the light. He was yelling out their rolled down window (it's below freezing outside and they had an infant in the car), but yelling at us was more important than the welfare of their kid.
We yelled back without rolling down our window, and Mr. Stupid got out of us car to actually try and confront us physically just as the light turned green. We drove away, RIII making a shooing gesture at the young man as we did so.
Mr. Stupid decides to follow us up the road. We gave him a little time to turn off, but he just stayed there. I told RIII to drive to the police substation that's two blocks from our house. He got out his phone and told me to call 911. I did so and was advised to keep driving to the station. The man who took my call was really nice, :).
He kept me on the phone until we got there. When we reached the intersection with the substation, there were a couple of police cars already there with lights flashing handling another accident.
We turned onto a side street to access the substation, with Mr. Stupid STILL behind us even as he drove by two police cars. He stayed there until we turned into the substation and then immediately pulled into the parking lot of the bank across the street. The 911 guy asked us for more information and I told him that it was a white male with a woman and a baby in his old beat up white POS. The baby was my primary concern, honestly. Any asshat who's willing to follow a total stranger at 1:30 in the morning over being called out on BRINGING A CRYING BABY TO A MOVIE THEATER shouldn't be contributing to the gene pool, or once they have, shouldn't be raising that child.
We eventually witnessed the car driving away and waited for an officer to come out to speak to us. We described what happened, told him that we were fine, that it was just a little scary but nothing more than words were exchanged. We were left feeling flush with adrenaline, but otherwise fine, :).
Brains over brawn, kids. Every time.
Right now that little shit is probably going on about what cowards we are because we ran to the cops for help. Yeah, we did the CORRECT thing when some asshole you've exchanged nothing but WORDS with wants to get physical with you.
Newsflash - if you get violent with another human being over something they SAY, when they've not laid their hands on you, nor actually truly threatened you in any way other than with vague enticements to fight, you're an uncivilized asshole who should be kept away from decent society.
I don't care what name someone has called you. I don't care if they said they were a piece of shit and that you should die in a fire (something I actually said to another human being at my club about four weeks ago that I didn't blog about because I wasn't sure where to start (I've never said something that vitriolic to a near-stranger before) and honestly, I'm not sorry I said it). Words can hurt, but their hurt is only as deep as one allows it to be. I know, easier said than done when someone is being bullied, but violence in the face of name-calling will always make me side with the person who didn't lay their hands on another human being in the name of 'honor'.
Violence is only acceptable in the face of a reasonable threat to liberty or property. Don't get me wrong - if this asshole had somehow still managed to come to my door, I wouldn't have a qualm about using my (unloaded initially with a clip very handy) gun to encourage them to leave, but I still would not do violence to another human being over something they've SAID. Not ever.
I don't care if they're disrespecting the memory of my grandmother, calling me a homophobic or misogynistic slur or just generally being an asshole. People have a right to be assholes. I have the right to walk away, which we did once we'd said what we had to say tonight. I will never do violence to anyone on the basis of sound traveling through air.
So long as they don't lay their hands on me (or, to a lesser extent, my property, though in the case of property I would simply have them arrested), I have no right to lay my hands on them.
Once someone touches me, though... All bets are off. Which is why I kept my window rolled up tonight and made sure to make it clear to the officer that nothing but words and slight intimidation happened. We didn't even bother to file a report, mostly because nothing really happened and we didn't have a license plate number. It was a little scary, but we relied on 911 and the police to do their jobs (which they did, wonderfully) and no one got hurt.
Not even Mr. Stupid or those he was with, which I count as a win. I only hope he didn't wind up taking his aggression out on those who didn't get to watch him defend his honor.
Moral of the story - keep calm, know where your police substations are and never rise to someone attempting to goad you into a fight. It's not worth it.
At one point, RIII turned back and told them to take the kid out.
At the end of the film, he made a point of saying to the young couple, "Next time leave the kid at home."
The male answered, "Fuck you."
To which, RIII replied, "Fuck you." And then turned and walked away.
As we were leaving, he said he could hear the young man doing the usual macho shit, "You want to do something about it?" that sort of thing, but we didn't look back.
We made it to the parking garage without incident, but as we were pulling up to the light getting ready to turn on the main road, Mr. Stupid and Co were in the car next to us waiting for the light. He was yelling out their rolled down window (it's below freezing outside and they had an infant in the car), but yelling at us was more important than the welfare of their kid.
We yelled back without rolling down our window, and Mr. Stupid got out of us car to actually try and confront us physically just as the light turned green. We drove away, RIII making a shooing gesture at the young man as we did so.
Mr. Stupid decides to follow us up the road. We gave him a little time to turn off, but he just stayed there. I told RIII to drive to the police substation that's two blocks from our house. He got out his phone and told me to call 911. I did so and was advised to keep driving to the station. The man who took my call was really nice, :).
He kept me on the phone until we got there. When we reached the intersection with the substation, there were a couple of police cars already there with lights flashing handling another accident.
We turned onto a side street to access the substation, with Mr. Stupid STILL behind us even as he drove by two police cars. He stayed there until we turned into the substation and then immediately pulled into the parking lot of the bank across the street. The 911 guy asked us for more information and I told him that it was a white male with a woman and a baby in his old beat up white POS. The baby was my primary concern, honestly. Any asshat who's willing to follow a total stranger at 1:30 in the morning over being called out on BRINGING A CRYING BABY TO A MOVIE THEATER shouldn't be contributing to the gene pool, or once they have, shouldn't be raising that child.
We eventually witnessed the car driving away and waited for an officer to come out to speak to us. We described what happened, told him that we were fine, that it was just a little scary but nothing more than words were exchanged. We were left feeling flush with adrenaline, but otherwise fine, :).
Brains over brawn, kids. Every time.
Right now that little shit is probably going on about what cowards we are because we ran to the cops for help. Yeah, we did the CORRECT thing when some asshole you've exchanged nothing but WORDS with wants to get physical with you.
Newsflash - if you get violent with another human being over something they SAY, when they've not laid their hands on you, nor actually truly threatened you in any way other than with vague enticements to fight, you're an uncivilized asshole who should be kept away from decent society.
I don't care what name someone has called you. I don't care if they said they were a piece of shit and that you should die in a fire (something I actually said to another human being at my club about four weeks ago that I didn't blog about because I wasn't sure where to start (I've never said something that vitriolic to a near-stranger before) and honestly, I'm not sorry I said it). Words can hurt, but their hurt is only as deep as one allows it to be. I know, easier said than done when someone is being bullied, but violence in the face of name-calling will always make me side with the person who didn't lay their hands on another human being in the name of 'honor'.
Violence is only acceptable in the face of a reasonable threat to liberty or property. Don't get me wrong - if this asshole had somehow still managed to come to my door, I wouldn't have a qualm about using my (unloaded initially with a clip very handy) gun to encourage them to leave, but I still would not do violence to another human being over something they've SAID. Not ever.
I don't care if they're disrespecting the memory of my grandmother, calling me a homophobic or misogynistic slur or just generally being an asshole. People have a right to be assholes. I have the right to walk away, which we did once we'd said what we had to say tonight. I will never do violence to anyone on the basis of sound traveling through air.
So long as they don't lay their hands on me (or, to a lesser extent, my property, though in the case of property I would simply have them arrested), I have no right to lay my hands on them.
Once someone touches me, though... All bets are off. Which is why I kept my window rolled up tonight and made sure to make it clear to the officer that nothing but words and slight intimidation happened. We didn't even bother to file a report, mostly because nothing really happened and we didn't have a license plate number. It was a little scary, but we relied on 911 and the police to do their jobs (which they did, wonderfully) and no one got hurt.
Not even Mr. Stupid or those he was with, which I count as a win. I only hope he didn't wind up taking his aggression out on those who didn't get to watch him defend his honor.
Moral of the story - keep calm, know where your police substations are and never rise to someone attempting to goad you into a fight. It's not worth it.
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no subject
Date: 2010-12-18 12:59 pm (UTC)I hate it when people are lazy and feel entitled to bring restless or tired underaged kids to the theater to impose on other people becawz, sob, we can't get a babysitter.
Tough twinkies, bud. Stay home with the kid. It's abusive to force a little one to sit through a theater when the movie is of no interest to the kid or if the kid is too young, and the theater is TOO LOUD. (Of course this asshat must be the sort who blasts his stereo loud enough to be heard blocks away.)
The rest to of this? Fucking incredible. It's scary this idiot is breeding. I feel bad for the baby. It's times like this when intervention looks good.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-18 03:32 pm (UTC)When I think of friends of mine (or me, if you want to be brutally honest) who would love to be loving, responsible parents and yet haven't had the opportunity due to biology or fate (or being responsible when they were young) and then see people like this breeding and raising another generation, it makes me weep for both the future of this country in specific and the future of our species in general.
Smart people aren't having babies right now, which means we're breeding dumber, :(.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-18 03:40 pm (UTC)*is scared now*
It just kills me how people who really want babies and can't have them, or can't afford a family, and yet would be great parents, but it's the unfit breeding without thought.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-19 08:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-18 03:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-19 08:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-19 05:41 am (UTC)And you really are awesome cause most people just panic or fight back physically.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-19 08:39 am (UTC)And thank you, :).