Etiquette Justifies Florida Theater Shooting over Texting Dispute Commentary Copyright 15 January 2014 by Bob Hurt.

. All rights reserved. The news media and public seem agog over the Wesley Chapel, Pasco County, Florida, killing in a movie theater over a texting dispute. Retired Tampa cop Curtis Reeves !"# shot Chad $ulson %&# in the chest. The bullet passed through $ulson's wi(e's chin as she tried to protect him. Chad $ulson died. The Pasco County )heri(( arrested Reeves at "!** on the a(ternoon o( "& +anuary ,*"%, according to this report./our a((iant a detective with the Pasco )heri(('s $((ice had the occasion to become involved in the investigation o( a shooting. The victim was in the theater with the de(endant sitting behind him. The witnesses advised the de(endant con(ronted the victim about texting during the movie previews and went to advise management. When the de(endant returned additional words were exchanged between the victim and the de(endant and the victim turned and threw a bag o( popcorn at the de(endant. Witnesses advised they did not observe any punches being thrown. The de(endant removed a handgun and shot the suspect in the chest. 0uring a post 1iranda 2nterview the de(endant advised he got into a verbal argument with the victim over phone usage. The de(endant advised that the victim turned and stood up sriking him in the (ace with an unknown ob3ect. The de(endant advised that the removed a &4* semi auto handgun (rom his pants pocket (iring one round striking the victim and that he was in (ear o( being attacked. The victim was transported to Florida 5ospital where he died.. The altercation started because Reeves (elt annoyed by the light (rom $ulson's phone as $ulson used it to read or write text messages in the darkened theater. $ulson ignored Reeves' entreaties to turn o(( the phone. Read more o( the story herehttp-66www.cbsnews.com6news6argument7over7texting7leads7to7(atal7shooting7at7movie7theater6

Take note o( the comments to such articles. 8iberal gun haters in the media have cited the incident as a basis (or demanding more gun controls. For some insane reason the haters have not demanded more cell phone control. Etiquette Justifies Florida Theater Shooting Over Texting Dispute Page 1 of 5

Chad $ulson died because o( intolerance o( the discipline ensuing his bad cell phone eti9uette. That dispute signals a plague o( phone usage rudeness attaching onto the (ace o( :merica like an alien turning texters into monsters. Parents stupidly allow their children to bring their phones to the dining table and to use them there (or texting. They seem to reason that they should leave the kids alone because texting doesn't disturb anyone with unpleasant noise. Children, texting, merely become .seen and not heard.. /oung adults (lout also commonsense rules o( politeness when, like ignorant and sel(7centered children, they use phones and tablets (or texting or web browsing while supposedly involved in conversation with others. They have made modern youth society into a texting generation and an abomination 2 consider parents, children, and young adults 0;:0 WR$<= in their assessment that texting in theaters or polite company has by some mysterious magic become okay or that they should (orgive or excuse it. 2 have several reasons (or this view". Texting distracts the texter (rom any surrounding conversation, making it di((icult to (ollow any conversation at all, and impossible to (ollow it with any apparent interest> ,. Texting resembles whispering to an unknown third party in a private conversation that excludes others physically present> &. Texting in the presence o( others says .2 don't care about you others or how you (eel and 2 pre(er the conversation with the person on the other end o( the message>' %. Texting distracts others physically present, making them wonder why the texter chose to behave so rudely> ?. Texting disturbs the concentration and (ocus o( others physically present so that they cannot (ocus on the event at hand, such as a conversation or an entertainment event like a play, concert, or movie. 2n other words, one becomes R@0;, 21P$82T;, and 02)R;)P;CTF@8 by texting in the presence o( others physically present, and that sub3ects the texter to risk o( discipline, ostracism, shunning, banning, and excision. :nyone who (eels o((ended may take any action to stop the behavior or e3ect the rude texter (rom the event or gathering. Precisely T5:T happened in the movie theater. Aut texting has become (ar worse than that. <owadays 2 see people texting while driving, walking down the street, CR$))2<= the street, shopping in stores and browsing in malls, and walking in groups o( (ellow texters. Teens and adolescents seem to text most avidly o( all. 2( schools did not (orbit phone use, students would text one another in the classrooms across :merica while teachers struggle to impart knowledge to them. Etiquette Justifies Florida Theater Shooting Over Texting Dispute Page 2 of 5

Curtis Reeves had previously disciplined others about texting, according to news reports 2 watched on television. )ome might call him a serial complainer6harasser. 2 call him a good citiBen. 2 believe the time has become long overdue (or all people o( good sense to +@)T ):/ <$ to texting in polite society. )ince this seems like common sense to me, 2 believe we should routinely insist that people who enter our homes or our group turn o(( cell phones, and e3ect any who re(use or who take a call without excusing themselves and leaving the room or premises so that none present can hear or see their interaction with the unknown party on the other end o( the phone communication. The only exception occurs when the phone user asks permission o( those present, and, so long as none ob3ect, to put the phone in loud7speaker mode so all can hear and participate in the conversation. People should <;C;R use cell phones in the movie or stage theater during preview, prelude, or per(ormance. :nd people should never put up any resistance i( others remind them o( this point o( eti9uette. Chad $ulson might have learned this point o( commonsense eti9uette the hard way, had he lived through the ordeal. 5ad he en3oyed the company o( several combative (riends, Curtis Reeves might have died in the con(rontation. )ince Chad $ulson died because o( his rudeness and ensuing resistance to discipline, he never actually learned his lesson. The rest o( us will have to learn (rom his dearly costly lesson (or him. 8est any reader misunderstand the lesson here, please allow me to recite it (or one and all". T@R< $FF /$@R C;88 P5$<; A;F$R; you enter a theater, church, courtroom, 8awmen meeting, or group gathering or meeting where use o( your phone might distract you or others, or become an annoyance. ,. T@R< $FF /$@R C;88 P5$<; A;F$R; you sit at the break(ast 6 brunch 6 luncheon 6 dinner table in the company o( others. &. 0$<'T :<)W;R T5; C;88 P5$<; in the company o( others or put someone on hold to take another call unless it's (rom your spouse, your kids, or any other who might rely on you in a dire emergency. 2n that case, excuse yoursel( and leave the area to go out o( earshot o( the others so you can talk privately. %. :lways ask the host or manager to impose discipline on a violator o( cell phone eti9uette and give reasonable time (or the discipline to take e((ect be(ore you get personally involved. This means cell phone rudeness has become a plague because so (ew people impose discipline on the rude. That tolerance has made them even ruder.

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?. :lways pack heat i( you plan to address a rude person about cell phone eti9uette. : person who respects your right to remain undisturbed won't use a phone rudely to begin with. That means you might (ace violent resistance (rom those you discipline about eti9uette breaches. :nd that rude person might have (riends available (or backup. Remember that natural resentment over racial or social di((erences with the rude might exacerbate the resistance. :nd such resistance might put you in lethal danger. Cell phone users should realiBe that the con(used resentment over rudeness o( cell phone usage, like texting, has occurred because texting seems innocent, innocuous, and unintrusive, even though it does obtrude against others, signaling apathy, insensitivity, and disrespect. 1any, in sel(7de(ense, respond by texting on their own phones. 2 o(ten have witnessed groups o( young people sitting around with their phones in hand, variously conversing and exclaiming or 3oking with one another, and then texting or talking on the phone. Perhaps that has become the new eti9uette (or youngsters, and it seems to have a((ected their parents. <ow people in their %*'s do it, people in their &*'s do it more, people in their ,*'s do it a lot, and people in their teens do it virtually incessantly. Texting impolitely has become so widespread as to annoy the holy hell out o( people in their ?*'s and older. This has the e((ect o( building a welling7up o( resentment by seniors against texting in theaters, at the eating table, in mixed company groups, while driving, or while walking around in public. :s a result, many seniors have become (rustrated, impatient, and out o( tolerance (or texting, particularly by careless and cavalier youngsters. T5:T (eeling o( intolerant .2'm mad as hell and 2'm not going to take it any more. resentment o( texting in the mind o( Curtis Reeves. :nd that might have provoked him to protest against Chad $ulson's texting in the theater. :ll people o( common sense should (eel resentment over the disrespect that texters show by texting in theaters, at the table, or in company o( others. 2magine what would have happened had a doBen people around Chad $ulson shouted in unison at him to turn o(( the phone. Probably, he would have turned it o(( or le(t the theater, and lived to tell about it, wouldn't heD 2nstead, the cowards around him remained silent while Curtis Reeves did their 3ob (or them, and now he sits in 3ail (or de(ending his li(e with a pistol. Aottom line, 2 consider the killing tragic but 3usti(ied. ;ven i( a !"7year7old had the physical ability to prevail in hand7to7hand combat against a robust %&7year7old, getting into a (ist (ight might cause permanent in3ury to one who only wanted to en3oy the move (ree (rom the distraction o( cell phone screen glare (rom a user right in (ront o( him. <o one under attack has the obligation to wait and see whether it escalates beyond control or exceeds the power o( one to de(end onesel(. )o, 2 have absolutely no doubt that the 3ury will ac9uit Curtis Reeves, as it should, i( his Etiquette Justifies Florida Theater Shooting Over Texting Dispute Page of 5

case actually goes to trial. <ote that it might have made (ar more sense (or Curtis Reeves to have gathered his witnesses and sued Chad $ulson (or disturbing his peace in the theater, and called the sheri(( on him to boot, and sued the theater owners and manager (or not throwing Chad $ulson out (or texting. Then they'd all get to duke it out in court and we could know what the 3udges think o( the matter. 1aybe (uror over this issue will cause the 8egislature will enact a law against texting at public events or in theaters where the texting could distract others. Would you consider that wiseD Respect (or eti9uette prevents (ractious interactions. Rogues, thugs, and the unre(ined never learn it, and many su((er (rom it. 2n the end, people either learn eti9uette or pay the price, as the issue at hand (ully testi(ies. Thus, eti9uette (ully 3usti(ies that shooting. 8et us pray to =od that the rude texters o( :merica learn the right lesson (rom it- put away the phone out o( respect (or people and the conse9uenses o( alienating them (or texting in their (aces. Please distribute this commentary (ar and wide. Feel (ree to respond go my blog or by clicking on this ;mail7Aob75urt link. Aut don't do it using your cell phone while in a movie theater or at the eating table in the company o( others. /ou don't want to seem R@0;, do youD 77
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