When we’re flying we want to be comfortable.
And entertainment keeps us comfortable.
So as long as we’re being polite with our entertainment we should be fine.
Right?
Case in point…
Redditor rmovieplanethrowaway wanted to discuss his experience and get some feedback. So naturally, he came to visit the “Am I The A**hole” (AITA) subReddit.
He asked:
“AITA for watching an R rated movie on a flight?”
The Original Poster (OP) explained:
“I, 19 M[ale], was on a flight to visit my parents.”
“I had a few movies downloaded on my phone, including the second Deadpool.
“I was watching it on my phone with headphones in.”
“When the part where Deadpool gets ripped in half happens, and I can hear a (muffled) scream behind me.”
“I take out my headphones and there’s a little kid behind me, crying.”
“He had positioned himself in a way that he could watch my screen and had watched him get torn.”
“His mom got mad at me and yelled that I shouldn’t be watching that kind of thing, especially in front of children.”
“But I wasn’t aware anyone was watching me.”
“And that kid would have had to force himself into that weird position to see my phone screen.”
“So, am I an a**hole?”
Redditors shared their thoughts on this matter and weighed some options to the question AITA?:
- NTA – Not The A**hole
- YTA – You’re The A**hole
- NAH – No A**holes Here
- ESH – Everyone Sucks Here
Many Redditors declared our OP was NOT the A**hole.
“NTA, she should’ve watched her own kid.”
“She was happy he was occupied until it backfired and decided to shift the blame.” ~ Ok_Yesterday_6214
“When I first starting reading I thought that OP might have been sitting beside a child or using the screen on the seat.”
“I wouldn’t have called them an AH then but it would be understand having a bit of awareness.”
“If somebody behind you is watching your phone they’re making effort and a conscious choice.”
“If anybody is TA here it’s the parent.” ~ DrWhoop87
“I agree with this one.”
“It would be an AH move to pull that out sitting next to the kid.”
“But you were in a different row.”
“And he was making an effort to watch your screen when he should not have been.”
“The mom was the one who was supposed to be in charge of making sure her kid’s entertainment was age appropriate.”
“She was definitely an AH when she took what should have been a teaching moment.”
“Mind your own business, don’t look at other people’s devices, and decided to go after you instead.”
“The world is not made up of rainbows and stuffed animals.”
“And it’s the parent’s jobs to keep their kids safe and happy for as long as possible, not the grown stranger’s in the next row.” ~ opinionswelcomehere
“The child was in the seat behind him and OP likely didn’t know the child was there until there were tears.”
“It’s the mother’s responsibility to keep her child occupied with kid-friendly entertainment, not some stranger who isn’t even aware of the child’s existence.” ~ GibsonGirl55
“I don’t hate kids. Would I angle my screen away? Yeah.”
“Would I change my movie for a random kid next to me? Nah. You do you.”
“Again, my life doesn’t revolve around other’s kids.”
“If I’m babysitting the kid, of course. Then it’s my responsibility.”
“Otherwise no. not my monkey, not my circus.”
“Smiling at a child who smiles at you is an obligation.”
“Catering to their needs, which are contrary to mine, isn’t.” ~ definitelynotjava
“I kinda don’t understand why people think society is going to bend to kids in aspects.”
“MANY aspects I agree with catering to kids and being understanding to how and what they’re exposed to.”
“But on a flight where you’re using a personal device within your own seat, etc… sorry Charlie.” ~ No-Secretary-2470
“I don’t think it would be an asshole move to watch that sitting next to the kid.”
“If you download a movie for your flight and happen to sit next to a child, you shouldn’t have to twiddle your thumbs instead of watching a movie.”
“If you take your child on a flight you risk they might see something you deem inappropriate on someone else’s screen.”
“So as a parent be prepared for that.” ~ stateofgrace17
“Planes have many R rated movies on offer.”
“And you’d not be an asshole seeing any of those in the plan screen or similar movies.”
“Parents are responsible to ensure their children are otherwise entertained.”
“Or can switch seats if it’s an issue.” ~ TwoCentsPsychologist
“I think this is a big assumption, considering you could only even see what OP was watching if your head was in just the right place to watch between the seats.”
“Meaning mom couldn’t see what OP was watching, and there’s a good chance had no idea their kid was watching something (without volume) through the space between seats.”
“That’s not obvious. It probably just looked like they were spacing out.”
“I did do something like that once as a kid and the people next to me didn’t notice.”
“I even talked to them as normal.”
“Of course if you see a movie or show even if you can’t hear it as a kid your eyes will be drawn.”
“You can still act normal and talk to your little brother in my case.”
“Anyway, that doesn’t mean OP is an a**hole, he had no idea a kid could see his screen.” ~ TheHatOnTheCat
“If I was an adult on a flight with my hypothetical) young child and noticed said child squeeze their face between two seats, I’d investigate.”
“Ask why, see what they’re watching and maybe even dare to ask the person playing the video what it is to determine whether I can let things slide or not.”
“Also, for an adult, it’s quite easy to just, you know, stand up and look over the seat to see what’s going on.”
“Honestly, this mom was slacking off thinking her child well occupied.”
“Only… it backfired. Spectacularly.” ~ melympia
“NTA – the airlines have R rated movies in their entertainment wi-fi setup so they must expect folks to watch them.”
“Even so, that poor kid!” ~ comment-a
“Fun fact: the movies in their wi fi setup are generally cut to remove the super graphic scenes for exactly this reason.”
“OP is NTA.”
“But that quick shot might have not actually been in the airplane version of the movie if he was watching through the airlines system.” ~ valaranias
“NTA…. I hope you said to the mum she should have been watching her kid better!!!!”
“Not your problem in fact you were watching it on your phone not even the screen on the plane… personal space.” ~ Fuzzy_Necessary4642
OP answered…
“I’m not really a confrontational person, so I didn’t tell her much more than the reasoning I gave.”
“Plus, since there was yelling, a flight attendant came and after a bit of talking, that was the end of the situation.”
Reddit continued…
“NTA. The mom is in a public setting, it’s her responsibility to watch her child.”
“It’s troubling that she didn’t notice her kid was watching your movie.” ~ MaybeAWalrus
“NTA. It sounds like you tried to keep it mostly just so you could see it.”
“Airlines put all sorts of movies on their screens, which I find a little weird.”
“I started watching ‘Red Sparrow’ on a plane once and it got so graphic (sexually) that I shut it off.”
“I was sitting in an aisle seat and felt like half the plane could see the screen.”
“On another flight, my son (who was about 8 at the time) was sitting in the row behind me with his grandmother.”
“When I turned around and asked him what he was watching and he goes ‘Game of Thrones.'”
“Thanks, Nana for keeping an eye out.” ~ cherylesq
“NTA – The child wasn’t even in the same aisle as you.”
“Pro tip: if another passenger ever yells at you again during an airline flight, just remain orderly and ask the flight crew for assistance.”
“The problem usually ends when someone in a uniform tells tells them to cut it out.”
“If there are empty seats in another cabin the crew may order the disruptive passengers to move.” ~ doublestitch
“NTA you were in your bubble… mother should have noticed the kid peeping your screen and should have said something.”
“Kid probably bored as hell because mom didn’t bring the kid anything to do.” ~ Unfair_Tonight_9797
OP returned with deets…
“ETA: Thanks for the feedback, also, I have a few clarifications.”
“This was not a night flight.”
“We left at 11.am and landed at 5pm.”
“This kid could not have been more than 6.”
“I honestly don’t know if the mom noticed and just let it slide until it backfired on her.”
“Yes, the reason I was on my phone with headphones in was so it would be harder for me to bother someone.”
“The flight was over before I even posted, there is nothing I can do for extra revenge. Sorry everyone.”
Well OP, Reddit wants you to watch what you want to watch.
You did everything politely.
Some parents need to realize the world isn’t their babysitter.