11/4    Dear motd Etiquette Arbiters:  Tonight my wife & I went to the Simon
        and Garfunkel concert at the San Jose Arena.  We ended up seated next
        to Mr. Self-Important Hipster and his female companion.  Throughout
        the concert, Mr. SIH would *not* *shut* *up*, loudly making attempts
        at witty remarks to his female companion, following each with a "HEH
        HEH HEH" laugh at his wittiness.  (Mr. SIH didn't wait for applause
        or breaks in the music; he just talked through everything.)  Finally
        having had enough, I leaned over and asked "Excuse me, but can you
        please be quieter?"  He shot back with "EXCUSE ME, BUT CAN *YOU* JUST
        RELAX AND ENJOY YOURSELF???!?"  Female companion chimed in with
        "Yeah, it's a *concert*, man -- people can do whatever they want!  If
        you want everything to be all quiet while you listen to music, just
        stay the hell home and listen to CDs!"  After which, of course, they
        proceeded to ignore me and talk to each other even more loudly.  Am I
        right to be completely appalled?  Is it reasonable to expect people to
        be reasonably quiet at a concert that doesn't involve a nightclub or a
        moshpit?  Or do I just need to shut up and relax in our newer, ruder
        America?  How have the rest of you dealt with similar assholes with a
        giant sense of entitlement who do their best to make social events
        unpleasant?
        \_ I've noticed that this happens more often in the bay area than
           elsewhere.  Depending on the show, of course.  Snotty punk kids
           are usually a lot more annoying in places that are not as
           interesting as SF.
        \_ so... this is not exactly like going to La Traviatta or a virtuoso
           pianist performing near impossible passages from Liszt repertoire.
           This is popular American music where you'll expect low class
           white trash the same way you'll expect black trash in hip-hop
           concerts (and hip-hop is pure crap, I don't understand why kids
           like that trash. Must be peer pressure)
           \_ Yo! Yo!  Sniznits!  It's the buzz!
        \_ You should stop complaining on soda and reflect on why you
           didn't beat the shit out of them.  But realistically, you should
           have argued with them until you felt satisfied.  Better to have
           both of you pissed off than just you pissed off.
        \_ Complain to an usher/mgr next time. They can do something about
           it. As an example, at a ballgame, they can and will throw ppl
           out for using foul language, etc. Chances are that others
           around you are similarly offended and will back you up.
           \_ Probably not so useful during a concert. A lot fewer ushers
              and there is a general buzz level that is to be expected.
              \_ But worth a shot.  Anyway, when confronting someone who is
                 obviously an asshole, the OP needs a different approach.  When
                 you were polite about it you showed weakness.  Your opening
                 should have been, "STFU you asshole!  I paid to be here and
                 \_ agreed.  there are really only four ways of dealing with
                    these people:
                    1) ignore it
                    2) move
                    3) talk to management, or
                    4) BE PREPARED FOR VIOLENCE.
                    If you're not actually prepared to start a fight and win,
                    stick to 1 thru 3.  I had to pull a knife on a guy in
                    a movie theater once, and in the end, I ended up back
                    at number 3) which was far more effective (fortunately
                    the management were all punks who sympathised with my
                    cause, since the perps were jocks.)
                    \_ But if everyone had guns there'd be no problems!
                       \_ "I dream of a world without guns." -- bkid
                           \_ then only criminals will have guns.
                              "Guns are as dangerous as ideas" - Stalin
                 if I hear one more word out of your stupid mouth I'm following
                 you back to your car and knifing your dumb ass!"  The asshole
                 is a lot more likely to respect someone else who is both an
                 asshole and potentially violent than someone who is polite.
                 \_ oh come on, be a little more civilized. of course, the
                    problem with civilization is you can't just kill his
                    dumb ass on the spot.
                    \_ the OP tried to be civil and got his face rubbed in it.
                       if he waved a knife in the asshole's face, he and his
                       dumbshit whore would've stfu real fast.
        \_ Go to the gym immediately and start out with some bench presses,
        as heavy as you can.  Repeat this every other day for a few years.
        If you can't stare down someone at a Simon and Garfunkel concert,
        you have real problems. -ax