Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To be upset and annoyed at how this very large man ruined our trip to the theatre?

549 replies

QueenBean · 23/06/2015 12:16

It was my birthday a few weeks ago and my boyfriend bought me really good tickets to a show I've been wanting to see. The show is interactive and so he picked seats at the end of the row, about 3 rows from the stage. He booked these about 4 months ago to ensure they were good seats and paid £80 per ticket (I know this because it was printed on the ticket).

When we arrived, there was a morbidly obese man sitting in the seat next to mine. Except he was also taking up part of my seat, arm right over the armrest etc. I was then wedged in my seat, squeezed up to my boyfriend for the whole show. I asked the box office if they had any spare seats but they only had them in row T, far back from our seats and the next price bracket down. They also had some in a box but we wouldn't have been able to join in with the show. They said they wouldn't be able to refund and offer tickets for another day.

I felt really sorry for this man, he was clearly uncomfortable in his chair and kept moving to sort of move away from my seat. I didn't make it in any way obvious that I was uncomfortable or anything.

But I am pretty annoyed about it, and was upset last night about having our lovely trip to the theatre impacted so much by someone else. We booked our seats so far in advance to get suitable ones - why couldn't this man have booked a more suitable seat for himself? The boxes were the same price seats and had free seating (ie, they aren't fixed to the floor so can be moved), I am not sure why he couldn't have booked one of those when one was still free last night.

I am going to get flamed for not being more understanding, but what was meant to be an expensive birthday treat was greatly impacted by this man and I think he could have considered his size more when booking his own seat.

Aibu to feel annoyed at this?

OP posts:
Itsmine · 25/06/2015 11:59

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 25/06/2015 12:03

He is entitled to eat.

He's hardly going to instantly lose weight by not eating on the flight so this is just another excuse to fat bash him

Itsmine · 25/06/2015 12:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 25/06/2015 12:19

Yes and you clearly dislike and look down on obese people.

Itsmine · 25/06/2015 12:24

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 25/06/2015 12:27

A person eating would not bother me.

You definitely have a deep dislike of overweight people somewhere in there.

Itsmine · 25/06/2015 12:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 25/06/2015 12:41

It's not quite that simple. It's a deepseated sneering at them.

Itsmine · 25/06/2015 12:45

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MrsTrentReznor · 25/06/2015 13:22

YANBU.
I'm fat, and I know it's because I prefer chips to running. But I can fit into a seat without spilling over onto my neighbour.
Previous posters have said it isn't a disgust thing at all, it's a personal space thing. I agree wholeheartedly with that. I paid for the seat I can squeeze my lardy bum into. I don't want anyone touching me that I don't know. Whether it's drunk people, obese people, or touchy feel people. Don't touch me!!
Shock

Roussette · 25/06/2015 13:24

How could I feel sorry for him? I had little sympathy for him after being subjected to 3 hours of hell on a plane with someone who was oblivious to MY personal space, MY needs. Why should I be compromised like that?

It's not fatbashing. If someone was sat next to me on that plane and was pissed and sick over me, I would feel the same abhorrence as this man who sprayed me with sweat and perspiration and whose sweaty body was rammed against my body. I wouldn't feel any difference between the two people - just disgust that someone couldn't take into account another human being. If it's sneering, I'd be sneering at the drunk man too.

Roussette · 25/06/2015 13:28

Fanjo - of course he is entitled to eat and eat he did! Nonstop. Everything he brought with him and off the trolley too. He was having a grand time. I wasn't. But hey, that didn't matter did it, as long as he was OK.

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 25/06/2015 13:36

Yes. He should have suffered. Hmm

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 25/06/2015 13:37

Yes also he was the same as a pissed person being sick on you Hmm

Roussette · 25/06/2015 13:39

How ridiculous. I don't want anyone to suffer. Neither did I want to suffer - surely you get that? He can eat what he wants when he wants if that's what makes him happy, it's his body. Just don't inflict it on me in such a ghastly way.

Roussette · 25/06/2015 13:40

Fanjo - you are being deliberately obtuse.

My example of a pissed person was trying to illustrate that it is nothing to do with fatbashing but to do with anti social and horrible behaviour. And you know that.

spanky2 · 25/06/2015 14:04

I agree with fanjo! Just to weigh in there! Ho ho!

Delphine31 · 25/06/2015 14:09

On the whole it seems that Mumsnetters are an incredibly tolerant bunch. It's absolutely staggering!

I just really can't believe that all the people bashing the OP really wouldn't mind having someone (of any size) pressed up to them, their body squishing their's for the duration of a theatre performance.

I generally consider myself to be quite a nice person but I'm much more of a bitch than I thought. I definitely fall within what seems to be a tiny minority of people who wouldn't be happy about this. I wouldn't do anything to hurt my neighbour's feelings but it would impact on my comfort.

I once got on a very busy train for a long journey during Christmas getaway mayhem that was so busy that every aisle/doorway was crammed with people and the police had to stop more people trying to get on the train. Despite the fact that the aisles were full of standing passengers, I managed to find a 'spare' seat. It was spare because half of the seat (literally in this case) was taken up by the chap sitting on the adjacent seat. Obviously there were no Mumsnetters in this carriage as all of those (approximately 30 people) standing had chosen to do so rather than be pressed up against him! I approached the seat and the chap actually said to me 'feel free to sit down, but I'm sorry that there's not much room'. I wasn't well at the time and decided that half a seat was better than none for a 4.5 hour journey. I had quite a nice chat with this chap but I still would have preferred a whole seat to myself!

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 25/06/2015 14:15

Your approach is fine.

Chatting to him, pleasant.

It's the comparing him to a pissed vomiting person, a pervert, talking of his "disgusting flesh" and objecting to him eating during a flight I take issue with.

HtH.

spanky2 · 25/06/2015 14:18

Me too fanjo. Heaven forbid any of these guys ever put on weight!

Roussette · 25/06/2015 14:24

As I explained Spanky, I've been a size 20 and a size 8. My words are being twisted but hey that's MN for you

CactusAnnie · 25/06/2015 14:24

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 25/06/2015 14:45

a) no one is saying being physically squashed is enjoyable

b) being large and taking up space is not deliberately"not nice".

c) ex overweight people are often the most judgemental about the obese I find on here.

d) you just like the overweight people who agree because they "know their place".

e) just own the fact that some of you are fat bashing. Not everyone who said being squashed wouldn't be fun..but some are crossing the line.

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 25/06/2015 14:48

c) should say that I find that, on here, ex overweight people are amongst the most "judgmental of the obese" posters

GoodbyeToAllOfThat · 25/06/2015 14:50

should say that I find that, on here, ex overweight people are amongst the most "judgmental of the obese" posters

More to the point, perhaps they just disagree with the idea that it's impossible to lose weight. Naturally.

Swipe left for the next trending thread