To prefer to quietly worry about abandoned shopping bags rather than suffer mild social embarrassment? [title edited by MNHQ]

[Houseofmirth66]

I took my children to the cinema last night and a woman scooted across the row in front of us, deposited her shopping bags on an empty seat and then went and sat miles away on the other side of the cinema. I asked the girl siting next to the bags if she knew the woman and she said no. Whilst I knew the bags were quite unlikely to contain a bomb, I did spend the whole film thinking I really should call the usher to check it out - but didn't! AIBU to literally rather die than look slightly silly in front of a load of people I don't even know. Bearing in mind that the kids would have been taken out too.

[Helmetbymidnight]

Don't forget to take your bags!

[Run247]

I reported an unattended back in Dubai airport (after security). Nobody was interested. I probably spoke to ten different people, from cleaners, shopkeepers, those people who drive electric carts, to airline check in desks. It was not moved in the six hours I was there. Even though it was after security and the likelihood of a bomb being low- I was appalled. They did not give a shit.

[Run247]

*bag not back!

[hazelnutlatte]

There have been psychological experiments which have shown that people often don't act in a potentially dangerous situation for fear of embarrassment. One famous experiment involved putting people in a waiting room and then filling it with smoke. The more people in the room, the less likely it was that anyone would react! If one person reacted then the rest would follow. People take their behaviour cues from those around them - I presume no one else reported the bags either OP?
Someone with more than a laypersons knowledge of psychology will hopefully come along and explain it better than me

[Senpai]

Eh, I wouldn't have said anything. Most bombs are very low tech (Think fertilizer and fire) and need an ignition source. Pressure cookers are popular and used because the heat of the sun ignites them, again not something in a theater. Or they are high tech built by people who don't really know what they're doing and have low explosive power.

But it's not something you'd really put in a shopping bag or suitcase like movies would imply. A bomb that size would likely blow up a chair if that, cause some panic, but in terms of injuries you're more likely to be injured by bits of flying chair than a ball of fire.

In reality, your movie theater would be blown up by a van outside the theater like the OK bombing back in 1990's. That's not likely to happen either with all the parking angst you guys have.

Sleep easy, you're not getting blown up anytime soon. :)

[Helmetbymidnight]

But bomb threat aside, it's really cheeky/odd to leave your bags somewhere and sit somewhere else. Most people would worry the contents will be nicked.