Murder at the matinee

A dispute over texting quickly escalates to murder. It figures that this would happen in Florida, where personal restraint has never been considered a virtue.

And it figures that the immediate result would be a virulent internet flame war about guns and cell phones. Two sacred objects. Both seem to bring out the worst in people, don’t they?

My judgment is as knee-jerk as anyone else’s: Querulous old men should not bring guns to the movies. Or anywhere else. People should shut off their cell phones right about when that reminder appears on the screen. Under no circumstances should voices be raised or popcorn thrown.

But that’s in a world where civility reigns. I guess we’re kind of past that now. Now we’re all kings, and woe be unto those who trespass upon the royal estate. The old guy brought his gun because he expected one day he’d be able to back down a punk. The victim, a married father about the same age as my son, apparently didn’t get the memo about bringing popcorn to a gunfight. You don’t expect Grandpa to pull a piece, but this is America and this is Florida and this is 2014, so maybe you should have.

I know: It’s nothing to joke about. Either man could easily have prevented this. But as in the George Zimmerman case, the fact remains that only one of them had a gun. And the one who didn’t is dead. I suppose it’s apt that the movie they both went to see was Lone Survivor.