"AITA for asking someone to stop filming at a restaurant?"
I went to a late night sushi restaurant after a stressful day at work. There was a group of loud people at a table near us. I was trying to chill and there was a flash of light and one of the group was filming the others with the flash on and myself and my friend were the background (I don’t think that was intentional).
I was annoyed because I hate being filmed but tried to ignore it. They were filming for a couple minutes. They ended the video but starting filming a few minutes later, again with the flash shining at us. I stood up slightly and I mouthed to one of the girls to turn off the flash, she laughs and looks away from me.
I got pissed off and walked over to the table and asked the person filming directly to turn off their flash as it was bothering me and my friend. They all looked at me like I was insane and she turned it off after I repeated myself twice. I went back to my seat and she starts making aggressive comments about people having “sensitive eyes” and the group was laughing and looking over at me and my friend.
I think I could have been the ahole because they were having fun and I came over and potentially embarrassed her. Maybe I should have just ignored it and got over myself.
However, I think it’s really inappropriate to film others at a restaurant (even accidentally) and at first I chose to ignore it and then subtly asked them to stop before coming over. I also could have been extra irritable and overreacted after my terrible work day.
Here's what people had to say to OP:
LohkeUncensored said:
NTA filming in a casual setting, without respect for other people, has gotten out of hand.
Thanatofobia said:
NTA. But only because they where using their flash while filming and i can 100% see how that can be VERY annoying for other people, especially in a restaurant. I mean, you didn't ask them to stop filming, you asked them to stop using their flashlight. If they weren't using a flash, you wouldn't even have noticed it...
EffableFornent said:
NTA, some people just don't know how to behave. But the staff probably should have dealt with it.
Fancy-Still-4297 said:
NTA. It was really rude of the people shining bright lights. I’m prone to migraines and bright lights are a definite trigger. you were extremely polite and way beyond tolerant. I would have also asked them to edit our faces before posting.
With the snarky remarks they probably wouldn’t have but I’ve ended a similar request with “for security reasons I can’t allow my face to be on the internet-I’ll pursue my legal rights if my face appears when you post.”
Mediocre-Metal-1796 said:
NTA. I’m surprised the waiter didn't tell them to behave.
Sharp-Session said:
NTA and you did everyone a service by embarrassing her. These people need to experience shame. I wish more people would call this behavior out.
mirrorballalyssa said:
NTA: I can understand a video or two, but they kept going with the videos. They should have been more considerate of those around them, especially in a restaurant where people are just trying to enjoy their meal.
Srvntgrrl_789 said:
NTA. You’re not required to put up with disruptive behavior while you’re dining. Next time, though, get the manager to intervene.