I completely agree with the OP's concerns.

Afterall, given that the vast majority of planes do not crash, it is such a hardship to expect all passengers to turn off their music, and be aware of what is happening in the cabin around them, rather than get to continue in their distracted world. Why on earth should personal comfort be compromised for the safety on board of all those around you?

Of course, if your plane does crash and you can't evacuate quickly enough before the smoke overcomes you (in some cases pax have died after about a minute of exposure to fumes) because you had not situational awareness, it's all really rather unfortunate. Oh well. Them's the breaks. Still more important to be able to watch a movie.