I was on a 12-13 hour flight leaving at 9am local time travelling west arriving 3pm local time. I had no intention of sleeping since with a 9am departure I am not tired and with 3pm arrival I want to stay awake to go to sleep at a normal hour at the destination time zone. Sunlight during the flight helps my internal clock.

So I have seat 5A and my window shades are up from the very beginning of the flight. I had brought a large pile of recent newspapers (and some not so recent!) on the flight because I knew I would have lots of reading time. Using the small reading light is not practical to read a newspaper in my opinion because the reading light only targets a small area so natural light is much better for newspapers. I tend to get a headache if I read with insufficient lighting.

Anyway, I've got all three window shades open and we go through breakfast service and I am reading. After breakfast service, the guy from 6K (window seat all the way on the other side of the aircraft) comes over and asks me to close my shades. I said I am sorry but I would like natural light to read, and he answered that he meant only to close my first window shade. I said no problem and I closed it. That window shade was actually the one the least helping my reading (if at all) so I did not mind.

Then a couple of hours later he comes over again and aggressively tells me that I can use the reading light and that I should close my other two window shades. Given his tone of voice I flat out refused and went back to my reading and I did even look at him anymore, rather than start arguing with him. He went to the galley to complain to the flight attendants who refused to take action and they let me continue reading without even coming over to ask me anything.

Later during the flight I went to the lavatory and when I come back I see Mr 6K walking back from my side of the plane to his side of the plane; he had closed my shades while I was in the lav!

I sat down again and reopened 2 of the 3 shades. I was tempted to open 3/3!

This would be considered a day flight for most travellers (I realize some are set on different time zones); all passengers received eye shades for the flight; he impolitely requested to close my window shades; and the sun was not glaring directly in his face (it was simply natural light in the cabin). I am aware there is generally a lack of consensus regarding window shade etiquette, so despite those reasons are people in the "shades down" camp believe I should have complied to his request?