Originally Posted by
Global321
Of course you can refuse to follow any flight crew request that is not valid. Yes, you are betting it will be determined later it is not valid. If a FA tells you to switch seats because a family wants to sit next to each other, you can say no. Posters above have given even more great reasons to want the window shade up. And the preference of one passenger does not supersede the preference/rights of another passenger.
The FA knew they had no power to demand they close the shade. and thus asked OP to lower the shade. Did not ORDER, ASKED. And OP was well within their rights to say no.
I don't disagree with your argument(s) as a general point. I am only saying you don't know the reason the shade was asked to be lowered. You are making an assumption that it was a ridiculous request by another passenger without any evidence to support it.
No one argued that the FA should not have asked the OP to "confront another passenger" (assuming that did actually happen verbatim). Could the FA have simply not asked the OP to lower the shade? Yes, the FA could have done that and ignored the other passenger's request. But FA's have a difficult job tending to numerous passengers with numerous wants/needs. We don't know the validity of the other passenger's request; it is only speculation that it was erroneous.
I am only stating all of this to point out the fact that we (us, everyone, humans) always assume the other person is wrong: in this case the FA and the other passenger. A little less "me" and a little more "us" goes a long way in this world, from all parties involved.