Was he a jerk? Or was he right?

Has this ever happened to you? You’ve boarded your flight. You put a smallish carry-on bag over your head. You are getting ready for take-off. Seat belt on. Perhaps headphones are already on your ears and then the flight attendant comes by. “Sir” or “Madam,” the flight attendant says to you, “Is this small bag yours that is is the overhead? You need to put it under the seat in front of you. We need the space so someone can put their suitcase here.” So you dutifully comply. For the rest of the flight, you are uncomfortable trying to figure out what to do with your cramped feet. Not too long ago I was on a four and a half hour flight between LAX and Chicago when the flight attendant asked a man sitting kitty-corner from me just that. The man replied, “Yes, that bag is mine, and no, I won’t move it!” The response was, “Do I have to get the captain?” At first, I thought, “What a jerk!” but then he said more. “Look, I checked my bag so I could have room for my legs and feet. Your other passenger could have done the same. Why should I be uncomfortable because that person chose not to check their bag..?” The attendant then just walked away. I had checked my bag so I wouldn’t feel cramped though I kept my purse under the seat in front of me but still had lots of foot room. After hearing this man’s reasoning, I decided, “You know, he is right!” Is there an airline rule that if you bring a small bag on the flight and someone brings their suitcase, they preempt your ability to put that small bag in the overhead? I don’t know. What do you think?

***Given how stressful flight attendants’ work is right now due to Covid, if I were to take a flight, I have to admit I probably wouldn’t push back very hard on this. I wouldn’t want to make their job any more difficult than it already is.