CC here, hope you don't mind if I add my twopence worth...
I think we all have stories on how pax did not realize something was happening, I had two medicals occuring exactly at the same moment in flight once, poor lady fainted next to the trolley and as she fell she pulled hot water pot right on another woman's chest, who then was screaming and was really badly burnt. With 4 CC to deal with them, we were running around like headless chickens, grabbing medical kits, oxygen bottles, stowing trollies, making PAs for medics, etc.
A group of three ladies (on a hen do I think) had tried to stop me several times during this event, each time I told them I would have to come back later. When we finally resumed service this woman asked for my name complaining what a diabolical service I had povided, all she wanted is for me to chill them some champagne but that i always had "somrthing more important to do than dealing with her".
When I kindly (and only with a hint of sarcasm0 explained to her what had happened she and her friends were really embarrassed and apologized, apparently they had no clue as to what was happening 5 rows in front of them, despite several PAs for medical assistance, one woman screaming and another on the recovery position on the aisle 5 rows in front of them!
Are we expecting too much of our pax or is ithe difference only that we are trained to be "situationally aware" and they are not? As I always say, while safety will be on the back of pax minds when on a plane, for CC and FC safety is always at the forefront of theirs.I think that explains a lot of these stories and why pax sometimes find it hard to appreciate why they have to follow "silly" safety rules, such as putting seatback upright, stowing bags, etc.
B