Serif
Try and understand this .....
An aeroplane is neither a democracy nor a meritocracy.
The Captain is responsible for the safety of the aircraft and pax and his/her authority/culpability is final.
This rule applies whether the aircraft is a Cessna 150 or a Boeing 747-400.
A passengers role is to listen to the instructions from the captain, usually delegated via the cabin crew and to comply.
The role of cabin crew is to listen to the captain (or FO if the captain is incapacitated) and comply, but also to offer information where appropriate; also under some exceptional circumstances (e.g. where flight deck incapacitated after an emergency landing) to take the necessary action using own initiative - but note the word is exceptional.
Before you get on your high horse about "leave professional flying to those who do it professionally", please note that air law is the same for all pilots and I have a CAA exam pass in it - do you?
Now if you ever come across me in your professional role, I will be the quiet and courteous guy in seat XX, who listens to the safety brief, follows the crew's instructions and is generally low key.
Its all about trusting the chain of command and although I don't often agree with 411A's tone, if he is the captain of the a/c I'm travelling on, then he' "The Man" as far as I am concerned and he owns the bat and ball. He also seems to have acquired a lot of hours, with the same number of take offs and landings - this is a very good sign in my limited experience.
If Sh*t happens, then decisions have to be made by however is capable of making them, but for the vast majority of the time, the guys up front will have better situational awareness (including input from cabin crew.)
This shouldn't be a contentious or emotional discussion, it's logical and if you look at the safety stats, it works.