Do as your told, when asked to do something it's not to annoy you or make your day awkward/unpleasant it's to save your life!!!!
A patronising response from someone who probably doesn't know the real answer.
A reminder that passengers are paying customers (and not mere inconveniences to the crew) might be in order for some.
However, those in the "real" know have always been aware that the arm rests must be down so that the smelly, unwashed pax don't spill over the side of their tiny stall, sorry, seat into the aisle where they might actually come into contact with some of the clean, but often stroppy and superior cabin crew. After all, it's known as "Cattle Class" in the cheap seats down the back.
Obviously, the far nicer business class people are quite different and come under a different set of rules. They might even get a polite answer to any question they choose to ask, if they catch the right person on a good day.
