Yesterday at work there were two girls of around eight or nine running up and down the aisles. Remember I'm in a convienience branch, not a larger supermarket, so more potential for an accident. The mother wasn't saying anything and no one else was challenging them, it wasn't until I shouted from behind the till "Calm down girls, it's not a playground in here" that she started telling them to 'stop it and come here NOW', etc, etc.
The thing that I have an issue with is that there’s a fine line between “don’t do that it’s against the law”, and “don’t do that it’s legal but *I* don’t like it so stop it”, the latter often dressed up as the first hoping that the person on the receiving end doesn’t know any different. I’m sure many people will have experienced this when parking, for example, and there’s a whole thread about recent issues at Acton Bridge station which is a case in point.
Part of the reason we have laws is that they’re passed by a parliament who (supposedly!) represent the wishes and best interest of the population of a whole, rather than the individual likes, dislikes, whims, preferences and prejudices of some. Likewise why law enforcement should be in the hands of people who have more authority, knowledge and training than the average joe public.
It wouldn’t be a very nice society if everyone went round challenging each other all the time, for a start a lot would be based on ignorance and selfishness rather than legal reality.
The only time I really like this “calling others out” is when there’s an immediate risk to the safety of others, or where someone is in a genuine position of authority, for example a member of staff with direct responsibility for safety or preservation of assets, or of course a police officer.
Then there’s of course the practical reality that it’s inviting conflict, which is dangerous when there’s no place of safety, and can make life much more difficult for the people who are properly trained and equipped to deal with such issues. It’s no coincidence that the railway staff here are attempting to urge caution, and with good reason - they will know about real situations where things have turned nasty, either through first-hand experience or through dealing with the consequences.