Had that on our flight from HNL; the lady behind us put her handbag in front of my carry on, so during the flight when I needed stuff from my bag, I had to move hers to get to mine. I was respectful and put it back carefully but as soon as I did, her husband jumped up to check on it. Don't know what he though I might have done to it in the two seconds it was out of the overhead while I pulled my own bag out
With all the tizz these days about theft from bags, one doesn't know from a glance how long you've handled the bag, so it's likely nothing against you but so he sees fit to check nothing was out of place with the bag.
To more directly answer the question in the topic title, well, I'm sure we've all read/seen
Animal Farm and while we don't live in a socialist society, yes, the topic seems to hold.
What is also quite apparent as it does get demonstrated in a multitude of threads on several issues is that the propensity for a flight experience to be smooth rests highly on the ability to trust people (dare I say it,
adults) to
do the right* thing by each other. The fact that this cannot be relied upon all the time is the source of all conflicts and these kinds of rants, however since a lot of it cannot be pinned back to legal requirements, we feel ultimately quite powerless (or at least as equally powerless or powerful as the other party). I don't outright blame the OP for being tight lipped for this reason, because being firm could have ultimately lead to nothing and/or caused the carrier to fold to this idiot pollie's side. If someone being stubborn and unreasonable could be held for breaking the law, they might be tempted to do something, however if there is no legal obligation, then it is very difficult (even for the carrier) to insist on action on their part.
Lucky for me, I've not had overhead locker space disputes ever. In fact, I remember a few times that locker space was getting to a premium, and the negotiation between 2 or 3 other passengers and myself to rearrange our bags to maximise the available space whilst maintaining our belongings near each other was a very cordial exchange, believe it or not. Of course, sometimes I'm not the lucky one and have had to live with my bag being about 8 rows away from where I am; thankfully, retrieving it diplomatically has never been a difficult mission.
* What is "right" could be legal, moral, ethical or honourable