I guess my point is not that the flight attendant was wrong but rather that they're both idiots for getting in an argument over nothing.

I don't think it's fair to pass judgment on the company based on the actions of 1 unenlightened steward on a bad day.

Paying for first class doesn't give you the right to compromise the safety of the flight.

I remember flying in the copilot seat with a laptop on my lap in a six seater. I think this was... four weeks ago? Didn't seem to compromise any kind of safety. Do you really think if someone wanted to electronically tamper with the plane they would be as obvious as opening a laptop and working on an email?

That's a surprising number of upvotes. Are people really that scared of electronic interference in flight, or is it a more general sentiment?

Even if it's harmless, I don't think it's his place to make a decision about whether electronic interference is dangerous to the plane's equipment or not and affect the safety of everyone else on board. The steward on the other hand is completely justified in enforcing/following the airline's (industry?) policy.