Female pilot tosses passenger for sexist remarks

[cali]

SAO PAULO (AP) -- A Brazilian airline says one of its female pilots tossed a passenger off a flight because he was making sexist comments about women flying planes.

Trip Airlines says in a Tuesday statement the pilot ejected the man before takeoff as he made loud, sexist comments upon learning the pilot was a woman. The jet continued on to the state of Goias after a one-hour delay.

The passenger involved in Friday's incident has not been identified. He was met by police at the plane and escorted out of the Belo Horizonte airport. Police at the airport have not responded to calls and it isn't known if the man has been charged with anything.

Trip says it won't tolerate disparaging remarks made about any of the 1,400 women working for the airline.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/L/LT_BRAZIL_AIRLINE_SEXIST_COMMENTS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-05-22-17-52-18

[Enrique]

1. i bet he didn't like that

not one bit.

[left coaster]

2. Only a real genius would want to piss off his pilot before take off..

..or, oh, say his surgeon, before she operates on him..

Idiot.

[madinmaryland]

10. Or his dentist before she cleans his teeth...

[Aviation Pro]

107. Check Snopes....

...that was an internet hoax.

[madinmaryland]

169. It was a good one, though!!

[Bake]

118. Really? The pilot is going to crash the plane to spite one asshole passenger?

The analogy is kind of lacking ...

Bake

[4th law of robotics]

120. Well there's not much a pilot can do to harm any one passenger

unless she was going to kill them all to spite this one guy.

A dentist/surgeon is dealing with you one and one. A pilot, not so much.

/I'd add waiter to that list as well.

[Buns_of_Fire]

127. RE: Waiters/Waitresses/Waitrons/Counter Ordertakers/Whatever...

Never, never, EVER piss off a person who gets to your food before you do.

If your dentist ever asks you, "Is it safe?"... You're on your own.

[bvar22]

146. ...or ANYONE who cooks or serves them food.

!

[virgogal]

3. Yaaaaaay Good for her.

[ProfessionalLeftist]

4. Good for her!

Way to go!

Zero tolerance.

[Proles]

5. Serves him right. As pilot in command, it's perfectly within her right

to kick people off her airplane.

[whathehell]

6. LOL!!...Good for her!

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

7. I saw this happen on Alaska Airlines

Some old geezer began berating the female captain for stealing a job that should have gone to a veteran.

[Darth_Kitten]

8. So he was kicked off, or just told to shut up or he would be?

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

11. The plane had already landed,

She just told him to enjoy his stay in Portland and walked away.

[Darth_Kitten]

12. But for him to go up to her and say that?

That's just plain nasty.

[Liberal_in_LA]

9. omg

[Stargazer09]

17. Didn't the old geezer...

...stop to think that women can be veterans, too?

[kardonb]

37. old geezer

Some of these old guys just can't get their head around the fact that times , and opinions ,about women have changed . They still think its the 20th century , early on , when they were " Lord of the Manor " , and women were only there to cook and clean for them and have babies . Feel sorry for them , they can't help it .

[CrispyQ]

93. There are plenty of young ones with that attitude too.

IMO, women have gone back wards in this country since I was a teen in the 70s. I worry about the influence media has, especially on young minds. Our culture pushes the stereotype that women are here to serve men. Also, there's a blatant sexualization to all of it, that I don't recall in the past. Our culture has always been a misogynist one, just not pumped up so much on sex. Poll dolls & thongs for little girls - people think that's ok? And then there's the violence, but that's a whole other thread. ~sigh.

I'm not a parent, but I can't imagine the time & patience it must take to counter this cesspool we call a culture. Hat's off to all who are engaged & doing a good job raising their young ones!

[Arugula Latte]

128. They feel enttitled to everything.

All non-white males and all females are below them and "lesser" -- they believe that with all their heart.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

38. Do you really think that would have modified his outlook?

Something tells me he wouldn't be cheering on women in the airforce.

[Stargazer09]

68. You have a point

Back in his day, women weren't worthy of "real" jobs. Sad, sad, sad.

[dana_b]

13. Excellent!

She may have taught him a lesson and saved someone from further disparaging remarks from this guy.

[spanone]

14. k&r...

[marmar]

15. Good for her.

Perhaps he can find a seat on Asshole Pig Air.

[Nye Bevan]

16. Seems like a bit of an overreaction.

Airline personnel are now on the alert for politically incorrect speech as well as security threats?

[treestar]

18. It's an airplane

An enclosed tube hurtling through the air at several thousand feet. Anyone that idiotic might cause a problem up in the air.

[Nye Bevan]

21. I guess you're right.

I understand that there have been some instances of sexist comments interfering with aircraft electronics and navigation systems. Better safe than sorry.

[treestar]

24. no it's more that he would say something against the pilot piloting the plane

when he's a passenger that makes one think he is a nutcase.

He must have been relived anyway. He wants to be transported above ground at 500 mph by a female pilot when he thinks females don't have that ability? Maybe he volunteered to get off.

[obamanut2012]

85. "Oh great, we have a black guy flying this plane"

"Was he even smart enough to pass the test?"

Would that be okay to say?

Do you not get employees have a right to not be harassed or discriminated against by non employees? That is actually the law here.

[blueamy66]

108. [phone]

nt

[4th law of robotics]

121. How so?

The guy is an idiot no doubt.

But so are the people who pack everything they own and claim it's just "carry on".

If every idiot were kicked off a plane because they might cause trouble we'd have no passengers. And few pilots.

[Honeycombe8]

20. It's a matter of several things.

First, you don't want a passenger speaking loudly expressing concerns about the qualifications of the pilot, getting passengers nervous or scared.

Second, it's more than not politically correct. It really is hate speech to loudly proclaim in public disparaging remarks about someone just because of his/her race or gender or age.

Third, it's a private business, selling tickets to the public. The business has a right not to serve anyone they find is disruptive to their business. Same as if you were seated in a restaurant and started loudly talking about how your waiter being black means the service will be lousy, the waiter will be lazy, or whatever other disparaging remarks you can think of. The business has an employee in the process of doing his job; he has a right not to be subjected to disparaging, discriminatory, hate remarks from the public.

[spooky3]

114. +1 well said

and, as other posters pointed out, Title VII forbids discrimination against employees based on race, gender, etc. - and includes harassment and discrimination by customers when the employer can control it. In this case, it could. Not sure what the Brazilian laws say but I'm glad the company stands behind its pilots and female employees.

Geezerdom is no excuse for rude or discriminatory behavior. People have a responsibility to control themselves, and that geezer knows it, even if he is too stupid to have learned through time.

[Honeycombe8]

180. "Geezerdom"! LOL. I'm going to steal your term....that is so good. nt

[undeterred]

23. No, its not. If she personally kicked his ass off the plane

that would have been ok too.

[randome]

33. I don't think 'politically incorrect' and 'insulting' are quite the same.

[marmar]

34. 'for politically incorrect speech'

Dios mio.

[Cerridwen]

60. You're right, of course.

All members of the worker caste, er class, regardless of pay, should be required to tolerate the most abusive language a customer can throw at them. If it escalates to abusive behavior, well, too fucking bad, huh? They are after all, just workers. Why the hell should they think they have any sort of right to get through their day without abuse? Geez, what do they think they are, ruling class? Meh, it's just business and the customer is always right...unless the customer is fucking with the business...but I digress.

Since there appears to be an influx of the sarcastically impaired, the previous message was brought to you by

[Blue_Tires]

74. Pilots have a LOT of leeway to remove passengers if there's even a chance

that person would make the flight run less smoothly...

it's generally good advice to not make them upset

[obamanut2012]

83. Employees have a right to not be discriminated against and harassed

By NON EMPLOYEES, ie clients, customers, diners, passengers. A LEGAL right. That's in the US, and I'm sure is the law and the company norm in many other places, too.

[chervilant]

102. Since when

on this website is it appropriate to characterize sexist remarks as "politically incorrect speech"? That's the kind of remark I've witnessed from the most sexist among us.

[McCamy Taylor]

160. He questioned the plane's safety in a way that would alarm other passengers.

Like shouting "fire" in a theater. He was a safety risk himself.

[justice1]

164. No, but hostile passengers yes.

At the airline I did business for, white males, were the minority, and so we were accustomed to the remarks. I felt sorry for my Muslim coworkers, who were the easiest, most accommodating people, and by far they were treated the worst by passengers... Sitting on a cramped plane, bored, and consuming alcohol, doesn't improve their behavior... A few years ago, a passenger was asked to take their seat, for landing. The flight attendant was attacked, and feces were spread throughout the cabin. My co-worker, who had stomach of steel, about hurled trying to clean it. In the mean time, passengers were delayed, and missed connections, due to the behavior of one person.

[Ikonoklast]

172. When captaining an airplane or a ship

the person in command is responsible for that vessel and everything and everyone in it.

If they don't like your haircut, they can ask you to get off, and there is precious little anyone other than their employer can do about it.

At sea, or in the air, their word is law.


Designating someone a 'Captain' does actually mean something. The Pilot In Command has final say over everything in and on that craft...period.

[CTyankee]

19. total and complete asshole deserving of whatever he got.

Idiot!

[treestar]

26. So what if it had been a black pilot?

Or a gay pilot? Would that mean "emotional and insecure?"

[Logical]

29. Yes, It would be. People are idiots. Dealing with them is part of the job.

[Luminous Animal]

39. You can get kicked off a plane for harassing the personnel or other passengers. Given that people

are regularly kicked off for doing so that makes the entire industry emotional and insecure.

When I worked as a store clerk and a customer started harassing me, I'd kick that person out. Did that make me emotional and insecure?

[Logical]

40. I have worked fast food, drug stores, etc. If I kicked out every rude customer I would feel stupid!

[Luminous Animal]

73. I've worked retail for many years and I kicked out every customer

that loudly started spewing misogynist, or racist, or homophobic crap. Not an infrequent occurrence in Southern California. Bigotry goes well beyond rude and does not deserve sheepish acceptance.

As the article states: "Trip says it won't tolerate disparaging remarks made about any of the 1,400 women working for the airline." So, the company stands with her. Good for them.

[obamanut2012]

87. I have worked retail management and have kicked out customers

For being racist, homophobic, ageist, xenophobic, and sexist. And for sexual harassing staff. It is not only the ethical and moral thing to do, it is the LEGAL thing to do.

[treestar]

94. And it shows that behavior is not tolerated

Tolerating it leads to acceptance that it is OK.

[Quantess]

170. I disagree with your assertion that the pilot was "emotional".

She made a rational decision that the customer was going to be a behavioral problem, and that he should not stay on the plane.

He stated himself that he had hesitations flying with her as a pilot, so... the customer is always right!

[Luminous Animal]

52. Dealing with people is not part of a pilots job. Flying the plane is.

Anyone who harasses a pilot, needs to get booted. If the passenger was similarly harassing the staff, he should get booted. If he was harassing passengers, he should get booted.

[RedCappedBandit]

55. Seems like this idiot was dealth with nicely. nt

[Iggo]

81. She dealt with him.

Good job.

[chervilant]

103. People are idiots?!

Perhaps you should speak for yourself...

[LanternWaste]

106. And the pilot did indeed, as part of her job, deal with this particular idiot in a most efficient an

And the pilot did indeed, as part of her job, deal with this particular idiot in a most efficient and effective manner.

That it may seem to you to be an overreaction does not in any way illustrate that it was in fact, an over-reaction at all-- merely that you yourself believe it as such.

[Darth_Kitten]

27. She was quite logical, he was the insecure, whiny baby who couldn't handle things.

n/t

[Logical]

31. I agree he was a sexist idiot. But ignoring them is the best solution. n-t

[Darth_Kitten]

36. Nah, sometimes you have to nip them in the bud.

[SunSeeker]

48. You can't just ignore disruptive people in the confines of an airplane.

It's a safety issue. It's like someone yelling the plane is going down and creating a panic. This guy was disparaging the skills of the pilot and was disrupting the flight, just like someone yelling at a flight attendant. As the article says, this guy was being loud.

They have to maintain peace on a flight to maintain safety for the passengers. You just can't say whatever you want on an airplane, and you certainly can't yell (crying babies aside). If the douchebag had just mumbled his thoughts to his neighbor, he would not have gotten kicked off. It's when he kept loudly broadcasting his indictment of the pilot's skills that he forced the pilot's hand.

[treestar]

95. +1

The poster arguing this should ask the other passengers too. If someone was loudly yelling that the pilot can't handle the plane, I'd feel a little unsafe. What will that person do when we are at 10000 feet? And during the whole flight?

[ZombieHorde]

78. Why ignore them when kicking them off the plane is so much fun?! nt

[obamanut2012]

88. That is the worst thing to do with sexist idiots

It empowers and emboldens them. And, employees should never have to deal with them. Ever.

[chervilant]

105. Yeah, right

I guess our forebears should have just ignored all those Southerners who insisted on keeping slaves. Surely, that would have been the best solution.

[LanternWaste]

123. That there is in fact, no one Best Solution in dealing with anti-social behavior

I would think that many different solutions would be the best choice depending on particular situations. That there is in fact, no one "Best Solution" in dealing with anti-social behavior, if that for no other reason, idiotic behavior manifests itself in innumerable ways.

[secondvariety]

32. I take it you don't have daughters-

the over compensating macho sexist bullshit gets old.

[Logical]

35. You are wrong again. Two daughters. Both in College. Both amazing. So quit the whining.

[Nye Bevan]

42. Me too. And if my daughter was a pilot, I would be prouder of her if she laughed off

stupid comments, rather than throwing a hissyfit and delaying the flight and inconveniencing all of the other passengers.

[Logical]

46. +1000, but no one here will understand your point. n-t

[Luminous Animal]

51. Where in that article did it state that the pilot threw a hissy fit?

[SunSeeker]

58. Nice catch.

Very revealing choice of words, isn't it?

[cali]

54. throwing a hissy fit? And you know this how, dear?

you were on the flight, right? No?

People get tossed of planes frequently for obstreperous behavior. How do YOU know that he wasn't loudly disturbing other passengers? How do YOU know that he hadn't been asked to please stop his disruptive behavior? Oh, you don't, huh? I hate to break this to you, hon, but people don't have the right to get on a plane and behave obnoxiously. How do YOU fucking know that the passenger wasn't the one disturbing the passengers.

You don't know a fucking thing about this. But that doesn't stop you from making shit up.

[Nye Bevan]

57. Now now. Let's try to keep this civilized.

No need for the profanity. There may be ladies reading this thread.

[SunSeeker]

62. Yes, the f-word is reserved for the lords of the manor.

[Fawke Em]

84. Fuck you...

And I'm a lady.

(My apologies if this goes to a jury).

[EOTE]

100. I'd let it pass.

Your post get a big from me. Sometimes a good 'fuck you' is really the only appropriate response.

[NCTraveler]

136. +1

[cali]

86. how quaint, sweetpea.

now how about answering the questions, honeybunch?

[EOTE]

99. You turned this uncivilized as soon as you accused a female pilot who refused to be harassed...

of throwing a "hissy fit". I think it's quite clear what you meant by that and you have absolutely zero evidence of such.

[chervilant]

109. Wow...

You just keep flying your sexist banner high, don't ya?

[CBGLuthier]

82. hissy fit? Because that is what women do? Throw hissy fits?

great term there. how about instead she exercised her authority? no no just a girl with a hissy fit.

To steal from Brunner I would say some folks have not yet celebrated their 21st.

[obamanut2012]

90. Standing up for your rights is "throwing a hissyfit"?

Good God.

[LanternWaste]

129. What specifically leads you to conclude the pilot threw a "hissyfit"?

What specifically leads you to conclude the pilot threw a "hissyfit"? Do we conclude that you believe any pilot who demands the expulsion of an anti-social passenger has thrown a "hissyfit", or is there a particular, relevant, and precise reason you concluded her response was based simply on emotion?

[Nye Bevan]

132. BTW , 6-0 to keep. Thanks jury (nt)

[LanternWaste]

134. Yet it continues to beg the question...

Yet it continues to beg the question...

What specifically leads you to conclude the pilot threw a "hissyfit"? Do we conclude that you believe any pilot who demands the expulsion of an anti-social passenger has thrown a "hissyfit", or is there a particular, relevant, and precise reason you concluded her response was based simply on emotion?

[Luminous Animal]

43. When your daughters are trying to do their job in a professional manner and some idiots won't leave

them alone, I hope they suck it up and let the behavior continue. Even if that behavior encourages others to pile on as well. It would be really grand if they were working in a male dominated field and ALL of their co-workers habitually harassed them. After all, DOING something about it is merely whining.

(FYI - )

[Logical]

45. My daughters have already dealt with their share of sexist fools. And handled them perfect! n-t

[Luminous Animal]

49. It's too bad that all women don't have your daughter's superwoman powers

to stop harassment dead in its tracks all by themselves. Maybe your daughter's can give seminars. And just think, all that money wasted on HR just so women have someone to go to in order to whine.

[randome]

53. I think you have a point about some people being overly sensitive. BUT...

...I think that's up to the woman to decide. I don't think men have the same experience with the world that a woman does -in general.

I have daughters, too, and they are guided by my viewpoints but I am guided by theirs, too.

So while we can offer opinions, we won't have the same understanding of the situation as a woman does.

[Luminous Animal]

72. And the pilot could have chosen to laugh in the guy's face and he might have quieted down...

but that is no guarantee that would have shut the guy up for good. Which would end up with the guy spewing his sexist bullshit with the passengers and staff as a captive audience while the pilot sits behind closed doors and safe from his harassment.

Yeah, that's my idea of an ideal flight. Listening to a sexist (or racist or homophobic) ass from one airport to another with little recourse to make it stop.

Yeah, individual women, people of color, and religious minorities laughed the problem (in the work place) away for centuries and decades. If that works so well then why Civil Rights Act. Why give protections to people as a class so we don't have to rely solely on the individual to make the attempt to right a wrong but we have the law and constitution to back us up in our demands from a harassment-free professional work place.

My working career has spread 4 decades (from 15-55) and I've seen some remarkable changes and I applaud businesses that have policies in place that take the burden off the individual to "police" bigoted behavior.

And as the article states: "Trip says it won't tolerate disparaging remarks made about any of the 1,400 women working for the airline." So obviously, the company stands with her. Good for them.

[chervilant]

111. Starting with their

own father, apparently...

[spooky3]

116. They haven't even gotten out of college but have already encountered "their share of sexist fools?"

Doesn't that suggest that individual "handling" of sexist behavior is not solving the problems?

[Luminous Animal]

174. +1000

[secondvariety]

59. So, I guess

you don't have a problem with someone spewing sexist bullshit about your daughters. You tell your daughters they should just shut up and take it? Or do you just avert eye contact and meekly try to change the subject? What a joke.

[Luminous Animal]

75. It's a mystery!

[spooky3]

115. then they haven't started working in careers yet and haven't yet told you about the

crap that women sometimes get subjected to on the job.

School is a very egalitarian environment. Companies often are not. Let us know after they have worked for 10 years or so--and in a much improved era than when many here started their careers, where we can hope that they will experience far less overt discrimination.

[chknltl]

25. sticks n stones may break my bones but words....

Will get you TSd from a plane...hope that guy likes pizza!.....................these times they are a changin.

[Odin2005]

28. Good!

[DeSwiss]

30. K&R

- Gee, you don't think that unidentified passenger was George Tierney Jr. of Greenville, South Carolina, do you? Because it does sound like something George Tierney Jr. of Greenville, South Carolina would say to a woman.....

[LadyHawkAZ]

41. Not at all!

Because George Tierney Jr. of Greenville, South Carolina doesn't want to be discussed or even noticed on teh Google! So it's likely that George Tierney Jr. of Greenville, South Carolina wouldn't do anything sexist to make teh Google take notice, right?

[DeSwiss]

47. My apologies.....

...I stand corrected. Because I would never want to besmirch the name of George Tierney Jr. of Greenville, South Carolina. At least I wouldn't want to besmirch his name anymore than the name George Tierney Jr. of Greenville, South Carolina already is besmirched......

[SunSeeker]

64. LOL! Ok, you got me to click the link. Heeeeelarious!

I'm proud to have added one more click to reinforce the Google result!

[DeSwiss]

71. Oooh.....

...George Tierney Jr. of Greenville, South Carolina won't like that one bit.

[JNelson6563]

104. lolz My exact thought reading the OP!

[fishwax]

141. omg -- I hadn't heard about that story yet

thanks for the links.

[obamanut2012]

44. Well done -- way to protect and respect employees!

[backscatter712]

50. That's what he gets for being a douche! n/t

[Fawke Em]

91. Being a douche is probably the only way

he'll get close to female genitalia after this incident.

[gort]

56. A pilot has the same authority as the Captain of a ship

She did what any pilot would do.

[Nye Bevan]

61. Would Captain Chelsey Sullenberger have thrown someone off a plane

for making a snide remark about his mustache?

I think not.

[Cerridwen]

66. You're right, of course.

I'm sure old Sully would have been proud to take abuse by the customers on his flights.

How often do you figure that happened to the man?


Since there appears to be an influx of the sarcastically impaired, the previous message was brought to you by

[SunSeeker]

69. Any responsible pilot would kick a loud, disruptive passenger off a plane.

It's a matter of public safety. Even a crying toddler has been kicked off, by a MALE pilot.
http://blogs.babycenter.com/mom_stories/2-year-old-kicked-off-flight-for-tantrum-is-flying-anti-kid/

This douche was being loud, and repeatedly disparaging the pilot's skills--which can cause passenger panic, like saying there's something wrong with the plane. It was not just one "snide remark." If he had just made one snide remark to his neighbor, he would not have gotten kicked off. He forced the pilot's hand by being loud and repeating his statements.

But, if you want to test your theory, next time you board a plane with a mustachioed pilot, I suggest you start loudly disparaging his mustache and see how long they let you keep that up.

[Darth_Kitten]

80. Thing is, he's a man, he wouldn't be insulted.

n/t

[treestar]

96. And he's lived his whole life as a man

And not had his competency questioned just for having a mustache.

[chervilant]

110. Nor is it likely that

he has been accused of throwing a 'hissy fit' while performing competently at his job.

[Darth_Kitten]

177. Yup.

[wickerwoman]

155. Good point...

because making fun of a man's facial hair is exactly the same as questioning a person's professional competence based on their genitalia.

[underseasurveyor]

63. Good!

[Auntie Bush]

65. She should have ejected him while the plane was taking off.

[justiceischeap]

67. The real headline should be "How would some people in this thread react if the pilot were male?"

I predict if the pilot were male, there would be no questioning his motives, whether he was suffering from PMS or throwing a "hissy fit" or that he should grin and bear abusive behavior. People would be congratulating the guy for not taking shit from a passenger.

[Nye Bevan]

70. I wonder, if the pilot was a Texan, and he threw someone off for making a crack about "rednecks",

if he would be getting the same amount of support here.

BTW, you are the first person in this thread to mention the issue of "PMS". I personally do not think that is an appropriate issue to raise.

[spooky3]

117. Are you seriously arguing that calling someone a "redneck" is comparable to

racist hate speech, sexual harassment, or keeping anyone who isn't a white male in low paying jobs, etc.? Funny, no one in the Congress seemed to agree with you when they reviewed all the evidence that anti-discrimination laws were needed. And apparently Brazilians see it the same way.

[4th law of robotics]

124. This passenger kept the female pilot in a low paying job?

Huh.

[spooky3]

181. You completely missed the point--which is that all of the examples I gave were of

types of discriminatory behavior that is outlawed. Calling someone a redneck--which probably would be based largely on how the person acted, rather than an immutable characteristic, is not illegal. Read the history of the legislation if you don't understand why a distinction was drawn.

[RitchieRich]

147. hate speach is hate speach.

Its a bad idea to let someone piss you off to the point where you approve of any form of hatred. Attacking a person's social status is right there with attacking any other form of status.

There are plenty of good rebuttals that don't employ the same thing you are refuting.

[spooky3]

182. You also have missed the point, which is that under US law, different behavior and speech are

treated differently under the law, for an entire set of reasons that have been extensively documented elsewhere.

Why not read up on this if you aren't aware of it?

No one is arguing that running around insulting people is a good idea.

[treestar]

97. +1

Sexists will condemn a female no matter how she handles things.

[4th law of robotics]

122. Likely he'd have been labeled an authoritarian, high on his own power

consider how police are treated (mostly male) when they overstep their power.

Are they labeled heroes on here?

[justiceischeap]

131. I'm just suggesting there would be a different response

if a male threw someone off a plane for their behavior. I'd also guess that male pilots toss people off planes quite often and it never makes the news.

[4th law of robotics]

133. I haven't heard of a male pilot tossing someone off because they were personally offended

by that passenger.

If he did he would be overstepping his bounds.

[LanternWaste]

135. I imagine that we often imagine hypothetical scenarios only in such a way

I imagine that we often imagine hypothetical scenarios only in such a way as to better validate our own preconceptions.

[4th law of robotics]

137. Possibly, but I was replying to such a hypothetical

so that cuts both ways.

[LanternWaste]

153. It certainly does

"so that cuts both ways..."

It certainly does-- no implication was made the contrary... unless you simply inferred one.

However (to expand your cutting metaphor), when we shave vertically, it's much more effective that shaving horizontally. Granted, collectively they cut both ways, yet only one if them is a problem.

We can all pretend. I think if the pilot was a large cat, it would have eaten the passenger. Possibly...

[4th law of robotics]

163. "when we shave vertically, it's much more effective that shaving horizontally"

Uh . . . ok. . .

/slowly backs away.

[Luminous Animal]

173. What an odd post. Police = airline pilots?

Standing up for oneself within in the guidelines of your employer = beating, arresting, and harassing peaceful protesters?

[4th law of robotics]

175. I never said police = airline pilots

we were talking about how someone in a position of authority (like pilots, or cops) would be viewed on here for overstepping their bounds based on their gender.

The person I was responding to seemed to think men would get a complete pass for abusing their authority.

Since I couldn't find any instances of male pilots kicking someone off because that passenger hurt his feelings I went with a very common story of police officers (mostly male) abusing their authorities. They are not given a heroes welcome here, even though they are male.

Additionally cops do other things besides beat and arrest peaceful protesters who were just trying to bring milk to a kitten stuck in a tree and help old ladies across the street. Like say, pull you over for nothing a give you a silly ticket. That would be more on par with this.

[NoPasaran]

76. Two of six jurors voted "Let 'em crash"

[LadyHawkAZ]

79. They bought their tickets, they knew what they were getting into!

[RitchieRich]

149. Nice!

Great movie! Thanks for lightening this mess up a bit. For a moment I was worried it would be a different clip... my monitor may have melted.

[LadyHawkAZ]

157. I am a horrible person

and one of these days, I'm going to be boarding a plane with this movie loaded on my tablet.

And I'm going to watch it.

[RitchieRich]

159. just...

if you do, make sure you glance around a lot and mutter under your breath the whole time.
People like that.

[LadyHawkAZ]

161. I'm not that horrible.

Also, I would like to get wherever I'm going without being detained by the gropemeisters.

Airplane! is one of those rare movies that just never gets less funny with time.

[Skittles]

77. pilots can boot people who are loud and annoying

if they're acting like that on the ground there's always the worry the behavior will escalate once in the air. I'm pretty sure any female pilot in Brazil is accustomed to guys acting like sexist idiots.

[CTyankee]

89. Good for her! ZERO tolerance for this type of crap! She's the captain,

Get over it, sexist crybabies...

[randome]

101. I don't like the term 'zero tolerance'.

Everything in context. Other than that - right on!

[CTyankee]

113. I didn't mean it to be taken as a threat of violence, just of not putting up with

sexist crap. I have the deepest respect for pilots flying the planes I'm on. It's inconceivable to me that someone would attempt to disrespect a pilot doing her job...

[randome]

126. I hear ya!

[chervilant]

112. + a gazillion!

Sad that some on this thread cannot see their own sexism, when it is glaringly apparent in their comments.

[riderinthestorm]

92. Sending this story to my daughters today. Nobody has to deal with sexist harassment in this day nt

[DLevine]

98. Good for her. K&R. n/t

[Bake]

119. Anybody who is in customer SERVICE has to deal with assholes.

This pilot was off base. Was the passenger a jerk? Yes. And he paid for that privilege. Was he a threat to anyone?

NO.

Pilot, fly the damn plane and do your job.

Bake

[riderinthestorm]

125. Pilots are not the front line of customer service. The stewards are

This guy's disruptive rhetoric must have been bad enough to alert the stewards, who THEN alerted the pilot. If the guy's being such an ass already, clearly the "management" (the pilot) decided enough's enough.

That's standard in ANY business. I was a waitress in college and if the harassment got bad (blonde, big boobs), the management ejected the offensive customer.

Same thing happens in my business today. If my customers harass staff they face the risk of expulsion. I'm not putting up with verbal abuse.

[NCTraveler]

140. "Was the passenger a jerk? Yes. And he paid for that privilege."

No he didn't. He paid for transportation. He paid for a service, not a punching bag. None of the customers or the pilot herself should have to deal with this ass. Good on her.

[Bake]

144. Did he punch anybody?

I didn't think so.

I've done customer service and had to listen to people curse me, curse my employer, and call me everything but a Christian. People suck. That's life.

I bet the airline kept the money he paid for his ticket, too.

Bake

[NCTraveler]

165. I am sorry your employer allowed that.

None of my employees have to tolerate anything like that. I have more respect for them and for myself than to allow that.

[jp11]

178. I've been in similar situations with horrible customers

and their lack of respect or acknowledgement of my humanity over some inconveinence or stupid material possession that I almost never had any control/power to fix or had involvement in 'screwing' them over.

That power is of course reserved for others often management and in this case the Pilot has that 'power' to remove such a horrible person.

There's no reason if you have that power to make those 'under' you suffer because you don't have to deal with it personally. The other passengers as well as the crew had to put up with that horrible person. As a passenger I wouldn't want such a piece of garbage spewing their hate on the plane and be forced to deal with it. I certainly wouldn't want to put up with it if I was the crew either.

He did pay for a service and paying for that service does not entitle anyone to be a jerk unless you specifically solicit that service. All he had to do was keep his hateful thoughts to himself and he could've made use of his purchase. He could've just taken a flight where the pilot was a man to satisfy his prejudice or maybe learn to keep his stupid mouth shut. You can be sure he's at least learned he can't act like a hateful sexist without someone doing something about it.

Yes many people suck but that doesn't mean we all need to be horrible to each other or put up with that horrible behavior. If fewer people put up with adults acting like little children throwing tantrums and cursing out the people who have to serve them fewer would do it as they'd see it wouldn't get them what they want. Having more of the verbally abusive horrors of human beings inconvenienced, kicked out, denied service or even arrested, where appropriate, for acting out to demean other people is a good thing.

[fishwax]

143. and sometimes they deal with assholes by refusing further service

It sucks for assholes, I'm sure, but them's the breaks.

[LanternWaste]

154. And the pilot did indeed deal with the a**hole.

And the pilot did indeed deal with an a**hole. She simply resolved the issue in an effective and efficient manner that merely happens to be not of your own personal liking.

[wickerwoman]

156. I'm in a far more "customer service" job than a pilot,

and I'm allowed to hang up on people who make sexist, racist or homophobic comments, who swear at me, who make paranoid accusations about the organisation I represent or who are otherwise abusive.

Since when did the fact that you're at work mean that you just have to put up with abusive behaviour from people who happen not to be at work?

[meeksgeek]

167. Bravo!

I've worked in retail and other customer service jobs, including a stint in a call center. Callers got one warning, per that employer's policy, if they became abusive. After we gave them the warning (a polite but firm request to conduct themselves in a civil manner), we were allowed, encouraged in fact, to terminate the call. Same thing with retail. I excused a number of customers from my place of business when I worked retail. If I got the opportunity I would diffuse the situation by negotiating with the customer and finding a way to help them. Sometimes, though, that's not what they're there for. Usually it's just some jerk who insists that they are having their way no matter what. They really just want to treat those "beneath them" like crap. I've even been told so in no uncertain terms on at least one very public occasion. Several times I've handled this kind of customer by telling them that I could no longer help them and they could take it up with my manager if they wanted, and walked off. Once I had to actually go so far as to threaten to call the police to have the person removed. There is no reason to put up with people engaging in what amounts to disorderly conduct, something for which you could get arrested if you choose the wrong place and time.

[StarryNight]

179. word. nt

[Initech]

130. That asshole definitely deserved what he got.

[ProfessorGAC]

138. Nobody Should Insult Their Pilot About ANYTHING

And, the pilot should have a right to excuse any passenger that has "concerns" about that pilot's comptence.
GAC

[myrna minx]

139. This thread has been a real eye opener for me. n/t

[fishwax]

142. good for the pilot -- and for the airline, for standing behind its workers

[Bake]

145. Let's switch this around a bit .. suppose the pilot was a wingnut

Who insisted on playing Rush Limbaugh over the intercom, and that didn't contravene company policy. Now suppose a rather loud, perhaps obnoxious passenger objected to that and called the pilot a Hannity Wannabe (or worse).

Would the pilot be justified in throwing that passenger from the plane?

I didn't think so.

Bake

[LanternWaste]

158. If the passenger was loud, obnoxious and rude, the airline would have every right to.

If the passenger complaining was loud, obnoxious and rude, the airline/pilot would have the same right.

However, I think a critical and relevant difference in your scenario is that the pilot has no choice in being a female as opposed to your Freeper pilot having every and any opportunity to reduce volume. One being a chance of birth, the other simply being obnoxious.

[bvar22]

148. Female pilot tosses passenger off plane for sexist remarks

at 32,000 feet.

The other passengers applauded.

The asshole who cause the disruption apologized
shortly before he hit the ground.

The Woman Pilot later received a Leadership Award from the airline.

[hifiguy]

150. What a dope. He got exactly what he deserved - the boot.

I used to work with a woman attorney who decided she wanted to fly. She wound up as a commercial jet pilot. And she could drive better than I, and I am a good driver.

No reason to charge him with anything, but this might make the poltroon watch his big, stupid yap in the future.

[RitchieRich]

151. ok, ok...

This will probably get hidden, and tarnish my, um, spotless record on here, but this whole page is thick with infighting and nastiness, could use to be lightened up.

"So, what do you call a female, flying a plane?"

"No idea."

"The Pilot! You freaking Sexist!!"

[RitchieRich]

152. come on, people...

There should not be this level of hostility.
We shouldn't be fighting each other like this.

Remember, we need to band together and really make this thing work, if we are going to have any chance of getting Ron Paul into office.

[McCamy Taylor]

162. This is a plane safety issue.

Anyone who attempts to create a panic on board a plane should be taking a boat or train instead.

[jobycom]

166. I guess I can understand this, but I really can't applaud the pilot for it...

since she tossed him before she took off. After takeoff... I'd have been cheering.

Seriously, though, people should read the story a little more closely. The passenger wasn't just making sexist comments, he was making them loudly enough to disrupt and delay the flight for an hour. He wasn't tossed for his opinions, but for his actions.

[DallasNE]

168. Do THey Get The Rush Limbaugh Show In Brazil Too?

Maybe the translation of "Flute" became flight and this jerk thought it was in reference to a pilot. Either that or we have no corner on louts.

[freshwest]

171. Brazil doesn't appear to have these Goebbels controlling the meme. Good for them.

[jp11]

176. He obviously hadn't heard of sky law.