The United Airline assault on a passenger is just another symptom of authoritarianism

[bekkilyn]

107. It's the same idea

Just because he didn't have the exact same reason as Rosa Parks doesn't mean that there aren't other valid reasons for passive resistance. This time it's against unfair business practices of corporations who think they have the moral right to do anything they please to their customers. Not to mention this man was BRUTALIZED as a result. The passenger paid for this seat and has a reasonable right to expect to receive the service he paid for. The same would go for ANY of the other passengers who lost United's "We're going to screw you" lottery. The difference being that the others meekly left while this man stood his ground, and good for him!!

Hopefully more people will protest against this outrageous behavior on the part of these airlines.

And your argument about him being a rich surgeon or whatever sounds like the excuses people make for being victims of other sorts of violence. "Oh if he would have used all his alleged money to buy a first class ticket, he wouldn't have gotten booted and beaten up." i.e. "If only she hadn't gone into that dive bar wearing those clothes, she wouldn't have gotten sexually assaulted." This is just blaming the victim.

(And just because someone's a doctor doesn't automatically mean they are rich. Thousands of dollars of student debt, personal life tragedies, etc.)