>>AMERICAN AIRLINES IS APOLOGIZING AFTER ONE OF ITS
FLIGHT ATTENDANTS ESSENTIALLY KICKED OFF TWO PRO BASKETBALL
PLAYERS FROM A FLIGHT AFTER ACCUSING THEM OF STEALING
BLANKETS FROM FIRST-CLASS.
THE BASKETBALL PLAYERS ARE MARQUIS
TEAGUE AND ALSO TRAHSON BURRELL, THEY ARE PLAYERS FOR A
BASKETBALL TEAM I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH, THEY ARE IN AN NBA G
LEAGUE, THEY ARE KNOWN AS THE MEMPHIS HUSTLE.
THEY WERE ON THE
FLIGHT, AND AS THEY WERE GOING TO THEIR SEATS IN THE ECONOMY
AREA APPARENTLY SOMEONE IN FIRST CLASS GAVE THEM THEIR BLANKETS.
AT THAT POINT A MALE FLIGHT ATTENDANT, WHO ALSO HAPPENS TO
BE BLACK, ACCUSED THEM OF STEALING THE BLANKETS, AND THEN
AN ARGUMENT HAPPENED AND THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT SAID HE WAS
UNCOMFORTABLE AND KICKED TO THE TWO OFF THE FLIGHT.
>>I THINK HE LEFT.
>>NO, HE ACCUSED THE TWO MEN OF THEFT AND FORCED THEM OFF THE
PLANE.
THE TWO PLAYERS WERE FORCED OFF THE PLANE, AND LATER
APPARENTLY BECAUSE THIS STORY BECAME A HUGE DEAL, THE AIRLINE
REALIZED THERE WAS A MISTAKE AND THAT THEY DIDN'T ACTUALLY STEAL
ANY BLANKETS, AND THEY WERE GIVEN TWO FIRST-CLASS SEATS ON A
DIFFERENT FLIGHT TO GET TO THEIR DESTINATION.
BUT LOOK, THE THING
I THOUGHT WAS REALLY INTERESTING WAS THE IMMEDIATE ACCUSATION OF
THEFT.
WHY DID IT IMMEDIATELY GO THERE?
I DON'T REALLY
UNDERSTAND.
FIRST OF ALL, SO THEY HAVE SOME BLANKETS.
IF
SOMEONE IN FIRST CLASS GAVE THEM THE BLANKETS THAT MEANS NO ONE
EVER COMPLAINED ABOUT BLANKETS BEING STOLEN, YOU JUST SAW TWO
PEOPLE WITH FIRST-CLASS BLANKETS AND IMMEDIATELY ASSUMED THEY
WERE STOLEN EVEN THOUGH NO ONE COMPLAINED ABOUT ANYTHING.
WHO
CARES?
THAT'S WHAT YOU WERE DOING AS A FLIGHT ATTENDANT,
THAT'S WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT?
WHETHER THESE PEOPLE HAVE BLANKETS?
>>TWO PARTS OF THE STORY GET UNDER MY SKIN.
ONE OBVIOUSLY IS
THE AUTOMATIC ASSUMPTION HERE.
WE KNOW THERE ARE STEREOTYPES --
AND
OF COURSE THE LAST PART, AS ANA EXPLAINED TO ME, THEY GOT
THROWN OFF THE PLANE BECAUSE HE FELT "UNSAFE."
GET OUTTA HERE.
YOU HAVE ULTIMATE POWER NOW IS A FLIGHT ATTENDANT.
PEOPLE ABUSE
THAT POWER LEFT AND RIGHT.
I HAD A SLIGHT DISAGREEMENT WITH YOU,
HA-HA, I WIN.
I HAD A FRIEND WHO GOT THREATENED AT AN AIRPORT IN
VEGAS THAT THEY WOULD NEVER LET HIM FLY AGAIN IF HE SPOKE UP
AGAINST THEM.
THEY CAN RUIN YOUR LIFE, PUT YOU ON A NO-FLY LIST,
YOU CAN'T GIVE PEOPLE THAT KIND OF POWER.
IT GOES TO THEIR HEAD
AND YOU GET STORIES LIKE THIS.
>>THE TREATMENT OF PEOPLE IN THE ECONOMY SECTION OF THE PLANE
IS WHAT REALLY GETS TO ME.
YES, THE ASSUMPTION THAT THEY STOLE
IS A HUGE PROBLEM, PROBABLY THE NUMBER ONE PROBLEM IN THIS
STORY, BUT I JUST DON'T GET WHY THAT STOOD OUT TO THE FLIGHT
ATTENDANT TO THE POINT WHERE HE FELT I NEED TO CONFRONT THESE
PEOPLE BLANKETS.
THEY HAVE BLANKETS, NO ONE COMPLAINED TO YOU ABOUT
ANYTHING, LET IT GO.
I'M SURE THERE ARE OTHER THINGS TO WORRY ABOUT ON THAT PLANE.
>>THIS IS AMERICAN AIRLINES AGAIN, AMERICAN AIRLINES IN
OCTOBER HAD THE NAACP ISSUE A TRAVEL ADVISORY AGAINST THEM
SAYING THAT AFRICAN-AMERICANS COULD FACE DISCRIMINATION IF
THEY FLY WITH AMERICAN AIRLINES BECAUSE OF REPEATED INCIDENTS
INCLUDING ONE INVOLVING AN ORGANIZER OF THE WOMEN'S MARCH
WHO WAS BOOTED FROM A FLIGHT AFTER A DISPUTE OVER HER SEAT.
SO FOR THE NAACP TO SAY WATCH OUT FOR AN AIRLINE, THEY
DISCRIMINATE AGAINST BLACK PEOPLE, I'M NOT SURE I'VE SEEN
THAT BEFORE.
IN THIS CASE IT'S TWO BLACK GUYS DISCRIMINATED AGAINST FOR
THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT WAS ALSO BLACK SO THERE ARE A LOT OF
FACTORS HERE.