“A gain putting the blame on the passenger… He was not IDB, he was boarded so why should he give up his seat? Not complying to crew instructions? Where in this whole story was this man a threat to security? Why can a man not stand its grounds and say: you boarded me, you have my money, this is my seat. I would have also refused to give up my seat, especially in this situation.”
Why I Changed My Mind About the Passenger Dragged Off the Airplane
I have read again what Tim — who is a reader of The Gate — commented in contradiction to what I wrote in this article pertaining to how there is plenty of blame to go around; and in light of the events which followed — including this apology and taking full responsibility for the incident by United Airlines — I must agree with him.
I initially wrote in the aforementioned article that “…the unidentified passenger in question for not simply following the directions of members of the flight crew; and supposedly creating enough of a scene which prompted someone from United Airlines to call in law enforcement — rather than leave the airplane quietly and voice concerns with employees of the airline.” Pertaining to this specific incident, I was wrong.
Had the passenger done exactly what I said, this would not have been an issue which escalated to unbelievable proportions. He most likely would have missed his flight and received little in compensation or consolation from United Airlines.
Instead, his rebellious response has now led to forcing Oscar Munoz to review policies currently in place at United Airlines; and figure out how to improve those policies so that an incident such as this one will never happen again.
I am not about to comment on the questionable past of the passenger; nor will I call him a hero…
…but one thing he did do is help to raise awareness — and that ultimately showed a multibillion dollar corporation that the world can indeed get together; call for change for the better; boycott and protest against the brand to the point where it lost significant value; and actually possibly get that change.
Summary
I still believe that there is a time and place for everything; but I also believe in rebellion when necessary — and sometimes the wrong time and place is the best time and place. Deciding when that should happen is incredibly difficult and not without trials and tribulations…
…but standing one’s ground has been proven throughout history to work and effect change as a result; and I hope that it continues in order to help improve mankind in general…
Photograph ©2013 by Brian Cohen.
