"If you keep pushing me, I'm gonna . . . go down the escape slide!"

Remove all ads!

So, any thoughts on our friend Slater, the hostile airline attendant? IMHO, stupid passengers / customers seem to think that they can get away with any degree of abuse or harassment, shielded from retribution by company policies. Well, you can only push people so far before they SNAP!

And snap he did, and went down the slide. It coulda been a lot worse, he coulda pasted the woman, or put her in a headlock, or pushed HER down the slide, or any number of things. But he didn't hurt anyone, he just bailed out in a spectacular fashion. No harm, no foul.

 

I cannot believe it's getting the amount of coverage it is. It was an interesting story, but this guy's 15 minutes are way up.

 

No harm no foul? You say that. And I agree.

But the American criminal Justice system doesn't. He faces criminal mischief, reckless endangerment and trespassing charges, and I read that can amount to up to seven years. On the other hand the judge set bail to $ 2.500. And then there is his employer's view on the the emergency slide, which costs more than $25,000 to replace.

​

If he really took two beers on the way out, now that'd be style The dramatic exist and the presumable expression on the face of that passenger after the intercom message were probably worth it.

Aldeth,
in Germany we call this period of the year the 'summer gap'. Parliament holidays, everybody's having holidays, school's off - that's always the time for stories like that. And the other thing is that Slater is an 'everyman'. I daresay that most people, dour law and order people aside, can empathize with Slater, and like seeing him having stuck it to an obnoxious person.

 

I resent that, Ragusa. I am a dour law and order type, and I can TOTALLY empathize with this guy!

I get really frustrated with people who lack common courtesy and decency when dealing with strangers, figuring themselves above such things as politeness and consideration are for "lesser" people. There ought to be a law about acting like a douche to working people . . .

It kinda reminds me of that scene in "Last Holiday" when the rich mistress of the corporate bigwig was just being an ignorant <snip, just for Drew!> to a masseuse and old Queen Latifah gave her what for about how we should treat people in the service industry.

One radio station here was asking listeners for "customer service nightmare" stories. I'm sure they were not alone in that gimmick.

 

I think it's great that he's getting the attention. It's about time something happened to show people that they cannot behave like this and get away with it. When I worked in an airport I was threatend, yelled at and verbally abused constantly by people who thought that it was their God-given right.
I understand people getting mad at flight delays but I was getting yelled at on the night of 9/11 about delays!
One of the things that annoyed me most though was when people turned up with baggage that was 10KG over the allowance, no passport, late anf other things that were their fault but then screamed at me. I often felt like screaming back but didn't have the balls to do it. Hopefully, this might make some of the arrogant arses sit up and sort themselves out!

 

What the hell? They *arrested* him? He had to post bail? I repeat: What the hell? Are Americans retarded?

Edit:
"Having failed to post bail, he was held at the Vernon C. Bain Correctional Center, a South Bronx jail on a floating barge" (wikipedia)

He was placed in *jail* for this? WHAT THE **** WHAT THE **** WHAT THE **** WHAT THE ****?!?! No wonder America's jails are so full, they throw people in them for the most trivial of ********.

 

I find his media/Internet attention a phenomenon similar to the one of the Epic Beard Man, not so long ago. People like to see that it is possible to stand up for oneself, even if both social and actual laws imply otherwise.

Of course, I find the fact that Slater is facing charges... well... a misunderstanding, to put it mildly. He should retaliate by suing for continuous infringement of personal interests (or whatever the US equivalent is). People of similar professions rarely get the respect they are due. I wonder how many such events will take place before some passengers/customers/whosoever will finally realize that those rendering services are not their personal slaves.

 

Yes. Most people live in fear. And I'm not just talking about the fear of the big dude eyeballing you on the train, I'm talking about the fear which prevents you from going outside your comfort zone to chase your dreams. A lot of people 'settle'. They settle for a job they don't really like because they never had the fortitude to go for something they truly enjoyed, they settle for a spouse who isn't exactly compatible with them, they settle in a neighbourhood with *****y neighbours because it's familiar to them. They can't change the environment around them, and they feel powerless.

Many people work in unfulfilling customer-oriented jobs day in, day out, and they hate it. They feel compelled to deal with abusive customers for a low wage just so that they can pay the exhorbitant health care costs. Some of them are young, and it's just a stepping stone on to greater things. However, for many, that's the rest of their lives. There is nothing else for them. Day in, day out, they are going through the same routine, and dealing with the same *******s. Wake up at 7, have a quick shower and breakfast, go to work, deal with *******s, come home, eat tea, sleep. Repeat. That's soul-crushing. As a last resort, such people pop out children, hoping that their offspring will succeed where they have failed.

I suspect that this guy was in such a situation. He's been working as an attendant for what, 20+ years? And then one day, out of the blue, he had the guts to risk it all and utter a big '**** you' to a customer. That's the sort of courage that lots of working Joe Blows dream of having. The courage and independence to just quit their *****y ass job and do what they want to do.

Boo hoo, he belittled a customer. Customers belittle and abuse staff all the time in these sort of jobs, it's almost expected. Using the Emergency Slide is no big deal, nor is taking a beer. At worst it merits a fine, at best the company should just cut their losses. The criminal suit is just about teaching the working joe 'his place' in society.

 

Surprisingly, I agree with most of your views on the matter. I do believe, however, that the conclusion presented in the last sentence is far - fetched, yet again intended as a proof of the 'oppression'/'enslavement' of the common man you bring up so very often. I could have misread your post, still, it does sound as if you were implying that some merciless Lodge was responsible for the lawsuit, thusly terrorizing the working class not to follow Slater's example.

 

I think Slater's an idiot.... Yeah, I believe that covers it.

 

I'm with Aldeth on this. 15 minutes would have been nice, but days? Beyond that, my reaction is that this guy went postal the way they all should: without hurting anyone. I figured he'd be arrested for minor theft (and whatever you count the deployment of the emergency exit as), but that's it.

 

Arrested for taking a beer on your last day of work? LOL. Is your society *that* petty?

---------- Added 0 hours, 4 minutes and 25 seconds later... ----------

Why do you put quotation's around oppression and enslavement? The common man *is* enslaved and oppressed. When a mafia like organisation (ie. the government) takes the largest portion of the fruits of your labour, then you are a slave. You are welcome to accept this slavery with good grace and try and argue for its necessity, but don't try and play dumb and pretend you are free.

So a rich CEO who ragged out a customer and then took a beer would have been threatened with 7 years jail?

Just out of curiosity, how often are CEO arrested for drug use, compared with negroes in the ghetto? And what is the difference in punishments that they receive if they are caught?

 

Whether or not you're arrested for stealing a single beer entirely depends on how petty your employer wants to be. After that exit, I'd say pretty petty. Additionally, I imagine it costs a pretty penny to re-set one of those emergency chutes (or are they single-use only)?

 

Well, clearly his employers are petty. Or perhaps they just want a parting jab.

Are you trying to equate leaving a plane in a fit of anger with attempting to imprison someone for *7 years* (a substantial period of life) for stupid ****?

LOLOLOLOLOL.

"BOO HOO, our jails are overflowing, we are paying so much to house these criminals. Something needs to be done. Wait, implement and enforce more retarded laws so that we can reduce crime!"

The American people are retarded.

 

Are you folks mixing up civil liability and law breaking?

civil liability
paying his former employer the approx 25 grand for re-setting the emergency slide. I rather that if JetBlue goes for that they'll give him the beers. They will also terminate his contract, if they haven't already. No ill feelings.

criminal charges
criminal mischief, reckless endangerment and trespassing charges - while covering the same incident, have nothing to do with the former.

T2,
yes it's sort of a drama queen exit. Some sympathy I still have.

 

Well, what supposedly ticked him off is that the passenger struck him in the head with the suitcase. Did you notice the gash on his head? That should be on tape onboard the aircraft. Talk about liability. As someone who has worked with the public, the guy IS a hero as far as I'm concerned. Most people, like the passenger in question, are bullies because they know that most companies have policies that allow them to be complete jackasses to company empolyees. I hope he files a countersuit against the passenger.

Some may want to carp that it's a "drama queen exit" but it is the reason that it's gotten so much attention. Otherwise, he would be just another statistic on the unemployment line because of a jackass passenger.

Edit: Ragusa - I would like you to consider that as an employee he is obligated to follow the process that his airline has regarding passenger safety. If it is true, and it may or may not be, that if the passenger in question was attempting to retrieve her luggage before the aircraft was secure, that she was not only endangering herself, but others on the plane, including Slater, as well. I'm sure T2 knows, since he was an officer on a ship, that the process is in place for a reason. Not everyone understands that the process is supposed to protect them and that those who are responsible have an obligation to try their best to enforce the process, even if it "seems" unimportant to them at time. I'm sure as an airline employee, Slater is constantly reminded that he is supposed to enforce this process for safety and liability reasons. But as I commented, a tape would reveal what actually took place and at what stage the aircraft was or was not secure enough for him to approach the passenger with safety concerns.

I would guess that because of Slater's "exit" as a counter move to those safety concerns, that is why T2 may see him as an "idiot," rather than being a "drama queen." But I'm just speculating. T2 can better elaborate.

 

No. No, I'm not trying to equate the two at all. Where did you get that idea?

 

People have bad days and it's unfortunate the flight attendants end up taking the brunt of the passenger's ire about new policies inacted by the airlines. But, as Chandos mentioned, you simply do not tamper with safety features as a "parting gesture" -- if I, or any other passenger, activated a slide for an 'early departure' from the plane I'm relatively certain my travel plans would be significantly delayed.

Slater was trained in safety and the legal issues surrounding the safety equipment. He lost it and chose to violate federal law when he activated a safety feature that would cost thousands of dollars to replace (along with the losses from delays of other flights). He put himself and his 'statement' before the concerns of anyone else. He was being a self-centered idiot.

 

If you quit a job, you don't run out the fire exit or run down the fire escape. Also, you certainly shouldn't steal from the company on the way out. This man is not a hero or a role model.