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Jury: Airline not racist
seacoastonline ^

Posted on 02/13/2006 11:51:51 AM PST by SmoothTalker

"A jury on Friday said Southwest Airlines did not racially discriminate against an overweight passenger when she was asked to buy a second seat on her flight."

"The jury deliberated for a little over an hour before finding against Nadine Thompson, who sued Southwest in federal court. She claimed that she was singled out because she is black and that the airline’s "customer of size" policy was unfairly applied to her after she boarded a flight at Manchester Airport in June 2003."

" Southwest’s policy states that a "customer of size" is someone who can’t sit in a seat without having the armrest raised and is sitting on part of the adjacent seat. Thompson, who said she doesn’t consider herself a customer of size, didn’t challenge the policy; rather, she claimed, it allows any random employee to operate "in a discriminatory way about that policy." "

"Joel Drake, a Southwest employee, testified earlier Friday that Thompson accused him of being a "motherf--- racist pig" and wished that his family would die from cancer when he tried to explain the company’s policy to her."


TOPICS: Business/Economy; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: airlines; bigfatmama; choosesalad; fat; food; fork; hollottawoman; lawsuit; obesity; passengerofsize; racistfatpig; ruling; southwest; southwestairlines; xxl
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To: SmoothTalker
Thompson, who said she doesn’t consider herself a customer of size

Hillary Clinton doens't consider herself a gorgon.
Anna Nicole Smith doesn't consider herself a self-propelled pair of hooters.
Helen Thomas doesn't consider herself a troll's nightmare.
Rosie O'Donnell doesn't consider herself a beached whale.
Al Gore doesn't consider himself a hatrack with ears.

One's self-image doesn't necessarily reflect reality. Much friction can arise from the difference.

61 posted on 02/13/2006 12:26:50 PM PST by IronJack
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To: N. Theknow

see the fat pig, ...er customer of size, here:

http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/2_11b.jpg


62 posted on 02/13/2006 12:27:01 PM PST by US admirer
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To: KeyLargo

5'8" and 300+ lbs is huge.


63 posted on 02/13/2006 12:27:15 PM PST by connectthedots
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To: US admirer

Nicely cropped pic, no doubt by a sympathetic soul at the paper.


64 posted on 02/13/2006 12:28:19 PM PST by AxelPaulsenJr (Pray Daily For Our Troops and President Bush and the SAPPS)
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To: son of caesar

:)


65 posted on 02/13/2006 12:28:49 PM PST by onyx
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To: SmoothTalker
Since when is fat a race?

When your ass is black and it entrudes into my airline seat. ...so it seems.

66 posted on 02/13/2006 12:28:57 PM PST by TexasCajun
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To: connectthedots
It was a self-admitted 300-330 lbs., so I'm betting the 330 is closer to the real weight unless a scale was brought into the courtroom.

Wasn't Southwest the airline that got sued for racism because a flight attendent said "eenie, meenie, minie, moe; take a seat, we've got to go"?

67 posted on 02/13/2006 12:33:41 PM PST by KarlInOhio (During wartime, some whistles should not be blown. - Orson Scott Card)
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To: TXBSAFH; TomServo; SmoothTalker; COEXERJ145; microgood; liberallarry; cmsgop; shaggy eel; ...
I am sorry ma'am a boeing 737 is not the proper plane for you. We have a C-130H coming along in under an hour for you. We think we can squeeze you in the back.

This is a job for the Antonov AN-225.


68 posted on 02/13/2006 12:36:07 PM PST by Paleo Conservative
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To: SmoothTalker

I think her complaint was that the airline didn't make the fat, white pigs buy two tickets.


69 posted on 02/13/2006 12:37:05 PM PST by Old Professer (Fix the problem, not the blame!)
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Comment #70 Removed by Moderator

To: HEY4QDEMS

Bet she isn't smiling now, her ticket to the easy life was snatched away.


71 posted on 02/13/2006 12:37:52 PM PST by Aznar5
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To: KarlInOhio

At the time of the incident, she could have been even bigger. it could also be that if she was admitting to 300-300 lbs; SW figured it was enough to convince any jury she was grossly obese.


72 posted on 02/13/2006 12:40:45 PM PST by connectthedots
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To: SmoothTalker

Even if the seat next to her was empty anyway, a fat ass costs gas, and the airline is being reasonable in charging her more.

And the airline was being nice for not suing her for her verbal assault on its employee, although it looks like the employee may be setting himself up for a suit against her.


73 posted on 02/13/2006 12:45:44 PM PST by antiRepublicrat
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To: connectthedots

I hope this racist woman gets what she so rightfully deserves....a big ol' fist right in her teeth! Imagine using language like that in public, where are her manners? Had I been talked to like that, I would have split her lips then spit on 'em. Noone has a right to speak to another like that.


74 posted on 02/13/2006 12:46:48 PM PST by geezerwheezer (get up boys, we're burnin' daylight!!!)
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To: 6SJ7
Now, all you fat hogs to the BACK OF THE AIRPLANE!!!! No, no! To the front; to the front!

Years ago I was on a flight with very few passengers. (How long ago?--it was a DC-8.) Anyway, the stewardess relayed the captain's order that all passengers move to the front of the plane for a proper distribution of weight. It only makes sense.

75 posted on 02/13/2006 12:48:15 PM PST by DeFault User
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To: edcoil

Oh, how I agree to that for every case!


76 posted on 02/13/2006 12:49:01 PM PST by toldyou
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To: from occupied ga

Y'know, I'm of two minds on this. On the one hand I have some sympathy for those who are heavy and have to try to cram into those skinny little airline seats - let's face it, they're barely big enough for a 195 lb 6'3" man like myself, side to side, nevermind the leg room issue.

OTOH, having paid for a seat that's barely big enough for me, I'll be damned if I want someone else spilling over into my seat. That's definitely not fair to me. I guess it's between them and the airline. I tend to think, given the numbers of people who are on the heavy side, that the airlines should probably be making some sort of accomadation for them.


77 posted on 02/13/2006 12:49:13 PM PST by -YYZ-
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To: silverleaf

Can't say thin, hateful and mean spirited is looking all that much better.


78 posted on 02/13/2006 12:49:27 PM PST by justche (Many at FR would respond to Christ "Damn straight, I'll cast the first stone!" - MeanWestTexan)
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To: Wurlitzer
for some reason the seating assignments had put us all near the rear of the plane.

Sure they didn't just have this woman in the back?

79 posted on 02/13/2006 12:50:22 PM PST by antiRepublicrat
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To: TXBSAFH

80 posted on 02/13/2006 12:50:29 PM PST by BenLurkin (O beautiful for patriot dream - that sees beyond the years)
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