If it's on the internet it has to be true, right, Gail?
United Passenger Lawyers Up, Will Likely ‘Re-Accommodate’ Airline In Court
Excerpt:
But the thing going on with Dao might be different because it seems likely that the alt-right latched onto the criminal record of the wrong David Dao. From the Independent:There is presently confusion about whether the man on the United flight was actually David Thanh Duc Dao, quite possibly another person entirely to David Anh Duy Dao, the man with the criminal records.Likely, the confusion just leads back to some dumbass internet jockeys. But would you entirely put it past United to have leaked out some of this information, given how awful their initial reaction to the situation was?If Dao sues — when he sues — the only good move for United would be to give Dao whatever he wants, as quickly and quietly as possible. They want to take “full responsibility.” They want to “make it right,” then pay the man.
One of the more dismaying things, on FR in particular and the internet in general, is the phenomenon of people digging their heels in on the basis of their preconceptions, which are shoddily supported by old, incomplete or outright false information. Anyone who has been keeping up with this story should know the following:
- The CEO of United Airlines has issued an apology amounting to a mea culpa
- Airport security has placed at least one of their security agents involved on leave
- The flight was not overbooked. United chose to force four members of a flight crew needed in Louisville the next day onto a flight after paying passengers had been boarded and seated
- The doctor in question was dragged out of his seat violently enough to cause bleeding and concussion due to merely remaining in his seat and saying “no” repeatedly
- The doctor in question has been misidentified, he is not the individual with a sordid arrest history, he is a married man who was on that flight with his wife, with several adult children who are themselves doctors
But, that never stops people from continuing to ignorantly argue obviously wrong positions and continuing to smear the reputation of a person on the basis of information provided, whether out of stupidity, ignorance or even outright malice on the part of those seeking to mitigate PR damage.
I’ve seen it again and again, and have even been taken in on a few occasions myself. I hope this guy sues the pants off of not just United but airport security and every media outlet who has slandered him due to misidentification.