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.
Mega dittos for your post!