Woman bounced from flight for T-shirt
Susan Voyles
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
Posted: 10/6/2005
A Washington state woman intends to press a civil-rights case against Southwest Airlines for booting her off a flight in Reno after fellow passengers complained about a message on her T-shirt.
Lorrie Heasley, of Woodland, Wash., was halfway home on a flight Tuesday that began in Los Angeles, wearing a T-shirt with the pictures of President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and a phrase similar to the popular film, "Meet the Fockers."
I also find the thinking of her, the ACLU and other assorted dim bulbs offensive. I frequently hear, in public, language that I find offensive. Particularly if I am accompanied by a female relative. You also see the same language on clothing. The ACLU and pseudo intellectuals do not sympathize with my being offended. As far as I am concerned we can set some type of standard for offensive language, written and oral, and enforce it.period.
It is mostly the short, to the point Anglo-Saxon words that I find offensive. If the lady had worn a t-shirt that said "Meet the Fornicators" I would not have been offended. I would have just shrugged it off as an encounter with yet another person of low class and breeding. Not too many people are actually offended by "copulate" because not too many will actually recognize the word.
Southwest Airlines, The Texas Airline, will give her the pittance that she is asking for her expenses. She will hold out her hand to accept and say that she will never fly on Southwest Airlines again. Southwest Airlines will heave a collective sigh of relief and think "thank goodness!"
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
Posted: 10/6/2005
A Washington state woman intends to press a civil-rights case against Southwest Airlines for booting her off a flight in Reno after fellow passengers complained about a message on her T-shirt.
Lorrie Heasley, of Woodland, Wash., was halfway home on a flight Tuesday that began in Los Angeles, wearing a T-shirt with the pictures of President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and a phrase similar to the popular film, "Meet the Fockers."
I also find the thinking of her, the ACLU and other assorted dim bulbs offensive. I frequently hear, in public, language that I find offensive. Particularly if I am accompanied by a female relative. You also see the same language on clothing. The ACLU and pseudo intellectuals do not sympathize with my being offended. As far as I am concerned we can set some type of standard for offensive language, written and oral, and enforce it.period.
It is mostly the short, to the point Anglo-Saxon words that I find offensive. If the lady had worn a t-shirt that said "Meet the Fornicators" I would not have been offended. I would have just shrugged it off as an encounter with yet another person of low class and breeding. Not too many people are actually offended by "copulate" because not too many will actually recognize the word.
Southwest Airlines, The Texas Airline, will give her the pittance that she is asking for her expenses. She will hold out her hand to accept and say that she will never fly on Southwest Airlines again. Southwest Airlines will heave a collective sigh of relief and think "thank goodness!"
posted by BigBubba at 9:38 AM
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5 Comments:
Words of wisdom for the not so wise... If you're in public, and it's between 6 am and 10 pm, you'd better keep it rated G, or some Daddy is going to walk up to you and ask you to leave. And if you don't, don't complain about the consequences. And if you do, better not complain about your "rights" to some court. Because you will lose.
-FJ
It is the amazing the hysteria that a word can cause. "Fornicators" is ok, but "fuckers" is not? You aren't even being content nuetral. I am glad that you use the term Anglo-Saxon word. "Fuck" is the last in a serious of A-S terms which has been considered taboo (others incl. "shit, piss, sweat," etc.). So, what we have here is the case of a woman bounced from a flight because of a 1000 year old prejudice instilled by a bunch of French speaking Vikings who conquered our Anglo-Saxon ancestors. Furthermore, it appears that you and others share the sense of offense. "Fuck" only retains its power to offend because it reminds taboo in the minds of certain people. There is nothing magic about this word. It is not forbidden by the Bible. This is the case of a silly cultural bias that unfortunately causes people to become absurdly irrational. Unfortunately, your bias results in the restriction of expression by others, which I find to be less than acceptable. Certainly a sub-adult response. As for those who want to protect the females: they can vote and serve in the army; I'm sure the can handle a "dirty" word. As for protecting "the children": maybe they'd be better off by not having an irrational fear of a four letter word passed down to them.
I also have, what some would consider irrational, fear of bad manners. Ignorance I find mildly irritating depending on the source.
From the Old French,
piss (v.) c.1290, from O.Fr. pissier "urinate" (12c.), from V.L. *pissiare, of imitative origin.
From the Old English (Anglo-Saxon, English before 1150),
shit (v.) O.E. scitan, from P.Gmc. *skit-, from PIE *skheid- "split, divide, separate." --there were strong taboos and controversies about this word.
sweat (v.)O.E. swætan "perspire, work hard." The noun is from O.E. swat "sweat" (which became M.E. swote, but altered under the influence of the verb), from P.Gmc. *swaita -- I am not sure that there was much of a controversy, nor taboos, about this word.
Rip,
Got kids. If yes, do they cuss a lot? Don't depend on them when you get old and need help around the house. They're pretty likely to tell you to go Fuck yourself.
-FJ
Rudeness and bad manners condoned simply results in MORE rudeness and bad manners. They're "habit forming".
-FJ
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