Bush Knew

The BBQ Pit
1

Oh really? George W. Bush, the President of the United States, knew that an attack was coming on the World Trade Center?

Well…I don’t think that has really been proven by anyone. And I don’t really think there’s been much evidence at all to implicate the Federal agencies in general, the Clinton Administration, or our foreign allies.

What I do know is that the three American Airlines stewardesses that I saw at O’Hare last night, each pulling a black travel case with a large “BUSH KNEW!” sticker on it, were not only esposing a very controversial political view, they were doing it at a time, place, and in such a way to be enormous fucking assholes.

And it surely can’t be something that a corporate entitiy wants it’s most visible employees to have plastered on their luggage. And it pissed me off - especially considering that one of the stewardesses with the “BUSH KNEW” luggage thought that “chicken” qualified as a “vegetarian meal”, and had to be convinced that “yes, birds are meat”, by the passenger she was serving…that doesn’t bode well.

Yes, I knew which flight they were on; it was mine.

So, I just got off the phone with American Airlines, complaining about the stickers. American’s response:

Me: “Now look…not only did it bother me, but I heard a few other of your passengers complain about it as well. You guys need to be a little more careful, you know?”

American: “Our employees are allowed to hold political views that are not shared by our guests on-board.”

Me: “Oh really? So they could have had stickers saying ‘We love the Klan’, and you’d have no problems with that?”

American: <<click>>

Well, maybe I deserved that, maybe I didn’t. :confused:

2

You didn’t deserve that. That was apalling.

Ok. Let’s say for just a moment that Bush knew, and that it had been proven as such. To display such a message on your luggage while at work is extremely unprofessional. If I walked around the office with a placard that read, “Bush is a Nazi cow,” I’d be disciplined, and my work has nothing to do with the public. Flight attendants, who work with the public, should never, ever do something like this. Ok, if they want to say something like “Equal Rights for Flight Attendants,” sure - as long as it was done with at least a little bit of taste.

But to jump on a baseless claim and trumpet it as if it were gospel? No way.

3

Also, there must be consumer groups you can complain to - if not for the conduct of the attendants, then for the way you were treated on the phone. The BBB should be able to assist you, I would think.

4

Hi. I’m Shelly. Fly me.

Since my career path has led me to be a stew, I no longer have the constitutional right to my own opinion. My luggage (which I pay for), while I spend a week or more away from my family, cannot have anything that you disagree with. Really, I’m so sorry that you have a political problem with Samsonite.

But I’m a stew, and I’m not allowed to think and to put my thoughts on my luggage, because it might make you uncomfortable. I put my brain and my humanity at your feet, because you are the customer, and I come second to you.

5

I don’t think you deserved that. Sounds to me like the stewardesses (pardon me, flight attendants) were being pretty ass-holish.
A personal opinion is a personal opinion. When presented by a person in the uniform of a company, though, it can easily be mistaken for the opinion of the company. For that reason alone, the flight attendants should keep their opinions to themselves. On their own time, and out of uniform, any opinion they feel like having or expressing. In uniform and on the job, mum’s the word. And sure as hell when the opinion is controversial and inflammatory.

6

:rolleyes: Oh, please. You work in a service industry. You interact with the public. As such, you are a public representative for your corporation. Just like cashiers at Wal-Mart aren’t allowed to wear t-shirts that say “Fuck the Police.” You want to express your political opinion with your luggage? Do it while you aren’t in uniform.

7

Not in my experience. I once had a horrible experience where I was treated VERY crudely by a the OWNER of a business that by its nature is supposed to be sensitive to its customers. The BBB told me that since I was just filing a complaint (to try to prevent other people from being subjected to the same treatment), and was not seeking monetary compensation, they could not help me. They will serve as mediators regarding money/completion of service, etc. in such cases, but they do not take sides, make anyone apologize, etc. I couldn’t go to a higher-up in the company because it was the owner who had verbally abused me.

I ended up filing a formal complaint with the state department of (?) trade and consumer protection (?). Big deal – who would ever think to check there before using this service, and it expires after three years.

I think that if Anthracite wants to pursue this, she’d be better off writing to a head honcho. The CS person obviously just wanted to get her off the phone.

8

I dealt with the BBB once, but it was a services/money issue, so maybe you’re right. Still, you’d think there would be an independent body she could talk to…

9

American Airlines is now the federal government? When did this happen?

10

Anthracite, I think you did right to call them. The AA rep who took your call was ill-trained, but s/he’s not the one who would be making tne decision to clamp down. All it takes is a few complaints.

The most effective additional step you could take would be to write to the CEO of American Airlines, Don Carty.

11

I have loads of opinions. Scads and scads of them get some people in an uproar. My stance is that I’m perfectly free to have such opinions, share them in personal venues (such as this), but on the job, I have no politics etc.

If you’re flying as an indvidual person, slap all the stickers you want to across your forehead, ass and/or luggage. If you’re in uniform as a rep. of a company (any company) I’d suggest that it’s inappropriate.

And I’d say the same for “Jesus wuvs you stickers as well”.

12

Personal views on personal luggage? I suspect that American would incur worse publicity by trying to suppress it. (I’m sure that American could find a way to order the stickers banned based on the fact that the attendants routinely parade with the airport pulling them, but they are still going to have a problem.) Requiring that the uniforms be opinion-free is fine, but banning stickers on luggage?

The airlines probably long ago gave up (willingly, grudgingly, or under compulsion of contract) the right to censor the political statements their employees express on personal property.

Being mad at the attendants for embracing stupidity is fine. Being mad at the airline for not invoking censorship is probably a waste of time.

Now, the appalling lack of training demonstrated in the matter of food preparation and diet seems to be a very worthwhile complaint to launch against all the involved parties. . . .

13

Go to the papers. Write to the editor.

Better still, call up your local talk radio station & omplain.

Be sure you tell 'em about your conversation with the company rep.

You will be contacted. :slight_smile:

14

Tom, they were at work. Espousing political statements on your luggage isn’t acceptable while you’re at work. If I brought a briefcase into the office with “Someone please trim the Bush from the White House” on it, I’d be reprimanded. Why is it too much to expect airlines - who should be even more sensitive to the public, since they service them daily - to do the same?

15

  1. Of course Bush didn’t know ahead of time. As worthless as I think our President is, I think that notion is flat-out ridiculous, and doesn’t even deserve a response.

  2. The stewardesses were wrong. When you’re working, you represent your employer, not yourself, when you’re in a position to interact with the public.

  3. American Airlines should have had the brain cells to recognize this. Sheesh.

16

Yup, when you’re working in the service industry, while on the job you bet your ass you do come second to me. That’s what the whole service industry thing is about. I don’t appreciate insane cashiers giving me their conspiracy theory du-jour when I’m trying to get rung up, I don’t appreciate cabbies explaining “dat “imma-gints” are ruinin’ dis country” while riding to the airport, I don’t appreciate social reform lectures from waitresses who are letting my food get cold while they explain their tax reformation ideas and I don’t like stewardessess advertising psychotic conspiracy theories, especially ones involving planes while on the job.

I don’t like flying that much. Knowing that my flight attendant has escaped from a mental institution will not help my already low confidence level.

The flight attendant has the right to have any opinion she wants, however idiotic. However, when she is representing the company they can and should require her to not spew her drivel.

I think Anth’s Klan comparison was apt. I wouldn’t be comfortable with a Klansman in a position of the sort of authority that a flight attendant is in, and I wouldn’t be comfortable with a flight attendant who’s spewing psychotic conspiracy-theory gibberish. She can hold whatever opinions she wants when not on the job, but on the job her actions reflect on the company, who (had they room temperature IQs) woulda given her a warning and given Anth a sincere apology.

BTW, Anth: my conclusion is that American Airlines endorses those views. Given that, I’ll be avoiding them when travelling.

Fenris

17

dan, they were going to work. (I don’t know when F.A.s actually go “on the clock,” but I suspect that it happens after they’ve stowed their gear. Even if it begins before then, the non uniform gear is harder to regulate than the uniform. GM can penalize (by failure to promote and similar activities) workers who choose to buy Nissans or Hondas–particularly when they drive them to work–but they cannot compel the workers to sell those cars.

I am not challenging the right of the airline to have such sentiments removed. However, it is possible, as I suggested, that the company is no longer in a legal position to do so (having either “given away” the right by permitting earlier stickers with different sentiments or having “lost” the right in union contracts).

If the company has not already surrendered its right to suppress public displays of opinion on personal property, then it is going to come under a lot of criticism if it now decides to selectively choose which opinions are permitted.

Most companies facing this situation have long ago forbidden any demonstration of any opinions.

18

The “cabin attendants” are one thing.

But the next time I see an American Airlines pilot with a Jihad! sticker on his luggage, I’m taking the bus.

19

We might need more information on this, but every time I have seen flight attendants in an airport, they’ve been in uniform. If they were in uniform in this case, then they were representing the airline. Once they step into the airport, then whether they’ve punched in or not is moot - they are, at that point, representing the airline in the eyes of all of the people in the airport who can see them. That’s what makes this a bad thing.

20

For the love of fuck people, can’t we just let them have whatever sticker saying whatever the fuck they want? A person with a half-working brain should realize that a sticker on a stew’s luggage isn’t an official statement from the airline. It aint the company newsletter, folks, use some common goddam sense.

What the fuck good is having a 1st amendment when it’s declared null and void every time someone goes to their place of work?