Monday, February 15, 2010

Empathy On Both Sides Of The Aisle

I found this on CNN today and can empathize with both sides of this situation.......(and I don't think the guy is 'that' fat btw). 

Kevin Smith's most famous role is a guy who rarely speaks. But he's got a lot to say -- much of it profane -- after being kicked off a Southwest Air flight because he didn't fit comfortably into the seat.


Southwest said in a statement airline officials had called Smith to offer their "heartfelt apologies," but also stated his removal was for the "safety and comfort of all customers." 
Smith, 39, originally purchased two tickets "as he's been known to do when traveling Southwest," the airline noted, but when he decided to fly standby on an earlier flight, only one seat remained. Although he had been seated, he was asked to leave.


Smith, who played Silent Bob in his Clerks movies and who has battled his weight for years -- "I know I'm fat," he confesses -- was given a $100 voucher and arrived in Burbank on a later flight. But he was in no mood to accept an apology.


"I broke no regulation, offered no 'safety risk' (what, was I gonna roll on a fellow passenger?)" he tweeted. "I saw someone bigger than me on THAT flight! But I wasn't about to throw a fellow Fatty under the plane as I'm being profiled. But he & I made eye contact, & he was like 'Please don't tell...'"


After landing in Burbank, Smith wrote, "Don't worry: wall of the plane was opened & I was airlifted out while Richard Simmons supervised."

My own weightloss/lifestyle change is going full throttle, but wow I feel for this guy or anyone like him.

3 comments:

Larry Ohio said...

Me too Geoff. I feel bad for him.

Charlie said...

The handling of the situation is the issue in my opinion. Nobody should be embarassed like that but having said that, I have also ridden alongside an overweight woman and it was truly miserable. I would even say the airlines suck because they make the seats small to begin with so they can cram more people in the plane. If overweight people are a safety issue, they should make it clear they cannot fly when they buy their ticket, no matter if their on standby or not.

Wonder Man said...

this was horrible, I hope Kevin is ok

 
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