Photo: @boy.m25 - TikTok
She didn't agree with his political views, but does that give her the right to kick up a fuss?
By NyRee Ausler — Written on May 11, 2023
Every person has a right to their own thoughts and opinions as long as they are not using them to harm anyone else. One woman found this out the hard way. In a video shared on a TikTok account ‘@boy.m25’ a woman on an airplane appears frustrated and distressed due to the political beliefs of her fellow passenger.
The woman demanded she moves seats away from a Trump supporter on an airplane.
The incident, which happened in 2017, took place on an Alaska Airlines flight traveling from Baltimore to Seattle.
The video was recorded by Scott Koteskey who had told the woman that he’d been in Washington D.C. to attend the presidential Inauguration that weekend. This is when her tirade apparently began.
The video started with Koteskey saying, “She has called me names and assaulted me just for sitting down in this seat saying that I came here to celebrate today.”
After being asked by the flight attendant if there is going to be a problem, the woman responded, “There will be. I would like for him to change seats with someone.” The flight attendant quickly shut her down by telling her that she doesn’t have the right to make another passenger move to a different seat than assigned. Yet the worker promised to get someone to talk with her about her concerns.
As soon as the flight attendant walked away, the angry woman turned back to Koteskey and told him, “You pretend to have the high ground, but you put that man’s hand on the nuclear button. That man doesn’t believe in climate change. Do you believe in gravity? Do you know gravity is just a theory?” At that point, you can see another man sitting to her right, now identified as her husband, put his hand to his chest, seemingly uncomfortable with the situation.
A male flight attendant then came over and leaned in, telling the irritable woman that she was being removed from the airplane and needed to come with him. After making him repeat the request over and over, she defiantly told him, “No. I paid for this seat and I’m sitting in it,” clearly unaware of the irony of asking the man to her left to leave the seat he had paid for.
The flight attendant told her, “We can do this one of two ways, ma’am. I need you to grab your belongings and come with me or I can have you escorted off the plane, as per transportation policy.
Indignant, she began to tell him that her mother-in-law had died, and it was important that she and her husband get home as soon as possible. Though empathetic to her situation, the airline worker reiterated that her behavior would not be tolerated, and she needed to exit the plan. Undeterred, the woman said she needed to return home to Portland for her mother-in-law’s funeral. He offered to get her onto another flight but let her know in no uncertain terms that she would not be flying with them that day.
Her husband tried negotiating on her behalf, telling employees that he would ask his wife to settle down, but even then, she talked over him, reprimanding the flight attendant for his lack of respect involving the loss of her husband’s mom. Despite his offers to quiet her down, the decision to kick her off the plane had already been made by the pilot and would not be reversed.
It took the presence of law enforcement to get her to comply and finally leave the aircraft, but not before she turned to the man she’d had a conflict with and left him with some final words. Her words couldn’t be heard in the video, and he chose to look straight ahead and not respond, but as she walked away, she said, “Shame on you” to him and another passenger sitting behind her. As she finally deboarded the plane, passengers cheered and clapped, happy to be on their way.
Not everyone will agree with your belief systems or your way of life. If we had the power to evict everyone who dissented from our views from places, imagine the utter chaos that would ensue. We all have the same autonomy or thoughts and are entitled to do what works for us.
No matter how negatively you view other peoples’ perspectives, it is nevertheless none of your personal business, and if it’s not impacting your life, should be the last thing on your mind. If you are truly bothered by a politician, there are many more effective ways to show it like running for office or supporting your candidate of choice and helping them get elected.
NyRee Ausler is a writer from Seattle, Washington. She covers lifestyle, relationship, and human-interest stories that readers can relate to and that bring social issues to the forefront for discussion.