Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Doctor Dao and the United Airlines

A friend in Facebook shared an article written by Andrew Lam, an author and editor of the New American Media in San Francisco. It was published by the Huffington Post on April 11, 2017 regarding David Dao, the Asian American doctor who was forcefully dragged from a United Airlines flight departing Chicago for Louisville, Kentucky. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There are a few points that I agree with Andrew Lam in what he said in this article: had Dao been a blonde white woman, such assault and battery would not have happened. It was not a case of overbooking; every passenger had a seat. Rather Dao was forced to give up his paid seat to make room for United employees. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My thoughts and comments: Forcing a customer to give up his paid seat for the airline's own staff members was highly unfair even if it was not illegal. In any case, violence is wrong. Such incident reflects a few perceived American problems beyond the United Airlines in a broader sense: racism against non-white minorities, police brutality, an aggressive culture or violent value that 'might is right' and force is the answer to solving problems. Uncle Sam likes to fight and kill. What can we do? So bad So sad !!!