General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Story about 69 year old Dr. David Dao; the man United dragged off the plane [View all]d_r
(6,907 posts)His reaction was inappropriate. It really was. But to me that means instead of acting like a jack booted thug and dragging him out that professional people should have treated him with dignity. He is an older gentleman. I know nothing about him. Do I know if he has dementia? Do I know if he has diabetes and has been traveling and his blood sugar is out of whack? I know that he is panicking. Is the appropriate thing for to grab him and force him to the ground and drag him? Or is it to assess the situation and respond in an appropriate way?
Now we know that he came to the US from Vietnam in the 1970s. We know he has had legal problems before. I do not know how these factors impacted his behavior, but it wouldn't surprise me if they did. No one would have known these things in that situation, but instead of trying to find out what the mental state of the man was and deal with that in a kind, respectful way they choose to physically drag him off the plan with no concern for his well being.
There was a post a few months ago about how we need to remember our humanity as so many elements of our society seem to shift towards authoritarianism. How when the culture around us changes we forget and adapt to the new reality. To remember to question things that have come to seem acceptable that previously would not have. To notice when our perceptions have changed. So let me ask, do you not think that there were other ways that the situation could have been handled? Are we at the point when physically dragging some one is considered just a necessary reaction by LEO?