I applaud the message, but you don't wear that shirt in public, certainly not on an airplane. Trying to do so and not having a backup in her carry-on or whatever is just plain asking for trouble. I suspect she knew this would be the result and pulled this stunt for whatever publicity she could get out of it. I hope it was worth it. Sort of.

Ridiculous double standard.

I would have a double standard only if I felt that truck nuts were acceptable. I don't.

If only you got to be in charge, then we'd all talk nice and never mention that naughty stuff in public anymore ever.

Still, you get to feel superior by blaming the victim in this SINGULAR case of naughty-negating justice!

And, how about letting the judgmental poster defend his own narrow-minded victim-lynching?

And one is explicit language, the other is a visual parody. Really no equivalence here at all. Yes, society can make judgments like that. Lines can be drawn. Distinctions can be made. We are not robots.

If you want to hang a set of 'truck nuts' on your own airplane and fly it, nobody is going to prevent you from doing it. However, if you want to travel on a mode of transpiration owned by someone else, they have a right to refuse service based on your attire.

....right?

I agree with the statement she is making. I agree with her right to do so. I WOULD however argue that when in a public place, accessible to all, that there is a certain standard of decorum which is proper (yes, think of the children). If someone were to wear a shirt advertising an anti-abortion message, and featuring an image of an aborted fetus, I would find that quite wrong as well.

This isn't about whether it's legal or not. It's about not being a jackass when you know you are going to be sharing space with a couple of hundred strangers. Wearing a shirt with the word "fuck" on it is unacceptable even if a couple letters are starred out. It's just plain bad manners.

People get kicked off of planes all the time for these types of shenanigans and always have, and before there were planes people were getting kicked off trains at the whim of the railroad. I'm not sure why people continue to get surprised at these things.

and accept her place than offend anyone, right?

She should just ignore all the faked dead-fetus posters that the Fundies, et al, thrust in our faces and all the attempts at governmental interference. In the name of "good manners" she should meekly refrain from using a stylized "bad word" in public.

Back to the '50s with you!


I admire this woman's bad manners and am very glad I don't prudishly blame the victim.

she can wear it all day long up and down the boulevards, when she comes into my restaurant she will either cover it or change or she will not be allowed in. Same holds for "dead fetus posters". She isn't a victim of shit (except her own stupidity). She wore something offensive into a privately owned, family space which has a requirement for non offensive dress and was asked to simply change...hell she could have went to the bathroom and turned it inside out. But instead she chose not to comply.

I wonder if they'd let all of these t-shirts through. Some of them offend me.

http://www.junkland.net/2012/01/update-my-girlfriend-your-girlfriend-t.html

People have a right not to be subjected to cuss words, esp. children. But she knew that. And it worked for her; she got an article written about her, which was what she was after.

I hope she is happy with that.

and you aren't writing the rules LOL

private property owners have the freedom to adopt rules of decorum..this is freedom...this isn't the police kicking her off the street..try wearing a shirt like this to a court proceeding, to a state dinner, or into a family restaurant..

Basically, ok by you for others to have that opinion as long as it's hidden or hushed away.

Sounds fascist to me.

"Free Speech" as a term means something different than what you think it does.
Free speech can be controlled in many settings.

I mean seriously? I'm sure there's a "Dear Abby" or "Miss Manners" graphic available, but The Clash?

In a free society it is not her obligation to meet the cultural standards of a minority who think words are voodoo. There is nothing threatening about her t-shirt, which should have been the only applicable standard.

In which case having a 'back up plan' makes sense. Without one, and without breaking any law - why should she have expected to be asked to change her shirt and thus have an extra shirt?

Where is the American Airlines dress code?

you really think it's okay to go out in public in a t-shirt that says FUCK on it? really????

Than be kicked off plane. Though I refuse to fly so not an issue for me.

country, how bout you act like it is.
But, you need to shake your finger at this woman, why?

Even here...

but as been pointed out countless times here on DU, the Constitutional right of free speech applies to government action, not to private action. If you come into my house and say things I don't like or agree with or find offensive, I can demand that you leave. Same thing with an airline. They don't have to provide service to someone who wears a shirt that they deem offensive.

Could they legally find an Obama t-shirt offensive? Where's the line?

I wonder which of these t-shirts, if any, they'd find offensive:

http://www.junkland.net/2012/01/update-my-girlfriend-your-girlfriend-t.html

That private airline pays landing and gate fees to the FAA and other government entities. In most cities the airports are owned by the city or some government entity...but once you board the airplane you are on their property and thus if they find something offensive they can prevent a person from boarding. If she had been prevented from entering the airport, that'd be another issue, but this appears to be strictly the right of the airline. While I applaud the message and stand up for free speech in the "public square"...that doesn't include a cramped airplane where stress levels are already high. There are far better places for her to express her dismay...like walking around Capitol Hill with it...

do so without violating any law. The only issue would be whether or not, and if so, to what extent, the ticket you bought reserved to the airline the right not to serve people.

The line is drawn where the law draws the line. Businesses that operate in interstate commerce are barred from discriminating based on race, color, religion, or national origin. So if you were wearing a cross, or a star of david, or were dressed in Amish garb or wearing religious headgear -- they can't refuse to serve you legally. But speech isn't protected from private action.

The fact your taxes pay for the FAA does not transform the airline's activities into state action.

exercising your freedom of speech..

Private venues are free to deny freedom of speech to their employees and customers.

probably some people won't side with her on her right to wear a goofy shirt on a plane, but a lot of people will find it amazingly stupid to miss a flight over a T-Shirt slogan. The amount of business risked if American Airline did nothing is probably none, the amount lost because they now have a highly tweetable internet story will likely be a lot more. There seems like about million more reasonable ways to handle the situation than to have her miss the flight.

There is a misconception that freedom of speech allows people to say anything they want, wherever they want. That is not true. Other people have rights, too. Your rights end where someone else's right begins.

When you go into a private business establishment, they have the right to set reasonable rules for speech, in order to protect ALL of their customers.

Try wearing that t-shirt to work and see where that gets you. What if the flight attendent were wearing a shirt that said, "Fuck Occupiers." Or "Fuck Democrats." She does not have the right to offend customers of the airline, and they would rightfully fire her/him.

You have a right to say certain things at certain times to certain people. That is freedom of speech.

People cuss in front of kids (many times their OWN kids) all the damn time!

be arrested. If they are your own kids, that's a different matter. But even then, if you were to stand there with witnesses and utter a string of vulgarisms to your own children, you could be arrested. The same as if you were to show them porn....many weirdos allow their kids to view porn, but if you show them porn in public, you'll be sitting in a jail cell.

Laws of decency prohibit it. When you are out in public, anyone and everyone can view your t-shirt. If it contains a vulgarism (whether a pic of a penis or the word "fuck&quot you will not be allowed into most business establishments, and you might be arrested, if you go to a place where children are.

If you got your way & arrested everyone who cussed in public or wore "vulgar" t-shirts, we'd all be in jail.

Fuck Puritanism.

Sheltering kids is stupid.

Just as others do. It is against the law to subject children to porn, vulgarisms, etc. It doesn't matter that YOU think it's okay to subject other people's kids to your porn or vulgarism. That is NOT what free speech is all about.

It is not against the law to "expose children to vulgarisms" and nobody but you brought up porn.

walk up to them and start cussing at the kids. Don't run away like a chicken when the cops show up. You'll be cooling your heels in a jail cell in no time. It's against the law. It's a form of abuse and assault.

FWIW, shouting obscenities at strangers is not equivalent to wearing a political shirt with a naughty word on it.

Puritans.

if you go to Louisiana or Georgia or some areas in Teas, walk into a store and start cussing at someone else's children, you're going to jail, if hte parents decide to call the cops. That could fall under any number of state or local laws or ordinances.

It is against some local ordinances merely to cuss in public...at anyone or at no one in particular.

Most private businesses have policies about decent behavior which would prohibit cussing at others.

Wearing a t-shirt with a vulgarism isn't quite the same thing as verbally cussing directly at someone, but it's in the same area. And whether there's the word "fuck" on the t-shirt or the pictorial representation of it (porn) wouldn't matter much to others in a public place...they both would be considered inappropriate and possibly illegal in many places in the country. That sort of thing is NOT protected free speech. Porn is legal....but it is not legal everywhere, at any time.

The t-shirt could've conveyed the same idea without the cuss word. But the wearer seemed to think it was cute to wear "fuck" on her shirt. She liked the idea of the vulgarism more than the idea of the shirt as a whole. Others have the right to ban it for that same reason. Not the idea being expressed about teh law...but because of the vulgarism.

A passenger is a customer, not an employee.

Not sure why "Freedom of Speech" is not understood by so many.

have a clue what "freedom of speech" means. Freedom of speech refers to the 1st Amendment in the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights are restrictions on government, not on private property owners. I can kick you out of my business for almost any reason I wish. You do not have freedom of speech in my business, or in many, many, many other places both public and private...including right here on DU.

For example, I'm pretty sure Disneyland would refuse to admit her. This kind of thing does not help the pro-choice cause.

I certainly can't blame an airline for enforcing that standard.

they then allowed her to travel some distance before enforcing their house rules.

Whenever it comes to their attention that the woman's shirt is offensive, they have just as much right as any other business to refuse service.

Perhaps they didn't see the offensive language until after takeoff.

And Federal agencies are supposed to protect freedom of speech.

Someone who wants into my house may pay takes to the local municipality. That doesn't mean the city cops are obligated to force me to let them inside. The First Amendment only applies to the government's restriction of free speech and has nothing to do with the actions of non-government entities.

utter bullshit with NO legal evidence to back it up

It's pretty clear you censure the message, not the faux-vulgarity.

Just sayin'

you make walk around half/fully naked?


When's your next party? What you doing over the memorial day weekend?

But they generally end up that way.

Or would they let all these t-shirts on the plane?

http://www.junkland.net/2012/01/update-my-girlfriend-your-girlfriend-t.html

Remember last week about the guy who got kicked off a plane for making sexist remarks about the plane's female pilot? This t-shirt incident is really no different than othe cases where people are removed for beeing assholes. Sure, politically the two statements in each example are 180 degrees apart... but in both cases the way in which the people went about expressing thier opinoins were pretty rude.

I support freedom of speech, that's not the issue. I even support the message o this woman's t-shirt. However if you're going to be in a confined space sharing it with dozens of other people then you need not be an asshole or rude in the manner you express your message.

Imagine being stuck next to one of the Westboro Baptist Idiots on an airplane wearing a "God Hates....." T-shirt, and tell me with a straight face you wouldn't be gleeful if they were kept off of your airplane. Especially if they were sitting next to you for 12 hours.

I don't think that a private company trying to avoid a fight inside their "office" is a bad thing, especially when that office is moving hundreds of miles per hour far above the surface of the earth.

Last edited Fri May 25, 2012, 08:33 AM - Edit history (1)

She didn't have to wear that particular t-shirt to fly. Plain t-shirt would've been just fine, and she would've gotten to where she was going on time. I'm guessing she has a few other shirts she could've worn before packing and leaving for the airport. She loved the offensive language, made a conscious choice to wear the shirt, but then makes an issue out of it when someone else finds it "offensive", and doesn't apologize for wearing it. No need to apologize for it, since she's free to wear the shirt, but if there are any non-violent consequences for wearing a shirt she herself described as offensive, then you live with it. There's no complaining that you missed your connecting flight. That's on her and her conscious choice.

The airline didn't have to make a big deal out of the shirt either, but they did. A simple plain t-shirt to fly fixes the whole problem though.

Edit: Sen. Judy McIntyre loved the offensive language and didn't apologize for it. Not the woman on the plane. My mistake. Still, a boring plain t-shirt gets you where you're going on time.

good consumers, wear drab, non-expressive clothing, and bow to the will of our corporate betters.

Not in front of city hall protesting legislation. Not out at the mall, or a park, or wherever, lollygagging around. She's on a plane, she has somewhere to be, at a certain time. There is zero reason she had to wear that shirt at that particular time. The airline didn't have to do what they did either. She chose to wear the shirt, as she is free to do, but happened to suffer some non-violent consequences for her actions. That's on her.

She paid for the ticket, there is a set time to go from point A to point B, and she went out of her way to potentially hinder herself from getting to where she was going on time.

more f$%ks in a row. I'd love it more.

But if they deliberately tried to get her to miss her connection they should get their butts handed to them in court. And the people involved should be fired.

But it seems the woman wanted to make a scene.

It isn't that hard.

Geez Louise.

Guess just not dramatic enough. LOL!

Flying the dress-code skies: saggy pants, skimpy garb test airlines
September 9, 2011|CNN

Provocative flight attendants' uniforms used to raise eyebrows in the 1970s "Fly Me" era of aviation, but these days it's the passengers who are under scrutiny for their attire.

Saggy pants, exposed underwear and flashes of skin are getting some fliers in trouble and prompting questions about what's acceptable to wear when you're stuck in a metal tube with hundreds of strangers.

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-09-09/travel/os-travel-airline-dress-codes-20110909_1_saggy-pants-deshon-marman-valerie-wunder

Where do we draw the line? Are the corporations deciding what is acceptable to wear in society?

I think the woman probably has a good lawsuit on her hands.

It's idiotic.
If that is the only way you can support your opinion then you already lost.

they just could have asked her to wear it inside out, or put something over it.

are not allowed to fly wear "muscle shirts" esp. when they
sit next to me ...

I ride my truck to and fro...I can sweat, shit, fart and "f--k" in it, if I feel the urge to purge along life's highway.

She took a chance with her fashion selection and received some blowback. Not wholly unexpected. At that point, she needed to turn her shirt inside out and keep moving.

TYY

They worry about a corporation's right to free speech all the way through the US Supreme Court, but they trash this lady's same rights. Where the "f--k" IS the "Justice" in our justice system?

who missed their connecting flights because this dumbass thought it necessary to make an offensive political statement while FLYING. She should be fined enough to reimburse anyone inconvenienced by her idiocy.

Also if she is so proud of her stupid actions, why conceal her name?

BTW..I would likely wear a shirt like that (if I were a woman) to, say, a political rally...maybe...if I knew I wasn't going to go to a restaurant or want to go into any other place of business..

She was in a public place with children and elderly people, not to mention others with some sense of common decency. Sorry, I'm not gonna feel sad for an inconsiderate person who couldn't wear her profane shirt onto the plane. I'd have told her to leave too.

they made him turn it inside out. Actually he was in the army at the time, that's why he was wearing a shirt like that ... he hated being in the army.

allowed some of the 19 terrorists to board their aircraft and then commandeer that craft. On 9-11, security was the airline's responsibility, and American dropped the biggest ball in business history. Of course, we the people paid them for suffering a loss due to their own incompetence rather than hold them accountable for what they allowed to happen through lazy, unfocused 'security' processes they put in place. One reason we have the grand TSA is because airlines like American were shown to be incapable of keeping terrorists off their planes. But they got that tee shirt lady, boy howdy they did...