ID - Man Smacks Teen For Refusing To Turn Off His Cell Phone.

[angelmom]

Hitting people is not okay.

And I am calling BS on the "protecting other passengers." This guy made that up to mitigate the fact that he assaulted someone.

 

[jjenny]

Oh, I do believe that the man somehow felt justified in what he did. I question whether the man felt in danger because the kid was playing games on his phone. I still think if the airlines routinely tried to have people arrested for not following instructions, no matter how small, it would be a PR nightmare.

Could you imagine if this story were, "16 yo arrested for not turning off cell phone?" He wasn't making a call, just playing a game. People would be up in arms, if that happened.

What people would be up in arms? And so what if he was not making a call but playing a game? People are told to turn off the cell phones, not just quit making phone calls.

 

[JBean]

Let's hold on a second. It says the teen wouldn't turn off his iPhone. NOT that he was talking on it.

The iPhone has an airplane mode that makes it usable for most of the flight. In fact, on my last flight the attendant told me I didn't have to leave it in airplane mode so that I could still check fb, etc. There was free wi-fi on the plane, for Pete's sake!

While it's true that you are supposed to turn it completely off during takeoff and landing, I have my doubts that an iPhone could interfere with a modern airplane.

Hitting a kid instead of just alerting the attendant is not a sign of common sense or doing what everyone wishes they could do; it's a sign of poor impulse control and anger management. Personally I think hitting a stranger is much worse than not turning off your phone.

He hit him hard enough to leave a mark! Would you all feel differently if it had been a girl or adult business woman he had hit and left a mark? I think you would. Hitting people is not okay.

Anything with an on/off button has to be turned off during takeoff. They specifically announce that it cannot be silent or in flight mode. It can only be off.
With that said, the passenger should have just hit the alert button instead of responding. hehe.

 

[tlcya]

If this were your child, and the child hadn't heard the announcement to turn off electronics, or had switched it to airplane mode, or whatever; THEN the man came over and smack him, would you still be okay with it? What if you were the one who didn't turn their phone off quick enough for this guy? and he then smacked you?

I'm sorry, I think this guy has boundary issues. (like he keeps overstepping them)

BBM I am in total agreement. I think the man had no right to assault the teen. My post was meant to illustrate that while I understand that many are frustrated with airports, airplanes, the TSA, young people today and their seeming inability to respect authority, that I find the man's behavior unacceptable.

If this happened to my child (which I think I mentioned earlier it wouldn't - because my children respect authority figures and me enough to mind in that situation) I would be more concerned with why my child did not comply, not rushing out to file suit against either the man or the airlines. While I would be very upset that someone laid hands upon my child, I would be equally upset that my child had not complied with airline personnel.

That was the point of my post, NOT to give the man a pass because as I posted earlier - I find his actions wrong and very disturbing and further I find his excuse that he smacked this kid out of concern for his and fellow passengers safety ludicrous.

We are in agreement - the man was out of control, acted wrongly and committed assault.

 

[tlcya]

lol @ jbean

snickers* Yeah, airplanes just need alert buttons

 

[jandkmom]

I think that we say that it takes a village to raise a child until the village tries to raise a child correctly.

 

[tlcya]

There must be some sort of middle ground between ignoring the existence of everyone elses children and raising your hand and striking them?

I want a village for my children, just not one populated by people whose first instinct is to strike a child.

 

[jandkmom]

There must be some sort of middle ground between ignoring the existence of everyone elses children and raising your hand and striking them?

I want a village for my children, just not one populated by people whose first instinct is to strike a child.

I don't believe it was his first instinct, but according to the story, the child had been told several times by the flight attendants to turn off the phone and he deliberately did not. Very disrespectful.

 

[tlcya]

at 15, I think the appearance of a village in this young man's life is a day or two later and a dollar or two short. The time for proper parenting and the village to assist in that was well before this kid turned 15. This man's actions only served to make the badly behaved teen a victim and a martyr in his parents eyes, rather than a rude, disrespectful little snot which he may have been. I can guarantee this teen learned nothing by this man punching him. So if this guy was the village. epic village FAIL IMO

 

[jandkmom]

at 15, I think the appearance of a village in this young man's life is a day or two later and a dollar or two short. The time for proper parenting and the village to assist in that was well before this kid turned 15. This man's actions only served to make the badly behaved teen a victim and a martyr in his parents eyes, rather than a rude, disrespectful little snot which he may have been. I can guarantee this teen learned nothing by this man punching him. So if this guy was the village. epic village FAIL IMO

But in that scenario, no one ever corrects the child and he grows up to be a rude, disrespectful adult. If everyone on that plane had stood up and told that young man that he should turn off his phone because he was asked to by the flight crew, then he would probably sue because he would say he was bullied. If more people would stand up for what's right instead of sitting in silence, maybe we wouldn't be having so many social issues in this day and time. Do I agree that the man should have struck the young man....no....but he should have turned off the phone the first time that a person of authority in the plan requested that he do so. The flight crew had to spend time with him over this small issue when someone with a real issue may have been in the plane. The flight crew shouldn't have to worry with a child playing a video game instead of concentrating on their real job.

 

[tlcya]

Did the man's action show this young man the error of his ways?

Will this 15 year old young man alter his behavior in future? Has he had some punch provided epiphany?

I find that unlikely. So nothing was gained by the passenger's action other than he got an opportunity to vent his ire upon the teen and gave us all something to debate.

 

[Steely Dan]

Oh, I do believe that the man somehow felt justified in what he did. I question whether the man felt in danger because the kid was playing games on his phone. I still think if the airlines routinely tried to have people arrested for not following instructions, no matter how small, it would be a PR nightmare.

Could you imagine if this story were, "16 yo arrested for not turning off cell phone?" He wasn't making a call, just playing a game. People would be up in arms, if that happened.

I'm hoping the parents make a public statement soon. I'd love to see how they spin this.

 

[lonetraveler]

I don't believe it was his first instinct, but according to the story, the child had been told several times by the flight attendants to turn off the phone and he deliberately did not. Very disrespectful.

I think that flight crews should have the authority to confiscate electronic devices and hold them until the end of the flight in instances where an individual refuses to turn the device off. But, I'm sure that some of these individuals would then fight to keep the devices. Unfortunately there are always going to be those kind of people who enjoy causing trouble for authority figures.

 

[jjenny]

I think that flight crews should have the authority to confiscate electronic devices and hold them until the end of the flight in instances where an individual refuses to turn the device off. But, I'm sure that some of these individuals would then fight to keep the devices. Unfortunately there are always going to be those kind of people who enjoy causing trouble for authority figures.

There recently was an actor escorted of the plane for refusing to turn off an electronic device. Of course if plane is about to land rather than take off it's be harder to get them off the plane.

 

[lonetraveler]

There recently was an actor escorted of the plane for refusing to turn off an electronic device. Of course if plane is about to land rather than take off it's be harder to get them off the plane.

I've been wondering what procedure the flight crew follows when a passenger doesn't comply with the rules and requests. I hope they don't just give up and let them keep the device on..........I appreciate you posting that at least one person was escorted off the plane.

 

[2goldfish]

I believe they are allowed to confiscate the item.

if they were ready to land, they wouldnt land at all until they had the item I believe. Once I was on a flight where an elderly lady was in the restroom and either didnt hear the announcement to get in seats and belt up, or else she couldnt. they circled heathrow for 45 minutes til it was sorted out and she was seated & belted.

 

[angelmom]

I don't believe it was his first instinct, but according to the story, the child had been told several times by the flight attendants to turn off the phone and he deliberately did not. Very disrespectful.

I have read every link in this thread (most are duplicates), and cannot find one place where it says that he was told multiple times. It is also unclear whether he was specifically told or if there was just an announcement by the flight attendant. It says he "refused" to turn it off, but no reports of any verbal altercation or even the man telling him to turn it off.

Either way he should have turned it off, but this was not an argument or debate that led to the man losing his temper. His first reaction was physical violence and that concerns me much more than the phone.

http://www.aolnews.com/2010/12/29/cops-angry-flier-russell-miller-punches-teen-who-wouldnt-turn/

Russell Miller, 68, was charged with misdemeanor battery. Passengers told police that he became irate Tuesday night when a 15-year-old boy ignored a flight attendant's request [singular] to turn off all electronics during a Southwest Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Boise.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/12/29/idaho.plane.incident/index.html?hpt=T2

Miller told police that the 15-year-old boy refused to turn off his phone after directions from the flight crew.


Both of these sound to me like an announcement from the flight crew, which the boy may or may not have heard, and which the boy may or may not have understood to mean that plain games on the phone in airplane mode were included.

Interesting to me is that a minor traveling alone is brought to the attention of the flight crew. I would think that if there were concerns about him understanding the instructions a flight attendant would have made sure he knew the rules.

Also, all this bashing of the kid's parents when they haven't said one word - not to defend their son nor to mention a lawsuit. I don't get how this kid gets hit and all of the sudden it's too late to save this 15yo from being a horrible person.

 

[Tuffy]

I believe they are allowed to confiscate the item.

if they were ready to land, they wouldnt land at all until they had the item I believe. Once I was on a flight where an elderly lady was in the restroom and either didnt hear the announcement to get in seats and belt up, or else she couldnt. they circled heathrow for 45 minutes til it was sorted out and she was seated & belted.

What bothers me is the difference between the two situations. No one smacked the elderly woman, they assumed she hadn't heard the announcement. No one is calling her disrespectful, and asking that charges be filed.

But some people feel that all of that was appropriate for the teen.

 

[2goldfish]

What bothers me is the difference between the two situations. No one smacked the elderly woman, they assumed she hadn't heard the announcement. No one is calling her disrespectful, and asking that charges be filed.

But some people feel that all of that was appropriate for the teen.

oh my gosh, of course the boy in the OP shouldnt have been smacked! apologies, my intent was only to say what most likely would have happened if the boy remained unsmacked and continued to refuse while landing as another poster mentioned something about how things were handled on takeoff and landing if there was a problem and that was my only experience of a problem, technically I was OT...

 

[eachandevery]

I've read that the first five and last 10 minutes of a flight are the most dangerous times, so I understand why you can't have devices turned on, be wearing headphones, or be out of your seat during those periods. That said, the man had no right to hit the kid.