(Observer.com ) According to the "New York Post " report on October 18, the conservative commentator of the United States and Australia, Sydney Watson, caused heated discussion on Twitter for posting a message complaining that he was caught between two obese people on a plane and felt uncomfortable for 3 hours. Some foreign netizens criticized her for suffering from "fatphobia" (also known as "anti-fat", which refers to prejudice against obese and obese people) and imposed "obesity humiliation" on others; on the other hand, many netizens expressed their understanding of her complaint and supported her in protecting her rights.
American Airlines (American Airlines 2) initially responded to Watson that their passengers have various body types and are sorry for their poor flight experience. The latest news is that the company gave Watson a $150 air ticket deduction voucher on the 17th to show "sincerity".
Sidney Watson
Watson is a conservative political commentator and a YouTube blogger who claims to have an honorary doctorate, so the Twitter nickname is "Dr. Sydney Watson". On the evening of October 10th local time, she posted on Twitter to share an uncomfortable flight experience.
That night, Watson was sitting on an American Airlines flight from New York to Dallas . She posted two photos showing that the arms of passengers on both sides were close to her.
Watson said that he is now "that is being squeezed between two obese people", "this is completely unacceptable. If the fat man wants to be fat, it is no problem, but I was sandwiched between you for 3 hours, and your arms are shaking and touching me, that's another matter."
Then, Watson posted a picture of his legs being squeezed in the middle.
She said she had to put away the small table board and hold a paper cup in her mouth because once it was put down, the small table board would poke the belly of the passenger on her left.
"I don't care if this is mean. But now my whole body is touched, which goes against my will. I can't even put down the armrest on either side because there is no space at all," Watson wrote. "I'm fed up with taking this level of fat as normal. I'll make it clear, this is not normal."
She said that if a person needs a seat belt extension on the plane, it means "you are too fat and don't take the plane" and "either buy two tickets or don't take the seat belt."
When asked why she wanted to buy a middle seat for a 3-hour flight, Watson explained that this was booked by a company for her and there was no space when she wanted to change the seat.
In response to the netizens' suggestions to change seats with the neighbors, Watson explained that before taking off, she said to the brother of the female passenger on her left, "If you want to sit together, we can change seats." As a result, the other party did not understand what she really meant and replied, "No need, it doesn't matter." "I was screaming in my heart," Watson said.
Watson also said that the flight attendant asked her four times what she needed to express her concern and gave her a sympathetic expression.
This graphic and text "live broadcast" of the air experience was reported by many foreign media, triggering a discussion on social platforms about "whether it is considered fat humiliation" and "whether the airline should be responsible."
Watson's description of overweight passengers and his words of complaints have been fiercely criticized by some social platform users. She was criticized for suffering from "obesity phobia" and wants to "humiliate" others.
"Wear 'obesity phobia' on your body like a medal."
"Why don't you simply ask them to move their arms down instead of complaining on Twitter? Yes, they are fat people, but have you asked them for their complete medical history... I've had enough of hearing people complain about obese people."
"She may feel that it's great to humiliate fat people!"
On the other hand, many people say that the problems Watson reflected are very practical, and airlines should protect the rights of passengers.
"If she laughed at the behemoth from two rows, it was doing obesity humiliation. But when other passengers stole one-third of the space of her assigned seat from one side because of her own morbid obesity, and the airline insisted on selling the middle seat, that's another matter.”
” They (referring to overweight) should buy two seats or first class, you spend money on your seat and should be able to use it 100% of the space. "
" Watson paid for the seat, and the airline did not provide the seat she bought, and the airline should solve this problem. ”
In response to this, American Airlines’ reply to Watson on the 11th was: “Our passengers have various sizes and figures, and we are sorry for your flight experience. ”
In the face of netizens' doubts, American Airlines said that the company provides "seats of various sizes and styles" so that passengers can choose the seat that suits them best.
After the controversy continued to ferment, Watson responded to the incident on YouTube on the 15th, saying that she was squeezed in the middle like a " sardine " in a sandwich. Passengers on both sides invaded her space and touched her with sweaty bodies.
Watson said that she frequently posted pictures and texts that day because netizens reported that her sharing was interesting. In order to add more joy to everyone with her pain, she kept updating the news.
She said she would not be sorry for the remarks she made. Everything she said was serious and called a human being. We should not defend obesity, we should understand that she was forced to be in such a situation, and her sweaty body was constantly touching without her consent. At the same time, she praised those who were overweight but would worry about other people's feelings and consider others.
In recent days, Watson's Twitter has been constantly updating feedback from the US media, British media and netizens. Netizens' memes drawn based on her description at the time, as well as the abuse information she received.
On October 18, Watson updated the latest progress of the matter, saying that she received an email from American Airlines on the 17th. The company said that she regretted that Watson's travel experience was affected. If she encountered such a situation in the future, she had the right to apply for a seat change if there was an empty seat on the plane.
The company also said, "To show sincerity" (As a gisture of goodwill will, which will be issued a $150 coupon for Watson to use when she or her relatives and friends purchase tickets for the company or its subsidiary. It will be valid for 12 months.
Watson did not disclose whether she accepted the result of such processing, but she responded to a comment from a netizen to show her attitude. The netizen wrote, "(This email seems to say) Sorry, you were forced to touch for several hours. This is a coupon."
She also posted: "I would rather exchange the $150 coupon given to me by American Airlines for a refund to those who need a personal training or gym membership card. ”
This article is an exclusive article of Observer.com and may not be reproduced without authorization.
