Going out in a blaze of glory

Yesterday I posted a little news item from the NY Times about an airline attendant who had a run in with a really obnoxious jerk on his plane and had what I referred to as an "I've had enough and I'm not taking it anymore!" moment. After the short excerpt with the obligatory link to the rest of the story, I admitted to feeling some sympathy for the man and guessed that I might not be the only one who smiled a little while reading it. I was wrong.

As by now probably everyone in the country has heard, Mr. Steven Slater, (formerly?) of Jet Blue Airlines, was cursed and struck (accidentally?) by a passenger as yet unnamed who felt he was special so he could stand up and get his carry on luggage while everyone else had to sit and wait until the plane finished taxiing. The long and the short of it is that Mr. Slater decided after being cursed and struck that just maybe the customer is not always right, and that it was time for a career change. So he got on the PA system and announced his resignation to his co-workers and passengers with a very personal message thrown in for the benefit of the special gentlemen already alluded to. After which he then grabbed his own carry on bag, helped himself to a couple of beers from the beverage cart (probably the only severance package he could expect), popped the hatch, activated the emergency evacuation slide and executed one of the most glorious acts of professional seppuku in recent memory.

As I said above; I was wrong. Reaction to this, at the time rather small story in the Times, was not limited to a few sympathetic grins. Mr. Slater has overnight become a national folk hero. He has become the embodiment of that great American song from the early 80's "Take this job and shove it!" Online blogs and bulletin boards on major news services and papers have been flooded with "Atta boy!" comments. People from Maine to Hawaii are posting their own stories of on the job frustration and in some cases, of that moment when they too snapped and told their boss exactly where, with anatomical precision, they could stick their job.

At this rate Mr. Slater's could be the next face on Mt. Rushmore, except for a few small details.

First, he has been arrested and charged with a couple of felonies. In theory he could spend up to seven years in the clink. In reality I suspect the Queens County DA is already pondering where in a county of several millions of people he is going to find twelve who would convict Steven Slater of jaywalking. My guess is this will be plea bargained as fast as it can be arranged while saving face.

Another problem, and one that kinda bothers me a bit, is the manner of his exit. No, I'm not talking about his decision to very publicly quit without notice or even his telling off the south end of a north bound mule for whom rules are optional. If it stopped there I'd probably buy him a beer were we ever to meet. I am talking about his decision to deploy a one time use only piece of emergency equipment that costs about $100k as the instrument for his grand exit. I don't care how bad your day was, or how mistreated you feel by your employer. You don't get to destroy or expropriate company property on your way out the door. (I'm inclined to overlook the beers.) So yea, that is probably the number one issue that keeps me from enshrining Mr. Slater in the pantheon of truly great Americans.

All of which said, as I noted yesterday I am still sympathetic. I won't bore you with my own "I've had enough and I'm not taking it anymore!" story. Suffice to say I actually do have one. But it's no wheres near in the same league as Mr. Slater's (I didn't even get canned). My guess is we have all had moments where we either snapped or only held back by a truly supreme effort from throttling someone in desperate need of a little oxygen deprivation.

So here's to you Steven Slater, a hearty 2 and a half cheers! Just next time, don't take or damage anything that doesn't belong to you on your way out.