Last year pilots were making announcements “Let’s Go Brandon” and that made it into air traffic control chatter too. I thought this had died out, and was now being crowded out by the counter Dark Brandon meme but pilots are still bringing their politics on board with them.
Here’s a Southwest Airlines pilot with a “I used to be liberal / Then I left home and got a job” sticker on his bag.
.@SouthwestAir is this really the type of garbage you allow your pilots to have on their work bags? As a liberal woman (with a job, thanks very much) who flies your airline often with my kids (who are of reading age), this is downright offensive. pic.twitter.com/H8ODcXoSit
— Theresa (@theresalenz) August 25, 2022
Shortly after Donald Trump was first elected President, a United Airlines captain went viral for asking passengers not to get political on the airplane regardless of which side they were on. Everyone cheered.
Beyond Southwest, airline uniform standards generally speak to stickers on the outside of luggage, but conformance with such standards is more likely to be applied against cabin crew than pilots. Pilots have a lot more leverage than flight attendants.
Airlines themselves are highly political. They lobby to pick taxpayer pickets for bailouts. They lobby to keep competitors out of the U.S. and to keep domestic airlines from accessing space in the airlines they operate – limiting consumer choice and raising prices. They want government subsidies for alternative fuels. Already shielded from state regulations, they lobby to limit regulation at the federal level too. We’ll never keep politics out of airlines – but time inside of airports and inside of metal tubes at 35,000 would sure be nice as a politics-free zone. Let’s stick to puppies and kittens while on board.
Do you think pilots ought to be able to express themselves – politically – on the job, even if just through ‘flair’?
Should he be able to? – In an ideal world, yes. In this world – not a good idea. And if it’s against company policy, which is a perfectly legitimate position, then it should be true for all political statements, from BLM to MAGA.
FWIW, what’s the over/under on her having pronouns in her (hidden) Twitter bio. And want to bet she doesn’t object to people on her side expressing themselves, she only objects to being made fun of (indirectly) by the other side. Clutch the pearls, my children might realize there is more than one political viewpoint in this country!
Is it too much to ask people to be consistent? You want to spew politics at every conceivable opportunity, then everyone gets to do so. You want no politics, then no one gets to. This is not a viewpoint dependent situation.
We certainly can’t have her children alternative points of view . . .
And they call conservatives fascists . . .
What’s kind of absurd is that pilots are extremely well paid for what they do. And that is in no small part a function of the many ways you note, that airlines are subsidized and insulated by the government from competitive forces.
Love it. Reminds me of a bumper sticker I saw last week that read –
God when I die please don’t let me vote Democratic
A liberal snowflake triggered by a sticker.
yawn.
liberalism is a mental disorder.
1KBrad, no, I call fascists fascists. Conservatives I respect while usually disagreeing with them. But people who incite beer hall putsches are something else again, especially when they lie, don’t take responsibility for their actions and chronically betray those who trust them. But to get one’s politics from a mindless and in your face bumper sticker is pretty sad. For the woman in question, if her children were old enough she could have used that moment to give them a lesson on tolerance. But why force that on somebody when they could be tired or busy?
As Winston Churchill was reported to have said, “If you are not a liberal at age 20, you have no heart. If you are a liberal at age 40, you have no brain.”
Truer words have never been spoken.
Bless his heart. I’d love to have a conversation with this pilot to educate him on all the subsidies that airlines and airports get which fund his salary.
But but but BLM pins are ok!
At every company I’ve ever led we have not permitted our employees who are on our property, or who interact with the general public off property to have stickers, pins, clothing, etc. that makes political statements of any kind to be seen while they are at work, or wearing a uniform that indicates they are an employee. We don’t permit employees to make political statements on social media if they do it as an employee by stating they are working for us, showing themselves wearing their employee uniform, etc. In addition, while on company property, or when on the job off our property, we allow no political campaigning, no petition signature gathering, no political activities of any kind.
When not at work, off our property, or not representing us or representing that what they’re saying is or may be from the company, we support the right of our employees to have whatever political opinions they have and speak about it. They just can’t do it at work or if it appears what they’re saying is representing the company.
Know what you could show this womxn that would REALLY offend xer?…..a penis.
I’m pretty sure this goes against most airlines policies regarding baggage and uniform standards. Regardless, we are highly paid professionals who transport a variety of people with different backgrounds and beliefs. I wish my coworkers would leave all the stickers and pins off our bags/uniforms and help restore the once respected image of a professional pilot.
This extends to cabin crew as well. I order to create a neutral and welcoming environment for all this “flair” needs to stay at home.
Nothing says maturity quite the the posts on this thread.
What none of you seem to understand is that when you are in uniform you a representative of your employer. You are entitled to your personal beliefs, but when those have the potential to harm a company’s brand the line is crossed. Every company sets standards for what is and is not appropriate. Don’t like it? Find a new job.
“…who flies your airline often with my kids (who are of reading age), this is downright offensive.”
“This is liberalism’s dilemma: There are so many things to be offended by, and so little time to agonize about each.” George Will
Wow I am so impressed with the Right sided comments for a nice change!! Good job all-keep up the the great work!
Why is everyone so offended by free speech. I have to agree!! I worked my way through loans and life and it hurts to see America turning into a socialist nation. And if you think thats an extreme comment, I cannot help you.
Karen sounds a little sensitive here. Everyone is entitled to a viewpoint. Her shielding her children from opinions other than hers is a bit over the top as well. I bet if he had a Biden 2024 sticker she’d be fine with that.
I totally believe in freedom of speech, and not just when I agree with it. However if pilots want to maintain their aura of respectability I believe they need to keep their politics to themselves when they are on the job.
@Cindi…How does expressing a political opinion denigrate one’s “aura of respectability”?
Maybe they should decertify their union then…after all, organized labor/unions are part of the Liberal/Democratic agenda, no?
Freedom of speech is only allowed if you are a Liberal crybaby spewing your hate speech. Everyone else has to shut up. (roll eyes)
I would be very comforted to know that my SouthWest flight had captain conservative flying the plane. (someone with a logical brain)
On another note, thanks to Gary for having a good sense of humor and letting everybody chime in.
Having a pilot who insists on forcing his political opinions on non interested persons should be grounds for free rescheduling and a $800 voucher from Southwest. Someone that invested in his/hers political opinions should have a ground job. Yes if the pilot had a BLM sticker, I would say the same thing.
This lady has locked her Twitter account, but she is the textbook definition of a Karen. Her tweets were full of her going around her city and photographs parking scofflaws and tagging the parking enforcement Twitter handle.
@Jake
“I would have said the same thing” No you wouldn’t have …..just like you don’t when you’re on DL and the FA has a BLM …..AND the stupid “I got my vaccine” pin prominently displayed. You nod in approval because they’re on “on the same team”.
I’ve sat next to idiots like you before. You’re ALL insufferable losers.
Great sticker. I will have to get one because it is so true.
“Having a pilot who insists on forcing his political opinions…”
Give us your definition of “forcing”.
That pilot is probably one of those triple-dipping freeloaders, who probably dropped out of school, signed up as a reserve, got his pilot’s license courtesy of my tax dollars, and then landed a job flying a few hours a week with a fat salary and now showing his true wings, aka, his radical rightwing thinking, like the comments posted by rightwing nitwits.
@AFairTexan You obviously aren’t a native Texan with such a warped view of the world 😀
I am surprised about all these reactions. Republicans seem to have the idea that they are the ones working and paying the taxes…. Wake up morons! The majority of taxes is being paid by Liberals. Liberal companies make most of the money, pay most of the taxes. The people with the large incomes who actually pay taxes are Al ost all Liberals. Your whiny reactions are ridiculous. The “jokes” and remarks made by the right wing are childish and juvenile. And no, i would not fly on an airline where they allow their pilots to walk around with stickers showing his IQ being below 80.
Brandon won !! and that’s Mr. Brandon to you !!!
The movie Shooter with a senator played by Ned Beatty sums it up, “There are no sides. There’s no Sunnis and Shiites. There’s no Democrats and Republicans. There’s only HAVES and HAVE-NOTS.”
This is also called the Establishment a/k/a the Swamp. This is one of the principle reasons Donald Trump is where he is today. He pulled the covers back on both parties. Is what it is until it’s not and then what difference will it make.
@AFairTexan-more likely he’s double dipping-working after retiring from flying for the military (protecting your free speech which you use to denigrate him). Fortunately his taxes will be used to subsidize lots of necessary philosophy and women’s studies degrees so there’s that silver lining.
@Gary
It’s time for you to shut this conversation down.
What could have been a civilized conversation about professionalism and how one comports themself has turned into immature mud slinging, personal attacks and sexist comments. But, I guess I shouldn’t expect anything more when people can hide behind the safety of a keyboard. So many big, tough people out there who are big and tough until they are outed.
Imagine what we could accomplish if people put as much effort into solving problems as they did insulting one another.
@FairTexan I can assure you that is not how it works. Less than 1% of the pilot population really gets to do that anyway. If you are there, you have given up a lot, probably furloughed a few times and worked your tail end off. You also flew for decades and can count 100’s of thousands of safe passengers that exited the airplane.
Okay, Karen
“…aka, his radical rightwing thinking, like the comments posted by rightwing nitwits.”
The epitome of lazy thinking. Whenever you disagree with someone’s opinion, attack their character. Of course, it says much more about your character.
The only thing that baffles me more than people thinking anyone cares about their political opinion are people who think anybody cares if they are offended.
@Jake,
What about the unionization and pro Union flair that the flight attendants often wear? That’s just as political, and they intentionally wear it on their uniforms, rather than it being displayed incidentally on a piece of luggage.
So, not a liberal, but still a union member.
As a retired f/a I cannot believe this woman was offended by a sticker on a bag with no cuss words…….get real! When society returns to some politeness, maybe then we will not have to deal with this crap……..cussing, swearing, and people half dressed. Very few people have manners any-more. Wish we could go back to the old days……we were taught never to discuss politics and religion.
Maybe one day………..
I’m a liberal, and a Democrat, to the core, and I could give two screws what idiot sticker this pilot wants to put on his bag. Like, who cares. Can he fly the plane safely? Great. That’s kind of what matters to me at 35,000 feet. (If I had some small child with me who asked what it means, I’d just say it means the guy’s an jerk and be done with it.)
@ Gary
FYI – apparently, the original tweet is either deleted or blocked or only visible to a limited audience. And yet you are publicly disseminating such…;)
Not sure why anybody would give a f–k about some random person’s sole tweet anyway.
It’s the absolute laziness of many media outlets that they republish some social media post as if the existence of such lends any credibility to a story or is of any relevance.
“Truth uncompromisingly told will always have its ragged edges.” Herman Melville
The decline of America began when women were given the vote.
;-D
Agree with Ivan X ….to his question about how well can he fly? Hard to say about his flying skills but he is likely a weak Captain (or FO)….pilots who bring their politics or religion to the cockpit generally have weak CRM skills.
@Rob Vance
White, male, republicans pay more in taxes than every other group combined.
@NSL: That was likely before companies themselves started taking political positions.
Let’s also not forget that airline employees including pilots throughout the industry want pay raises – even though their salaries were paid for during the pandemic by taxpayers – and dealing w/ employees that display non-standard company positions but don’t personally talk w/ passengers about them are just not high on any company’s agenda.
Let’s also not forget that Southwest was just slapped with a multi-million dollar judgment in a case that involved silencing the voice of a conservative WN FA who voiced her pro-life opinions; the company and the union acted together but WN itself had to foot the bill.
Gary posted the article because he wanted clicks and he got them. I would rather see politics than random bizarre off-the-wall passenger and anecdotal service stories.
If the mere presence of button you don’t agree with “offends” you, there is no shame in seeking help from a licensed mental health professional.