I am also disturbed by the overuse and misuse of the word ‘hero’.  Perhaps it is because I have a number of family members who serve both in law enforcement and the military.  My own ‘baby’ brother is a military chaplain currently in Afghanistan.  Those men and women are true heroes, who by the definition of the word are “admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble deeds”.  Mr. Slater did not act in this manner.

Was he brash, bold and reckless?  Of course!  And those qualities can be admired as well, but let’s not, as you point out, call him a hero.

I SO agree. Slater had the power to report the passenger or to have him removed from the plane; he also could have resigned in a more orderly manner. Instead, he threw a hissy fit. I have a bad temper, and I am always ashamed afterwards. I can’t imagine how it would be good for my soul to be praised for it.

No doubt the word hero is misplaced and a huge overstatement.  But, I don’t think I’d go so far as to call him a baby either.  Was it inappropriate? Yes, for sure. Could he have dealt with it in a more civilized manner? Yes. But let’s not forget he was the victim not the aggressor.  I think he’s probably not so different than the people you speak about who show up for work everyday and do their job without complaining.  He’s been a flight attendant for 20 years so I think it’s fair to say he’s done that.  But is there a value in ‘not complaining’ when a person is truly being mistreated? I don’t know about you, but I have seen some truly abusive and wrong behavior from passengers on planes.  For some reason there is nothing like getting on a plane to bring out the worst possible behavior in people.  Flight attendants take a lot of abuse I think, and I’m sure he’s taken his fair share and not complained.  Everyone has their breaking point. Not excusing his behavior, but I just think there is somewhere between hero and baby that probably describes Mr/ Slater a bit more accurately.

If anything he is something of an anti-hero. Did he lose his temper? Yes. Did he overreact? Yes. But I have a problem with employers (Even editiors) who are abusive and whose response, like Mrs. Bean here, is to “suck it up.” Mr. Slater was not only struck (quite probably by accident) but subjected to a torrent of verbal abuse. He reacted in kind, which was uncharitable. But to say that if he had kept his mouth shut and just taken it - that’s shameful too. Service employees deserve respect from both their employers and the employer’s customers. We don’t need to debase ourselves by subjecting our persons to verbal abuse and say that “good” employees put up with it because they “know the value of a dollar.” I’m rather shocked to see this opinion on a Catholic website. Since when is money more important than human dignity? Obtaining money is not the chief function of a husband and father, and I feel truly sorry for any man who must be married to a woman who expresses such an idea.If a woman becomes a prostitute, debasing herself to the level of actually doing the things that the passenger told Mr. Slater to do, she sacrifices her dignity to provide for her family. The way Mrs. Bean puts it, such a woman is more a hero than Mr. Slater.

While Mr. Slater did react intemperately, I believe that the person who was ignoring and disobeying airline rules should be arrested and banned from flying on that airline.  Flight attendants are in the cabin first for the safety of each and every passenger.  What if the woman’s bag had struck another passenger and injured that person?  Would the airline be liable for that injury?  Mr. Slater was doing his job and the passenger in question was defying his rightful authority to provide a safe and secure environment for all passengers.  This ‘me first’ attitude is what’s wrong with the entire situation - where does it stop?

Thanks for telling the other side of the story! Either way, baby or hero, he’ll have lots of time to reflect on whether or not his “it’s all about meeeeeeeeeeee!” career limiting maneuver was really in his best interest… in federal prison.

“Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently.  But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted,” (Galatians 6:1).  Speaking in love and in truth is within what Christ teaches.  We are responsible for our actions and reactions, and in the 90:10 principle by Stephen Covey, 90% of the time, is the end product of our reaction(s).

In Matthew 15:10, Jesus said while talking to a crowd, “Listen and understand.  What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him ‘unclean,’ but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him ‘unclean.’” Let us pray that what comes of our mouth are words of love in truth, humility, understanding, mercy and forgiveness.

Very well said Danielle. If only they DID have a facebook page!

I don’t think that it is correct to call Slater a “hero” as he lost control. Both sides made mistakes. The passenger should have apologized for hitting the pilot. Slater should have kept his cool, as he went way out of bounds.  However, passengers should hold a high respect for the pilot and co-pilot. They are responsible for safely transporting the passengers.

When I reflect on this I realize humans strive mightily to eliminate suffering from the world. Pain is part of being human yet anyone who really wants to get rid of suffering will have to get rid of love before anything else. Because sin is part of the human story, there can be no love without suffering. Love always demands an element of self-sacrifice. Given temperamental differences and the drama of situations, love will always bring with it renunciation and pain. The hero, according to archetype, leaves family and friends to embark upon an exodus toward a new life and thereby opens horizons for others. A hero, wrote John Mann in his book Community of Love, stays with the pain, feels it, when the time is right bring events to the light of awareness, and reconnects with surroundings and people while accepting the mystery of the human person.

Did this man stare down a hijacker? An enemy in battle? An armed criminal during a pursuit? DId he save a life? Did he do anything but exchange tantrum for tantrum, with someone who couldn’t really hurt him? He did act like a baby. A real man would have kept his cool, reported the nasty passenger, and helped the airline decide whether banning said passenger was the right thing.