Some people think the flight attendant is a hero?

I don't get it.

The guy was sworn at (allegedly) and got bumped on the head by a piece of luggage. It appears that someone on the plane didn't play by the FAA rules, and of course he has been an arbiter of these rules for twenty years.

Does that give him permission to swear at everyone on the plane? (he allegedly used the intercom system), to steal (he took beer that was not his to take) to potentially put people at risk (he opened and then exited by the emergency chute)? Then it is reported that he ran to his car and drove home without finishing his shift (yes I assume that this is not normal end of day practice).

What in this scenario makes this guy a hero? To steal (and modify) a line from an old movie "he got mad as hell and didn't take it anymore". That's not the way I taught my children to respond to difficulty and I bet that many of you out there taught the same. Oh yes there have been days when I might have wanted to say "take this job and shove it", actually to be honest, there was only one time and I didn't do that. I faced the difficulty, created a plan and successfully moved on without burning bridges.

I try to treat others with respect even when I receive disrespect from them. The people I rub shoulders with, work with and many others follow the same standard. They have chosen the higher approach (pun not intended) when they are treated with disrespect because they know that they are called to treat others the way they want to be treated.

When we lash out we do not know what will come back. This person will likely lose his job and potentially pay a higher price for his choice. Yes, it was a choice he made. We all have to take responsibility for our actions. Isn't that something most people learned and then taught their children?

A hero? Definitely not in my opinion. A hero is someone who is admired (although some do admire this person) and also idealized for courage, achievement and nobility. None of these were expressed in his behaviour. This is not the hero I would "hold" up for others to emulate.

Too bad though, he was a twenty year employee and that's quite an achievement isn't it?