Delta Airlines has been accused of removing Adam Saleh, a 23-year-old Youtube star off of a flight geared for New York for speaking Arabic. Before this incident ensued, Saleh stated that he was on the telephone with his mother. He told the Guardian: “My mom is 66 years old and she only speaks Arabic, so I was speaking to her in Arabic – it was a 30-second phone call.” Proceeding the conversation, Saleh also spoke with his friend - a fellow Youtuber Slim Albaher in Arabic. This conversation apparently disturbed a few passengers seated above them. One of these passengers demanded that Saleh spoke in English because she felt uncomfortable." “We feel uncomfortable – something happened in Germany. If they don’t leave, I leave,” is what Saleh stated the same woman said.
Then the captain requested to speak to Saleh and Albaher off of the plane and this is when Saleh began recording. In the video, Passengers can be heard shouting, "Bye" and "See ya." However, other passengers averted eye contact while some rallied in support of Saleh and deemed the situation "disturbing."
Furthermore, Saleh provided multiple videos on Twitter and Periscope documenting his experience regarding this Delta Flight. Due to his mass following on these social networking sites and the outrageousness of this event, a hashtag exploded on Twitter, #BoycottDelta. Opinions on this topic varied. Some people stated that they needed more context while other stated that it is blatant that discrimination has occurred.
On-the-other-hand, Saleh is most famous for his pranks on Youtube that often involved airplanes and his Arabic heritage. This has made some question the validity of his allegation. Some individuals see this as another prank. Honestly, this situation does not differ much from the videos he has posted on Youtube. In fact, his Stop-And-Frisk Video was proven to be a hoax and so was his Airport Suitcase prank. Therefore, it is understandable why his character is considered questionable. Yet, we should not undermine his experience because it could be true. Adam Saleh predicament is most similar to "The Boy who Cried Wolf ". Although Saleh does make content that some may deem antagonizing( and race=baiting), it is important to remember just as in the fable "The Boy who Cried Wolf", the wolf did indeed inevitably show up. Is Delta Saleh's Wolf?
Never-the-less, This unwanted attention prompted Delta airlines to issue an official statement which can be found on twitter. Essentially, they admit that "two customers" were removed from the flight and that the situation will be "reviewed" because they take "allegations of discrimination very seriously."
It must also be noted that this is not Delta's first "allegation of discrimination" this year. Last October, CNN reported that an " African-American OB-GYN" stated she "was discriminated against on a flight when attendants refused to let her help with an in-flight medical emergency." A woman's husband had suddenly become unresponsive on the flight and a flight attendant sought a medical doctor. Tameka Cross wrote on Facebook: "I raised my hand to grab (the flight attendant's) attention. She said to me 'oh no sweetie put ur hand down.'"
Overall, It seems as though that some of Delta airlines employees has issues with stereotyping people of color and perhaps more training against discrimination is needed to combat this issue. Fortunately, it seems as though social media has been a reliable ally in the fight for social justice against race, age and gender discrimination. As we can see from this instance and many more similar instances it is important to share your experiences. It makes organizations, companies, and people accountable for their actions and it leads to the truth- even if it is only to appease people to limit adverse reactions to a brand. The more ignorance is exposed, the more people are educated about the injustices that so many members of our population face.
