Oh yeah?  What part of Africa was he from?

I'll take 5 screaming babies over the selfish, loud, inconsiderate and obnoxious adults any day of the week.

Yes  youhave to stow your bag
Yes  youhave to put your seat up
Yes  youhave to wait for the seatbelt sign to turn off
Yes  youhave to turn off your cell phone

A lot of times that a single persons reminders in a flight.

PsiChick: Fark_Guy_Rob: I can mostly agree with this guy's actions.

I don't believe a small child can be held accountable for their actions.  I don't blame the kid.  But parents are adults.  If you are a parent, YOU should be responsible for the actions of your child.  In my mind, there is absolutely no difference between an adult with their child who is doing X and an adult doing X.  Same with pets.

My neighbors upstairs leave their dog in their tiny apartment while they go to work.  Dog barks all day.  I quickly got tired of it; recorded it barking, saved it to my media center, connected the surround sound system and the guitar amp and waited until they were home from work.  Then I proceeded to produce the EXACT SAME NOISE they'd been responsible for making.

In my eyes, those actions are equal.  They were dicks for making loud noises and I responded in kind by making loud noises (also making me a dick - but no more of a dick).

My point here is that he slapped the wrong person.  The Mother was the one who screwed up, not the child.  I don't blame the dog upstairs for barking, I blame the owners that are responsible for it.

//True story - the landlord called me up and said there were complaints of barking coming from my apartment.  I said, 'That's impossible, I don't have a dog.  I have heard a dog coming from upstairs though'.  Good times.

...Goddamn, you can tell the people here who don't know basic farking biology. The kid was  in farking pain, you asshole. How is that in any way ANYONE'S fault?

You cannot ban children from flying, but I dearly wish they would ban idiots who think they have the right to NEVAR EVAR DEAL WITH SCREAMING BABBY, OTHER PEOPLE ARE  SUCH AN AFFRONT TO MY SENSES I MUST  HATE THEM FOREVAR!!!!11!!!

Seriously, if you can look at a screaming baby and not put up with it, you have no right to call yourself an adult, because you should damn well be able to understand that it's an adult's job to put up with shiat other people, babies included, can' ...

Agreed.

And if I'm not an adult, it stands to reason that I'm a child.

Which exempts me from social obligations like NOT being a giant d-bag in public.  But you can't object to it; because if you do, by your own criteria - you'd be failing in your job to put up with my shiat.  That'd make you a child as well.

I have to say, I'm not sure I agree with your world view; but to each their own.

Dancin_In_Anson: What a farking asshole. I met a lady with a toddler and a baby on a flight from Tampa to Atlanta. They were sitting right behind me. The baby was pretty  fussy so I offered to help her out. I entertained the older (about 2 years old) with boos and toys while she tended to the baby who cried most of the flight. Turns out that she was on the same flight I was all the way to Dallas, so I hung in there with her the whole way. We grabbed some lunch and I found out that she was an attorney in Tampa on her way to see her folks. She insisted on paying for lunch (I didn't want her to pay as I was drinking beer and my beer tab can get out of hand) and after some arguing I relented. I asked the flight crew to DFW if we could switch seats around so I could help her out further if the kids (the 2 year old and I were buddies by now) got grumpy during the flight and they let us. Anyway, we got to Dallas and I walked them all the way out of security to the curb where her father was waiting. She gave me her card and told me to call if she could ever help me out.

About 7 years later when my Dad's health was fading, my Mother had a lot of questions about how to set things up in case Dad lingered longer than he wanted to so I called her. Left a msg with her office telling who I was and how I got her name in case she didn't remember. She called me later that day and within a couple of days I had some good information for my Mother to work with...free of charge. I had asked for a referral.

Bottom line is Mr. Executive Asshole, don't be a dick. You'll be amazed at how well it can turn out for you.

/yeah yeah yeah CSB and all.
//still have her card
///Thanks again T!

Way to not marry her and totally ruin my Hollywood-induced expectations.

/pitch it, you'll get a deal.

brigid_fitch: In December, I flew from Phoenix to Philly and the 4-yo girl across the aisle from me wailed the entire flight.  Non-stop, nearly ear-piercing wailing for almost 4 hours.  The poor mother tried everything and was near tears herself.  Kid was just overtired and for whatever reason couldn't or wouldn't sleep.

We all wanted to shove that kid in the overhead, lock her in the bathroom, ANYTHING for a moment's peace.  And I'm sure I wasn't the  only one trying to figure out how to surreptitiously suffocate her w/my neck pillow.  But actually lay a hand on someone else's kid?  Nuh-uh--not if you want the mother to put you in a body bag.

CSB:  Guy in the window seat next to me had Bose noise-canceling headphones on the entire trip.  He didn't take them off until we touched down.  He leaned over to me and suggested I tell the mother to give the girl some gum to help w/her ears.  He was surprised to learn she'd been crying the whole flight.

Best. Product endorsement. EVER.

How would putting gum in a child's ears help?

Fark_Guy_Rob: I can mostly agree with this guy's actions.

I don't believe a small child can be held accountable for their actions.  I don't blame the kid.  But parents are adults.  If you are a parent, YOU should be responsible for the actions of your child.  In my mind, there is absolutely no difference between an adult with their child who is doing X and an adult doing X.  Same with pets.

My neighbors upstairs leave their dog in their tiny apartment while they go to work.  Dog barks all day.  I quickly got tired of it; recorded it barking, saved it to my media center, connected the surround sound system and the guitar amp and waited until they were home from work.  Then I proceeded to produce the EXACT SAME NOISE they'd been responsible for making.

In my eyes, those actions are equal.  They were dicks for making loud noises and I responded in kind by making loud noises (also making me a dick - but no more of a dick).

My point here is that he slapped the wrong person.  The Mother was the one who screwed up, not the child.  I don't blame the dog upstairs for barking, I blame the owners that are responsible for it.

//True story - the landlord called me up and said there were complaints of barking coming from my apartment.  I said, 'That's impossible, I don't have a dog.  I have heard a dog coming from upstairs though'.  Good times.

Soooo...he should have slapped the mother because her toddler cried as the result of ear pain during decent? No, he's a drunken jackass, and you're a moron that has helped me update my ignore list.

If the kid was white I could see this story getting a hero tag.

Should have hit the mother, too.

Genevieve Marie: Fark_Guy_Rob: My point here is that he slapped the wrong person. The Mother was the one who screwed up, not the child.

Because the baby started crying on descent when his ears hurt?

What should the mom have done?

Well, I know that when I rationally explain how nobody else wants to hear my 3-year-old scream in distress, he always solemnly nods, sucks back the tears, and suffers the pain of painful ears stoically.

/Actually, he loves planes and flying and is usually one of the best behaved on the plane, adults included.  Plays with our Ipad, sleeps, and the most noise you'll get out of him is cheering when we "tip" or when the landing gear comes out.  Plus he doesn't hog the arm rests.

Quiet your crotch fruit.

DCBuck: Fark_Guy_Rob: I can mostly agree with this guy's actions.

I don't believe a small child can be held accountable for their actions.  I don't blame the kid.  But parents are adults.  If you are a parent, YOU should be responsible for the actions of your child.  In my mind, there is absolutely no difference between an adult with their child who is doing X and an adult doing X.  Same with pets.

My neighbors upstairs leave their dog in their tiny apartment while they go to work.  Dog barks all day.  I quickly got tired of it; recorded it barking, saved it to my media center, connected the surround sound system and the guitar amp and waited until they were home from work.  Then I proceeded to produce the EXACT SAME NOISE they'd been responsible for making.

In my eyes, those actions are equal.  They were dicks for making loud noises and I responded in kind by making loud noises (also making me a dick - but no more of a dick).

My point here is that he slapped the wrong person.  The Mother was the one who screwed up, not the child.  I don't blame the dog upstairs for barking, I blame the owners that are responsible for it.

//True story - the landlord called me up and said there were complaints of barking coming from my apartment.  I said, 'That's impossible, I don't have a dog.  I have heard a dog coming from upstairs though'.  Good times.

Soooo...he should have slapped the mother because her toddler cried as the result of ear pain during decent? No, he's a drunken jackass, and you're a moron that has helped me update my ignore list.

First - there is nothing more ridiculous than taking the time to respond to someone while simultaneously announcing your intention to ignore them.  Seriously.  If you want to ignore me, that's the worst possible way to do it.  You've failed as hard as anyone can fail at ignoring someone.

Second - *if* he were going to slap anyone, he should have slapped the mother.  It's unreasonable to expect a baby/small child to understand how to behave in an appropriate fashion....but it's not at all unreasonable to expect an adult to understand what is appropriate behavior for an airplane.

It'd still be a crime and he'd still be a dick.  I'm just saying she would have been a more appropriate victim.

But - you aren't reading this; since you're ignoring me, right?  So I'm going to point out that your mother is ugly!  BOO YA!

PYROY: Oh yeah?  What part of Africa was he from?

The kid looks Habesha, or as you know it, Ethiopian.  So, yes, he satisfies the pedantic race categorizer.

One word, Nyquil. Be polite to the rest of the passengers.

scottydoesntknow: BarkingUnicorn: Rapmaster2000: [i.cdn.turner.com image 209x241]

And there's the Mom.  This oughta crank the racism up to 11.

Got to admit, that kid has a very punchable face. ;-)

Not gonna comment on the kid, but that mom looks very hittable. Too bad she'll probably never go back....

Article says the kid is adopted but as a matter of point, most do go back once they have a kid because they need a father figure who will actually be there to help raise the kid.

I've had the good fortune that any wailing babies on a flight were far enough away not to be too annoying and any I shared a row were perfectly delightful. Or asleep. There was a dad who tested my patience on a flight from Charlotte to Denver with his 6, 5, and 4 year old sons. When one of the boys got out of hand, the dad would say 'You better be quiet before the pilot throws you off the plane' -- which resulted in more crying ...

tricycleracer: I follow the "heavy alcohol consumption and loud headphones" school of commercial air travel.

\pot cookie + earplug FTW

The "gentleman" is from Hayden, ID, only miles from Hayden Lake, the former HQ of the Aryan Nation, so maybe...

Hayden Lake is, or at least was, a white supremacist hotbed. Assholes from California moved in and turned it into a national embarassmen and ruined the place. Like Californians do wherever they migrate to.

Okay. That's not fair. There were plenty of assholes from Texas and Illinois who followed and contributed their own overall shiattiness.

Dancin_In_Anson: What a farking asshole. I met a lady with a toddler and a baby on a flight from Tampa to Atlanta.

Bottom line is Mr. Executive Asshole, don't be a dick. You'll be amazed at how well it can turn out for you.

/yeah yeah yeah CSB and all.
//still have her card
///Thanks again T!

We have the reverse story. Our kid wasn't being particularly annoying or anything, but the lady behind us helped out entertaining her during a flight. Turns out she and her niece were on the same second flight as well, but in a different part of the plane. We saw them at our destination, and they were having trouble renting a car and couldn't get a hold of the family member that was supposed be the back-up plan to pick them up. So we gave them a ride. 40 minutes out of our way, but what the heck! She'd already done us a solid. It's amazing what can happen when everybody acts like adults.

This is why everyone but the flight crew should be gassed upon boarding the plane for flights lasting more than two hours.  Then everyone can sleep through the flight and the flight attendants can wake them up when the plane touches down.

You're welcome

Fark_Guy_Rob: Agreed.

And if I'm not an adult, it stands to reason that I'm a child.

Which exempts me from social obligations like NOT being a giant d-bag in public.  But you can't object to it; because if you do, by your own criteria - you'd be failing in your job to put up with my shiat.  That'd make you a child as well.

I have to say, I'm not sure I agree with your world view; but to each their own.

...Um, no. You missed my point. Being an adult means you a) differentiate between what is and is not within another person's control and b)  if it is not within their control, STFU and politely ignore it.

If you're being a douche, you're being a douche, and that's voluntary. Then you decide on the appropriate response. Being one of those people who JUST CAN'T STAND children even when the children are  in farking pain makes you a douche, nothing else. You chose to express annoyance at someone else's injury. Would you wail about how annoyed you are that someone with a broken leg is screaming? If so...you're a douche. Same principle.

Dat headlines rathistht! If he's an African American boy then I must be an African-Italian-Welsh-English-American boy.

Dimensio: brigid_fitch: In December, I flew from Phoenix to Philly and the 4-yo girl across the aisle from me wailed the entire flight.  Non-stop, nearly ear-piercing wailing for almost 4 hours.  The poor mother tried everything and was near tears herself.  Kid was just overtired and for whatever reason couldn't or wouldn't sleep.

We all wanted to shove that kid in the overhead, lock her in the bathroom, ANYTHING for a moment's peace.  And I'm sure I wasn't the  only one trying to figure out how to surreptitiously suffocate her w/my neck pillow.  But actually lay a hand on someone else's kid?  Nuh-uh--not if you want the mother to put you in a body bag.

CSB:  Guy in the window seat next to me had Bose noise-canceling headphones on the entire trip.  He didn't take them off until we touched down.  He leaned over to me and suggested I tell the mother to give the girl some gum to help w/her ears.  He was surprised to learn she'd been crying the whole flight.

Best. Product endorsement. EVER.

How would putting gum in a child's ears help?

I'm intrigued by how he managed to wear bose headphones until touchdown. Did he hide them under a hood during the descent so the flight attendent wouldnt notice?

(not that I would ever do that)

Carn: I'd punchisize his face for free.

This. If somebody were to strike my child/grandchild like that when I'm within arms reach of them I promise you they won't ever hit another child again. Ever. I'll gladly go to jail for a long time for beating the living fark out of 'em. That's a fact. I don't take this shait lightly when it comes to my family. Especially from a complete stranger like this racist asshole.

Shut the fark up with the racist crap already. So sensitive, you hear one word that is a "dog whistle" and the next thing you know you scream racism where none was intended or spoken. Bunch of Jessee Jackson racists yourselves. Do us all a favor and think before you jump on a bandwagon.

Someone should have smacked your teachers.

Fark_Guy_Rob: My point here is that he slapped the wrong person.  The Mother was the one who screwed up, not the child.

Yeah, but the mother might have been able to defend herself and hit him back.

Fark_Guy_Rob: I can mostly agree with this guy's actions.

I don't believe a small child can be held accountable for their actions.  I don't blame the kid.  But parents are adults.  If you are a parent, YOU should be responsible for the actions of your child.  In my mind, there is absolutely no difference between an adult with their child who is doing X and an adult doing X.  Same with pets.

My neighbors upstairs leave their dog in their tiny apartment while they go to work.  Dog barks all day.  I quickly got tired of it; recorded it barking, saved it to my media center, connected the surround sound system and the guitar amp and waited until they were home from work.  Then I proceeded to produce the EXACT SAME NOISE they'd been responsible for making.

In my eyes, those actions are equal.  They were dicks for making loud noises and I responded in kind by making loud noises (also making me a dick - but no more of a dick).

My point here is that he slapped the wrong person.  The Mother was the one who screwed up, not the child.  I don't blame the dog upstairs for barking, I blame the owners that are responsible for it.

//True story - the landlord called me up and said there were complaints of barking coming from my apartment.  I said, 'That's impossible, I don't have a dog.  I have heard a dog coming from upstairs though'.  Good times.


In the United States it is illegal to initiate physical assault on anyone. He should have been a mature adult and:
1) Used logic and reason instead of violence
2) Asked to move seats if he felt that was too difficult for him

And slapping the child? Really? This man is too stupid for words. I'll bet ANY amount of money he votes straight-ticket Republican/Tea Party.

spentmiles: There are limits to personal responsibility.  First off, he was traveling to a family funeral, so he was obviously in a fragile emotional state.  Second, the mother seemed more interested in arguing with him than tending to her small child.  Unless the kid was flying to Atlanta for an urgent medical procedure, there's little reason for him to be on an aircraft.  Furthermore, the passengers witnessed the plane waitresses over serving this guy when they admittedly suspected him of being intoxicated, which between the funeral and the screaming child is understandable.  And it's not like he punched the child in the face with a closed fist.  There's a decent chance that the mother slaps the child herself.  While inappropriate, it's not what I'd call an offense that requires us to get our torches and pitchforks.

Bottom line, it was a stressful situation and some things happened.  Everyone is fine now.  Let's move on.

Go read TFA again. The mother and child were travelling to a family funeral (which is probably why the adoptive father wasn't there, I'm guessing not his relative and he couldn't get off work), and the kid-slapper was going to visit a family member in the hospital.  She was doing what she could to console the child, but sometimes with the pressure change there's not much you can do.  I'm 33 and I still sometimes have major ear pain on the left side during descent, and I sometimes can't shake it for hours afterwards.

 I find it strange that so many people make this argument that kids have no rights to be travelling by air unless its an urgent need, but they have just as much right as anyone else, no matter how inconvenient it is for you.  Most kids do great on planes most of the time, and there's a big difference between a small child getting upset due to the pressure change, or diaper or hunger and a slightly older child or adult throwing a temper tantrum.
  I'd rather deal with a flight filled with screaming small children than a flight with a couple of blowhard holier than thou types that complain about every little thing on the flight.

Richard Sauce: This is why children under a certain age should not be allowed on planes. I propose separate but equal planes for families with small children.

Because drunken racist assholes might smack them around ?

draa: Carn: I'd punchisize his face for free.

This. If somebody were to strike my child/grandchild like that when I'm within arms reach of them I promise you they won't ever hit another child again. Ever. I'll gladly go to jail for a long time for beating the living fark out of 'em. That's a fact. I don't take this shait lightly when it comes to my family. Especially from a complete stranger like this racist asshole.

You're now in prison
Your kid grows up missing a parent
Person who slapped your kid goes on with their life after a brief beating

You certainly showed them.

Snowflakes, all this is. Used to be, that guy would get a pat on the back from the other passengers.

Fark_Guy_Rob: Genevieve Marie: Fark_Guy_Rob: My point here is that he slapped the wrong person. The Mother was the one who screwed up, not the child.

Because the baby started crying on descent when his ears hurt?

What should the mom have done?

I've got problems too - that doesn't allow me to violate the basic social contracts we all conform to.  Why should I be expected to answer for the action or inaction of the Mother?  *I* didn't spend the flight crying like a child.  I took appropriate actions to ensure that I wouldn't piss everyone off.

I'm not the woman.  I don't know what she should have done.  If you gave me a pet tiger, I wouldn't know what to do with that either - but it would be my responsibility to learn before I let it eat someone's child.  She should have figured it out *before* ruining everyone's flight.

Feel free to charter a plane if you want the whole thing to yourself.

I'm betting that NBC has already bought the sitcom rights to this headline.

That baby needs a gun to stand his ground.

mesmer242: Dancin_In_Anson: What a farking asshole. I met a lady with a toddler and a baby on a flight from Tampa to Atlanta.

Bottom line is Mr. Executive Asshole, don't be a dick. You'll be amazed at how well it can turn out for you.

/yeah yeah yeah CSB and all.
//still have her card
///Thanks again T!

We have the reverse story. Our kid wasn't being particularly annoying or anything, but the lady behind us helped out entertaining her during a flight. Turns out she and her niece were on the same second flight as well, but in a different part of the plane. We saw them at our destination, and they were having trouble renting a car and couldn't get a hold of the family member that was supposed be the back-up plan to pick them up. So we gave them a ride. 40 minutes out of our way, but what the heck! She'd already done us a solid. It's amazing what can happen when everybody acts like adults.

You're doing it wrong. You're supposed to act like a giant asshole all the time and assume that everything bad that happens to somebody is their fault and they deserve it.

You should have just flipped the old lady and her niece the bird as you walked by, while shouting, "Sucks to be you, gramma!"

CheekyMonkey: Fark_Guy_Rob: Genevieve Marie: Fark_Guy_Rob: My point here is that he slapped the wrong person. The Mother was the one who screwed up, not the child.

Because the baby started crying on descent when his ears hurt?

What should the mom have done?

I've got problems too - that doesn't allow me to violate the basic social contracts we all conform to.  Why should I be expected to answer for the action or inaction of the Mother?  *I* didn't spend the flight crying like a child.  I took appropriate actions to ensure that I wouldn't piss everyone off.

I'm not the woman.  I don't know what she should have done.  If you gave me a pet tiger, I wouldn't know what to do with that either - but it would be my responsibility to learn before I let it eat someone's child.  She should have figured it out *before* ruining everyone's flight.

Feel free to charter a plane if you want the whole thing to yourself.

Exactly, but that gets expensive; having to charter a plane just because you have a screaming baby.

PsiChick: Fark_Guy_Rob: Agreed.

And if I'm not an adult, it stands to reason that I'm a child.

Which exempts me from social obligations like NOT being a giant d-bag in public.  But you can't object to it; because if you do, by your own criteria - you'd be failing in your job to put up with my shiat.  That'd make you a child as well.

I have to say, I'm not sure I agree with your world view; but to each their own.

...Um, no. You missed my point. Being an adult means you a) differentiate between what is and is not within another person's control and b)  if it is not within their control, STFU and politely ignore it.

If you're being a douche, you're being a douche, and that's voluntary. Then you decide on the appropriate response. Being one of those people who JUST CAN'T STAND children even when the children are  in farking pain makes you a douche, nothing else. You chose to express annoyance at someone else's injury. Would you wail about how annoyed you are that someone with a broken leg is screaming? If so...you're a douche. Same principle.

Yeah I would get annoyed if a parent broke their child's leg for the sake of getting somewhere faster and the kid started screaming. Actually, annoyed is probably not a strong enough word.

brigid_fitch: .....

CSB:  Guy in the window seat next to me had Bose noise-canceling headphones on the entire trip.  He didn't take them off until we touched down.  He leaned over to me and suggested I tell the mother to give the girl some gum to help w/her ears.  He was surprised to learn she'd been crying the whole flight.

Best. Product endorsement. EVER.


Bose you say?

Seriously, I bet the guy worked for Bose. Not buying it.

Pocket Ninja: coco ebert: A thread about racism AND children on planes? Oh, hell naw. *backs out*

If the mother had been breast-feeding her child at the time, we might now be facing the very real possibility that this thread could have become self-aware and, ultimately, decided to destroy us all.

It's okay, I think the guy slapping the baby would probably also have to be in the middle of a sex change while the plane was flying over international borders for it to get *that* serious.

Mega Steve: TerminalEchoes: Smothering the child with a pillow is usually far more effective than smacking.

[cdn.videogum.com image 450x300]

Came for this. Thank you.

ProfessorOhki: draa: Carn: I'd punchisize his face for free.

This. If somebody were to strike my child/grandchild like that when I'm within arms reach of them I promise you they won't ever hit another child again. Ever. I'll gladly go to jail for a long time for beating the living fark out of 'em. That's a fact. I don't take this shait lightly when it comes to my family. Especially from a complete stranger like this racist asshole.

You're now in prison
Your kid grows up missing a parent
Person who slapped your kid goes on with their life after a brief beating

You certainly showed them.

This is where I disagree with the law. If someone strikes your child or brings harm on your family, you should be able to retaliate in whatever way you see fit without repercussion.