Should Men Sit Next to Kids on Airline Flights?

by mrosen814 Posted 2012/08/13 18:00:00

Related Topics: Lifestyle, Australia, Crime, Bloomberg, Sexist, airline, 2012, Kids, Boys, Guilty, Virgin, Kid, Flight, Image, Virgin Australia

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597 votes
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	Yes	506 votes	85%
	No	91 votes	15%

A 33-year-old Sydney fireman, Johnny McGirr, was asked by Virgin Australia flight staff to swap seats with a female passenger. He said he was approached and told he had to move. When he asked why, he was told, ”Well, because you are male, you can’t be seated next to two unaccompanied minors.” He said he thought the request was sexist and discriminatory, but was told it was the airline’s policy.

McGirr's wrote a formal complaint to the airline, describing his embarrassment. “As I collected my things from the seat pocket I could see people looking at me and wondering why I was being moved. I was red from embarrassment. I felt like I was being judged and found guilty of a crime I hadn’t committed. It was an uncomfortable situation and I felt ashamed which was a weird feeling because I hadn’t done anything wrong.” Do you think it's OK if a male sits next to unaccompanied minors on flights?

ABCNEWS.GO.COM reports:
A flight attendant asked 33-year-old Sydney fireman Johnny McGirr to switch seats with a woman after he was seated next to two young boys on an April flight, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. McGirr, who wrote about his experience in a blog post titled “My Virgin experience as a Paedophile!” said he was traveling to Brisbane from Sydney and seated next to two boys he estimated to be ten years old.

titled virgin experience apaedophile traveling brisbane sydney seated boys estimated

+23

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Nightmusic 2012/08/13 19:31:49

Yes

+21
I was molested by 2 women. About 15% of child molestation is done by women, but the feminists don't want you to know so no one talks about it.
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More polls by mrosen814

Jo to reid.ca... 2012/08/14 14:55:39

+2
good for you! I bet theres never been a lawsuit of this nature, and I bet that not only would you win, it would be a landmark case, where policies would need to be revisited.

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Donald Eric Kesler 2012/08/14 14:26:51

No

+1
Doh. I meant 'No' to mean that I found Virgin Australia's policy unacceptable. Mr. McGirr should not have been asked to move solely upon the basis of his gender.

Personally, I enjoy the company of kids. I am envious of the way children intently observe and think about everything. I would have enjoyed sitting next to two kids on a flight.

Sadly, paedophiles have created an environment in which friendship between children and adults are taboo.

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Kigan 2012/08/14 14:25:36

Yes

+2
Such stupidity. Do they really believe that only men are pedophiles?

Straight men, bi men, gay men, straight women, bi women, gay women - pedophiles come from all areas. By asking that man to move, they accused him of possibly being a pedophile on the basis that he is a man. Sexist and stupid.

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Azshade 2012/08/14 13:54:29

Yes

+4
Hospital policy where a friend works says you can't have male nurses working nightshifts without female nurses, but you can have female nurses without males.

Isn't sexism fabulous

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greenda... to Azshade 2012/08/14 20:44:52

That's just stupid

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phil 2012/08/14 13:36:04

Yes

+1
Trust then gun. Get the picture

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xXmIsSuNdErStoOdXx 2012/08/14 13:35:10

Yes

+1
There are women pedos also.

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Dogzebra 2012/08/14 13:29:55

Yes

+2
Perverts come in both sexual orientations. A seat is a seat and an airliner is just a cramped, smelly, flying bus. Personally, I think kids should be stowed in the luggage compartment. I'd like as much space between small children and myself because of their nuisance factor. Every flight I've ever flown has had at least one whiny, crying, or screaming nose-miner on-board. When the TSA came groping along, I gave up on flying anywhere altogether.

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Atlas 2012/08/14 13:21:41

Yes

+2
The pedophiles are the ones that most often accuse others of being pedophiles.

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tori 2012/08/14 12:47:13

Yes

+3
So they are insinuating that every male is likely to molest a child, but a woman never is? That's pretty ridiculous. If they are going to be vigilant about protecting minors, no one should be seated next to them. They should be seated with other minors only, in the front, with supervision.

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Cero 2012/08/14 12:30:16
SirWence to Cero 2012/08/14 18:35:58

+1
Well they dont want equality .. thats the entire point haha

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♥♥♥"{$MiLeR}"♥♥♥ 2012/08/14 12:18:17

Yes

+1
Yes they can

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Stacie 2012/08/14 12:04:41

Yes

+1
To suggest otherwise is not only sexist and prejudicial, but completely absurd as well.

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john doe 2012/08/14 12:04:19

Yes

+1
I support the airlines policy whatever that may be. They can do what they want.

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the fuze 2012/08/14 11:43:10
brian.southworth.921 2012/08/14 11:36:18 (edited)

Yes

+4
Silliness. Now if that man tried to slip one into the bathroom alone, then we'd have a problem. Though, I'd find it kind of hard for anyone to molest a child in mid flight with all the witnesses and stewardesses around.

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bluemoon 2012/08/14 11:06:35

Yes

+1
Kids are people to,they were kids ones!!!!
A stupid Airline

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Stan Zebell 2012/08/14 10:37:15

Yes

+3
So...should ALL adults be prohibited from interaction with ALL children just because some of each category are going to misuse the other....complete segregation based on sex, age, gender, race, creed, religion, ideology, belief, sexual orientation...where is this fool's errand going to end?

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Beat Magnum True Hero 2012/08/14 10:04:13 (edited)

Yes

+5
What kind of horrible world do we live in where people make false accusations like this? My reaction: "I'll move, if you bump me to first class for insulting and humiliating me."

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♥♥♥"{$M... to Beat Ma... 2012/08/14 12:17:08

+1
Haha yes that's exactly what everybody should do Lol thanx for the good idea :) btw I'm a girl and I strongly believe that this should not be told to a male or female!

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Monkey D. Luffy 2012/08/14 10:01:12

Yes

+1
They should be allowed..

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Papillon 2012/08/14 09:39:41 (edited)
C4TSMILEY 2012/08/14 08:42:51
Edwin 2012/08/14 08:32:13

Yes

+1
There is no way they should have moved him. I cannot imagine flying on such an airline.

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Karl 2012/08/14 07:46:57

Yes

+2
Not all men are pedophiles. Besides, I'm guessing a pedophile isn't going to potentially ruin their life by hitting on a kid on a plane.

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Edwin to Karl 2012/08/14 08:33:11

You forget the guy who surfed kiddie porn on a plane last year. Some people really are that stupid.

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Beat Ma... to Edwin 2012/08/14 10:05:52

+1
I know about that, but I pay money to reserve my seat well in advance, and I'm not moving because of some freak.

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Edwin to Beat Ma... 2012/08/14 22:49:15

If the flight attendant asks you to move, I think the only two options are to move or to be escorted off the plane... I'm not sure how that is related to people who are freaks.

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Karl to Edwin 2012/08/14 22:14:07

So then every man must be a pedophile, right?

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Edwin to Karl 2012/08/14 22:48:13

Where did you get that sort of peculiar idea?

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Terry McGinnis 2012/08/14 06:59:03

Yes

+3
Anyone who says "no" doesn't realize how many WOMEN sex offenders there are out there (whether they've been caught or not).

It is sexist, and retarded.

Wake up.

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MyDaydream90 2012/08/14 06:08:10

Yes

+5
That's sexist and just plain ridiculous. Most men are not pedophiles. Pedophiles are a small minority that also includes women. This is an excessive result of fear mongering.

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littlebuffalo55TBA 2012/08/14 06:07:11

Yes

+3
Lol...ridiculous! I was asked once to sit next to two kids traveling alone as I was told I looked like someone who would be able to take care of them in an emergency. I looked at my buddy across the aisle and said if there is an emergency requiring evacuation you grab one I got the other.

It was a safe pleasant flight....and the two kids were polite and smart!To the best of my knowledge neither child was molested by any male on the aircraft.

I smell a lawsuit! This gentleman a fireman would be exactly who I'd want sitting next to my child in an emergency!

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Edwin to littleb... 2012/08/14 08:34:34

No lawsuit, I think. Flight crews can reseat you whenever they want, as long as the seat change is safe.

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littleb... to Edwin 2012/08/14 08:42:46

+1
The article says there is a specific reason for it as a policy of the airline. That is not the same thing. And there was a seat change made by the Flight Crew to accommodate my being able to watch over the two kids one female & one male.

If it is a policy then most certainly a lawsuit can be filed. At least here in the USA. Maybe Australian law is different?

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Edwin to littleb... 2012/08/14 22:53:54

+1
I see you point. Written policy is probably worth suing to change.

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littleb... to Edwin 2012/08/14 23:14:26

It's the way I read it anyways. I mean at what point is a child in danger of this with a fireman sitting next to them? Lol....what Capt. Sully is a danger to a child?

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Scream 2012/08/14 06:04:08

Yes

+3
No good reason they can't

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VenomHalos 2012/08/14 06:03:44

Yes

+1
This is ridiculous......

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