No hero

There's something wrong with a society that makes a hero of someone who defies the law or other authority in their life.

We remember back in 1994, when suspect O.J. Simpson was being cheered on by people lined up along the Los Angeles freeway during his slow-speed chase to elude police in a white Bronco.

Simpson was no hero and to this day, remains a pathetic figure who is best known for beating a murder rap. Even "Seinfeld" made a parody of the famous Simpson trial.

Last Monday's episode at New York's Kennedy Airport, involving distraught flight attendant Steven Slater, did not involve murder or a death, but it is equally disturbing to see how he was immediately hailed as some sort of folk hero for flaunting authority and quitting his job. More than 100,000 people reportedly joined a Facebook page supporting the way he dramatically exited his job - by riding down an emergency chute from the plane.

Now however, some female passengers on the flight have come forth with other details that contradict Slater's story, and do not paint him in a favorable light. One of them is claiming that Slater was rude to passengers, blurting out a curseword during an otherwise normal conversation with the yet unknown passenger over luggage. According to Slater's version, the luggage issue is what sparked the confrontation and resulted in his choosing to stick it to his employer and exit from the plane on the emergency chute.

Another woman said that Slater was immediately rude to her and that when she asked for a wipe to clean up coffee someone spilled on her seat, he simply rolled his eyes and rudely answered "No." Pointing to a gash on his head, he added that "Maybe when we get in the air! I need to take care of myself first, honey!"

If Slater was somehow injured in another way before the alleged incident, then that opens a whole new chapter in the case.

Besides the bloggers, Slater's ex-wife, Cynthia Susanne has come to his defense, stating that he's a very tolerant and patient person. Slater is out on bail after being arraigned on criminal mischief and reckless endangerment charges.

Hopefully, the investigation will clear up all the loose ends, but one thing we can state is that Slater's alleged meltdown and exit from the plane wasn't so much heroic as it was stupid.

In a society where many young people are crying out for discipline, the last thing they need to see and hear is a disgruntled adult telling his bosses - or others in authority - what they can do with his job, and then being applauded by the public for his bizarre behavior. If he had a problem with his company, he should have taken it to the human resources department, not the national media, where he seemed to relish in his one minute of fame.

By Jim Zbick

jzbick@tnonline.com