Everyone realizes how it can sometimes be kind of stressful to travel. From booking the flights to packing up and getting ready, it’s a total ordeal that takes a lot of time and effort. It becomes an exciting adventure when someone goes on holiday and treats themselves, though. It can be all new and exciting, to relax and discover a new place, to get somewhere nice. Emmit had been looking forward to it. He just didn’t think he was going to find it hard to get to his desired location.
The Words Were Out
Emmit had no clue that while he was eager to travel, somebody would spoil it all for him. Before he was able to catch himself, the words escaped his lips. The woman had been harassing him for a while now and he had had enough. The words he said hit her like a ton of bricks, making her recoil, looking scandalized. But how dare she act this way? He only said what everybody was thinking. All the people around them began clapping slowly. How could it have escalated so rapidly in this situation?
The Words Were Out
The Airport
You need to understand how stressful the whole experience can be if you have ever been to an airport and have flown at least once in your life. It is no surprise that with delayed flights, long lines, and lost luggage, people easily become frustrated. However, Emmit did not want anything that day to get him down. He had been saving up for this trip for months already and even decided to splurge on a first-class ticket for himself as a birthday present. He knew little, his day was about to be ruined by an entitled lady.
The Airport
Vacation
Emmit was in the Dominican Republic, making his way. He worked extra hard during the last few weeks to make sure that his workload was all cleared up. He even planned to fly out the day before his birthday, so he would have sufficient time to celebrate and unwind when he got there. He planned and prepared for just about any scenario. The nastiness he was about to encounter was the only thing he did not plan for.
Vacation
Hard Work
Emmit hummed while he was waiting in line and tapped his feet. Life’s been lovely. He had created something for himself, and he was now taking full advantage of his great labor. Having to work as a music executive meant working for long hours in the studio, but right now it all seemed to be worth it. He could not wait to kick back and relax with some much-needed R&R. He had no idea somebody was about to try and take it all away from him.
Hard Work
A Voice Behind
With the anticipation of boarding his flight just too much to bear, he calmly watched the line shuffle forward. However, he then did hear a high-pitched voice coming from behind him as he felt someone trying to push past. “Excuse me… Excuse me…” the voice said. He turned around not knowing that to find out what this woman wanted, he was really about to get into the confrontation of his life.
A Voice Behind
Condescending Gaze
The woman blatantly gave Emmit a once-over, gradually and intentionally looking up and down at him, taking in everything. He obviously was not really meant to be there in the same line as her, in her own thought. She tried to point at her chin, pointing to the indication that said the line was restricted for flyers of the first class. When she spat out the perplexing words, her mouth was basically a sneer. Emmit was truly intrigued.
Condescending Gaze
Losing Patience
“I believe you may be in the wrong place,’ said the woman. That being said, she informed him to get out of the line before Emmit could rectify her and say he was going to fly first-class. By disrespectfully yelling, “Let us through,” she tried to get in front of him. Emmit tried to be polite and resolve the situation.
Losing Patience
Staying Calm
Emmit, feeling puzzled, looked at this woman. He patiently explained that in this line he was meant to be. She kept insisting, even so, “I believe you may be in the wrong place, you need to let us through. This line is for priority booking.” She had a condescending tone in her voice that she didn’t even bother to suppress. With her, Emmit tried reasoning.“Priority meaning first-class, correct?” he said. However the woman continued to refuse to let go of it. Emmit would recognize soon enough what she’s really meaning to explain.
Staying Calm
Keeping The Peace
“Yes,” the woman snapped, “Now excuse me. They will call y’all after we board.” And that was when Emmit got very much bewildered. Why was this woman so sure he was in the wrong line waiting for her? Why was she specifically calling out him? He began to get irritated. He pulled his ticket out of his wallet and started showing it to the lady to validate it was where he was supposed to be. While he owed her no explanation of any kind, he did think it would bring an end to the debate. But he was mistaken.
Keeping The Peace
Making A Scene
The lady looked downright scandalized. She frowned and told her friends something noisily, trying to make sure that Emmit could hear her too. She moaned, consciously, “He must be military or something. “But we paid for our seats so he still should have to wait.” Emmit was unable to believe what she said. He did not, however want to create a scene at the airport. He tried to think of justifications for her conduct. She thought, clearly, that he couldn’t purchase a first-class ticket. Was she trying to imply what he did think she was really?
Making A Scene
Implications
Emmit had a fairly good idea of what that was really about, as well as what the lady was attempting to say, by this moment. But because of his skin color, he did not want to believe she was judging him. How could there be someone in this day and age that thought he was a second-class citizen? He couldn’t truly believe it. Still, he did not want to make any precipitous assertions or judgments. He was starting to second-guess himself. Perhaps that woman didn’t mean to come across it that way. However the more he thought about it the more he became bemused.
Implications
Rude
He gently explained that first of all, he had been waiting in line and he was not planning on moving. Just like everybody else, she would have to wait. Maybe she was merely under the stress of flying? He had not thought so. Taking a look at the rude woman’s clothes, she also didn’t look like she was especially well-dressed. He didn’t want to reach that conclusion, but he wasn’t able to prevent it. That’s what got the whole room to clap for him in his rebuttal.
Rude
Who Do You Think You Are?
In fact, this was because of his great stature that he really booked a first-class ticket in the first place. Emmit started to turn back to the woman and then said, “Nope, too big to be in anyone’s army.” The seat would have given him the room to conveniently travel. Before the retort left his mouth, with his thoughts racing, he knew that it would not be enough to put the woman in her position. Who was she to doubt his right to be there?
Who Do You Think You Are
Elephant In The Room
In any event, soldiers and women in the military do not get complimentary first-class tickets. Why did this woman find a way to justify how he could afford such a thing, as an African-American man? Even so, why would it be her business? By this juncture, people were starting to assemble around bystanders. While the others wished a piece of the action, a few were attempting to see what the scuffle was really about. They would not be disappointed by Emmit. Something just snapped inside him.
Elephant In The Room
In Her Place
Emmit turned back to the self centered female, and then the whole room was clapping at what he said next. It was necessary to take the woman down a peg, and he was going to be someone to do it. He had to stand up for himself, regardless of the fact that Emmit wasn’t argumentative by existence. He shot a comment at the female, and she looked like his words had struck her in the face. With bewilderment, her eyes grew large as she recoiled.
In Her Place
Calling Her Out
The woman was told by Emmit that no, he wasn’t in the military. All that he was was an African-American man with money. Just a slur that would drive the point home contained the words he chose. The audience applauded as well as cheered, happy with the retort of Emmit and loving the reaction of the woman. Nevertheless the story was still not over.
Calling Her Out
Taking A Stand
Emmit took a strong stand right in front of everyone, against intolerance. Obviously, the female did deserve it. On Facebook, he also went further to share the details, expecting no one to see it but his friends. Little did he know that it was about to turn the situation upside down. Soon he would have to retract what he said.
Taking A Stand
Going Viral
The post of Emmit had already been shared over than 250,000 times within two days. It was shared by over 300,000 people at this point in time. Hundreds of remarks came flowing in, praising Emmit’s reaction to the rude conduct of the woman. One commenter wrote, “Never judge a book by its cover,” one person wrote. “She is so ignorant it makes no sense that people like her still exist. Enjoy yourself, you handled it well.” But soon enough, Emmit will indeed dread it all.
Going Viral
Dismay
The post had already gone viral when Emmit got to his destination. He couldn’t believe the number of times it was shared and the number of people who commented on it. So many people have commended his actions from all around the world. Emmit was dismayed, however, instead of being thrilled about the advertising.
Dismay
Wrong Reasons
For the opposite reason, he believed his post had gone viral. “This racist stuff is definitely an issue but this is not the solution to that issue,” he later wrote. He had plenty of time during his flight to think about what had happened. He knew that he needed something to do about it.
Wrong Reasons
Regret
“It brings me no joy waking up in paradise,” he wrote. He discovered he was the reason another person went through “hell” on his 37th birthday, the day he was supposed to enjoy. People were there who claimed that his original post was fake. It was high time that these people were addressed, too.
Regret
The High Road
“The story was definitely real, just like this issue is definitely real, but I now know that I myself should have handled it another way, or left it how it was, and not shared it publicly.” Instead of demotivating intolerance in the globe, it was highlighted by everything his post did. It was time in this scenario to be the better person.
The High Road
Right And Wrong
“When dealing with people, I always try to stay on the side of Right, so to make sure I never do anybody wrong, I try to always put myself in that person’s shoes, and ask how would I feel if that person did this to me,” Emmit then wrote in his post on Instagram. “And if I was her this morning I would be a total wreck today, and that doesn’t help this situation, or her… it only makes them more angry, and brings more drama…” He, afterwards, tried to make things right.
Right And Wrong
Public Apology
“SO I WOULD LIKE TO APOLOGIZE AGAIN TO THE WOMAN I HAD THIS ENCOUNTER WITH YESTERDAY. NO MATTER HOW WRONG YOUR ACTIONS YOU DON’T DESERVE THIS,” he wrote all in capitals in hist post. “I BELIEVE IF YOU CAN’T HELP NOBODY AT THE VERY LEAST YOU SHOULD NEVER DO ANYTHING TO HURT THEM.” The female, unfortunately, had not accepted his apology. If Emmit had a chance to do it again that day though, he would choose to become a force for good, even though the female didn’t really deserve it.
Public Apology