[DiamondSmiles]

Politically incorrect gone too far, or just an unintentional mistake?

Friday, March 28, 2014

Action News

HOUSTON, Texas - March 27, 2014 (WPVI) -- A Texas couple wants an apology from American Airlines after an insensitive message was left on their luggage.

James Moehle and Angela Huckaby, of Houston, were returning home from a vacation in Hawaii when one of their bags was misplaced by the airline. When it was delivered later, a handwritten note attached to the bag read, "Please Text, Deaf And Dumb."

Moehle's mother, Kay Moehle, told KTRK-TV in Houston that the note was, "outrageous and cruel and unnecessary." She demanded an apology.

Airline spokesman, Casey Norton, said Friday that the employee who wrote the note did not intend to insult anyone and will go through sensitivity training.

One of the couple's bags was misplaced on the final leg of the couple's journey home, from Dallas to Houston. In such cases, American uses another company to delivery late arriving baggage to passengers.

Norton said an American employee who is not a native English speaker scrawled the note to alert a delivery driver that he should contact the couple by text message when delivering the bag.

The airline employee ,"will go through new respect training," Norton said. "We are using it as a systemwide teaching example so that everybody is more respectful of those who have different impairments."

Attempts to reach Moehle and Huckaby were not immediately successful.

[CrunchyCripple]

I guess the issue is with the word "Dumb". Maybe the offended party should look it up in the dictionary.

[Megamel29]

Originally Posted by CrunchyCripple ↗

I guess the issue is with the word "Dumb". Maybe the offended party should look it up in the dictionary.

That's what I'm thinking. In this case, dumb is being used to mean the person doesn't speak, not that they lack intelligence.

[invertigo]

Being deaf doesn't make you 'special'. It makes you disabled.
I don't know why they are insisting this is a moral outrage just because they found something offensive. They were so ready to be offended without even knowing what they're whining about.
I think the airline should sue this couple for unwarranted defamation of character

[Pyramid_Head]

I see how they were offended, hell I never knew dumb could just mean "doesn't talk".

[Karma]

I don't think it was intended to be offensive. But then I know dumb means 'can't speak' or 'mute'. But if you think dumb means stupid then yeah that would be perceived as offensive!

[TwistedSisterr]

intentional or not, it could have been worded better. Id be upset if that was my nana n poppy

[invertigo]

Really? I'd just laugh.
My maternal grandmother is legally a midget (4'7") I'm 5'10" and we get the strangest looks from people in public for some of the oddball things my grandma does to make up for her handicap ( like setting a pile of phone books on the drivers seat so she can see over the steering wheel ). People expect me to be the driver and her to be the passenger, not the other way around. She's been on the receiving end of many unintentional insults from socially awkward strangers and never lets herself get offended by it - She actually tells more irreverent midget jokes then anyone we've run into on the street.

[TwistedSisterr]

im 4'11...... midget jokes are a package deal lol
idk I think its because the word dumb, despite the actual definition, is insulting it would hurt my feelers

[invertigo]

I just don't get why these guys have to be so uptight about everything. They could've easily brought up their issue with the airline directly without turning it into a media frenzy :P