American Airlines: Black Lives Matter Yes, ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ No
American Airlines: Black Lives Matter Yes, ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ No
Flying and double standards.
By Robert Spencer
Dana Finley Morrison, a “Sorority & Fraternity Professional,” was flying American Airlines recently when she spotted the Mark of the Beast on a pilot’s luggage: a Let’s Go Brandon sticker. Morrison, of course, was enraged, as any decent person would be, and now American Airlines is in full apology mode. The airline made Black Lives Matter pins for crew members, but “Let’s Go Brandon”? Come on, man!
Morrison posted on Twitter (she has since made her account private) a picture of the forbidden sticker, asking American if the corporate behemoth was so hateful and cruel to tender Leftist sensibilities as to allow “cowardly rhetoric on their crew luggage when they’re in uniform. We are not the only passengers who noticed and were disgusted.” According to Fox News, Morrison “accused the pilot of displaying political propaganda supporting insurrection against the U.S. government.”
American Airlines officials were horrified, as all decent people would be, and responded: “Thank you for bringing this to our attention and we want to get this to the right team. Please DM any additional details.” Morrison “went on to post what she claimed were direct messages with representatives for the airline, who assured her that her complaints had been forwarded to the proper authorities for internal review.” American Airlines officials told Morrison: “We take this very seriously and have sent this over to crew leadership. They will handle this internally after review. We assure you appropriate internal review will occur.”
The fate of the poor pilot in question is not known, but he should take note of the signs of the times and update his resume. Meanwhile, American Airlines’ righteous horror over their “Let’s Go Brandon” pilot stands in stark contrast to the airline’s stance in 2020 on a related issue. The Dallas Morning News reported in September 2020 that “American Airlines is letting crew members wear ‘Black Lives Matter’ pins to show support for the social cause, but the move is reportedly getting pushback from some employees upset that there isn’t a similar option to back law enforcement.”
Not only did American allow the pins; they created them. The American Airlines Black Lives Matter pins followed “a commitment from CEO Doug Parker to reexamine the company’s diversity efforts and be more supportive of employees of color. Competitor Delta Air Lines released its own pins last week for crew members, prompting American’s employees to ask for something similar. Until then, crew members can wear other Black Lives Matter pins.”
American Airlines spokesperson Sarah Jantz explained: “Our Black team members saw the Black Lives Matter pin being worn at other airlines and companies and asked if they could do the same,” said. “In light of the appropriate attention to lives of Black Americans, we will allow team members who wish to wear a Black Lives Matter pin to do so if they choose.” Sure, everyone has a free choice in the matter, but one crew member said that those who chose not to wear the Black Lives Matter pins would “be ostracized and labeled as racist.” Meanwhile, the company did not allow employees to wear Blue Lives Matter pins in support of the police.
Jantz denied that any of this was political, blithely ignoring the open Marxism and racism of the Black Lives Matter organization: “Fundamentally, we believe Black Lives Matter is an expression of equality, not a political statement. It doesn’t mean other lives don’t matter, rather that in our society Black lives should matter and be valued the same as others. We are showing our support for our Black colleagues and customers who have experienced discrimination and injustice, not any particular organization.”
American Airlines, according to the Dallas Morning News, “keeps close tabs on what kind of pins crew members are wearing and only approves pins for a select group of social causes. Among those are employee resource groups for veteran, Christian and LGBTQ employees, as well as charities such as UNICEF and the WINGS Foundation.” This shows an admirable commitment to genuine diversity, and Jantz claimed that the BLM pins fit right in, demonstrating American Airlines’ commitment to the idea that “all people, regardless of race, gender or ethnicity, deserve to be treated with equality and respect.”
All people, that is, except critics of Old Joe Biden. While those on the far Left can express their political views with the active support of American Airlines, a lone pilot who dares to buck today’s politically correct orthodoxy brings down a rain of apologies from American’s corporate wonks. If you don’t love Joe Biden, find another airline.
Robert Spencer is the director of Jihad Watch and a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center.