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American Airlines flight attendant accused of racist remark
Dudu Nobre, a Brazilian singer, has filed a lawsuit against American Airlines. He, his wife and producer are looking for $4 million in damages, claiming that flight attendants used racial slurs when talking to him and that they stabbed his producer with a sharp pen. So, the next time you're wondering what could make the long flight from Sao Paulo to New York worse, in a world where amenities and seat space are declining seemingly daily, Nobre is equipped to let you know.
One flight attendant is said to have called Nobre a monkey repeatedly in Portuguese during the flight – pushing it further by making monkey-like sounds. Apparently, these sounds are the closest thing to comment, as American Airlines is remaining tight-lipped.
Filed under: North America, South America, United States, Brazil, Airlines
Reader Comments (Page 5 of 12)
phyl Aug 5th 2009 10:13PM
First, Obama is not "black." He is both black and white. People keep forgetting that. As for who struck John, sticks and stones may break my bones--remember that rhyme we grew up with? Our parents were telling us that over the course of our lives, not everyone was gonna like us--maybe because we were Catholic or Jewish or Black or had an accent or wore our hair short or lived on the other side of the tracks or--well, you get my drift. I'm sorry we hurt other people with harsh words or sick jokes but mostly we shut it out when it's from fellow passengers or others we just happen upon. When a person in the business of treating with the public--like airline personnel--insults us with racial slurs, that's a different story. After all, I'm paying to be in that airline seat and I and my fellow passengers deserve respect and at least a tacit acknowledgment that our fares are paying for the airline employees' jobs. As for who's telling the truth, make them all take lie detector tests. I know the results might not be admissible in court, but it may make a schemer think twice before he threatens a suit.
cal10pilot Aug 5th 2009 10:19PM
hahahahahahahahahahahahahehehehehehehehehehehahahahahahahahahaha... soooooo glad to not be working in the airline industry any more..... i was never paid enough to sign for the $225,000,000 aluminum tube to fly 300 ungrateful people to all parts of the world at 550 mph..... dearly departed 11 years early for a well deserved retirement in hawaii.
ALEXIS Aug 5th 2009 10:15PM
IT IS NOT WHAT HE WILL BE!!! ....IT IS WHAT HE IS RIGHT NOW.... I COULD CARE LESS IF HE DOESN'T DO ANOTHER THING RIGHT OR WRONG EVER AGAIN.....ALL I CARE ABOUT IS HE IS THE PRESIDENT .....AND JUST LIKE THE LOTTERY ALL IT TAKES IS "1" TICKET ......AND SINCE YOU SAID WE (THE BLACK POPULATION) ONLY MAKES UP 30% OF THE VOTE....of course this is coming from "the most intelligent white person in America" ..."YOU"
then we must have tipped the scale .......and what a scale that was ......AND WHILE YOU SITTING ON YOUR COUCH...DRINKING YOU BUD.....ponder this ....yes I said ponder......ALOT OF BLACK PEOPLE REGISTERED TO VOTE FOR THE VERY 1ST TIME ...........WHY??? BECAUSE OBAMA IS BLACK!!!......YEP AGAIN WE VOTED JUST BECAUSE OBAMA IS BLACK!!! and we knew that if he won ALOT OF WHITE AMERICANS WOULD BE PISSED and TRUST THIS ....WE WERE CELEBRATING BEFORE THE ANOUNCEMENT we started when he anounced he was running for President!!!....and for the White people that did vote for him and want your 15mins....he is White tooo....ok there you go ....
John Aug 6th 2009 1:15AM
Voting for Obama because he's black = not voting for McCain because he's white = racist.
Douglas Spencer Aug 5th 2009 11:38PM
When i hear and read some of these comments it makes me sick to my stomach to say that i am an American! The igronace that people in this country put up with on a daily bases from racist people to uncivil elders would never in modern history by tolerated or accepted by British Society! Anytime someone within British society does something rude, offense or degarding to others regardless of race or predigree they are checked on it by British authorities the moment it happens!
Lets get beyond race, colour and sexuality and unite together to wipe out the igroance and hatred which divides and destroys the human race! As Americans we should be outraged and appalled if anyone is called a nigger, cracker, spick, faggot, dyke, monkey or any other degarding language which makes us Un - American!
Lets be a civil, open, honset and no - nonsenes society similar if not better than British society! Because regardless if we have a Black president or gay president it always starts with the individual person and that is at home!
jade Aug 5th 2009 10:16PM
I am going to have to agree with the many "white" people out there I am so tired of black people using the race card we are in the 21st century and yet a white person looks at a black person wrong and there is a law suit I am tired of it, just like that commit a few years ago about the nappy headed hoes or whatever? that was kinda funny but that guy lost everything for that commit? anyone can be nappy headed please get over it already. How are we going to move on as a country if everyone is using the race card? NOBODY CARES that your blk or white we have more pressing matters to worry about like health care and getting our soldiers home, and if that guy dont like AMERICAN airlines then dont take the dang airline anymore jesh.....as for obama well......im not gonna commit! and to the commit about white people being mad that obama is president.... then will somebody please tell me why is he president? cause he won over all those southern states......I think he makes blk people look bad heres to another 100 years of not having another blk president oh by the way HE IS NOT BLK he is mixed will someone please acknowledge that please people....now his wife is blk! he is not he is half so he is our first HALF president.
D Aug 6th 2009 9:46PM
I totally agree with you Jade. We have other things that need fixing in this country (and world). If a white person says a derogatory remark to a black person, the black person should make a comment back to them that is just as rude. It is funny though, if a white person were down in a predominantly black part of town, do you think they would be brave enough to say the comment out load? Maybe under their breath. But I digress. Yea, we got a lotta work to do with this country, economy, healthcare...the list is unending. Instead of being part of the problem, people should learn to become part of the solution.
SS Aug 5th 2009 11:01PM
Jade, go to school and learn something. You're embarrassing yourself.
Sincerely, Nappy Head
Nicole Aug 5th 2009 11:32PM
I find this all to be so sad, the story and the comments. If we could learn to love one another and respect each other then we wouldn't have to worry about racism, or any kind of discrimination or prejudice for that matter. It breaks my heart to hear that a person of any race, gender, sexual orientation, weight, or disability being made fun of. Think about what kind of world we could have now and for future generations if we could just learn to LOVE!
D Aug 6th 2009 9:45PM
Why is the president even mentioned here. People will use anything to bring him up. I think this guy should have gotten the names of the flight attendants and written a letter of complaint to the airline. I want to know what the "record producer" did to get a rise out of the flight attendants anyway. He must have really p*d them off for them to do this if they really did it. There is no way he deserves $4 mil for this. The one consolation, if he does win, his shark lawyers will get most of it anyway.
Dave Aug 5th 2009 10:16PM
Alexis honey, what you just did with your comments is reaffirm why so many white people in this country are turned of by people of color. Its this "attitude" that many of you have that always comes out under duress or when convenient, and what continues to feed the fires of racism. Professor Gates being the latest example of what can happen. It is not healthy for this country. We need to get past this, and to a large extent we have, and President Obama is a good example of what any person, black, white, or whatever can accomplish if they prepare properly. Yes, you are glowing in the fact that you have the first black (actually half-black as is Tiger Woods) President in office and you should be proud, but, we have to get past this race thing or it could turn out to be a big letdown for you and your community. For example, if Obama is not re-elected in 2012 even with 95% of African Americans voting for him because he is black, but it doesn't carry his re-election for performance issues. If that were to happen, if he were to be one of the handful of Presidents not re-elected for a second term, would you still be as proud? I hope you would in any case, but, just be careful about how much bragging you do in this regard. This is a fickle world.
ALCSAG@AOL.COM Aug 5th 2009 10:53PM
Dave .....I relish in the moment the future is not here yet .....Obama is the President now...What he does tomorrow means nothing to me ....tomorrow is not here yet
Alexis Aug 5th 2009 11:36PM
Dave .......if only life were so simple.........MOST BLACK PEOPLE do not have issues recognizing a child or an adult as BI-Racial ....because more and more Black Children in this generation are Bi-Racial....and most Black People embrace differences.....It's Some White People who do not .....I am Bi-Racial (My mother is White) HOWEVER do you think when I went to school that was recognized by other children ???? How About the Adults??? BUT DONT WORRY I KNOW IF I WOULD HAVE BECOME FAMOUS EVERY WHITE PERSON IN AMERICA WOULD RECOGNIZE THAT I AM A Bi-Racial INDIVIDUAL.....AND PLEASE BELIEVE THAT "OBAMA" WAS BLACK UNTIL HE WON......HAD HE LOST HE WOULD HAVE BEEN REALLY REALLY BLACK.....and AS for Tiger Woods ......MY ALL TIME FAVORITE.....HE WENT ON THE OPRAH SHOW TO ADVISE EVERYONE HE WAS NOT BLACK when he was still a NOBODY.....DID THE WHITE GOLFERS SEE IT THAT WAY??? HOW ABOUT ALL THE ""WHITE"" COUNTRY CLUBS ACROSS AMERICA???? BUT WHEN TIGER WOODS......STARTED WINNING AND WINNING AND WINNING HE BECAME ...............AAHHHHHHHHHHHHH .....BI-Racial and then he married a ""WHITE WOMAN"" NOW HE REALLY IS Bi-Racial......WOW......I LIKE TO THINK THAT YOU ARE CORRECT ....EVERYONE WILL NOW SEE ME AS Bi-Racial instead of Black....I AM GOING TO TRY THE Bi-Racial thing at work tomorrow and see if that gets me a raise .....because I am half White you know ....
NC Aug 5th 2009 10:19PM
Well said Heidi.... I just wonder why folks don't condemn the fairer of his other half, hmmm, I guess they're being racist toward the other half. And people think we are anywhere near coming to terms with the race issue. Oh dear....
Thanks Heidi, a sensible respectable post.
Nen Aug 5th 2009 10:18PM
I find this accusation very hard to believe! The economy must be affecting the singer and needs money badly!! What other than an American company to sue, since it's laughable if you sue at your own country?
amp81803 Aug 5th 2009 10:21PM
PEOPLE OUR SO CRAZY THIS TURD IS JUST A TURD TRYING TO GET PAID BECAUSE HE GOT HIS FEELINGS HURT. HEY I AM GOING TO SUE EVERYONE WHO HURTS MY FEELINGS. THEY SHOULD MAKE HIM PAY FOR THE LEGAL EXPENSE'S. AS FOR OBAMA
HE WAS RAISED BY WHITE PEOPLE AND VERY CONSERVATIVE BLACK PEOPLE. ( HELLO I DO NOT LIKE HIS POLITICS BUT HE IS NO DUMMY) HOW COME WE DO NOT CALL HIM OUR HALF WHITE PRESIDENT. THE GUY SEEMS OK , OUR SENATE AND CONGRESS REALLY CONTROL A LOT MORE THAN YOU THINK. MY PARTY LOST BECAUSE THERE CANIDATE WAS TERRIBLE. AMERICA HAS A LOT OF PROBLEMS,BUT WE CAN FIX THE PROBLEMS. JUST FOR THE FOLKS WHO VOTE DEMOCRAT BECAUSE THE ARE TOLD THEY SUPPORT MINORITIES. FOR ALL YOU RACIST TURDS WHO DO NOT KNOW HISTORY ( THE DEMOCRATS STARTED SEGRAGATION ) our country need to be a little more conservative . This country will prosper but all americans need to pitch in.
dawn Aug 5th 2009 10:20PM
for some reason, this story rings completely untrue. i don't believe it for a second. i've seen flight attendants put up with a lot, and never ever saw them lose their cool. this guy's looking to make a quick buck. hope he has plenty of witnesses.
Tiana Aug 5th 2009 10:20PM
This story sounds like a joke seriously. Flight attendants stabbed someone with a pen!? Maybe it did happen, but it seems unbelievable.
I'm sorry if anyone made any racial slurs to those people. That isn't right. People need to get over themselves and remember that at the end of the day we all need the same things. We need food, shelter, and love. People really should be ashamed of the behavior they are displaying. It is despicable. Calling someone a name isn't going to fix anything. Be better than that people! President Obama has nothing to do with this article.
dianinidia Aug 5th 2009 10:24PM
Absurd!!!!! I'm a retired flight attendant, and no matter how heated we are, working under preassure, giving the best customer satisfaction onboard, serving, etc. There is no time for these types of nonsense....and if she did, by all means, 4 million dollars!!!!!Get real....
Jay Aug 5th 2009 10:25PM
Wow, sounds like someone is taking cues from the Obama goons!