Should airlines stop passengers from viewing offensive material on their laptops?

Quicksilver · #1 07-12-2007, 12:30 PM

Here the senerio from the article:

What would you do if, on a cross-country flight in which every seat is taken, the guy next to you started watching a hard-core erotic video on his laptop?

I posed this question to readers of this column after I had read a surprising anecdote in The New York Times. Here is what caught my attention in the Times' "On the Road" column (published May 8) by Joe Sharkey:

Recently, [a female airline passenger] was in a window seat on a full flight from Newark to San Francisco, next to a man who opened his laptop on his tray table and began watching a hard-core pornographic DVD.
"It was hard to ignore, with him sitting that close," said [the passenger], who finally got up and asked a flight attendant what could be done, since she didn't want to engage the man. The answer: Nothing.
Why could nothing be done? The column offered an explanation from Tim Kirkwood, a former longtime flight attendant. '"Typically, there isn't much you can do that won't come back to haunt you later with some lawsuit or trouble," he told the Times.

This anecdote raised lots of questions. Are airline attendants so worried about possible litigation from passengers that bad behavior, as long as it doesn't pose a health or security risk, is often ignored? Was the attendant concerned that the passenger might become disruptive or even violent if confronted? And if so, would that force the airplane captain to make an unscheduled (not to mention costly) stop in order to have the passenger arrested?

More questions: What should a female passenger--or male, for that matter--have said or done in this situation? Don't airlines have some kind of passenger code of conduct that prohibits the in-flight viewing of offensive material on a laptop, portable DVD player, or other device? If not, shouldn't there be one?

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,133579/article.html

Some folks responded to the article with their suggestions. Check em out.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/2007....iR5OpDiME1vAI

Wagner · #2 07-12-2007, 12:35 PM

Well, I guess you could say that the airline should be able to have control over there environment. So if the airline deemed it 'wrong' so be it. If you don't like it, you could pick another airline..like Hooters Air.

asawadude · #3 07-12-2007, 01:19 PM

Interesting issue to say the least...

Every state has laws preventing the display of sexually explicit material in public. However, I have no clue if there is analogous federal code that prevents this behavior at a 35,000 feet.

It seems doubtful that this particular airline has established a policy on how to regulate this behavior. For the attendant to suggest that barring the passenger from watching a porno on the TV would lead to a lawsuit is obviously not aware that allowing this activity to take place could also lead to a lawsuit as well.

We're simply treading new ground here. You can carry your porn with you on your iPod and conveniently watch it at your desk. The passengers in your X5's can watch porn on your flip down 7" monitor, along with every man, woman, and child that comes within eyeshot or your vehicle. It may require rewording of existing laws or the introduction of new ones, but eventually the laws of decency will be established as it applies to this situation and others.

Wagner · #4 07-12-2007, 01:21 PM

See I just think the Airline itself should be allowed to establish a corporate 'rule', no need for a law. Similar to how in some bars it is alright to smoke cigarettes but not cigars...no law, just a rule.

Thunder22 · #5 07-12-2007, 01:25 PM

the bottom line here is that the woman should have just asked the guy to stop watching it. Wtf, why do we need so many laws and rules and such when common sense will suffice. If the guy doesn't turn it off, ask if there is someone else on the plane who would like to switch seats into the porn section. I mean seriously, come on, just ask the guy to shut it off for cryin' out loud.

noncom23 · #6 07-12-2007, 01:35 PM

All the reports I have seen say the airline legally has the last word.
Like the lady breast feeding before as seen on X5 World. Is it too much
for them to simply ask him to change it since it is such close quarters?
And or, since they have the last word, change his seat with someone else...

blondboinsd · #7 07-12-2007, 01:39 PM

Well I think the issue isn't really a major one, I say this because I feel most people with some form of class wouldn't do such things on an airplane, furthermore, couldn't the lady have asked (she was in a window seat and thus obviously HAD to have the man put up his tray table, close his laptop or move it, move herself out of the window seat and then go ask, it would have taken her less effort to simply ask him to not watch that OR she could always move, the argument could then be made, why her? why should she move? Why? I say because that's life, you either bitch and fix nothing, bitch to get something done or fix it yourself

B-Line · #8 07-12-2007, 02:16 PM

I want to further point out that this issue is not as simple as it may appear.
I agree, what the guy did was disguisting, had a lack of class and is irrehensible..

But I want to also point out that every airport I have ever been to, sells dirty magazines.. I always assumed that the people that bought them had enough common sense to wait to "use" them until they got to their hotel, etc.

But lets just say, the airline did enforce some sort of decency law. Or this became some sort of "sexual harassment issue".. - Which, to this extreme, it probably is.. But lets just say we were to explore the issue further. The airline or FAA instituits/enforces some sort of decency law. Where does it end?

Does a guy "reading" the articles in a Playboy magazine fall under that criteria?
Well, lets just say yes, he does.. Ok,...
But what about a guy reading a Maxim magazine?
Remember, what is offensive to one person is not always offensive to another and vice versa.
And what about someone who watches an episode of "South Park" sitting next to a very conservitive, religious person?

I am not suggesting that I have the answer to these questions. I'm only suggesting that the guy did something in bad taste.. But his bad taste has also been the basis for many long, expensive, public trials about the 1st amendment which have ultimately ruled in favor of "Free Speech"..

Now many states and counties have enacted their own laws, but the federal gov't has protected people like this before.

Again, I don't think it's right that this guy acted in this way. And maybe had the passenger next to him asked him to turn it off, maybe he would have.

But I sure don't want some conservative group telling me what is and is not acceptable to them..
I just wish people would use better judgement.

B

the head · #9 07-12-2007, 02:22 PM

also she did have to activly look at the screen of the laptop...the viewing angles on Laptop screens are inherintly narrow for a reason...privacy...she wanted to see what he was doing on his laptop its her own fault next time she should bring a book or something so she can do what any self respecting airline passenger does...close out everything else and pretend you are not stuffed in a sardine can at 35,000 feet and leave the person next to you the hell alone...I do a lot of work on my computer while flying and frankly shoulder watchers are the most annoying thing to me so I will occasionally click on pornoraphic material while writing memos on planes and then stare at the person next to me because people need to realize that what you are working on is PERSONAL it's yours and the fact that they are too stupid or unprepared to keep themselves busy on a plane is not your problem

noncom23 · #10 07-12-2007, 02:34 PM

Above may be true. However if you choose to work on your laptop in public view, thats the risk you take. Therefore it is the owner of the laptop who is responsible for, what I see. as his or her actions.