Beth's Blog
NUTS!
Nuts!
Is it just me, or do you, too, sometimes wonder, “… what was she thinking… ”?
An early morning story had me wondering that just today….
Let me preface it by saying too many women continue to struggle to find their voice. Whether due to religious beliefs, government mandates, or personal circumstances, the battle to be taken seriously, to be treated equally, and to have the same opportunities and options as men is the life still endured in too many places. (My goodness, a big deal was made by United States First Lady, Michelle Obama, for not covering her hair during a recent visit to Saudi Arabia giving the perception she was above Saudi women!)
Names are not important here… here’s the story…
A female Sr. Vice-President of Korean Air – who just happens to be the daughter of the airline’s boss, ordered a plane back to the gate at New York’s JFK Airport in December, 2014, because she claimed macadamia nuts were not properly served!
OK, she deserves to have her name mentioned: Ms. Cho, whose job it is to oversee in-flight service collaborated with the pilot to turn the plane around to have the senior flight attendant – a man, by the way, deplaned!
Really, Ms. Cho?
Here’s what I am left wondering… who are these people!
Here’s a woman in a senior position (let’s assume that, despite the fact her dad is the boss, she actually qualified for the position in the first place, shall we?) who exercises her authority (while a passenger) to inconvenience every other passenger – with the support of the pilot (what or who is he afraid of?) because her macadamia nuts were served in a bag, as opposed to being served on a plate!
OK… if I were on a flight and nuts were served to me on a plate I would ask if I could please have them in an unopened package – but that’s me! You’re on a plane where the germs of the last many sets of passengers are probably still circulating… it’s winter in New York… it’s flu season… must I go on…. ?
If an employee, whose job description falls under my own, is not performing a task properly, whose fault is it? Perhaps the other passengers should have had Ms. Cho deplaned for not overseeing her responsibilities properly… for how could such an awful offense have been permitted to occur in the first place?
I’m having fun here, but at the same time, I am so disappointed that what generations of women have struggled for comes down to a situation such as this!
One’s voice – and the right to use it – is a privilege and a gift. As a Western woman I have known this my whole life. I have also known that “rank”, as it were, does not make anyone a more special individual. Rank comes with responsibility. It comes with a need to use great discretion in all circumstances. It must come with a sense of compassion, not entitlement. It must come with an understanding of serving community over self.
To Ms. Cho I would say that I hope being served macadamia nuts in a sealed package is the most difficult thing you will ever have to deal with! I would say you ought to be accountable for the product YOU are responsible to produce for the pleasure of your customers over your personal needs. I would say be grateful to have the right to use your voice – but to please find a way to do so that exhibits appreciation for those who made those rights possible for you. I might suggest you apply for a position of equal status with a company for which your father is not the boss! I would say to appreciate the moment – every moment – you are in – as you are in it – and make better decisions. I would suggest you show appreciation for all who serve – and in every capacity. I would say to think of other women who do not live a life of privilege but whose birthplaces and lack of birth“rights”, as you know them, do not give them the choices you may be taking for granted.
Actually, I might just say, THINK…
So IS it just me, or do you, too, feel a sense of disappointment that any ONE woman could put what is important to ALL women in such a position as this… we’re not talking peanuts here… they were MACADAMIA nuts…