CNN: Man Filmed Being Dragged Off United Flight Causes Outrage

The video of a man bloodied by security guards for refusing to give up his seat on a plane bound for Louisville, Kentucky, is proving to be a global social media sensation. Twitter users are mocking the company by creating new mottos for United Airlines and memes, and Weibo users have made the video its “number one trending topic” with “tens of thousands of outraged posts,” report James Griffiths and Serenitie Wang for CNN. The airlines could have offered more money to encourage passengers to voluntarily give up their seats. The passenger suggested at the time that he was profiled as an Asian, while officials contend he was randomly selected to lose his seat on the overbooked flight. Chinese are heatedly debating racial discrimination, differences in cultural norms, and perceived American hypocrisy over human rights. A boycott, which many Chinese advocate, could damage United’s bottom line. With five non-stop flights from the United States to mainland China, two of which launched last year, the corporation has been trying to make inroads in cornering the world’s second largest aviation market. —YaleGlobal