Children's Nursery Rhyme Triggers Racial Discrimination Lawsuit
 

http://tinyurl.com/2el2l


Children's Nursery Rhyme Triggers Racial Discrimination Lawsuit
By Marc Morano
CNSNews.com Senior Staff Writer
April 16, 2003

(CNSNews.com) - A Southwest Airlines flight attendant's use of a popular children's rhyme - "Eenie, meenie, minie, moe" - has resulted in a federal racial discrimination lawsuit against the airline filed by two African American women asking for unspecified financial damages.

One of the two women suing over the allegedly offensive nursery rhyme claims hearing the rhyme caused her to be bedridden for three days and suffer from "unexplained memory gaps," according to court documents.

The trial was supposed to start Tuesday in Kansas City, Kan., but U.S. District Court Judge Kathryn Vratil delayed the case until Sept. 29.

Southwest Airline passengers Louise Sawyer and Grace Fuller allege they suffered racial discrimination on the flight in February 2001 when flight attendant Jennifer Cundiff said over the plane's intercom, "Eenie, meenie, minie, moe; pick a seat, we gotta go." The two women say they were the only passengers standing in the aisle at the time.

Sawyer and Fuller said that as soon as they heard the rhyme, they were reminded of the racist version that starts with the phrase: "Eenie, meenie, minie, moe; catch a n***** by his toe ..."

A more modern version of the nursery rhyme substitutes .............

This occurred in April 03 according to the dateline on the CNS report, and was due in court in Sep 03. Anyone know if it got thrown out or otherwise?

Interesting article but utterly utterly RIDICULOUS!!!:mad:

I'm very glad that Southwest backed their employee, the whole scenario just goes to prove how insane or desperate people must be that they want to sue just for a simple comment made by an employee. If someone believes they were wronged, then rather than go down the road of courts and lawyers, wouldn't you just discuss it with the matter with the flight attendant concerned after the flight?

I'd be very surprised if these two sisters win this case! Get a grip ladies!:*

Welcome to the wonderful world of litigation - keeping lawyers well heeled!

Generally speaking many western(ised) countries are becoming increasingly more litigious and the prospect of an extraordinarily large payout seems to encourage claims that ordinarily can be settled locally.

It'll be interesting to watch the outcome.

I sooooooo fully wouldn't say anything like that! like 'duh' how unprofessional does it sound anyways!

even pick a seat we gotta go sounds like....sit your fat ****** down! We're gonna get a delay and I dont want it to be my fault!

qfmike737

Ummm...yeah,couldn't disagree with you more.
But that's life,I'm sure the courts will come to the right conclusion.

qfmike

Your working world is quite different to the low cost world.
Can't see too much wrong with it. Its in the airlines culture to be less formal and more relaxed. I personally prefer the QF world over the other one here in Oz. DJ friday arvo flights are more inline with a lunch time boozeup at the Breakfast Creek hotel that makes it to 430pm

:)

Wow, what's this world coming to??? It shocked me as I'm new here to the UK that we're not allowed to sing bar bar black sheep, and we're not allowed to call it a black board anymore, it's now a chalk board!

Maybe I should file for mental damages cause I'm sure my passenger today said the word white board!!!!!!! :ooh:

What is this world coming too????? I bet those two ladies have put a big "black" mark next to Southwest's name? Oops, there it is again........................absolutley stupid!

I understand where the two ladies were coming from as there's no excuse for racism, but c'mon, I'm sure that F/A really went out of her way to associate the original nursery rhyme to the two ladies standing in the aisle. Really, I think those two ladies have too much time to think themselves!

Before, after or during?
 

Isn’t convenient that the lady who is an epileptic had a grand-mal seizure after the flight instead of before the flight in which case she may not have been allowed to board the plane. Or if she had it during the flight the insensitive FA would have ministered her providing medical help and any assistance required.

I have had many black friends over the years and my Junior High and Elementary schools were almost 50% black. I have heard many of them use the “N” word in addressing each other but if a white person used that same word it would be frowned upon. (Read, he would have his chops rearranged).

:E :E

You raised an interesting point Lu Zuckerman, about the "N" word and it's use/misuse amongest the races. I'm black and I personally find that "N" word offensive WHOEVER says it. I hate it when it's used amongest black people with each other then accuse other people of being racist when they say it!!! What IS that? I don't like the "do as I say, not as I do" attitude. I agree with your last statment.

I'd love to seen that girls' evidence for how that flight caused her to be bed-ridden for 3days, poor thing.:suspect: :rolleyes:

Jury says airline not liable in suit over 'racist rhyme' used by flight attendant
 

Jury says airline not liable in suit over 'racist rhyme' used by flight attendant

By: Associated Press (21st Jan 2004)

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Southwest Airlines is not liable for a flight attendant who upset two black passengers by using a version of a rhyme with a racist history, a jury determined Wednesday.

The two passengers, sisters Louise Sawyer and Grace Fuller, were heading home from a Las Vegas vacation nearly three years ago when flight attendant Jennifer Cundiff, trying to get passengers to sit down, said over the intercom, "Eenie, meenie, minie, moe; pick a seat, we gotta go."

The sisters say the rhyme was directed at them and was a reference to a racist version that dates to before the civil rights era: "Eenie, meenie, minie, moe; catch a n----- by his toe."

The sisters filed a federal lawsuit against the airline claiming they were discriminated against and suffered physical and emotional distress. Judge Kathryn H. Vratil ruled last year that the case could proceed to trial, and it began on Tuesday before an eight-member jury.

The jury returned its verdict in favor of the airline Wednesday evening.

Attorney Scott A. Wissel, representing the two women, said in his opening statement that they were humiliated and degraded when Cundiff used the phrase, and decided to sue out of frustration after Southwest Airlines would not take their complaint seriously.

Cundiff, who is white, testified that she had used the rhyme before on other flights. She said Southwest Airlines encourages employees to use humor to help make flights more fun and memorable.

She testified that she was confused why someone would complain about the rhyme. It was not until later that she learned about the racist version, she said.

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2004...0422_26_33.txt



BTW

I am curious to know what complaints the two passengers made to Southwest, prior to resorting to legal action? Sounds more as if they tried to board the litigation bandwagon.

The remarks by the attorney sound like those of a man who is fighting a lost cause going for a sympathy vote.

I personally believe that common sense has actually prevailed.




Colossus

I remember r1jr coming home from school (at that time we were living in the US). She started to recite the rhyme, and I held my breath.... it is now "catch a turtle by the toe" .... AFAIK, she knows no other version .....