I just had to share this.
I’m pretty much addicted to the Internet. I use it for shopping. I use it for news. I use it for communication. Entertainment. Inspiration. The list is endless.
As such I run into some pretty interesting articles from various speakers and try to share those that stand out with you.
Last year traveling back home Joe Sugarman ran into a little trouble. Just who is Joe Sugarman?
A legend in the field of copywriting, something I’m just getting into.
Why did I choose to share his story?
It’s both funny and sad at the same time but the reason I wanted to share it because we never know when problems can occur.
People so often jump to conclusions about others. And sometimes the smallest of errors can lead to massive miscommunication.
I’ve found that clarification is the only way to avoid problems in communication as humor and hidden meanings can get lost in translation, even in our own mother tongue.
I only hope that you don’t find yourself in a similar situation to Sugarman’s.
Adrian Shepherd
*********************
What’s The World Coming To? (pt. I)
After attending a great three-day seminar in Austin, Texas sponsored by my friend Josh Bezoni, it was time to head home. In order to make my flight I had to wake up at 3:30am grab a taxi at 4am and drive the 45 minutes to the airport for what was to be a 6am flight. Hey, no problem right?
I get to the airport, boarded my plane and I’m sitting in first class. The flight attendant was right in front of me and was curious if they were going to serve meals onboard. So I asked her, “Are you serving any meals during our flight?”
She looked at me kinda funny and said, “I can’t answer that for security reasons.”
A little puzzled, I wondered how it affected security but I let it pass as she went into the cockpit. About three minutes later, two armed Austin police officers boarded the plane, looked at me and said, “Sugarman, follow us.”
I jumped out of my seat leaving my carry-on and papers behind and followed the officers half way up the ramp. “What’s the problem?” I asked.
“Let me see your drivers license,” they responded. I showed them my drivers license and they asked me when I was born, where I lived and as they held on to my drivers license I asked again, “What’s going on? No answer.
Finally a United representative approached me with my bags and said “We are taking you off this flight for security reasons.”
“Why” I asked.
“You apparently asked the flight attendant if the Police were onboard,” said the United representative. We’re not taking any chances and the captain asked that you be removed.”
“But I only asked her if a meal was being served,” I said. Only to be told that it was her word against mine and the Captain was not going to take any chances based on what the flight attendant claims I said.
Thrown off the plane for asking if a meal was being served was ridiculous. And why would I care if there was a policeman onboard anyway?
As I stepped off the ramp into the boarding area still in shock over what happened, the customer service representative was there to book me on the next flight, which was two hours later. Instead of landing in Las Vegas at 10:30 as I had planned, I had to be re-routed through Chicago and arrived at 1:45pm.
Question? If I was too dangerous to fly on my original flight why did they book me on the next United flight.
(pt. II)
United Airlines contacted me and shed more light on the situation. In their investigation of the incident, they learned that the flight attendant thought I said, “Is there a LEO on board.” LEO is an abbreviation for Law Enforcement Officer. “I actually said, will you be serving a meal on board.” I asked all my friends and family if they knew what a LEO was and the only thing they would come up with is that it is an astrological sign.
Although “meal” and LEO could be mixed up, she further said that she then asked me to clarify my request. She did not. That was an absolute lie. And I’m willing to take a lie detector test to prove that she made her statement about security and then walked away. There was no clarification, no questions—nothing. I had also never heard the term LEO before in my life.
It was six o’clock in the morning and quite frankly, she seemed a little out of it. Maybe it was too early for her, maybe she didn’t sleep very good the night before but trust me and my version.
United said that they will take my testimony and continue the investigation and get back to me again.
They have been very cooperative and let’s see if we can get this behind us.
Joe Sugarman