Pregnant woman’s plane dilemma sparks debate
In a tale as old as modern time, the internet has erupted over a tweet.
When professional American baseball player Anthony Bass shared his wife Sydney Rae Bass’s in-flight trouble to Twitter, he was expecting an outpouring of support, and perhaps an answer from the airline.
Instead, he generated a heated debate over plane etiquette, entitlement, and the responsibilities of parenting - namely, cleaning up after your own kids.
In the viral tweet, Anthony - who was not with his family at the time of the incident - wrote that a flight attendant had made the 22-week pregnant Sydney “get on her hands and knees” to clean up the mess their 2-year-old daughter had made with her popcorn.
The flight attendant @united just made my 22 week pregnant wife traveling with a 5 year old and 2 year old get on her hands and knees to pick up the popcorn mess by my youngest daughter. Are you kidding me?!?! pic.twitter.com/vLYyLyJC54
— Anthony Bass (@AnthonyBass52) April 16, 2023
The airline was quick to ask Anthony for more information in the comment section, but with over 70 million views - and counting - and 10,000 likes, many had questions. And because it was the internet, where filters tend to fall to the wayside, people had no qualms about sharing their opinion with the irate father.
“Genuinely curious who should clean up the mess your 2 year old made?” one asked him. “As a parent of three kids I am the one responsible for them.”
Anthony, who was having none of it, fired back, “The cleaning crew they hire!”
“It's called being considerate,” someone else pointed out, “and we all know planes don't get thoroughly cleaned during a day of flying.”
In one popular response, one user reminded the sports star that “just because you’re rich doesn’t mean everyone is your servant. I hope this helps.”
One former flight attendant chimed in as well, telling Anthony that “a flight attendant is there for safety, not to pick up after you or your children.”
“Shouldn't have even had to ask, TBH [to be honest],” another said.
“I have three kids, just flew coach 12 hours, and was able to clean up after them - for every mess. It’s called parenting,” one shared. “Do you expect park janitors to clean up after your pet? No; Your child, your responsibility.”
Although the majority were in agreement that it was “the most pretentious, arrogant, self-absorbed tweet of all time”, there were still those in Anthony’s corner.
As one such supporter wrote, “I think it’s disgusting that the stewardess made a pregnant woman clean up a mess if they’re going to supply popcorn on the aeroplane. Be ready for messes to clean up if you don’t like it, don’t serve popcorn.”
Perhaps the loudest - and most passionate - on their team was Sydney Rae’s sister, Jessie James Decker.
The country singer and reality TV star took to Instagram to share her thoughts in a now expired story, where she wrote that she had just received a text from Sydney from her flight, and “as you know, she is five months pregnant, high-risk, and also travelling alone with her two small children.
“Blaire [their 2-year-old] accidentally spilled some popcorn in the aisle, and the flight attendant came up to Sydney with a trash bag and a wet wipe, telling her the captain wants Syd to clean up every drop.
"My poor sister is on her hands and knees, crying in the aisle, completely humiliated and exhausted, with her children while everyone else watched.”
Images: Twitter