Would you be offended by this?

I would be offended and consider it an example of the sad state of affairs that is our society. It bespeaks of the paranoia and misinformed fear that most folks buy into thanks to the media.

My wife was a probation officer for over a decade. She specialized in domestic violence and pedophiles. While she had plenty of men on her docket, she had about 30% women too. Her worst offender: A grandmother who not only sexually abused her own grandchildren, but also some children from the daycare she ran with her daughter.

The airline’s policy to move male passengers away from minors ultimately changes nothing in terms of their perceived safety. Offenders come in all types.

I’d switch without complaint. It’s a ridiculous rule but I’d switch.

What are the odds that I will be sitting next to an attractive female with an insatiable craving for a guy with no prostate? One in a million? One in a billion. Well, those odds are infinitely greater than zero, which is what they are when I am sitting next to a kid.

As the guy who has more than once had to fly coach on trans-ocean flights with kids in the seats behind him (restless kids who, when bored or cranky start fighting with each other – or playing, it makes little difference to me – and yelling and kicking the back of my seat randomly and at all hours), I’d be in favor of boxing the kids up and putting them in the cargo hold. The unheated, un-pressurized cargo hold. But I digress.

I’d generally welcome the chance to sit away from minors just because that’s not such a desirable place to be on an airplane, but I would resent the implication, and I’d probably have a conversation with the cabin attendants about it, maybe somewhere over central Asia or perhaps Greenland in the middle of the night when we’re not all busy protecting each other from each other. A generally pleasant conversation, I assure you, with no whining or griping.

And I’d probably offer to buy them all drinks for the nice thing they did for me, and then make them pay for the drinks for the shitty way in which they did it.

EDIT: To put this another way, and after three minutes of thinking about “how to accomplish the airline’s goal without pissing off the passengers”, this is a simple thing for the cabin crew to do and to get praised by all instead of excoriated by a few. Simply ask the gentleman if he’d prefer to sit next to adults (or even better, next to an empty seat elsewhere on the plane), or next to the children. Any adult male who has flown any length of time on commercial flights (and who doesn’t have pedophilia in his heart, I suppose – I can’t speak to that, except to say that “I don’t”) would jump at the chance to relocate. And if he doesn’t, then the cabin attendants can assume the worst about him and simply tell him that “It’s airline policy,” and I’ll bet that no one would have a word to say after that. The fucking pedo sure won’t speak up then.

If I was a guy of course I would be offended. I am trying to get a date here after all.

What percentage of human energy is spent on taking offense? I will admit that I there are certain things I am almost incapable of experiencing – offense and boredom. And this would not be an exception.

Whether or not I am a threat is not really the point. Businesses do all kinds of things to minimize risk. I am not a person – I am a number that represents risk. That’s all. And @cprevite – I have worked with abused populations in the past as well, and I’m aware that there are women who abuse. But when you are looking for a babysitter for your kids, do you even consider a male? While I admit that the airline is probably not really making much of a difference here (risk-wise), it’s not completely unreasonable to assume that number-crunchers might think the risk of having men seated next to small children is just not worth it.

” A 2006 survey found that 79.4% of all child abuse comes from parents, I’m not moving until you move all parents away from their children. Also don’t bother me anymore for the duration of the flight, as I have to have peace and quiet so I can concentrate on just how I’m going to sue you and hurt your reputation with the media once I land. ”

They’re playing the odds, I get that. Of course it’s only for unaccompanied minors, because family members aren’t 3x as likely to abuse children as strangers. But hey, that’s ok. Just have them sit next to, or within sight of, a flight attendant if your so worried or does that open up uncomfortable liability issues. I’d change seats to another airline and sic my lawyer on ‘em with thoughts of dollars for discrimination and profiling dancing in my head, so yeah, I find it offensive and I think he’s fully justified, it’s a misguided policy and that comes from someone who hates sitting near kids on flights.

This could all have been avoided with a simple:

“I’m sorry Sr, would you mind changing seats. The pilot has informed us that weight distribution is a little off, and we need to make a change to be within safety guide lines”

At least it is better than “Hi, I’m directly accusing you of being a pedophile, now move before we have you tased”.

How is this different from Wal Mart checking your receipt when you walk out the door to make sure that you have paid for your merchandise?

The message is clear in both cases: We think you are a crook.

This is bad airline policy, and I would have been offended.

Since we are talking about playing the odds, let’s do a thought experiment for a moment.
What would happen if I asked to have my seat changed because I happened to be seated next to a young black male? After all, in my city the crime rates, killings, shootings, robberies are X times higher in the black community than for educated with males. I don’t want to to worry about him going through my possessions while I am sleeping.
See what I mean?

I like the above suggestion by @CWOTUS “Sir would you be more comfortable sitting next to this adult/empty seat.”

I would not be offended, but if they moved me from an aisle or window into a middle seat I would be pretty irritated.

I wonder why they didn’t move the kids. Most minors are clueless, and all you would have to say to them is that you had special seats for them and they would bite.

Anyway, it’s their airline. They can establish policies that they think best suit their “market”. Nobody that I know of is forced to by a ticket.

On the other hand, think how bad Virgin would have felt if they had replaced the guy with one of these http://crime.about.com/od/sex/ig/female_pedophiles/

@LuckyGuy Nailed it. Yeah, I’d be offended either way.

I would be greatly offended. Although I would never hurt a child and have no evil thoughts toward them, I like children and would rather sit next to them than some adult who would sit there in total silence.

Where are these children’s parents? Why aren’t they sitting next to the kids? Are they kids flying alone?

I guess it would all depend on whether I get a better seat or not. I am bribable. But most likely the kids I’m sitting next to are my own. So it would be pretty damn silly, and given the way most business is run these days—it’s probably what would happen. Business policies tend to be pretty mindless. That’s the way bureaucracy is. I understand that. Companies are more worried about offending some group than they are about providing decent service.

I’d wonder why the children weren’t seated in their designated area, on the fucking wings, then everybody’s happy.

It’s ridiculous, but I wouldn’t care. It’s irrational to think all men are pedophiles until proven innocent. Plus, why would I make a big commotion on a plane, then I’ll have the feds and TSA on (and in) my butt.

@LuckyGuy I’d switch without complaint. It’s a ridiculous rule but I’d switch.

Agreed. Well said.

Perhaps they would move all single ladiies away from married men?

If they had reason to believe that the guy should be moved, go ahead. But if it’s just a random guy whose ticket happened to be next to some kids, why make him move?
I once went to visit my aunt in california, a cross-country flight, shen I was 10. I sat in the very front row where there was only 2 seats. The first time, I was next to another kid, the second, I was alone. Why don’t they have this policy? You sit children alone or next to other children. Don’t discriminate and make people move. Like @josie said, the kids were have been better if they were moved. Give them some plastic wings and crayons and everyone’s happy.

That’s terrible. It sends a terrible message to the kids, too.

@Shippy You make a very good point. Indeed, perhaps we should keep all passengers in sound proof boxes so that they might have no undue influence on any other passenger.

Yeah. That’s the ticket!

@TheIntern55 Well, I don’t know that kids next to kids is a good idea. If something happens in flight, an adult needs to be there to help them.

If the flight attendants considered me a danger to children I would be very embarrassed. I would move as directed but I would want off that plane as soon as possible and wouldn’t fly with them again if I could avoid it.

@flutherother The flight attendant was just following airline policy. But I agree with the rest of what you’re saying.

How many female teachers have had sex with their students?

The policy, if it actually exists, is bogus. I am offended to share oxygen with morons like that.

I would move without a fuss because I’d rather not sit near kids on a flight anyway, but I would be offended and furious and I would write scathing letters of complaint, and make sure the press heard about it. Being male does not automatically mean you’re a pedophile and being female does not automatically mean you’re not.

@Dutchess_III We were at the very front of the plane, where there was always an airline attendant nearby and there were adults behind us and in other aisles. It wasn’t much of a problem.

@TheIntern55…I’m not talking about an uneventful flight where a kid needs a drink or something. I’m talking about in an emergency, a case of sudden decompression or something. In an EMERGENCY the kids would need someone right next to them to help. The stewardesses would be busy busy, along with everyone else on the flight, many of whom would be panicking. No one may have a chance to get to a couple of kids who are sitting by themselves in time, or the kids could be overlooked.

@flutherother It sounds like you are the closest to my own mindset about this. I would be very offended, and I would let them know that I’m not happy about this and that they would no longer have my business. Yes, I would move, but I would also be done using that airline.

@tom_g: My 30-year-old nephew babysits for my 9-year-old daughter regularly. The fact that he sports a schlong does not make me reconsider his trustworthiness.