Stereotyping

A Stereotyping Mistake

Mariam was feeling revolted! She was travelling to visit her grandparents and it was going to be a long journey, but when she boarded the airplane, she found that she was seated right next to a man with white burn scars on his hands and chin. She immediately called the flight attendant and said, ‘I am seated next to a deformed man. I cannot bear to sit next to him throughout the whole flight! Please find me another seat.’ The attendant tried to calm her down, saying quietly, ‘Don’t worry, Madam. These are just burn marks and cannot make you sick.’ However, Mariam insisted on being moved and refused to remain next to this man. The economy cabin of the plane was completely full, but the flight attendant promised to do her best to find a solution before takeoff.

After some time had passed, the flight attendant came back and said, ‘I told the captain about the issue and luckily he let me know there’s a vacant seat in first class! Although we do not usually allow passengers from economy to move to first class, the captain decided to make an exception. He thought it was wrong for someone to be stuck in a bad situation like this for the entire flight.’ Mariam was so pleased and about to stand up when the attendant asked her to remain in her seat. She turned to the scarred man and said, ‘Sir, please bring your belongings and follow me. There’s a seat waiting for you in first class.’ Mariam was stunned, she sat back and thought about the situation again – had she made a mistake?