On April 10th, 2017, a man who was booked to fly on United Airlines was dragged out of his seat in order to give the seat to a United Employee. The flight was told they were overbooked and four people needed to give up their seats for four employees. The company began pulling names after no one volunteered, and after one man refused, they physically dragged him off the plane.

The signs in this situation do point to it being an act of racism. This man was Chinese, and from the footage, the men who dragged him were white. While I don’t believe his name being chosen is proof that they singled him out because of his nationality, I do think that the abuse and force they dragged him off with is. They dragged him on the floor until his face was bleeding.

This whole incident was undoubtedly United’s fault, as this man had booked his flight and deserved to get on his flight. However, United did apologize despite the tension it has caused in China. I think this treatment of the Chinese man was an act of anger and discrimination by the employees who dragged him.

These acts of racism have been going on for ages and still exist today, even in school life. From holding up signs with racist messages in school gyms, to bullying strictly based on color, nationality, or ethnicity, these things happen commonly in schools.

Like most conflicts established by racism, this could’ve been solved with a simple solution. The employees should’ve gotten on first, and not dragged the man on the ground. Most situations like this cause a bigger problem when it escalates, as this act has angered many Chinese people.