TikToker Shares Confrontation on Flight After Man Sends Discriminatory Text Messages
TikTok user Taila Rouse posted a video speaking out against a man who sent a discriminatory text message while sitting next to her on a flight from Puerto Rico to Atlanta.
The harrowing video went viral and for a good reason. As many know too well, confronting racism head-on is difficult and even frightening. But as Rouse told the fellow passenger on video, “I want you to feel as uncomfortable as I do.”
Rouse captioned her video with, “Sitting next to a racist on my four hour flight from Puerto Rico to Atlanta this week,” showing the moment she saw the passenger sending racist text messages.
As the TikTok user explained, she saw the words “big Black woman” in his messages and knew she had to say something. “Yes I could’ve minded my own business, but why should I let him slide?”
This woman confronted a man sending discriminatory messages on her flight to Atlanta
After Rouse’s relaxing vacation to Puerto Rico last month, she hopped on her flight to Atlanta. While all seemed well enough, little did she know she would soon find herself in a disturbing situation.
As the TikTok user explained, she “happened to glance over and see the words ‘big Black woman’ so [she] continued reading.”
She continued, “He and his family went on and on about the woes of being stuck sitting next to Black and gay people.”
Later, she explained that the man wrote he “hopes airlines continue to raise prices so these people get weeded out.”
As Rouse’s viral video shows, she chose to speak up and confront him, saying: “I wasn’t going to say anything, but I decided I want you to feel as uncomfortable as I do.”
With bravery and conviction, she continued, “I want you to know that I saw your text messages and I think you’re disgusting.”
At that point, the man asked, “What text messages?” (eye roll) and Rouse straightforwardly replied, “You know exactly what I’m talking about.”
“I’m not going to repeat it because everybody doesn’t need to know,” she said. “But I want you to know that I know. I saw you and I think that you’re disgusting.”
Afterward, she told him, “And speaking of airlines weeding people out, maybe if they raise prices you wouldn’t be able to afford to sit with your family. That way they wouldn’t have to sit next to Black people.”
The man replied that he was “Sorry.” To which Rouse retorted, “You’re sorry because I saw it.” Where is the lie?
Although Rouse was “fuming,” she still debated saying anything
Rouse continued in her viral video‘s caption, “If you’re gonna be bold enough to pull your phone out in the middle seat of an airplane and freely talk disrespectfully about Black people, then I’m going to be bold enough to say something to you.”
That being said, a follow-up video shows she was “going back and forth with [herself] trying to decide” whether to confront the man or not.
Although she was “fuming” with her “blood boiling,” at first, she wasn’t sure what to do.
“I sat with myself for a while on this one trying to decide what I wanted to do-if anything at all,” she explained. “Ultimately ya’ll saw the decision I made.”
Confronting strangers head-on can be extremely difficult, even if their behavior is foul, disrespectful, and should be called out. Sadly, women of color must often bear the weight of these situations — even when they’re just trying to have a pleasant vacation.
Other videos about the incident show proof of the man’s racist messages, with Rouse describing: “I started recording after reading more than one racist/homophobic remark.”
She explained, “At this point, the text was for me.”
Yet another video shows how she had to sit next to the man “for the next four hours.” In the clip, you can see him completely turned away from her. Well, that’s one way of confronting things.
Rouse asked her followers, “What would you have done?”
At 16 million views and counting, the TikTok user’s video has gone positively viral— with millions, unfortunately, connecting to her experience.
Rouse asked her followers, “What would you have done?” And the responses supporting her decision came pouring in.
One TikTok user commented, “Call them out every time,” while another showed they have gone through similar experiences: “I know the back and forth with yourself on this was hard and you did that!”
Yet another echoed that comment: “I know your heart was beating saying this… But you stood up through it! Proud beyond proud.”
Thousands of people commented that Rouse’s decision “took a lot of courage.” As one follower described, “Thank-you for speaking up. It’s not easy…but you’re inspiring the rest of us 🙌🏽.”
One more thing? In case you were wondering, Rouse did not let that incident ruin the memory of her vacation. As she wrote in another video, “I would never allow this to ruin my trip.”
The incident was on the flight back, and anyway, as Rouse put it, “Puerto Rico owes me nothing.”
Her video shows her drinking coconut water, eating arroz con habichuelas, going to the beach, hitting up the waterfalls at what looks to be El Yunque, and overall being completely happy and unbothered.
We love to see it!
