Originally published 2018-08-10.
A simple seat swap on an airplane has just turned into one of the most romantic stories in the history of the internet. Actress Rosey Blair and her boyfriend boarded a plane and asked a woman to switch seats so that they could have a seat next to each other. The woman agreed, and Rosey jokingly told her partner, ‘I hope she meets the love of her life.’ Somebody in charge of fate must have heard her. Moments later, a guy sat down next to the stranger woman, and the two began talking.
Their conversation kept escalating in such an adorable way that Rosey whipped out her mobile phone to live-tweet it. 545K people have liked Rosey’s Twitter-thread so far, and more than 220K have retweeted. Scroll down to read the entire story and share your thoughts in the comment section.
P.S. Later the stranger man found out about the story. He was identified to be former soccer pro, Euan Holden.
Later the guy was identified to be former soccer pro Euan Holden.
And he responded:
People had lots to comment:
More info: Twitter
An observer's story is not the whole encounter
The live thread turned two passengers' conversation into a romance for a large audience. That interpretation came from someone watching them, not from both people jointly choosing to tell their story. The distinction matters even when the narration sounds affectionate. A public setting does not automatically make every interaction an invitation to be photographed, identified or discussed by strangers.
Let the people involved choose their audience
You can enjoy an unexpected conversation without broadcasting it. The story is useful for asking where enthusiasm becomes intrusion and whether the subjects had a real opportunity to decline. A participant's later response also does not supply consent on behalf of the other person. The most respectful ending leaves both people control over what they want to share about an ordinary journey.
What the woman on the plane said
The flight was from New York to Dallas. Blair’s thread, which started the hashtag #PlaneBae, gained more than 900,000 likes, but it soon led to the woman, identified only as Helen, being trolled and doxxed; one tweet about the two of them using the toilet at the same time led to her being called a “slut”. She deleted all her social media accounts. In a statement to Business Insider she said: “Without my knowledge or consent, other passengers… posted images and recordings to social media.” She added that she “did not ask for and do not seek attention”, and ended: “Please continue to respect my privacy, and my desire to remain anonymous.” Blair deleted the thread and apologised. Euan Holden, by contrast, was happy to be identified, appeared on the Today show to talk about the flight and gained many new Instagram followers.
Sources: Global News, 12 July 2018: #PlaneBae and the woman at the centre of it Vice, 13 July 2018: Woman in #PlaneBae saga begs “respect my privacy”
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