Another viral Uber confrontation over a so-called “passenger of size” shows how tone, not just circumstance, can turn an uncomfortable encounter into a flashpoint.
“Too Fat For My Car?” Uber Passenger’s Rude Behavior Ends With Driver Threatening To Pull A Gun
A video showing an Uber driver refusing to take a passenger, and then threatening to pull a gun, has gone viral with more than 27 million views. The clip begins with the passenger filming the encounter, accusing the driver of discrimination for calling him “too big” for her car.
The driver replies calmly that this is a matter of “logical and rationale,” implying that his size would make it difficult for her to drive safely. When he continues filming and pressing her, she snaps: “You want me to pull my gun on you?”
That line instantly made this video viral…and earned the driver a suspension from Uber pending investigation. But I find myself sympathetic to the driver.
You can watch the video here, but do be warned, it is full of foul language:
My Take
First, I believe society functions better when discrimination in providing public accommodations (privately owned, publicly accessible facilities) is not permitted. I don’t think that an owner of a restaurant, bar, hotel, or rideshare vehicle should be able to say no…blacks, whites, gays, straights, Christians, atheists, men, women, etc. If you want to operate in this jurisdiction, you must offer service to everyone. I’m not even talking about making wedding cakes (so-called artistic expression), just the sort of businesses where you serve everyone you encounter in the same way, period.
But there are a limited range of exceptions and one is when safety is compromised. Just as I believed hat
The problem is that some jurisdictions do not allow discrimination on the basis of weight, though there are ways around this.
This foul-mouthed dude, who strikes me as living in his mother’s basement in a senior living facility, was rude, accusatory, and confrontational from the start. The moment he turned on his camera and accused the driver of discrimination, her instinct was defensive, and any reasonable driver might have refused the ride right then and there.
But she could have said something like, “Sir, you’ve been rude and abusive. I don’t feel safe having you in my car. Please find another ride.” His aggressive tone certainly made me uneasy and looking at his picture. I do think he posed a safety risk to her and the vehicle:
Drivers are not obligated to accept every passenger, particularly when they feel unsafe, uncomfortable, or believe the car’s size genuinely won’t accommodate the rider. That’s not unlawful discrimination; it’s sound judgment.
Just like buying an extra seat on an airplane, the passenger could have requested a larger car (Uber XL) and avoided this entirely.
Had he simply communicated respectfully, the situation likely would have ended with an apology or a canceled trip — not a viral argument involving the words “pull my gun.”
That said, just like with the morbidly obese woman rapper in Michigan, if this occurred in a jurisdiction with protection for the overweight, then that woman is in a heap of trouble.
> Read More: 554-Pound Rapper Sues Lyft After Driver Says She Was Too Big To Get In His Car, Prevails
CONCLUSION
The driver deserves scrutiny for her outburst. But the passenger’s tone and attitude were the spark, not just his morbid size. When you begin an interaction by filming someone and accusing them of bias and then start cursing, don’t expect kindness in return. Anti-discrimination laws should have clear exceptions for safety concerns, like those whose obesity puts others in danger.
Hat Tip: View From The Wing
Could he buckle up? I would hope in jurisdictions where seat belts are required, the driver could refuse to transport him without a seat belt fastened.
It’s wild how the Boarding Area content farming works… mostly Reddit, then either LALF, VFTW, PYOK, or OMAAT starts it, then y’all recycle. Fascinating.