A Christian singer disobeyed a flight attendant, sang on a plane, then acted like a victim
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A Christian singer disobeyed a flight attendant, sang on a plane, then acted like a victim
Gospel singer Bobbi Storm decided to be the Main Character on a Delta flight
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What is it about being in an enclosed space, surrounded by people who can’t escape, that makes evangelical Christians even more insufferable than usual?
A few days ago, gospel singer Bobbi Storm posted a video online in which she sings on a plane—“doing what the Lord” wants her to do—even as a flight attendant asks her to stop.
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Good luck making it through the four-minute video without cringing.
The first half is effectively a self-own, with Storm refusing to listen to the flight attendant sternly asking her to take her seat and keep her voice down because she’s creating a disturbance on the plane before takeoff.
She defends herself by saying she just got two Grammy nominations and “sing[s] for the Lord”… as if that justifies disobeying the people in charge of the plane. (She’s not lying about the Grammys; she performs with a group called Maverick City Music that was nominated for Best Gospel Album; the group was also nominated in a separate category for a collaboration with other artists. But all of that is irrelevant here.)
Rather than listen to the attendant, who has a job to do, Storm selfishly decided she needed to be the center of attention. At one point, she even attempted to override the attendant’s wishes by way of a popular vote, asking the other passengers, “What do you guys think?” (They were silent in response.)
None of it mattered. As soon as the flight attendant walked away, she launched into song and more Jesus-talk.
The New York Times pointed out that all of this happened when passengers were likely already frustrated:
In one of the social media videos, Ms. Storm said she had sung on many flights before and God had called her to sing on this recent one. She said that the flight had boarded, started to taxi, then returned to the gate because of a maintenance issue.
After the plane returned to the gate, she said, “it was time for me to follow through with my mission,” and she started to sing.
Christ, can you even imagine sitting in a middle seat, on a delayed plane, near this lady who wants to be the flight’s Main Character? You thought crying babies on a plane were annoying? They can’t control themselves. This grown-ass woman decided the one thing everyone needed to hear on a plane was her loud voice singing a song that most people wouldn’t want to listen to off the plane. She showed up to someone else’s place of work and demanded he bow down to her wishes because she might receive an award. (In one case, a Grammy Award that doesn’t even merit television coverage.)
I can understand why other passengers chose silence rather than creating a disturbance of their own by asking her to be quiet. But you have to think some of them wanted to take a nap, do some work, or just enjoy the brief respite from the annoying Christians who exist in all the other realms of their lives.
Storm wasn’t punished for her actions. There’s no indication of any other problems with the flight. Storm said Delta officials reached out to her to apologize, but there’s no proof that’s why they called her. She also says in that follow-up video that she doesn’t “want this man,” speaking of the flight attendant, “to be reprimanded.” As if he was in the wrong! It’s just arrogance on top of arrogance.
If there’s any consolation to this whole ordeal, it’s that the responses online appear to be overwhelmingly against Storm’s actions, even on her own social media accounts. Responses on Instagram included comments like “Work on that ego sis” and “You held these people hostage and used God’s name in a manipulative manner.”
Others pointed out that Storm’s stunt never would have been tolerated—even for a moment—if she weren’t Christian. They’re right. She’s the beneficiary of unearned religious privilege. A Muslim singer wouldn’t have been able to get through two notes, much less four minutes of smug belligerence.
Storm isn’t the first Christian to pull this kind of cocky stunt, though. There are other examples of Christians taking a plane “hostage” with their awful message, forcing passengers to listen to them regardless of whether it was requested. (The passengers’ silence isn’t consent.)
It’s telling that these Christians believe a captive audience is the best way to spread their message. They’re freely admitting other people wouldn’t listen to them otherwise. If Storm had any self-awareness, she might realize a plane is not her personal platform, but her hubris overrides common courtesy.
The only thing she accomplished with her impromptu concert was reminding people why they avoid Christians like her when they have the choice.
A Christian singer disobeyed a flight attendant, sang on a plane, then acted like a victim
Mere freedom of religion is never enough for the evangelical true-believer. They tend to see anything less than being able to force their beliefs on others, as persecution. There is no group who would be quicker to persecute others given the power to do so.
This is the ego of the evangelical. They're going to preach or sing or whatever to the lord, and if you don't like it, you can lump it. I've heard similar stories of people, in one instance a woman, on a subway train, announcing: "I'm about to start preaching here," and going into a sermon full-tilt, with about as much consideration for the other passengers as the proverbial hole in the equally proverbial head. They are on a MISSION FROM GOD™, and manners simply aren't a part of the equation.
Frankly, she should have been removed from the flight, even if that meant delaying departure or returning to the gate ... but once again, Christian privilege ruled the day. Merde, alors.