RTE journalist Philip Boucher-Hayes has been the subject of major backlash online after publishing a recent Tweet aimed at those enduring long waits at Dublin Airport.
In his short message published on Sunday morning, he told anyone who missed an international flight in recent days to ‘check your privilege’ rather than complain about hampered plans.
The well-known news reporter wrote: “Another way to think about delays at airports: We are in a climate emergency, since a vote of the Dail in 2019. If you’re on an international flight you are in the 4% of the global population that will ever do that in their entire lives. Check your privilege.”
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The first tweet garnered a lot of attention online with over 1,100 comments and 604 retweets.
As the backlash continued to roll in from people who did in fact miss their flights due to long delays, Mr. Boucher-Hayes posted another message just hours later saying: “At the risk of making everything worse, because clearly I am the worst: Yes, I am privileged. Very privileged.
“And precisely because I am I check my privilege in those situations. If I was travelling out of necessity I’d be livid. If I wasn’t I’d bite my tongue.”
Among the many responses was one man who wrote: “‘Check my privilege’… you mean check the hard earned money my wife & I save up to give the family a well deserved holiday once a year?
“The hard earned money that will last me three times as long just a four hour flight away? Check your own attitude, more like..”
Another said: “Why is the result of people’s hard work automatically assumed to be privilege? Of course some are born privileged but for most people on those flights out of Dublin, it’s merely a result of their hard work. There should be zero guilt cast upon them.”
As many pointed to a list of reasons passengers may have been flying out of Dublin this weekend - citing work, sick relatives, medical treatments and more - the RTE journalist responded saying: “Those are flights taken out of necessity not privilege. That’s why I said “check” your privilege.
“If you’re in need of a service that’s not being provided you’ve every right to be angry. If you’re on a skite with the lads maybe think again.”
However, his response only encouraged more people to hit out on his page, as one wrote: “Why should lads going for a jolly have to think again? Do they work and pay taxes all year? It isn’t privilege to work for a living and it isn’t privilege to spend your wages.”
A second said: “If you've paid for a service that's not being provided (no matter why you've paid for it), you have a right to be angry.”
Meanwhile, Dublin Airport Authority has been ordered to provide solutions to the Government within 24 hours to ensure the chaos experienced at the weekend does not happen again.
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