Free Steve Slater T-Shirts Already Popping Up

Steven Slater quit his job yesterday at Jet Blue. Sure, it may not seem like it should be considered "news-worthy" to anyone but it's the manner in which he quit that has resulted in mass media attention.

After a passenger refused to apologize to Slater for dropping a bag on his head and called him a derogatory name, Slater took his concern to the plane's PA system. He addressed the passenger directly, cursing him off and telling him "I've been in this business 28 years and I've had it." He then grabbed a beer from the galley, opened the door, deployed the plane's emergency slide and took off. Authorities arrested him at his home last evening, and not surprisingly the camera crews were there to film it. Slater could be seen with a smile on his face, still proud of the way he went out.

It's no secret that many people dream of the way they could go out in a blaze of glory. It's like one of the most famous scenes from the movie Half Baked where Scarface quits his job. He takes the microphone at the fast food restaurant where her works and delivers a few parting words, words which are hardly appropriate for this blog. Yes, it would appear that Steve Slater is a real life Scarface and already, he's being considered a hero to many people who wish that they could do exactly what he did.

Already, this Steve Slater Facebook page has been liked by nearly 10,000 people.



Note: At the time of publishing this blog, the count stands at 10,959 people who like Steve Slater.

Currently, a poll being run at the Huffington Post shows that more people are considering Slater a hero than thinking he could have handled the situation better. Note the surprisingly low percentage of people who believe his actions were reprehensible and that he should be fired.



When stories like this break and when there's a public outcry of support as there has been, it's not long until the promotional products surface. Already, the Pittsburgh Post Gazette is advertising the Free Steven Slater t-shirt.




Note: According to the Gazette, a fund has not yet been erected to go towards his bail, but as soon it is, they'll let you know.

In the meantime, enjoy the fact that while Steve Slater is a hero to some, he's also providing comedians with some comedy gold. Just take a look at this tweet from Joel McHale, host of The Soup on E! and star of NBC's Community:



So what do you all think? Could a promo stress ball have prevented this?