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Something Special in the Air

This one’s rather mysterious. A beloved math professor at the University of North Florida behaves so weirdly and belligerently on a plane that he’s arrested for “disorderly conduct and interfering with the operation of an aircraft.” Apparently he refused to take his seat, refused to stop talking on his cell phone, and in general frightened his fellow passengers.

How does a man whose students fall over themselves to praise his kindness get into this sort of trouble?

There are a couple of possible explanations. Alcohol’s always the first place to look, of course. Drinks too much, becomes a belligerent drunk… Is already maybe afraid of flying, and totally loses it when authorities start asking him questions.

Another possibility is that he has mild mental problems — say, Asperger’s — which he can manage, but which, under conditions of stress, come roaring out.

Margaret Soltan, January 4, 2011 12:01AM
Posted in: professors

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3 Responses to “Something Special in the Air”

  1. Bernard Carroll Says:

    As UD says, there could be several explanations. At the top of my list would be a manic episode.

  2. Mr Punch Says:

    In my experience of professors, “beloved” often overlaps with “eccentric,” which may be just a small step from “mad as a hatter.” (Or, of course, any of the other possibilities.)

  3. Margaret Soltan Says:

    I looked for that sort of thing in the Rate My Professors comments, Mr Punch, but found almost none of it. Everyone seemed to agree he was a sharp, clear-thinking, clear-speaking, teacher, and not particularly eccentric.

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