Spring Break is upon us, and for many that means lots of quality time spent with the rest of humanity, hurling through the air in a tin can. Some call it air travel, others call it a headache, I call it a microcosm of personality types.
It’s my belief that every type of person can be fairly accurately defined by their behavior when forced to interact in close proximity with their fellow human beings, and you don’t get much closer in proximity than air travel. And in life as in flight, there are recliners and there are those of us with bruised knee caps.
You know who I’m talking about, the travelers who seem blissfully unaware that their comfort comes at a price and someone else is paying it directly behind them, silently suffering as their tray table becomes one with their rib cage.
Of course, I hate to confine all mankind to these two categories. There are sub-categories—the shoe removers, the they must mean everyone else but me when they said “portable electronic devices” crowd, and the seat kickers—all equally upsetting.
But a recent Slate article caused me to call all of my biases into question all of my pre-conceived biases as they questioned the very invention of the reclinable airline seat…a fair point.
So in a world where half of the population seems indifferent to the fact that they are creating misery for their fellow man behind them, is it really the fault of the individual offenders or the one who made their sin possible to begin with?
Something to ponder as you attempt to survive that flight trapped between the tech wizard, shoeless Joe shmoe, and of course with your knees crammed into your chest…happy flight!
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Slate: The Recline and Fall of Western Civilization
…bi-daily smile…
