Don’t fret over machines taking American jobs.
Ignore our dumpster-fire president.
The real problem is whether it’s OK to recline one’s seat on an airplane.
The debate could be subtitled, “What If Two Entitled Jerks Couldn’t Compromise?” Or maybe “Shakes on a Plane.”
Anybody who wanted to see the video of this incident probably has. Anybody who didn’t want to see the video probably has.
Still, here’s an in-a-nutshell summary: Woman reclines airplane seat. Man sitting behind her pounds on seat with closed fist for the rest of the flight.
That’s it. No fiery confrontation. No heated exchange of words.
Later, the woman, Wendi Williams, posted the video online, sparking a debate that has consumed social media until ... well, until the next scandal.
Many people side with Williams, who had a right to recline. Many people side with the man behind her, unidentified at this writing, who had a right not to have a stranger’s head in his lap for however long the flight lasted.
Some arguments center on Williams’ position in the second-to-last row, meaning the passenger behind her could not recline his seat to escape.
Some arguments center on white-male privilege, meaning only a Caucasian guy could get worked up about something so trivial, and only a Caucasian guy could get away with repeatedly thumping on a woman’s seat.
As for me, I think both Williams and the man behind her were wrong.
Williams should not have reclined without asking. If her neck hurt too much to sit upright — she claims to have had multiple surgeries — then she should have paid extra to sit in first class or not flown at all.
The man sitting behind her acted like a bonafide jerk. He should not have pounded on her seat. Not once, and especially not multiple times.
The airline is at fault, too. Williams asked the flight attendant to address the issue. Instead, the attendant gave the man some rum. That was a dumb solution. The attendant should have offered to move Williams or the other passenger to a different seat.
The airline is also at fault for installing seats that recline in spaces too small to recline. If reclining is rude and an invasion of personal space, why make it an option?
Either provide all passengers with enough space or install seats that don’t recline.
I’m fascinated by how the debate is a Rorschach test for the rest of us. When we are passengers who want to recline, reclining is OK. When we are passengers who are being reclined against (for lack of a better description), it’s not.
Such cognitive dissonance is common.
Americans who support stronger environmental laws will still be angry if they are cited for dumping oil-based paint down a kitchen drain.
Business owners who worry about artificial intelligence replacing human workers will still upgrade their own companies with more efficient technology that eliminates jobs.
Voters who support the president will do so despite strong evidence of his wrongdoing by telling themselves that he is being picked on by the media or that all politicians act that way.
If we can hold two or more contradictory thoughts in our minds about each of these situations, then doing the same over a plane skirmish is easy.
Call it a simple flight of fancy.
chris.schillig@yahoo.com
@cschillig on Twitter
As for me, I think both Williams and the man behind her were wrong.
Williams should not have reclined without asking. If her neck hurt too much to sit upright — she claims to have had multiple surgeries — then she should have paid extra to sit in first class or not flown at all.
The man sitting behind her acted like a bonafide jerk. He should not have pounded on her seat. Not once, and especially not multiple times.
The airline is at fault, too. Williams asked the flight attendant to address the issue. Instead, the attendant gave the man some rum. That was a dumb solution. The attendant should have offered to move Williams or the other passenger to a different seat.
The airline is also at fault for installing seats that recline in spaces too small to recline. If reclining is rude and an invasion of personal space, why make it an option?
Either provide all passengers with enough space or install seats that don’t recline.
I’m fascinated by how the debate is a Rorschach test for the rest of us. When we are passengers who want to recline, reclining is OK. When we are passengers who are being reclined against (for lack of a better description), it’s not.
Such cognitive dissonance is common.
Americans who support stronger environmental laws will still be angry if they are cited for dumping oil-based paint down a kitchen drain.
Business owners who worry about artificial intelligence replacing human workers will still upgrade their own companies with more efficient technology that eliminates jobs.
Voters who support the president will do so despite strong evidence of his wrongdoing by telling themselves that he is being picked on by the media or that all politicians act that way.
If we can hold two or more contradictory thoughts in our minds about each of these situations, then doing the same over a plane skirmish is easy.
Call it a simple flight of fancy.
chris.schillig@yahoo.com
@cschillig on Twitter
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