A few words from Amy Aikon of the Los Angeles Times that I thought related to an earlier post by our good friend Matt (see “Monster Dad Abuses Child, Writes About It”). Aikon relates the story of a Thanksgiving holiday ride that was screwed up by an ill-behaved two-year-old named Adam. The kid screamed so much during takeoff that the security announcements couldn’t be made. The pilot took the plane back to the airport, kicked mom and Adam off. Mom and Adam complained and were later issued an apology and a free ticket voucher. Aikon seems to want to know where her free ticket is:
There is a notion…that other passengers should “just deal” and “give a kid a break.” This notion is wrong. Parents who selfishly force the rest of us to pay the cost of their choices in life aren’t just bothering us; they’re stealing from us. Most people don’t see it this way, because what they’re stealing isn’t a thing we can grab on to, like a wallet. They’re stealing our attention, our time and our peace of mind.
Methinks that what we have here on display here is a classic example of the “Fallacy of false comparison.”. To wit: yes, Adam should be shot, his mother drawn and quartered, and her body parts distributed to the other passengers on the plane, along with the vouchers. He is a bad boy and she is a bad mom (I guess). But one bad Adam does not translate into all parents who fly with their children being selfish.
What about the asshole who is so fat he takes up half of my seat? Should we kill him too? Or the chick with the i-thingie on full blast listening to the Crystal Method on the 6am flight? Dead! Or the stewardess on the flight from Quebec who screamed at a teenager to “speak English! You know you can!” Obliterate!
The point (I hope) I’m trying to make is that babies have no monopoly on being uncooperative in public spaces. I don’t travel all that much, but when I do, I realize how much I hate my fellow man. The planet should be emptied of all humans so that I can get some rest on the red-eye.
All this made me think of my good friend Matt, and his little bit on driving to D.C. with Sasha. I’ve met Sasha, and while I would be happy to burn Matt at the stake for flight transgressions both large and small, would I really be willing to take it out on Sasha? Seems unfair to me.
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