now we are consumers, soon enough we will all be commodities.
And so Steven Slater blows his stack on a JetBlue flight and slides down the escape chute to glory.
Was he faced with incivility and unwarranted aggression?
Yes.
Did he over react and behave in a dangerous fashion?
You bet.
Did either party have any sense of personal restraint or were they aware of the mere basics of common courtesy?
Clearly not.
My primary point here is, we live in a culture wherein being nice, or even being civil is increasingly seen as a confession of weakness to be ruthlessly exploited by all and sundry.
We see it every day from the US Senate down to the street corner.
We see it celebrated on TV for that matter.
So let me ask all seven of my loyal readers this, how long can any well constituted republic last if the polity has no sense of restraint towards one another?
Thomas Hobbes (him again!) talked about "the war of all against all", and it is in my opinion a big step down that errible road when people act out in the fashion of Steve Slater etc.
So Steve may have "slid to glory" but he is no freer now than when he boarded that flight, unless you define freedom as the opportunity to bid up your notoreity on some "reality" TV show.
Just a thought on a hot summer's day.
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