Our state legislature is talking about passing laws to deal with road rage. It is unfortunately an all-too-common issue in my state as it is across the nation. Of course, for years Utah’s roads have been dicey. An average morning commute may seem more like the final chase scene in Mad Max: The Road Warrior.
I am convinced that if there is NASCAR in Hell, it will look quite a bit like the I-15 corridor through Salt Lake and Utah counties.
The latest debate stems from an incident near a community where I used to live. An individual was in the throes of road rage when he slammed a car with his pickup truck. The pickup driver then crossed the center line and killed two people in an oncoming car. Another incident ended with a man being shot.
Recently, I was in a grocery store parking lot. There was a man who wanted to turn left to go to a sandwich shop. I had the right-of-way but stopped, gave him a smile, and waved him through. He started shaking his head and began yelling at me through his windshield. As he made the turn he flipped me off. Apparently, he was mad that I was not engaging in road rage.
Some of this could be attributed to the heightened level of anxiety that is currently prevalent in the nation. There is also the possibility that with the influx of new people, some of them may come from a country or state with different traffic laws, so they may not understand that it is bad form, not to mention dangerous, to cross three lanes of traffic on a freeway just because they suddenly realized that their exit was twenty yards away. Or maybe they are just troglodytes. Could it be (*gasp*) that Americans are more self-centered and more entitled than ever before?
Recently I was on a plane seated next to a man who had purchased his meal at the airport. As soon as we were in the air, the guy was nothing but arms and elbows. He began feasting as if we were in the midst of a national famine. Elbows flying, crumbs of food flying into the air like confetti, and bits of yogurt landing everywhere. Then he decided he wanted to watch a movie on his tablet. Okay, whatever.
But then he also set up his laptop in front of the tablet so he could work. But he kept flipping back and forth between the two, giving me a shot to the arm every time. He finally backed off when I asked him if he could keep his arms to himself. When we landed, some kid who wanted to be the first off the plane (we were in coach) grabbed his carry-on from the bin and dropped it on a man’s back. Not only did he not apologize, but he also didn’t even acknowledge that he hit the man.
This brings me to today’s case study. Jae’lynn Chaney is a “travel influencer.” The fact that someone lists their occupation as “influencer” tells you pretty much everything you need to know about them. If there was ever an egocentric job title it is “influencer.” Chaney is also obese and is angry that she has to pay for two seats when she flies, as opposed to more svelte passengers who only need one seat apiece. She is so aggrieved that she has started a petition on Change.org demanding that airlines change what she says is a discriminatory policy. According to American Wire, the petition had 18,400 signers as of Wednesday. In it, Chaney states:
As plus-size travelers, my partner and I have unfortunately experienced discrimination and discomfort while flying. During a flight from Pasco to Denver, my fiancé was subjected to hateful comments, disapproving looks, and even refusal to sit next to them, amounting to discrimination. This mistreatment of plus-size passengers is unacceptable, and it highlights the urgent need for better policies that protect the dignity and rights of all passengers, regardless of size. To ensure a safe and comfortable flying experience for all passengers, airlines should provide accessible additional seats to customers-of-size who require more physical space on planes or encroach onto another passenger’s space. These passengers should be provided with an extra free seat, or even multiple seats, to accommodate their needs and ensure their comfort and safety, as well as those around them, during the flight.
Obviously, giving away one or more seats will mean an increase in the cost of tickets to other travelers. Chaney sees no problem with this, telling Fox News, “Implementing policies to accommodate plus-size passengers may come with associated costs, but these costs must be weighed against the benefits of creating a more welcoming and inclusive travel experience.”
It is unfortunate that Chaney and her partner have experienced incivility from other passengers. This is part of my point. There is no need to utter hateful comments about someone because of their size. But there have been enough news articles to show that airline passengers have been acting increasingly uncivil. And if you have flown commercial in the past twenty years or so, you know that back in coach, it is tight and uncomfortable for everyone, even those who need only one seat. That is the reality of flying.
I checked with some people in the medical profession, and yes, there are legitimate conditions that can result in obesity. However, I was also told that for many people obesity is the end-product of poor diets and sedentary lifestyles. It is a choice. And people are free to make their own choices about what they eat and whether or not they exercise. But the results of those choices are squarely on those who make them.
Other people should not have to pay extra for airline seats because of another person’s choices. Nor should someone have to finance treatments for heart disease, diabetes, or osteoarthritis, when a person had the chance to opt out of their condition but chose not to. Those are “you” problems, not “me” or “us” problems.
One is free to become obese if one chooses to do so. And if one refuses treatment, whether it is psychological or dietary counseling or even exercise, that is also one’s choice. And we can celebrate obesity and put it on magazines and TV shows and billboards. But the effects of one’s choices are solely those of the person.
But Chaney, like millions of Americans of all colors and sizes, has decided that you must accommodate her. Increasingly we have become a nation of people who look at one another and demand, “What will you do for me?” People seek accommodation, not cooperation. Living with one another means catering to the demands of whoever can wail the loudest. Not only does this make for an uncivil society, but it also becomes one that is easy to subdue. It becomes easy to shift from an uncivil society to an infantilized one.
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