Don't get me wrong, I'm all in favor of stopping the terrorists when they threaten our security or our way of life. I'm pretty fond of my computer and my Starbucks, and woe to them who try to stand in my way. But I have to be honest, the so-called "Gilligan's Island" incident has tickled my funny bone, and I just can't help giggling about it a little.
For those not in the know, a guy from Oregon who was afraid to fly recently got on an airplane to go to Hawaii with his girlfriend. First off, there was a brief to-do over where his bag needed to be stowed, since he was sitting in the exit row, and he was reluctant to give up his bag. I dunno. Maybe he actually listened to that canned announcement in the airport about not letting your bag out of your sight or something.
After that little bit of nonsense was resolved, he engaged in the activity that Americans do best these days - he complained. Mind you, his complaint was a little unorthodox. When I say I'm going to "Write A Letter," I address it to the person in charge, and I get to the point, spelling out what the problem is, and how I want it fixed.
This guy was not exactly an example of brilliance in action. Apparently nervous about flying, he wrote a note on a comment card to amuse himself, signed it, put it into a sealed envelope, and handed it, in the early hours of a long flight, to a flight attendant whose primary responsibility is identifying and dealing with problem passengers.
Check.
She showed him.
They turned that plane right around and went straight back to Oregon, escorted by two fighter jets, where they were met at the airport by the FBI. The first he knew that he was the cause of the change in flight path was when they were snapping his mug shot 20 seconds after landing. Bummer.
My point is not to pick on a flight attendant, the cabin crew, or even the FBI agent on the ground, all of whom, in my opinion, overreacted a little in the stress of the situation. In their defense, and keeping in mind the underwear bomber incident just a few days before that, I am sure they were primed to be on the lookout for any odd behavior, ready to take everything out of the ordinary seriously. I realize it's a lot easier to make the right call sitting in my snug house a thousand miles away from the action, and they were doing the best they could with the information they had at hand.
I'm not even really trying to pick on Mr. Erudition, who obviously needed to pay more attention in his high school comm (stands for communication) arts classes. [Can you imagine how embarrassing it would be if you were the teacher who passed him?] Clearly, he was not gifted with the knowledge that there is a time and place for everything, and an airplane is not a comedy club.
When you read this guy's note, it is not exactly specific. With regard to anything. Well, except for the fact that he is evidently afraid the plane is going to crash, he doesn't want to end up on some remote island like the castaways (this one particularly tickled me, since he looks like that is exactly where he has been the last couple of years or so,) and he likes Mary Ann best!
Brief tangent - just thinking out loud here. I wonder if anyone has ever done a survey of Ginger vs. Mary Ann, and figured out what that means about the chooser. For that matter, how about Gilligan vs. Skipper or the Professor? [I don't see why the boys should have all the fun.] Personally, if I had to pick one, I'd probably go with the professor, because he was the only one that had a shot at actually getting them off the island, and away from the irritating people with whom I would be trapped.
Anyway, my point is to lament the death of common sense in our society, as clearly evidenced by all parties in this particular episode. It's a fatality that I, for one, sincerely mourn.
I received a travel mug for Christmas that came with the following warnings:
-Do not overfill mug as hot liquids can scald.
-Always make sure lid is securely attached before drinking.
-Leakage may occur if mug is tipped over.
I weep for any civilization in which those warnings need to be spelled out.
We are inundated, on an hourly basis, with stupid. We live in fear and trembling, ever vigilant lest something Go Wrong. We are litigious over every little problem, everything is someone else's fault, and nothing falls under the category of "Stuff Happens" any more.
We have doctors doing a bazillion dollars worth of unnecessary tests on patients every year, for fear they have missed something and will get sued. We have fast food restaurants warning us that the hot coffee we have ordered is hot, because they are afraid of getting sued for serving hot coffee. We have fighter jets escorting planes back to the airport because some nut case with a pen is afraid of becoming Gilligan.
There is no need for a terrorist to wield a sword when a pen will bring us down just as surely. It turns out that we are all still afraid of the bogeyman, and he is us.
