Friday, August 18, 2006

Fear and Frugality do not make Friendly Skies

I heard an interview in a news item this morning that I just cannot get off of my mind. And it is particularly frustrating, because I, of course, didn't get all the details. I listened as a woman complained of receiving some sort of booklet containing ideas for living frugally, that accompanied either a notice of layoff or a concession offer from one of the airlines. I did a Google search and it would seem most all of the airlines are having problems, bankruptcies, layoffs, and concession negotiations, so I still don't have specific information, but I do remember what caught my attention. This employee was complaining because the booklet that accompanied her notice was demeaning and condescending in her opinion. There were such outlandish suggestions as "growing one's own vegetables, cutting your kids' hair yourself, and making your own babyfood." As someone that has done all three of those things and still has a garden, I found her comments to be rather condescending. Did the airlines really think we passengers would want to keep putting up with their nonsense? I did some post 9/11 traveling and although the security measures were somewhat beyond just a bit of an inconvenience, it was the attitute that I really didn't appreciate. I found the attitude of airport security and various employees of the airlines to be very condescending and demeaning and actually down right rude. My husband and I decided it just wasn't worth spending our hard earned money to subject ourselves to being treated like criminals when we traveled to our nation's capitol in 2002. So we took one last great trip abroad in 2004 and put away our passports. As a matter of fact, I am raising my own vegetables and cutting my husband's hair and making yummy organic food for grandchildren, now, and I have no intentions of subjecting myself to the demeaning and condescending treatment afforded me by our airlines. I got the impression this morning that some airline employees are absolutely disgusted by the way the airlines think they can treat people. It sounds as if the airlines have begun to treat their employees like their customers.
Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them:

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