As a father of small children, I often think of what the world will look like for them. What will air quality reports look like? What will the cost of a gallon of gas be, will they even be using gas? What will the Lindsey Lohans or the Kardashians of 2040 be like? In a short period of time the internet has changed everything. We are constantly available to any and everyone. My 2 year old can find a clip of his beloved Lightning McQueen on an iPod and we can shoot that onto our television with an Apple TV. You can record a show through your phone if you forgot to at home. When I grew up, there were still rotary phones, speed dial and call waiting were the most advanced things a phone could do. I'm still stuck trying to figure out how a fax machine even works. Alas, life has advanced I proclaim as I type this on my laptop in flight….connected to the internet. With all of these improvements, are people the last to do so?
Let's back up a few days. It's Monday morning and I am headed to La Guardia sitting, writing, thinking. Thoughts of Don Draper hit my mind as he headed to bright and sunny Los Angeles. He wore a suit and drank scotch in his seat on Pan Am. I know look around the plane and as luck would have it, I'm assigned a seat next to a guy closer to Fred Sanford. He's taken the liberty of taking his sandals off and eating a roast beef sandwich.....at 7:15 am. Not a good look and not a pleasant surprise, inches away from me as I embark on a 4 hour flight. I can't help but stare at my in-flight neighbor. I'm not one to complain about the invasion of civil liberties, I am incredibly thankful for the TSA. And due to TSA requirements, I understand why people wear flip flops/sandals on a flight. It is one less thing to concern yourself with as you rush through security to your flight. I appreciate comfort as much as the next guy, well not as much as the next guy on this particular flight, he's reached comfort levels well beyond my needs.
One man's convenience is another man's discomfort. Let me get back on topic here, 7:15 am, 4 hour flight, sitting next to a bare foot, occasionally crossing the leg. A naked, dirty foot inches away from me. Not cool.
As much as I would enjoy a tip of the hat to the 60's where air travel was an event and people dressed accordingly at this point I would take people with less than desirable feet to cover them up. Please. There are plenty of great looking shoes out there for your comfort needs gents, let's do better for our fellow travelers!
