On Sun, Jan 06, 2008 at 05:06:50PM -0800, Andrew Lentvorski wrote: > Tracy R Reed wrote: > > >So we all pay. > > How about kids? I think that children's tickets should be 10 times the > price of an adult. I find the number of screaming children on flights > far more repulsive than even the most morbidly obese individual. > > How about pregnant women? They're going to be running to the bathroom > continuously and inconveniencing everybody on the row they have to get > out of and are far more likely to throw up. > > How about that? Now do you understand why what you are proposing is > wrong on a philosophical level?
What is wrong with either of those scenarios? It may not "be fair" that someone must face an adverse consequence for either their choices or the results of cosmic coin flip. But how is it any more fair to subject everyone else to a nuisance just because the source of the nuisance "can't help it"? Put another way... this is a perfect example of letting the free market decide. Airline A charges more for kids, fat people, pregnant women, etc. They lose the business of those with kids or who are "too heavy", but gain the business of those who do not want to deal with kids or tight seating. Airline B may decide to cash in on all of those underserved travellers, and offer one price for everyone. Which will win? Maybe both. Maybe one of those airlines will not succeed, because the market segment they've chosen to pursue is not profitable. > >And if you are especially overweight and cannot > >reasonably fit in one seat (and who hasn't sat next to that person?) > >they can charge you for the seat beside you and leave it empty. It isn't > >fair for the other passenger to have your flab falling over into their > >lap. Especially on a 15 hour flight to, oh, say, VIETNAM. > > Let me switch this the other direction: > > Why should someone large pay for *your* convenience? *You* could have > paid for first class, after all. Because I reasonably fit in a seat. I paid $XXX for one seat, which I fit in, and I have an expectation that I'm going to be the only one in my seat. The "plus sized individual" is not "paying more for my convenience"... they're paying their own way. It may not be "fair" that their travel costs twice as much as mine, but that's life. Sometimes, things aren't "fair". > My argument about this comes from the fact that no matter *what* weight > I'm at, my shoulders are going to hit yours. A lot. I'm 6' 3" and my > weight has *zero* impact on how wide my shoulders are. My genetics, > however, does. > > What does have an impact is the fact that the seats on the airplanes > have been shrinking for years and are too damn small. I can't even open > a 13" laptop anymore without worrying that the seat in front of me is > going to crush the display. *That's* how I know that the seats have > been shrinking--my laptop provides an independent measuring stick. Yup, airplane seats are shrinking while we grow. As long as we continue to pay and fly, they have no incentive but to continue to try to maximize profit (or minimize losses). There are niche airlines that cater to people with "special needs". You could choose to fly an airline with bigger seats, more space, etc. You don't. Why not? Because it "costs too much". That boils down to, it isn't worth it to you. > Furthermore, weight is not always under voluntary control. Certain > races have a genetic predisposition to be large and *still* be > healthy--should they get penalized? Of what concern is that to me when I'm wedged into half of my seat? What do I care what the root cause is? All I want is full use of the seat I paid for, and my reasoonable expectation that I fly ina certain amount of comfort to be met. The "fatty" isn't being "penalized"... they're using more of a scarce resource (space on the plane) than I am, and need to pay for that. > Everybody has some characteristic that is unprofitable for the > corporatocracy. Be very careful about providing the power to > discriminate based upon it. I am far more afraid of a society that commands me that I must provide an equal service to everyone, regardless of the costs borne by me, than I am of a society where I might be expected to pay more when I want more of a good or service. -- *********************************************************************** * John Oliver http://www.john-oliver.net/ * * * *********************************************************************** -- KPLUG-List@kernel-panic.org http://www.kernel-panic.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/kplug-list
