Comments on: Inflicted Christianity

By: Jake McGuire

Jake McGuire — Thu, 17 Mar 2005 08:18:42 +0000

I’ve not recently seen an American carrier sell itself based on the comeliness of it’s flight attendants. And while the economics of the airline industry are certainly complicated (let’s not even get into comparative labor relations between low-cost and traditional carriers), I’ll stand by my statement that giving passengers what they say they want is usually a bad idea.
Gwydion feels alienated because he’s a member of a minority dealing in a mass-market industry, so his opinion doesn’t really count. As someone who’s 6’4” I sort of feel his pain, but recognize that the economics of the situation dictate that my options are pretty much to get screwed on comfort or to pay five times as much to fly first class, and complaining is only likely to remind me of my irritation and to bring on calls of “quit your bitching” from others. Even so, there are airlines that pack you in tighter than others, and I avoid those airlines like the plague. I’d suggest that Gwydion do the same with airlines that evangelize to him (I don’t see the intent to convert that proselytizing connotes).
And yes, it is indeed true that the religious beliefs of the American and European populace differ. This is not likely to change any time soon.

By: sidereal

sidereal — Thu, 17 Mar 2005 01:52:20 +0000

“who must learn the religion-disguised-as-science called evolutionism or flunk biology”
Do they foist this new-fangled devilry the heathens call “heliocentrism” off on her as well? It’s as if they forumulated the science curriculum by consulting scientists and other such buggerists. The impertinence!

By: yami

yami — Thu, 17 Mar 2005 01:32:28 +0000

I’m surprised he didn’t complain about Alaska’s in-flight credit card advertisements, which they recite over the speakers at about time you’re supposed to be putting stowing your stuff and preparing to land. I found those far more bothersome than the Bible card, as you can’t just crumple and discard a flight attendant.
As far as Christian propaganda goes, I kinda like In’n’Out’s: it’s in small print on a hidden part of the container, and the reference on the hamburger wrapper is unusual and cutely apropos. If people are going to proselytize, they ought to be able to come up with something beyond the same old John and Psalms ad nauseam.

By: rude peasant

rude peasant — Thu, 17 Mar 2005 00:31:12 +0000

What if airlines provided a card advertising brothels or casinos? Oh wait, they already do that in their inflight magazines..

By: Roger Mexico

Roger Mexico — Thu, 17 Mar 2005 00:10:00 +0000

Jake – the economics of the airline business are rather more complicated than you imply. For years the ‘full service’ carriers have been trapped in an economic hell from which there is no escape – seeking profits from premium passengers who demand ever more sophisticated product for ever lower fares. The ‘low cost’ boys (please note – not ‘low fares’) work on an entirely different business model that seeks to lower – and then fail to meet – pax expectations. As to the comeliness of cabin crew – of whatever gender – given the way in which some carriers still sell themselves on the sexual attractiveness of the trolley dollies (or in The Bearded Wonder’s case the chances of your getting laid) it’s hardly surprising that Gwydion feels alienated . . . .
Having said which – no Yoorpean carrier would dare to proselytise inflight because they know that it would absolutely alienate a significant proportion of their pax

By: Uncle Kvetch

Uncle Kvetch — Wed, 16 Mar 2005 23:03:51 +0000

“Mind your own goddamn business” isn’t “nice,” Chris, and I wouldn’t literally drive around with a truck that said that.
I used a poor choice of words…it wouldn’t be “nice” to see said truck, but it would have been awfully gratifying.

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 16 Mar 2005 22:42:49 +0000

Kvetch—I am interested in an elaboration of your statement that “worship at the church of your choice” is the statement of an asshole, but “mind your own goddamn business” is “nice.”

By: Uncle Kvetch

Uncle Kvetch — Wed, 16 Mar 2005 22:03:53 +0000

I’m with Matt (and Ophelia). How about we drop the part about “rights” and just talk about civility, common courtesy, basic human decency?
Unless Alaska Airline wants to go all-out and market itself as a “Christian airline,” it’s rude, tacky, boorish, [insert adjective of choice] in the extreme to presume that every passenger wants to hear the Good News. In exactly the same way that your evangelical seatmate has the right to attempt to preach the Gospel to you during the flight…that doesn’t mean that he/she isn’t a thoughtless jerk for doing so. And as more and more people in the US get more and more “in your face” about their faith, it’s increasingly important to point out that religion does not grant one carte blanche to behave like an asshole.
Some years ago, while driving on an interstate somewhere deep in the red states, I saw a huge tractor-trailer with the words “Worship at the Church of Your Choice” on the side in enormous letters. I thought how nice it would be to see another truck coming in the other direction that said “Mind Your Own Goddamn Business.”

By: Ophelia Benson

Ophelia Benson — Wed, 16 Mar 2005 21:48:01 +0000

Jake, I don’t remember, which is why I didn’t say. It wasn’t personal, I know that. The time was near Christmas, and I think it was singing of some sort – but – Wait. I’m a fool. I’ve conflated two memories, that’s what it is. It was carol singing, and I resented that because we couldn’t leave. And there was also printed something-or-other handed out with the meal. So I take it back about the physical, live proselytization in the waiting area – that didn’t happen.

By: Matt McGrattan

Matt McGrattan — Wed, 16 Mar 2005 21:33:30 +0000

This discussion has proceeded in a way that’s depressingly familiar to me.
First, someone, usually from the secular left, criticizes some corporation or other. Then all the right-libertarians leap on them accusing them of wanting to restrict the ‘rights’ of companies, of supporting authoritarian restrictions on corporate speech, and so on.
Usually the standard rightist line is that if you don’t like the way a corporation does business then you ought to take your business elsewhere but the subtext is usually also that critics of corporations ought to shut up. The free market of ideas becomes reduced to little more than the bestowing or withdrawal of custom.
It’s such a knee-jerk reaction.
The free exchange of ideas takes place at a level much richer than financial transactions alone. It’s precisely the point that Gwydion ought to call Alaskan Air for what he sees as crassly inappropriate religious proselytizing.
Just as its precisely the point that Christian believers ought to be able to call advertisers on what they see as crass exploitation of religious symbolism.
No-one’s talking about banning things here—either the advertisements or the airline’s use of Biblical verses. No-one’s talking about restrictions on free speech or on what a corporation can print on its own products.
Some of us just think it’s bloody rude to start whacking religious texts around the place when all you want to do is fly on a plane.

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 16 Mar 2005 20:15:15 +0000

I recently saw a TV commercial for the Jaguar automobile based on a “seven deadly sins” theme. I think a similar ad has appeared in print. E.g., you “lust” after its smooth curves, the reclining seats let you indulge your “sloth,” etc. Is everyone offended by that, too? I mean, you don’t like reading Christian messages on your airplane napkins, and the Christians don’t like using their religion as a joke to sell fancy cars.
It kind of seems like folks on the secular left need to decide which it’s going to be: are we all to avoid offending one another’s religious or areligious sensibilities in public, or are we to treat religion as a subject like any other, appropriate fodder for public debate, public jokes, and sincere public statements as well?

By: jet

jet — Wed, 16 Mar 2005 20:11:17 +0000

Brace yourselves everyone, the world is about to end. I just found myself in total agreement with abb1.

By: Bill Humphries

Bill Humphries — Wed, 16 Mar 2005 19:02:32 +0000

Over at Salon a while back, Ask the Pilot cataloged the various religious incursions into air travel.
In-and-Out puts the Bible verse reference on the inside lower rim of their drink cups. For all the world that strikes me as the Christian equivalent of a prayer wheel, you know, every time a high schooler grabs a cup off the stack, G_D’s invoked.
But the burgers are good, so I can deal. And the SoCal evangelical culture spawned several fast food moguls.
Are those guys upthread polling your syndication feed every 5 seconds in hopes of finding something about which to be hurt?

By: abb1

abb1 — Wed, 16 Mar 2005 18:54:22 +0000

Well, when I’m on a plane, I noticed I always somehow get converted from atheist to agnostic. You know…

By: Steve LaBonne

Steve LaBonne — Wed, 16 Mar 2005 18:34:39 +0000

I also have that thought frequently, which is why my reaction is, if they really want to degrade their own religion that way, why should I worry about it?