So a question for you.
Why do some people think it is okay to flout the lawful rules or policies of a private company, even if they disagree? Even if they are objectively unreasonable?
My Plane, My Rules
See, I don’t want to talk about masks today. If it is any consolation, I’ll just come out and say I strongly dislike them. Yes, I wear them. No, they are not unreasonably intrusive. Yes, I will always wear them as long as I am required and even when I am not, if they make others around me feel safer. But I don’t like them.
And while perhaps masks are an inevitable component of this discussion, this could be for anything. Indeed, it could be that an airline prohibits masks onboard.
There’s a certain absurdity to many rules and regulations, but that doesn’t mean we can just pretend they don’t exist or ignore them.
I guess I’m trying to be diplomatic, but it comes down to this:
No shirt. No shoes. No service.
As in, my company, my rules…I don’t really care what your excuses are. As long as I am not acting unlawfully, I can set the oddest policies I want…and will certainly suffer the consequences for them if they are ill-timed, poorly thought out, or unreasonable in the eyes of my customers.
Rules are points at which deviation is measured from and as such, often leave wiggle room.
But if I ask you to wear socks while you are on my plane, you need to wear socks. And if I prohibit you from wearing obscene shirts, you cannot wear them.
When it comes to something which may interfere with or impact others, I have additional leeway. If I’m running an airline, my policy would be: No cologne. No perfume. No excuses.
CONCLUSION
Think about what happens if everyone just does their own thing. Rules are the prerogative and within the purview of a private company. If you are for “law and order” and the respect of “private enterprise,” I just don’t understand how you can knowingly refuse to abide by lawful rules and regulations imposed by the company you choose to do business with.
image: Norwegian
Well said.
Except the Republican party has intentionally made it their “brand” to encourage people to simply act like complete dicks to others, and boast about it. Because they just like to act that way. Until they fix that, everyone can expect much more dickish behavior.
And some now are readily admitting that democracy isn’t important. They are only for freedoms that benefit them/their beliefs. Only their religion, only their vote, only their rights.
Sadly this country’s future is not good. Thankfully I have no kids. I feel sorry for those that do because they will be facing some extreme problems internally and no only externally.
(And I’m hardly anything more than middle of the road when it comes to politics but I do back freedom for everyone and not the privilege, opportunities for all, and doing things best for society and not just my bank account.)
I’m a Republican and a Trump supporter. I completely agree with Matthew’s thinking.
I know quite a few Republican’s who will rail for hours against the thought of masks citing medical study after medical study in support of their position, following the actual science. Every single one of them wears a mask at the grocery store, on airplanes, when they are near other people, etc. The media created this whole anti-mask=Republican nonsense. Republicans, in general, are rule followers by nature even when they don’t agree with the rules. I’ve found masks are a male vs female thing. The vast majority of women on airplanes wear masks as required. The vast majority of men on airplanes wear masks below their nose. And I’m sick to death of telling men, over and over and over again during each and every flight to pull the mask up over their nose. I’m not your mother and you’re not a misbehaving two year old. You agreed to wear the mask; WEAR IT!!!!!
@ Matthew — Amen!
Yes, well expressed, and I’m driving rentals across the USA nowadays – not because I worry about safety when flying and not because of company rules that I will obey if I choose to pay for a ticket, but because I want to avoid hassles caused by other airline passengers (reacting to rules, other passengers, or staff or whatever) and because I want more services, not less.
I think if we’re honest with ourselves, the reason for this is that government and business have become so intertwined we have a hard time mentally separating the two. People’s knee-jerk reaction to wanting to flaut the rules is “I have rights!” Completely forgetting that businesses are allowed to set rules as the terms and conditions of using their product/service that don’t need to respect those rights, so long as you agree to those terms.
Stop over-regulating every minor aspect of how businesses operate, and maybe we can work on separating the business world and the “government/laws/rights” world in people’s heads.
Completely agree with this post.
It’s because there are people who enjoy being oppositional- defiant. If u tell them they cant do something they will do it just to aggravate others. Many Adults revert back to their childhood behaviors which is sickening to me.
Without being physically there, and taking the video clip at face value, I can’t be sure he was breaking the rule if he was eating his snack and drinking coffee.
I hope he sues the bejeebers out of that airline. He was most probably being judged on what he was wearing. The ugly word prejudice comes to mind.