Fat flyers
I’ve just finished listening to this week’s SModcast podcast and it’s already one of my favourites. SModcast is a podcast featuring Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier, and delves into news review, personal anecdotes and absurd speculation.
Although employing enough colourful metaphors to make a nun blush, the show is always funny and imaginative, and you don’t have to be a fan of Kevin Smith’s films to enjoy the podcast.
This week’s is an ’emergency SModcast’ after Smith was asked to leave a Southwest Airlines flight for being too fat to fly, although Smith had flown with Southwest regularly. Smith has a massive following, and as well as his podcast, has used his Twitter feed and blog to air his grievances. I wouldn’t be surprised if the situation was used in a future film.
So why such publicity? One of the points raised is the fear of complaining too much on an airplane. How much is too much? If you are too stubborn or demand that you be treated with dignity, you risk being hauled off the aircraft in handcuffs under armed guard and charged with an imprisonable offence.
So you shut up, and either write a strongly worded letter or take it on the chin. Kevin Smith is fortunate enough to have an audience and has used it to hopefully encourage an airline to take notice and start treating their customers with respect.
In an increasingly overweight society, the introduction of new airport body scanners and the ridiculous treatment given to people who don’t fit into aircraft torture chairs, the humiliation of overweight air passengers will become more, not less, common.
Due to my height I’ve already had to endure hours in aircraft seats designed for people 6 inches shorter than me, but now that I’ve got too many kilos under my belt, I may be joining others facing the reproving looks of the stasi stewards and stewardesses quietly judging whether my girth is safe or not.
As if I didn’t have enough to worry about with my irrational terror of flying/exploding/crashing.
2009: media favourites
A totally subjective list of my most enjoyed media in 2009…
Top five games
The Saboteur – Xbox 360
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – Xbox 360
Battlefield 1943 – PS3 & Xbox 360 (download)
Singstar Queen – PS3
Operation Flashpoint – Xbox 360
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Top five films
Star Trek
Inglourious Basterds
The Hangover
Watchmen
District 9
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Top five TV
Fringe – Sky One
Lie to Me – Sky One
Day of the Triffids – BBC1
The Thick of It – BBC3
Mock the Week – BBC2
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Top 5 podcasts
BBC Radio 4 Friday Night Comedy (The Now Show/News Quiz)
Adam & Joe (Radio 6 Music)
Brian Paget 