I'm Leaving, On a Jetplane....

If you ever want to see an example of the American caste system at work, nothing illustrates it more than taking a trip on an airplane. When most of us have to stand in often long lines to check in, first class passengers get their own special, short line. While we have to muddle on through long security lines and take off our shoes, first class passengers just basically walk through their very own security line where they get waived on through in seconds. What? First class passengers can't be potential terrorists! They're First Class Passengers! Terrorists would never buy an expensive plane ticket to fly somewhere and blow it up! Once past security, we have to spend countless hours walking up and down a dull and dizzying array of bookstores and chain food restaurants to kill time First Class Passengers, however, get to have their very own special lounge where they get to sip mai tais, watch tv, and who knows-- get massages from Thai women in slinky dress. It's hard to know what exactly goes on in those lounges as very often, we can't see them, hidden as they are from the gaze of the unwashed masses.

Then, of course, comes the actual flight. First Class Passengers get to board first and then sit comfortably in their wide and comfortable seats while the rest of us have to sit in the cramped, narrow, tight main cabin where kids run up and down the aisles, food consists of two packs of pretzels, and you have to contort yourself in often unusual positions to keep from getting elbowed by the person next to you. Naturally, this is never seen by the people in First Class as there's usually some sort of drape that gets pulled between the two sections so the First Class doesn't have to worry about having their comfortable, relaxing trip sullied by views of the untouchables. They even have their own bathroom so as to prevent them to have to shit in the same toilets as the rest of us.

And as the plane ride ends and the pilot says his farewells, thanks is given to everyone who flew, but most especially the First Class and Business Class fliers for their blessing the airline with their presence. It is often at this moment that I wonder whether we too should thank the people in the First Class too for blessing us with their presence.