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> Matthew Crawford, in “The World Beyond Your Head,” contrasts the world of a “peon” airport lounge — saturated in advertising, filled with mesmerizing screens

> Matthew Crawford, in “The World Beyond Your Head,” contrasts the world of a “peon” airport lounge — saturated in advertising, filled with mesmerizing screens — with the quiet, ad-free world of a business lounge: “To engage in playful, inventive thinking, and possibly create wealth for oneself during those idle hours spent at an airport, requires silence. But other people’s minds, over in the peon lounge (or at the bus stop), can be treated as a resource — a standing reserve of purchasing power.” This is a perfect example of the problem with advertising. It's not that people don't want to know about products, it's that people need to be able to learn about products on their own terms. When you're constantly shoving products in people's faces, you're detracting from all kinds of other pursuits. Advertising is possibly the greatest sink of time and energy in our generation. And what's worse it that the people who are perpetrating this crime on us know that it's a waste of time and energy, which is why they avoid it in their airport lounges.

mgkimsal 11y ago
I just had 4 flights over 2 days, and noticed something odd. I've noticed it before, but it really bugged me these trips. Someone reads off 'friendly' announcements trying to get us to sign up for credit card offers - get free skymiles, free bag checks, etc. Sign up today! The sales pitch went on for almost 4 minutes on one flight. It was a 30 minute flight, so > 10% of the flight was advertising. What bugged me most was that this was, AFAICT, the CAPTAIN - the person flying the plane - pitching credit cards WHILE WE ARE FLYING. I have to take my shoes and belt off (sometimes), can't bring liquids in, have to turn off electronic devices - all for purported safety reasons - but someone who is FLYING A PLANE can take several minutes to pitch a credit card. It's sickening. I do think that the first class passengers aren't excluded from these pitches tho - they're going to hear some of it anyway, regardless of where you sit. I'd really like an airline which didn't constantly pitch stuff at me while I'm flying. I guess it's called "buy your own plane and fly yourself"...
- Jtsummers 11y ago
  Once the plane is in the air a lot of the controls are automated. Also, even if it was the captain of the flight, they have a co-pilot. Still annoying, I vaguely recall something similar on my last Delta flights, but I'm pretty sure those were by the flight crew and a follow-up to the safety briefing.
- copsarebastards 11y ago
  It has been a while since I flew SouthWest, but I seem to remember them not having in-flight ads. They also have the best in-flight beer selection of anyone I've flown with. Sadly they're domestic only and most of my flights these days are international.

mgkimsal 11y ago

I just had 4 flights over 2 days, and noticed something odd. I've noticed it before, but it really bugged me these trips. Someone reads off 'friendly' announcements trying to get us to sign up for credit card offers - get free skymiles, free bag checks, etc. Sign up today! The sales pitch went on for almost 4 minutes on one flight. It was a 30 minute flight, so > 10% of the flight was advertising. What bugged me most was that this was, AFAICT, the CAPTAIN - the person flying the plane - pitching credit cards WHILE WE ARE FLYING. I have to take my shoes and belt off (sometimes), can't bring liquids in, have to turn off electronic devices - all for purported safety reasons - but someone who is FLYING A PLANE can take several minutes to pitch a credit card. It's sickening. I do think that the first class passengers aren't excluded from these pitches tho - they're going to hear some of it anyway, regardless of where you sit. I'd really like an airline which didn't constantly pitch stuff at me while I'm flying. I guess it's called "buy your own plane and fly yourself"...

Jtsummers 11y ago
Once the plane is in the air a lot of the controls are automated. Also, even if it was the captain of the flight, they have a co-pilot. Still annoying, I vaguely recall something similar on my last Delta flights, but I'm pretty sure those were by the flight crew and a follow-up to the safety briefing.
copsarebastards 11y ago
It has been a while since I flew SouthWest, but I seem to remember them not having in-flight ads. They also have the best in-flight beer selection of anyone I've flown with. Sadly they're domestic only and most of my flights these days are international.