Here is a topic of conversation that ought not to break the fragile peace of Thanksgiving gatherings.
It stems from a rather innocuous question: Should we dress better while traveling by air?
This Thanksgiving holiday, the Transportation Security Administration is expecting to screen more than 17.8 million people.
Flying was once considered the bastion of civility, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who kicked off a campaign this month called “The Golden Age of Travel Begins with You.”
These days, passengers act belligerently at the ticket counter, start fistfights in the aisles, scream at flight attendants. And all this bad behavior is enabled by an attitude of “anything goes” when it comes to travel attire, according to the federal government.
“Let’s bring civility and manners back,” intoned Duffy in a DOT video. “Ask yourself — are you helping a pregnant woman put her bag in the overhead bin? Are you dressing with respect?”
Dressing with respect is often in the eye of the beholder. But there is little doubt that planes are functionally a fashion-free zone.
In riffing on the style challenges of her hometown, Spokane comedian Kelsey Cook noted, “Spokane has to be leading the nation in people wearing pajamas in the airport. It’s shocking.”
Her stand-up routine continued: “I will be in an airport in another city, but I will be flying home to Spokane and I can always tell which gate it is without even reading the sign. Yeah — it’s the one where everyone is wearing their bathrobe.”
So we have two sides of a dinner table discussion (let’s not call it a “debate” because that could be triggering).
One point of view says: C’mon folks, let’s put away the sweatpants and put on the slacks. Looking good is feeling good, and feeling good is contagious. We’re all in this together.
The other counters: Treat passengers like cattle, and they will behave accordingly. Seats are crammed, food is expensive, discomfort the order of the day. Dressing with respect is laughable considering the overall lack of respect in all other aspects of the travel industry.
So folks, what do you think?
The editorial board typically offers its opinion on weighty matters. It is, after all, the Opinion section of the newspaper. But on this subject, we feel our job is accomplished by simply elevating the question as light conversational fodder in stressful and divisive times.
Perhaps there is room for compromise, such as ensuring your airplane bathrobe is freshly laundered.
Whatever the answer, feel free to discuss, and please pass the rolls.
Happy Thanksgiving.
