Is the United States Becoming a Nation of Jerks?

There is a lack of grace and kindness today in the simple ways that people treat one another. And, for some reason, that lack of grace and kindness is more pronounced at 35,000 feet.

In a typical year, the FAA investigates around 200 reports of bad behavior in the friendly skies. But, in 2021 something changed. There were over 5,000 reports of unruly passengers.

Which begs the question, what the hell is happening on airplanes? Let’s unpack this and maybe we can learn something together.

I grew up in an era where flying was more civilized. An era when flying was treated as a tremendous luxury. An era when people dressed up in their Sunday best to sit in the Tourist section and chain-smoke Parliament cigarettes like it was their job. The second-hand smoke lingered heavily in the air-but nobody complained. There was no wi-fi network. No movies on demand. No lay-flat seats. It was the first time in your life you had to actually wear a seatbelt. But despite all that, flying was still a privilege.

But those were the salad days of the airline industry. Things are different today.