Decoding recent poll results, The Atlantic flags one reporting that "57 percent would prefer of Obama over Romney as a seat mate on a long flight." It's a spectacle to ponder: I suspect that Obama would mutter a pleasantly and then stick his nose in a book. My guess is that Romney would make an artless attempt at small talk and then go rigid with his eyes forward. Each thus exemplifies the cardinal virtue in a long-flight seatmate--i.e., he minds his own beeswax. Contrast Bill Clinton who would talk your ear off and then probably nick your brownie.
But it's a promising line of inquiry and I'd love to see it go further. With which, for example, would you rather flee cross-country in handcuffs, trying to elude the mob? With which would you rather share 60 hours on the saddle of a camel, crossing the Arabian desert? Or the tourist compartment on Das Boot? Or the penthouse suite at the Alamo? With which would you rather disport yourself at Sea World in the dolphin tank?
For all this, I'd rather fall back on the universal Underbelly politician palatability test: would you rather spend ten minutes locked in an elevator with this guy or commit suicide? I'm sure there is not a single answer for examples, but for some, the alternative of a tour on Das Boot might look pretty good.
But it's a promising line of inquiry and I'd love to see it go further. With which, for example, would you rather flee cross-country in handcuffs, trying to elude the mob? With which would you rather share 60 hours on the saddle of a camel, crossing the Arabian desert? Or the tourist compartment on Das Boot? Or the penthouse suite at the Alamo? With which would you rather disport yourself at Sea World in the dolphin tank?
For all this, I'd rather fall back on the universal Underbelly politician palatability test: would you rather spend ten minutes locked in an elevator with this guy or commit suicide? I'm sure there is not a single answer for examples, but for some, the alternative of a tour on Das Boot might look pretty good.
2 comments:
When I was a young man, the cardinal virtue in a seat mate was that they become an instant friend. Now that I am old, I am more of Buce's mind.
My Uncle Perley was a warmhearted outgoing guy--really a lovely man. We used to say that he ought to just hand you a questionnaire at the boarding gate because he was going to know everything about you before you touched down.
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