My husband is a podcast junkie. He's hardly ever not listening to a podcast. I don't know how he ever gets a chance to think, with other people talking in his ears all day, but that's probably similar to what he thinks about me scrolling tumblr.
Anyway, recently, he played a bit of a podcast out loud where the podcasters, a couple, were discussing traveling as a family, and the woman forcefully announced her determination to be a "no checked bag" family forever after. And they discussed how before they adopted this identity, people who had it annoyed them, because they seemed so smug about it, and like they felt like it made them better than people who checked bags, and now that they ARE those people, they do in fact feel like it makes them better than people who check bags, and that anyone who can't pack for a normal trip in a carry-on sized bag is lacking in discipline and overly extravagant.
This was all expressed in a tongue-in-cheek tone, slightly self-mockingly, and probably wasn't meant to be taken seriously. My husband thought it was funny. At the time, I just thought with mild annoyance, "way to be judgemental snobs," because I don't really love the kind of podcasts that are just people talking to hear themselves talk. My husband also talked about how his bosses at work are all "no checked bag" people when they fly for work (which is often) or take family vacations.
But since then I've taken a couple of air trips, and I've been thinking back to this exchange as I watch the beleaguered masses swarm around with their rollerbags, and I realized: this fucking attitude is fucking classist and ableist (ablist?) as shit. Not, I should clarify, not wanting to check bags and choosing to only do carry-ons yourself, if you can. You do you, man. But actively looking down on other people who don't have that option is a prejudice devoutly to be spurned.
I've been doing some critical observation, and here's what I've learned:
There are a few kinds of people who regularly check luggage:
Elderly, well-to-do-looking people who I get the feeling have just always done this and feel like "it's what you do when you fly" and don't see the need to change.
Families with small kids who have tons of shit they have to take with them.
People with lesser or greater degrees of disability who can't handle schlepping their luggage through the airport.
Occasional weirdos like me, who aren't disabled and could schlep their luggage through the airport but simply don't want to be bothered more than they don't want to wait for it at baggage claim on the other end.
People with less money, who can't afford the following:
Higher fare classes, like comfort+ or first class, that come with priority boarding and dedicated overhead space
Airline credit cards, which also come with priority boarding (although not as priority as higher fare classes) and at least get you better chance of getting overhead space. These also have a much higher chance of upgrades, which get you guaranteed overhead space.
Flying all the time, which accrues airline miles and status, which gets you upgrades, which gets you guaranteed overhead space.
ANY of these benefits costs more, usually, than the price of a checked bag or two, especially for people who rarely fly. So if you're flying steerage, and they assigned you to zone 7 or 8 or whatever, by the time you get on that plane and to your seat, there is going to be NO OVERHEAD BIN SPACE left, and by the time you've done this once or twice you know that.
So when you despise people who check bags, there's a very good chance you're despising people who just don't have as much money as you. Or whose bodies don't work as well. Or who grew up in a different time and whose habits hurt no one. And that is why this attitude pisses me off. It's very well if you know you're going to get to sit at the front of the plane and no one's going to take all the bins before you even get to your 14" x 14" assigned square of space. It's all very well if dragging your rollerbag isn't going to make your shoulder scream for the next three days while you recover. And it's all very well if you don't have small kids with you, who need strollers and car seats, and diapers and bottles and formula and twice as many clothes because they spit up on them all the time, and pacifiers and blankets and toys and teething rings and WHO KNOWS WHAT ALL because babies require more crap than anyone would believe.
Anyway this is too long and I'm just ranting. Be a smug bastard if you want. But if I hear you I'm going to snap at you. And if you only express it through a judgemental raised eyebrow as you sail past baggage claim I will judge you back.
I wish we got to see more of evil Morty during his sidekick/presidential era 😞😞 I know we got to see some of what he did to get elected in his lore reveal, but I feel like his process building up to the grand escape could've been it's own actual episode instead of some voice over montage. theyre so lazy with him sighhhh
