Civility, decency
On pages like this throughout the age of newspapers, editors have lamented the death of civility, the downfall of decency.
Although those most American of traits exhibit Twainian endurance, the worst of America is regularly on display, as well.
On Monday, Dallas police -- who certainly had more important things to do -- were summoned to Love Field after a man on a Southwest arrival refused to turn off his cell phone during the flight.
For 20 minutes in the air, the man chittered away. For 20 minutes, when flight attendants requested he turn off the phone, they said he smarmily replied, "Kiss my
. Not happening."
The rest of the passengers on the flight deserve a free ticket -- or at least a Love Field Cinnabon -- for their restraint.
Joe David Jones, 50, was cited as he disembarked for disorderly conduct. He will be flambeed across the nation, for a day or two, for his apparent vanity and imagined self-importance.
We've all heard the message, the warning to switch electronic devices off on an airplane. Funny thing is, no one is quite sure why.
Airplane manufacturers have reported only "theoretic" interference with an airplane's electronics associated with cell phones, laptops or PDAs.
But we're relatively sure Jones is not a Boeing or Airbus engineer focusing on potentially life-threatening electronics failure in commercial airlines. Said another way, the man had no way of knowing if his very important yapping would damage, delay or doom the flight.
It would be easy to call the arrest part of a "troubling trend" or "sign of the times," but it's just not the case. In every age in every place, there have been folks who thought themselves unbound by the rules of civility and decency.
Jones most likely will get a nominal fine for his alleged deficiency of tact. The rest of us should pause each time we are ready to cross that line and think, "Do I really want to be that guy?"
Editorial by Ron Fields
