Lili Bee would like us to think through the implications of allowing pornography on plane flights.
Ryanair, the most successful airline in Europe, which is also seeking to expand into the US, wants to offer porn apps to their passengers for their in-flight ‘entertainment’.
CEO Michael O’Leary is looking to launch an in-flight web offer that includes games, gambling and porn. When questioned by The Sun about the porn app, O’Leary responded with,“Hotels around the world have it, so why wouldn’t we?”
One has to seriously wonder if the man is daft, or if he’s putting us on since the obvious difference is that hotel rooms offer privacy, and planes are anything but. And you thought the extremely weight-challenged person next to you spilling over into your seat was a problem?
Porn viewing on airplanes isn’t all that new, actually. But airlines like JetBlue, Qantas and others have filtered out some content on incoming web traffic in the past.
Passengers aren’t the only ones likely to be offended by a fellow passenger’s pornography viewing. Pornography on flights has been, pardon the pun, a hotly contested issue for flight attendants in the past.They already feel that budget and staff cuts are stretching them extremely thin without now also having to attend to frequent customer complaints about the rude dude being lewd sitting next to them.
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Some have argued that this move, if it goes through, really wouldn’t change much since some airlines already allow unfiltered internet access. You can load your tablet up with pornography at home, and watch it on a flight. Under current rules, however, any passengers offended by another’s breech of common courtesy would be able to get a flight attendant to intervene. Federal regulations require passengers to comply with flight crew’s instructions and any extreme offenders who don’t comply, can be arrested upon landing.
The difference now would be that if the airline itself issues the apps, would the flight attendants be instructed to ignore passengers complaints in deference to those having purchased the right to watch pornography? Why bother selling an app, only to then have to accommodate those complaining about it? Seems a rather obvious conflict of interest would present itself.
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Imagine being with a child and having a porn-viewing passenger seated next to you. Or being one of the many who struggle in recovery from compulsive porn use. Or the elderly. Or, for that matter, anyone with any sense at all who knows that public spaces aren’t for private activities.
On a youtube clip, Michael O’Leary tells a journalist at a press conference in Dusseldorf that he plans to have blowjobs offered on long-haul flights. I won’t include the link here because I don’t want to reward his low-brow antics by bumping up the number of hits on this youtube clip.
He also unveiled a glossy calendar for charity this year featuring photos of the Ryanair flight attendants wearing nothing but tiny bikinis and platform heels, which, though obviously sexist, seems almost quaint by comparison to his other attempts to get publicity.
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When I wrote here in July that I see increasing signs of raunch culture invading our everyday life, I got plenty of commenters arguing with my perspectives and calling me prude, uptight and conservative, labels that entertain my friends no end. Now, this latest move by Ryanair only bolsters my view that decorum is quickly becoming a thing of the past. I have petitioned Ryanair to ditch their ill-fated publicity stunt and my friends have done the same.
One could easily decide to boycott this airline but what precedent would Ryanair be setting if they’re allowed to go through with this? How long before U.S. airlines would follow suit? This would be yet another egregious example of our rights to public decency being not so subtly eroded.
I also think that the more public pornography becomes, the less private masturbation will become.
Line to the bathroom on the plane too long? Simply throw your jacket over your lap and hope the lady next to you is really asleep. Considering that Ryanair is also the same airline that has threatened to introduce pay-per-use lavatories as a way to cut costs, is this scenario so hard to imagine?
I know a man who is now in his forties that was spotted masturbating in his car in a deserted parking lot with no houses anywhere around. He got arrested and to this day, he is a registered sex offender, a stigma that will shadow him his entire life. I hate to be the turd in the punchbowl here, but masturbation, and however you think about that personally, becomes a serious legal issue if it happens in public.
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What do you think?
Should airlines discourage pornography usage onboard?
Should it be a flight attendant’s job to be a police person?
Would you knowingly choose an airline if you knew there was no enforcement against pornography viewing on board?
personally if this ever happens to me and someone is sitting next to me watching porn on their phone or something and wouldn’t switch it off immediately, i would be prepared to grab and smash the phone with no appology whatsoever! it’s a breech of other people’s human rights to allow this to happen, i am disgusted and horrified that this may ever happen! this world just gets worse! i don’t want to be sitting next to some stranger on a plane getting an errection, it’s disgusting, it is one step away from maturbating in public, this shouldn’t be condoned… Read more »
Lili Bee must obviously believe that people who watch porn dont have the restraint not to do it around children. This article is totaly one-sided, contains virtually no proof to support claims and uses implausible examples using the slippery slope scenario as a construct to scare people into believing porn on planes is dangerous. If it was bomb i’d agree, if the captains were drinking I would agree, if there was snakes on the plane I would agree, but not porn. Getting rid of porn in concern to children, would mean we would have to make it impossible for passengers… Read more »
One aspect of parenting, that seemingly only a parent would know of, is the instinct to protect. Most everyone in the wilderness would know that the most dangerous bear is a mother with cubs. When my kids were little I was like a big guard dog. Anything that appeared to be a threat was watched closely, and pity the fool who crosses the line. Park Rangers only shake their heads when someone gets mauled by a mother bear. My first comment on this thread was deleted cause I said the guy who refused to turn off his porn in front… Read more »
Michael thank you. You said it better than I could.
Also, it has been argued along the lines that lust or pornography is engaging a biological imperative, a natural sex drive. This is also known as an instinct. The instinct to ‘mate’ is closely related to the instinct to ‘parent’ or to protect the babies. So if there is going to be laws defined for biological instincts it seems that caring for real life babies would out-weigh the artificial images of mating… unless airlines create other Classes of seating. There can be Business Class, Coach, Child/Parenting Class and then a new one for the Mating Class, or Lounge. That would… Read more »
I agree with the classes but they should be different, an expansion of the Amtrak “Quiet Car” concept.
1. Quiet car class (Silence. Period.)
2. Travelling with young children class (everyone travelling with children 7 and under should be required to sit here)
3. Extra wide class (extra wide seats; anyone who invades their neighbor’s space would be required to sit there)
4. Extra leg room class (this should be popular)
5. Adults only section, where someone could conceivably watch R-rated (or above) movies or videos
6. Regular class (where I probably sit)
Eric- That sadly makes sense. But if we look at the plane as a community and we need to segregate everyone in the human village in order to get along, it would seem that we are only isolating ourselves, avoiding community. And in general, maybe we all can relate to the benefits of isolating, maybe we can all even agree with that. This is sad though. Not my vision of a utopian society. Self-centeredness tends to disregard the needs of others in most everyway. Maybe a helpful way to begin healing the human village is to first maintain our own… Read more »
I’ve been thinking about this too. At first the idea of separate sections seemed weird…but appealing. But then I started realizing that it keeps people from working out their own problems, and so once you have these 6 sections, other things then become problems, and so then you need separate sections for people who are coughing and appear sick; for people who plan to drink a lot on the plane; for people who crack their knuckles, etc. When I was younger, I could hardly ever go on a plane and sit in a seat next to a traveling business man… Read more »
The time that most of us spend on airplanes is a mere blip on the radar in comparison to the many hours and days we spend doing something else. What is the problem with human beings denied porn for a minute portion of their life? Is access to porn such a vital need that no time or place should impose on us its denial? Can’t a normal person survive without it for a few hours out of their life? People are addicted to smoking. They banned that. History shows us they have survived that ordeal. I am confident that we… Read more »
I have had very nice conversations with fellow passengers but don’t for a moment believe that my purpose in taking an airline trip is anything other than to get to the other end to care for personal or corporate business. Trying to establish “community” on an airplane where you will 1) not be able to speak to 95% of the other passengers in any case, 2) be on the plane for no more than a 2-3 hours in most cases, and 3) probably never again in life see those people – is a little pointless. I think you’ll have a… Read more »
I am against anything on planes that disturbs others, including porn, fat people, crying babies, badly behaved kids, and rude people who insist on keeping their overhead light on in the middle of the night when everyone is trying to sleep.
Anyone who is ‘for’ porn on planes, hypothetically, how would you feel knowing you were exposing a child to porn? Besides the disturbed few who knowingly abuse them, don’t we all as adults have a protective instinct toward children? Is anyone here actually for porn on planes, or just enjoying the banter 🙂
i hope no-one is actually for porn on planes, it’s beyond a joke to even consider it, we should be banning!! i thought it was banned!!!??
The problem with the “slippery slope” argument against porn on planes is that it can be used *for* it too. Well we won’t let porn on planes because it makes people uncomfortable. How long until we disallow wearing burquas, watching documentaries about plane crashes, kissing your partner, eating meat (think of the vegetarians!), drinking, reading Twilight, putting on makeup (think of the Puritans!), etc…
I encourage the airlines to limit the number of children on a plane, especially babies. Seeing babies on a plane might lead other children to ask where babies come from, and parents may not be ready to talk about that just yet. So, let’s protect our children’s childhood by limiting their exposure to babies. No more babies on airplanes! Who’s with me?
I want to weigh back in at this point. I’ve been following this thread closely, and I appreciate everyone who understood how I felt as a parent being put in this situation. There is so much that can be (and has just been) said about this topic, and other related topics such as politeness on planes, the role of porn in society, etc. I could comment on all of those things, but for me, the single most important point I’d like to make is that whatever you think of porn or of plane etiquette, a parent has both the right… Read more »
I largely agree with you and generally feel the same way. It’s hard for me to imagine any good argument for allowing anyone to watch porn anywhere they wanted to at any time without any restrictions at all. I appreciate the strength and eloquence of your convictions as expressed here. However, I think this position expressed here is a little extreme, if I am taking it literally. There is no such thing as an absolute right, even the rights that we most cherish. Fortunately or unfortunately, every right is limited by other rights. The rights of one person are balanced… Read more »
This is a really intelligent and well-written reply. I can’t argue with the substance of much of it. Some of it I think is fallacious, but I’ll give you credit for mostly good points. Of course it is more complex than I made it out to be. It’s very hard to explain what it feels like to be so worried about all of the “assaults” (pardon the hyperbole) on childhood these days. The sexualization of girls, the way free speech for adults translates into free 24/7 internet porn that very young children do watch and that does really harm them,… Read more »
sorry but there’s no rights for someone who wants to view or masturbate on a plane, i think it’s disgusting and wrong, theres no grey area on this one, you just don’t do it. just like you don’t smoke on a plane, get drunk or have sex in front of everyone or piss all over the person next to you!! stop trying to be overly intellectual and fair about it all, just use logic. if anyone on a plane was watching stuff next to me i would complain to them and do whatever so i didnt have to be near… Read more »
WOW – Lili hit quite a few nails on the head. What’s the purpose of a person watching porn? To get aroused I imagine…I’m not a porn watcher. However, if my eight year old daughter is sitting next to someone watching porn and even if they have the headset on…I mean…come on people – we already know that they sounds/noises can be heard. But, in all seriousness, if my daughter or I were sitting next to a guy who started masturbating because he was watching porn and getting aroused and all that – I’d be pretty angry and upset by… Read more »
I find it odd that sharing a sexual experience with another is commonly considered as one of the most intimate and meaningful experiences that we can have throughout our lives, and yet, so much of the modern experience of sexuality, especially as expressed through media (especially porn) is a solitary, introverted event, sometimes violent and generally lacking of relational value. A snapshot of a society’s sexuality can express quite a lot of the culture. Does lust have lasting value that sustains a culture? I believe that lust has a good and enjoyable purpose in our lives but that it loses… Read more »
Michael, this is really interesting. I have a male friend who asked me the other day if I thought we’d become about as porinfied as possible, and whether what would come next is a “post porn era” of some sort. Porn addiction is a growing problem, as is the ability of porn addicts to have healthy relationships in real life. If there were going to be some sort of response to that as a society, what do you think it would be and what would bring it about, in your opinion?
Lori- I get to know my way around new mountains and cities by seemingly going all the wrong ways, into places that I don’t want to revisit. It seems civilization does this too. There’s been cultures in history based on various tyrannies, religions and philosophies that eventually become power hungry and corrupt. The people learn as a whole and then make other choices, if they’re still alive. As far as human sexuality and intimacy go, I believe that we’ll eventually realize that something intrinsic and vital is missing but it may take getting far away from it first, as we… Read more »
Michael, you’re a wonderful writer and it sounds like you’ve had some really enriching experiences in your life. Please let me know if you’d be interested in submitting a post to The Good Men Project on this topic. think it would be fabulous!
exactly. where will it end? a man alone.
To me porn is about masturbation, or to watch with a partner and lead to sex. I really don’t understand why anyone would want to watch it in public, but maybe I’m naive. I certainly don’t consider myself a prude, but really, planes are family friendly, there is enough sexual content kids are exposed to in society without this. And besides the kids, I wouldn’t tolerate someone bangin one out beside me..
ha ha!!
If it’s a question of public decency, then only consume porn on a plane if no one else notices. Listen to it on your earphones, without a visual. Read it in textual form. Fantasize about someone on screen who’s fully clothed. Daydream. This should be a non-issue if people would just plan well and use their imaginations.
I’m actually surprised to hear this from a guy. I’m so used to hearing (mostly on the internet) that guys just can’t have any imagination when it comes to sex and can’t do anything without a perfect or hardcore visual. I’ve had no problem daydreaming…in class, through meetings, on long car rides, during not so great sex, whatever. But being a woman, I feel uncomfortable telling a guy to just fantasize or daydream.
It does seem incredibly rude in such tight quarters to watch porn. It would obviously make a lot of people uncomfortable. I can see a good argument for discouraging people from viewing it. But, please, spare me the alarmist slippery slope argument about how it’s just one step away from total social anarchy. Like allowing people to look at porn will directly lead to raping your fellow passengers, selling your children into sexual slavery, and leaving stickiness on every surface of the plane. Gimme a break. If porn is that dangerous, then the airlines should definitely not show any movies… Read more »
I’ve looked at a few comments and no one has mentioned how violent porn is. I DO NOT want to be subjected to watching it. Personal things should be kept personal and this is so it is kept away from the people who find it uncomfortable. Another thing, if we are not allowed to have sex in public why would we be able to watch porn in public? it’s the same principle. People don’t want to be subjected to other people having sex unless they deliberately seek it out and the people who sit near or around this person watching… Read more »
Yes, because correctional facilities in this country have been so successful in getting people to behave much better. They are what have made East Germany and the Soviet Union the undeniable successes they are today…
i totally agree with airen. basically its dogging on a plane!
This is a ridiculous idea and just another reason to boycott Ryan air. Michael O’Leary is a joke of a man who gives other men a bad name. If he’s so desperate to increase revenue he should stick to his other dumb but less disgustingly ideas like charging people to pee on a plane. And people think bankers are the enemy….A more capitalistic man than O’Leary I’ve never heard of.
Come on–this is a no-brainer. No porn in public. What does this have to do with “good men”? Is this supposed to be something like, “now, boys… you all know that good little boys don’t touch themselves in public, right?”
Lili I couldn’t agree with you more with the less private porn becomes, the less private masturbation becomes. Frankly, as an adult, I don’t want to be sitting next to some dude who is looking at his porn whether he is mastrubating or not. That is just ridiculously strange. I wonder, if I feel like I need to go to the bathroom while on a plane, could I just pull my pants down and go to the bathroom in my seat? Because if now porn on airplanes is okay, and the primary use of porn is for masturbating, why isn’t… Read more »
Bear in mind what the political structure is on board a commercial airline flight. The captain/pilot in charge is essentially the dictator of the plane. He/she can simply kick you off the plane if you look funny or act strangely or you happen to have a last name he/she doesn’t like. If you’re asked to do something and you refuse, he/she can make an emergency landing and have you arrested for a felony. Sure, the pilot could later be fired or reprimanded for overreacting, but don’t count on it, and the law is on his/her side, not yours. You suspend… Read more »
“Or the elderly.” ?? Whatever I may think of protecting public decency when there are children present, I’m not sure why “the elderly” need to be protected from seeing pornographic images. Don’t assume they’re more squeamish or more alarmed by it or more vulnerable to it that anyone else. Are you thinking you need to protect them from heart attacks or something? The question of viewing porn on a plane strikes me as one of those cases where you are well within your rights to do something, but it’s so discourteous that you really shouldn’t. I would prefer that an… Read more »
Why teach your kids about the birds and the bees when they can see two Japanese girls puking into each others’ mouths or ‘Back Door Sluts 9’ in the next seat? ^___________^
Planes are tubes filled with people tightly packed one on top of the other. People used to feel more restraint in terms of social mores (behaving rudely). Now people have this increased sense of entitlement-Well, I spent my good money on the ticket, so damn it I’m gonna…..do my work, yell on my phone, let my kid run everywhere, make out with my partner, watch my porn. Beyond anything else you are mentioning here Lili, it’s just damn rude. If I was doing anything to make someone feel uncomfortable, I’d hate it. I’d try to contain my stuff in my… Read more »
Porn on planes? Are you serious? And blowjobs may also be an option? I won’t be booking any flights on that airline.
I think I only see one reaction on here that totally illustrates your ‘you’re just a prude’ thing, and so that’s nice to see. The bottom line is, if you don’t think this is a ridiculous idea and you can’t wait until you get home to see something sexual, you’re one of those arrogant selfish people who’d watch porn on a plane where anyone can see what you’re doing and you don’t respect anyone elses feelings. Porn is increasingly violent and humiliating these days so there’s even more concern. I’m a grown woman who loves having sex but just because… Read more »
Just one more reason not to fly. I’ve had to sit near, or next to, people so rude that it would have been a relief if they were watching porn instead…. The drunk frat boys on the red eye flight to Miami. The large gentleman in the middle seat who got out his laptop then put his work papers on my tray table without asking. The guy who insisted rudely that I get up and let him out of the seats right after the flight attendant brought my food (he hadn’t ordered any). The time I was flying by myself… Read more »
I’m not defending her taking up the whole overhead in the slightest, but I’d get a bit pissy (not at all to the point of screaming, mind you, but still) if you touched my coat too! It wouldn’t have been that hard to ask her first if you could move it, or see if she’d prefer to move it herself.
Especially in the same paragraph as “putting papers on MY tray table without asking”… yeah, mind other people’s space _and_ things please! I’ll certainly agree on not being a space hog in the first place though c:
Everyone who flies knows they can’t have the entire overhead just for their coat. A coat is no more special than a piece of luggage. If it needs moved to accommodate another paying passenger’s luggage, it gets shifted but not damaged, no permission needed. That is simply part of flying.
As someone who doesn’t take up more than my fair share of the overhead, but who has still had suitcases ripped or items crushed or destroyed by someone attempting to shove a bag in without asking me to move my things, no, it’s sadly not “as simple as that”. I’d much rather just give up the overhead and ask to have my bag gate checked than have someone try to move it and therefore crush it without my permission. Yes the lady was in the wrong for taking up the whole bin, but I can’t blame someone for wanting their… Read more »
The issue is that she wasn’t taking up her fair share of space; otherwise there would be no reason to move her coat.
If someone’s bag is can be crushed, it’s too fragile to be in the overhead in the first place.
I think the cleaning crew better be getting one heck of a huge raise.
Haha! Seriously. What about the flight attendants? They’d better get a raise for all of the complaints they’re going to have to deal with…