Canista
An interesting reply which I value. Can I respond with some points:
I have said elsewhere (under my real, false moniker as it were)that I fully respect Trvlguru's decision to ask the question about how much compensation is due. Coming from his culture it was a right thing to do. Coming from my culture the answer to the question is "nil". The issue of whether or not to take this to court is a separate issue. In US culture this is seen as acceptable, in UK culture it is not.
You are right that FlyerTalk is full of inane trivia. That's why I read it. It's fun, multi-cultural and I would not discourage Trvlguru from posting questions like this. Many of the issues are trivial within the context of FlyerTalk but many are not. Nearly all the issues are trivial within the context of world affairs (the security issues are obviously not trivial within the context of the war on terror).
Taking the matter court is however, something very different in that it consumes scarce governmental resources, resources which might be better used elsewhere. That is clearly not a US cultural point of view but in the interests of enlightening people by letting them appreciate values outside of their cultural I use a very brutal (and yes, slightly dishonest) route of pointing out just how much work there is for governmental resources to do. In so doing I question whether this issue really deserves governmental resources. I hope by doing so to further globalisation and make Trvlguru think differently. If he chooses not to do so that's fine: the governmental resources he will use are a drop in the ocean.
I admit that the comparison is somewhat dishonest: my excuse is that the ends justify the means.
I kind of agree with you on the double standards issue.
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Canista:
Kovich – whilst I disagree with the “let’s sue” approach and am amazed that BA hasn’t find a way to close this (on the day should have been too long), I don’t get the comparison established here.
Look around FT – a large number of post are relating experiences in travels, from flights to hotel stays. Out of these a large proportion contains gripes, problems and unresolved issues, along the lines of “they didn’t accept my SWU”, “the room had pants in” or a recent post that contains the line “Pretzels with your drinks sir? Huh! god forbid!” along a long list of very minor issues which are however annoying some regular travellers. So they share them here.
Comparing serious problems (Zimbabwe, people dying, the prospects of war and all others terrible things going on every minute of every day) with any of the points raised on FT is a dishonest way to trivialise them. Based on this, no one should ever complain, because somewhere a small child is dying.
If that’s your view, then so be it and I’ll welcome your positive posts. However, you will have noticed that this is double standards’ world. Trvlguru’s situation is derided for being trivial (it might be), Merry’s post is revered for being “good ol’ bull”.
Talk about pomp and circumstances.
From culture or upbringing (or whatever else), people react differently – I’d rather respect this (with a suitable dose of humour) than being arrogant and dismissive. </font>