The commercial below both fascinates and troubles me. I am fascinated because of the opulence available on certain long flights. Some of these planes are starting to look like ocean liners!
I am troubled, however, by the picture it paints of the huge disparity between the very rich and “average” people. First class isn’t just a cut above; it’s a different world. The young boy who has wandered into this first-class world hints at this when he says that he is going to begin a journey back to his parents (who are flying “coach”). The folks back in coach probably can’t imagine spending thousands of dollars just to fly in luxury for a few hours. (I do not begrudge the wealthy their ability to do this, so please do not absolutize my concern.)
A second thing that troubles me is the undercurrent of adulterous desire and the behavior of the wife who, despite this, seems quite willing to leave her family in order to move up to a seat in first class.
One redeeming message of the commercial is that the lady in first class (Jennifer Anniston) seems to prefer being with the little boy to the luxury of her original accommodations. This illustrates that the most important things in life aren’t things at all.
Yes, there are a lot of layers in this commercial!
Some of you may wonder how I find the time to watch television and think about all these commercials. Actually, I watch very little TV; I subscribe to a site that sends out the latest commercials and then I watch the ones that seem interesting.