It’s 2025, and we’re still grappling with what it means to be ‘woke’ on a global scale, but nowhere is this more apparent than at 30,000 feet in the air. Yes, I’m talking about the modern marvel of aviation, which, let’s face it, has been a bastion of patriarchal, colonialist, and frankly, bigotry-laden infrastructure since the Wright brothers first took flight with their very binary understanding of ‘up’ and ‘down.’

Consider this: You board an airplane expecting a smooth, safe journey. But if you’ve voiced concerns about the plane potentially exploding or flipping over during landing, you might just be part of the problem. Here’s why:

First, let’s unpack the sexism. The very act of questioning the safety of an aircraft piloted by anyone other than the traditional, mustachioed, white male pilot is steeped in gender essentialism. We’ve fought long and hard to dismantle the myth that women can’t handle a yoke, or that non-binary individuals can’t navigate through turbulence with the same grace as they navigate societal norms. Yet, here you are, clutching your armrests, questioning the competence based on, what, gender?

And even if women keep causing mid-air collisions and landing explosions, that doesn’t mean that women aren’t capable because they identify as being capable and that’s what matters here.

Now, onto the racism. Aviation, much like society, has a history of being a white-dominated field. When you express fear over the plane’s safety, are you not, perhaps subconsciously, reflecting a distrust in a pilot of color? Are we not past the era where the color of one’s skin could predict the outcome of a flight’s landing? By fearing an explosion or a flip, you’re essentially saying, “I trust the system, but only if it looks like it did in the 1950s.”

Let’s not forget the ableism. Modern aviation prides itself on inclusivity, yet if you’re silently praying for a ‘normal’ pilot (whatever that means in your bigoted little brain), you’re dismissing the capabilities of pilots who might have disabilities, who have fought tooth and nail for the right to prove they can fly just as well, if not better, than anyone else.

And the environmentalism? Oh, the irony. Here we are, in the age of climate consciousness, and you’re more worried about the plane exploding than contributing to the carbon footprint with your unnecessary flights. Your fear of a dramatic landing is nothing compared to the slow burn of our planet, but hey, sexism and racism are timeless, right?

In conclusion, if your primary concern on a flight is whether or not you’ll make it to your destination in one piece, rather than celebrating the diverse crew, the inclusive policies, and the environmental considerations that have gone into making your journey possible, you might want to check your privilege with your baggage at the check-in counter.

Perhaps, instead of fearing for your life, you should fear for your soul, because it seems to be stuck in a time warp, one where safety is synonymous with outdated, oppressive norms. So, the next time you buckle up, remember: your discomfort with the possibility of a plane malfunction might just be your bigotry speaking louder than the roar of the engines.

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