As our society grows ever more divisive, the rise of conflict-causing product designs will continue. I’m talking about clueless me-first products like the Knee Defender; when we covered it, I wrote that we as a society now “try to selfishly maximize our own comfort to the inconvenience of others,” and the comment thread sparked by that entry tells you all you need to know.
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Here’s another example, also designed for airplanes: The Soarigami.
The product website has a cutesy story about how the designer threw a paper airplane that landed upside-down, inspiring the form.
I’m kind of speechless.
First off, I have no idea why it’s designed with a postal motif. Secondly, I just can’t imagine packing one of these for a trip–and having the gall and self-entitlement to whip this out and fit it into place with a person next to me.
Very telling is this excerpt from the product’s FAQ page:
Q: “What if the person next to me does not want to use the device?”
A: “Did you ask your neighbor politely? If they really don’t want to use it, you can claim the existing armrest fair and square. Soarigami is a win-win solution.”
Ah, so that’s how the world works: I impose on you my idea of how we should share a resource, and if you don’t agree, then I just take the whole thing? Brilliant.
I’ll provide a link here to the time a flight was diverted and two passengers were thrown off the plane after arguing over a Knee Defender.
Source: core77