Conspiracy Theory of the Day!
So most of you have probably already seen this image this week, but for those of you who haven't here it is:
www.flightglobal.com/blogs/unusual-attitude/Big%20jpg
The image was supposedly taken by a concerned flight attendant who was worried about the safety of the passengers on an AA flight. At the risk of rolling out the conspiracy bandwagon, I have a few concerns about the photo. As someone who spends a minimum of 30 hours a week in PhotoShop (because it's my job and has been for 7 years) there are a few things that are off.
1. The man is at least 1 1/2 feet taller than anyone on the plane. So either is he VERY tall and obese, or he is average height and obese and someone as increase his size, height and width.
2. Unless you are in the emergency row those armrest on the isle do not lift up, which means that he must have one cheek on the armrest and the other in the seat. So why does he look level? He should at least be tilting a little.
3. At the point that his butt is no longer supported by the seat/arm lift, if he is that overweight there should be a bulge there. Any of us that has been that overweight knows that. But instead it looks level, as if he was sitting on a bar stool or something.
I'm not saying this photo is a fake, the truth is I don't know if it is or isn't. What I do know is something doesn't look right. So my question is this: If it is a fake who stands to benefit? The faker perhaps, but on a larger scale the airlines stand to benefit. It makes it easier for them to say "see, obese people should pay more, they are a safety risk". My other question is if it isn't fake should a flight attendant be permitted to take a photo and submit it to the AP for the whole world to see. After all, even though we can't see his face, this guy, if he exist, knows it's him.
As someone who spent 24 years as an morbidly obese individual I'm pretty sensitive to this kinda stuff and obesity acceptance in general. When I was obese I would see people staring or get rejected in everyday life, but I would tell myself "you are over analyzing, it's not because you are fat." And then after I lost the weight and there were no more stares and not as much rejection and I came to the sad truth; it was because I was fat. Being fat truly is the last acceptable prejudice in America. We live in a country where a movie like Shallow Hal is released and no one bats an eye. I mean after all, it's her fault she is fat, that means we can make fun of her right? Wrong. So concerning the topic at hand. Do you think that prejudice is spilling over to the corporate word when airlines charge the obese for 2 seats? Or is it just a business based decision that they are making?
Michael Miller
Art Director
OH Magazine
www.flightglobal.com/blogs/unusual-attitude/Big%20jpg
The image was supposedly taken by a concerned flight attendant who was worried about the safety of the passengers on an AA flight. At the risk of rolling out the conspiracy bandwagon, I have a few concerns about the photo. As someone who spends a minimum of 30 hours a week in PhotoShop (because it's my job and has been for 7 years) there are a few things that are off.
1. The man is at least 1 1/2 feet taller than anyone on the plane. So either is he VERY tall and obese, or he is average height and obese and someone as increase his size, height and width.
2. Unless you are in the emergency row those armrest on the isle do not lift up, which means that he must have one cheek on the armrest and the other in the seat. So why does he look level? He should at least be tilting a little.
3. At the point that his butt is no longer supported by the seat/arm lift, if he is that overweight there should be a bulge there. Any of us that has been that overweight knows that. But instead it looks level, as if he was sitting on a bar stool or something.
I'm not saying this photo is a fake, the truth is I don't know if it is or isn't. What I do know is something doesn't look right. So my question is this: If it is a fake who stands to benefit? The faker perhaps, but on a larger scale the airlines stand to benefit. It makes it easier for them to say "see, obese people should pay more, they are a safety risk". My other question is if it isn't fake should a flight attendant be permitted to take a photo and submit it to the AP for the whole world to see. After all, even though we can't see his face, this guy, if he exist, knows it's him.
As someone who spent 24 years as an morbidly obese individual I'm pretty sensitive to this kinda stuff and obesity acceptance in general. When I was obese I would see people staring or get rejected in everyday life, but I would tell myself "you are over analyzing, it's not because you are fat." And then after I lost the weight and there were no more stares and not as much rejection and I came to the sad truth; it was because I was fat. Being fat truly is the last acceptable prejudice in America. We live in a country where a movie like Shallow Hal is released and no one bats an eye. I mean after all, it's her fault she is fat, that means we can make fun of her right? Wrong. So concerning the topic at hand. Do you think that prejudice is spilling over to the corporate word when airlines charge the obese for 2 seats? Or is it just a business based decision that they are making?
Michael Miller
Art Director
OH Magazine
On December 11, 2009 at 11:37 AM Pacific Time, MikeMiller wrote:
So most of you have probably already seen this image this week, but for those of you who haven't here it is:www.flightglobal.com/blogs/unusual-attitude/Big%20jpg
The image was supposedly taken by a concerned flight attendant who was worried about the safety of the passengers on an AA flight. At the risk of rolling out the conspiracy bandwagon, I have a few concerns about the photo. As someone who spends a minimum of 30 hours a week in PhotoShop (because it's my job and has been for 7 years) there are a few things that are off.
1. The man is at least 1 1/2 feet taller than anyone on the plane. So either is he VERY tall and obese, or he is average height and obese and someone as increase his size, height and width.
2. Unless you are in the emergency row those armrest on the isle do not lift up, which means that he must have one cheek on the armrest and the other in the seat. So why does he look level? He should at least be tilting a little.
3. At the point that his butt is no longer supported by the seat/arm lift, if he is that overweight there should be a bulge there. Any of us that has been that overweight knows that. But instead it looks level, as if he was sitting on a bar stool or something.
I'm not saying this photo is a fake, the truth is I don't know if it is or isn't. What I do know is something doesn't look right. So my question is this: If it is a fake who stands to benefit? The faker perhaps, but on a larger scale the airlines stand to benefit. It makes it easier for them to say "see, obese people should pay more, they are a safety risk". My other question is if it isn't fake should a flight attendant be permitted to take a photo and submit it to the AP for the whole world to see. After all, even though we can't see his face, this guy, if he exist, knows it's him.
As someone who spent 24 years as an morbidly obese individual I'm pretty sensitive to this kinda stuff and obesity acceptance in general. When I was obese I would see people staring or get rejected in everyday life, but I would tell myself "you are over analyzing, it's not because you are fat." And then after I lost the weight and there were no more stares and not as much rejection and I came to the sad truth; it was because I was fat. Being fat truly is the last acceptable prejudice in America. We live in a country where a movie like Shallow Hal is released and no one bats an eye. I mean after all, it's her fault she is fat, that means we can make fun of her right? Wrong. So concerning the topic at hand. Do you think that prejudice is spilling over to the corporate word when airlines charge the obese for 2 seats? Or is it just a business based decision that they are making?
Michael Miller
Art Director
OH Magazine
When that photo first came out we kinda figured it was not the real deal. If you expand the photo it shows the fake stuff even more.
Yeah, I agree. I didnt want to get into the details, but since you brought it up. ;) If you zoom in and look closely, the pixels that exist around the edges of where the man meets the background are a lot rougher and larger than those in the rest of the image. This tells us 2 things. If this is a fake then the original photo of the man was a smaller resolution than the shot of the plane. The other thing is that the faker, if there is one, didn't blend the foreground and background together well enough. Okay, Photoshop lecture over...you can wake up now! ;)
On December 11, 2009 at 12:06 PM Pacific Time, MikeMiller wrote:
Yeah, I agree. I didnt want to get into the details, but since you brought it up. ;) If you zoom in and look closely, the pixels that exist around the edges of where the man meets the background are a lot rougher and larger than those in the rest of the image. This tells us 2 things. If this is a fake then the original photo of the man was a smaller resolution than the shot of the plane. The other thing is that the faker, if there is one, didn't blend the foreground and background together well enough. Okay, Photoshop lecture over...you can wake up now! ;)One thing I do question is if this is the same photo that was used by the flight attendant. It was supposedly originally posted on a blog. The news article that I read at the time this was a big news deal showed a link to the blog but the photo had already been deleted. How do we know this is the same photo they were talking about?
Just thinking in general conspiracy terms. Heh...
Yeah, i wondered that too until I did some research. It looks like the blog never pulled it down...or at least put it back up. Nice conspiracy thinking though! :)
http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/unusual-attitude/2009/11/p assenger-creates-big-debate-a.html
http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/unusual-attitude/2009/11/p assenger-creates-big-debate-a.html
On December 11, 2009 at 12:15 PM Pacific Time, MikeMiller wrote:
Yeah, i wondered that too until I did some research. It looks like the blog never pulled it down...or at least put it back up. Nice conspiracy thinking though! :)http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/unusual-attitude/2009/11/p assenger-creates-big-debate-a.html
As old as the comments are it doesn't appear it was taken down, I must have been looking at the wrong page.
I just added a comment that the photo is an obvious fake and I couldn't believe it was posted to begin with. We'll see if it is approved or not.
100% agree that this is a very poorly photoshopped pic. Look at the pixles particularly around his neck, EXTREME blurring there. Very poor.
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hmmm in not so sure this is fake. the reason im thinking its real is because they make those seats 1. super uncomfortable 2. super small and 3. they want every single seat filled so they make their money.
I fly spirit air quite often to florida and have no problems with fitting in the seats. last time i flew there was a lady sitting across the ailse from me and she took up all three seats because she had to sit side ways. no way of her fitting sitting facing forward. im sure they made that poor woman pay for all three seats,but that was the only way she could fit.
Last time i flew to vegas it wasnt spirit..and i found myself almost in her position having to pay for an extra seat. i was sooooo squished into that seat i thought i was going to spend the whole flight in tears.
either way..i would of paid for that extra seat gladly if the one next to me was available but it wasnt. they are a business and i would be taking up another seat.
HOWEVER if a stewardess took a picture of it....well then lets just say i wouldnt be worrying about hoping on any airline to fly to florida i would own my very own private airplane!
thats just wrong.
LOL...AA would not long stand for American Airlines, but rather Anabeth's Airplanes? ;)
But yeah, I agree. Legally, yeah it's in public and they are probably not breaking any laws. But morally, they dont have a leg to stand on. This is the point that worries me. Obese people are looked a differently, they are seen a fair game for some reason. Can you imagine if this was the same story, but instead of the interesting fact being that it's an obese guy, what if it was a double amputee? The outrage would be incredible. you would hear activist groups chiming in all over. But no, he's obese, and that makes him fair game. It's just not right.
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