Should I be offended?
3 years, 3 months ago on Monday, April 30th, 2007, late in the morningAs I sit here at the airport, I was thinking about a conversation I had on a recent AA flight.
I was sitting on an aisle seat, and the flight attendant, after pouring me some water, pointed to the individual sitting in the aisle seat directly in front of me and said, “Are you two related?” I remember glancing at the individual briefly when I was boarding, and while he looked Indian, I knew for a fact we were not related, so I answered back with a smile, “No, I don’t believe so.” The attendant then spoke in that manner in which you are speaking your thoughts out loud, and said, “I was wondering if those two are brothers,” referring to the person in front of me and myself. I gave her a polite laugh and she moved on. A little while later I looked at the guy in front of me again, and other than black hair and brown skin, we looked nothing alike.
Keeping in mind the attendant was very friendly the entire time, and only had the best of intentions, would you be offended? I wasn’t necessarily offended, but I was a bit incredulous. I can’t quite figure out what could have made the flight attendant think the guy in front of me and I were related! Could it really be just because we both had black hair and brown skin? I doubt she would ask two random caucasians who look nothing alike and weren’t sitting together if they were related. At first I thought, “well, maybe she doesn’t get out much,” and then I remembered, she’s a flight attendant! She’s always out!
Well, time to board the plane. I can only guess as to who I might be related to on this flight. 
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