After a recent Ryanair encounter, I vowed never to let myself become a robot.

Flying is exhausting. All that preparation and planning and packing and waking up early. All those arguments over that fact that Ellen has to remember everything, and if something is forgotten, it's all Ellen's fault. All those queues for the sake of queuing and restrictions for the sake of restrictions.

It was 5 minutes from the boarding gate closing, and we found ourselves arguing with the airline staff - Adrian for his unstamped boarding card, and me for an oversized bag. It was not a good moment. We were both "breaking the rules". The staff were steely faced robots, refusing to let Adrian bargain them down... the answer was no - he was supposed to get his passport checked at check in and his boarding card stamped - even though he had booked online.

So we left the boarding gate, me in tears, him in anger, as though Mr Ryanair himself had stuck a fat pointy needle in our perfectly formed pink balloon. It felt like we had quit a race midway and were walking down the long corridor past all the other runners who were thinking, "You're going the wrong way".

I was so frustrated. Why did I assume that "online check in" meant "online check in"? Why did I not re-read the small print underneath the large letters of "Passport Check" on the boarding card? Why did I assume that the security guy would check it? "They don't work for Ryanair," apparently. Well how was I supposed to know that?

We were not the only fuck ups. On our way, we met 3 other people who had tripped into the same trap. Who in the hell designs an online check in system where you still have to come and literally, check in your passport?

I see NO POINT in this. If you can't implement a system that works, don't bother.

Systems teach us to play by the rules

It's the way many things work in life. It's how we are taught to conform. They punish us when we don't, a financially painful smack across the bum that brings us to tears, a memory so cattle branded into our subconscious that we won't make the same mistake again in a hurry.

Everyone benefits but the bold child who thinks it's the most unfair thing in the world... but at least they don't make the same mistake again. Or do they?

By charging people a high fine for failing to read the small print, Ryanair make money, while simultaneously teaching people not to do it again. A win-win situation.

From clamping, to fines, to dvd late rental fees, there's an industry in charging for fuck ups, that simultaneously teaches people not to do it again.

What's fascinating is that these strategies don't streamline systems, because never will 100% of people conform. People still park illegally, or forget to change their ticket; people still return their dvds late, and neglect to get their passports checked. Some would say they shouldn't be surprised - the yellow line means don't park here or the time is up on your parking ticket; the dvd rental late fee is obvious, and the small print exists - so people are choosing to fuck up and there's money to be made.

Is this fair?

Getting fined 40 euros for parking illegally is painful enough, but getting clamped late at night without any cash on you is another. Getting fined for a passport issue is tough, but missing the flight is something much more emotionally damaging.

Adrian knew he had to get his passport checked, but with so many other things to pay attention to - the liquids, the laptops, the bags, the time, the queues, all the people, his feather brain ;) etc... he forgot. Which has happened too many a time with parking fines may I add... luckily we don't rent dvds :)

So if your attention is elsewhere, you get a swift lash of a whip to wake you up? I don't agree. We are not robots. Where are the solutions that teach us and support us? Where are the designs that enable us to make mistakes and be supported through them?

We are becoming robots

Not only are trained to act as robots, to line up like little soldiers following orders, as though we have no brains to think, but we are trained to work as robots.



We have lost all sense of compassion. What's more upsetting is that we seem to have no choice. If you get weepy eyed every time a person is begging you to let them run back and get their passport checked, and decide to let them on the flight regardless, you could be out of a job, or worse, much worse, your plane could be blown up.

If you have people, like us, angry and upset, giving out to you all day, claiming how it's so unfair and Ryanair is stupid - you, a person paid pittance, sitting behind a desk, with little or no control over systems or fines, would be a robotic bitch too.

We have to build up these huge walls to protect our soft marshmallow insides from the meanness of the world. Very few of us are trained to be assertive and compassionate enough to remain calm and composed while someone screams at you, "you are a stupid, ugly bitch" (no, that wasn't me, but I overheard someone scream it at Ryanair staff once).

While sitting in the airport lounge, discussing the dehumanised nature of our society, we received a blog post from Seth Godin, my guru these days - who said:

I want to live in a world where the system is not so badly designed that it brings me to tears because I wasn't paying attention. I want to live in a world where I don't get so angry that I accost a poor member of staff who acts like they have no soul in defence. I want to live in a world where I can be myself, make mistakes, and be forgiven for being human. I want to be trained to be a human, not a robot.