(New York Post)
Two jets crashed at an Idaho air show in front of a live crowd of spectators. The incident caused panic among attendees.
I have been to an air show. I will probably go to another one. This is not a rational position.
The entire premise of an air show is that you drive out to a flat piece of land in the middle of nowhere, set up a lawn chair, crack a warm beer, and watch retired military guys fly jets at each other at speeds that would kill you instantly if anything goes sideways. And sometimes things go sideways. Two jets just went down in Idaho in front of a crowd of people who paid to be there.
And here’s the thing. Nobody is shocked. Not really.
There is a specific type of American who looks at a Blue Angels practice run and thinks “I need to be closer to that.” I am that American. The sound alone short-circuits your brain. You stop thinking in complete sentences. You become a golden retriever who just heard thunder.
We have collectively decided as a society that this is a reasonable Saturday activity. Families. Kids with ear protection. Grandparents in folding chairs. All of us staring up at the sky waiting for something to either be incredible or go horribly wrong.
Alas, sometimes it goes horribly wrong.
I’ll be at the next one, baby.
