Demographics lesson aboard UA888

When the stewardess in the business class reminds you of your grandmother’s social circle, you know you are flying United. In fact, you can teach an entire 5 credit course on global demographics by simply putting 2 pictures next to each other: an American air hostess and an Indian airhostess. No lectures, no text books, no homework. Just one slide to prove that America is definitely aging. Its planes are aging too. The video monitor on my seat didn’t work. My neighbor’s reading light didn’t work. Both our seats refused to recline beyond what they used to 10 years ago.

An aging workforce has obvious economical implications, like the condominiums in Florida. But there are other things to be considered. Older people tend to be grumpier. They resist change. They want to go home early. They complain about aches and pains in different parts of their body. They think they know everything. Can such a workforce compete with the young, driven, ambitious, 70-hr weekers from India and China? It’ll be interesting to see the battle of demographics.

Demographics cuts both ways, naturally. The only thing worse than having grumpy, old, conservative people on your pay roll is to have frustrated, jobless youngsters on the streets. If India fails to provide well paying, reliable jobs to the millions of youngsters, there will be blood on the streets; literally.