You should NOT lower your window shade during takeoff and landing during a flight
Summary
A straphanger has a militant opinion: passengers who lower their window shades on flights should be removed and possibly fined. Kareem pushes back hard, asking why anyone would refuse to "bear witness to the miracle of aviation" and see Earth from 35,000 feet up. The rider admits they'd rather watch Seinfeld reruns or scroll Twitter, but Kareem isn't having it. He argues for vitamin D, for appreciation, for taking just five minutes to look at the planet. They land on a compromise: shades up during takeoff and landing, down at cruising altitude. It's a deal they can make for America.
Full Transcript
So what's your take? If you are sitting in a window seat on an airplane and you put your window shade down, I think you should be removed from the flight and possibly even fined. 100% disagree. That's awful. Why would you not want to bear witness to the miracle of aviation? To be wowed by Earth, 35,000 feet in the air? You're so jaded. We're so jaded as a society.
I'm not jaded. I'm just trying to watch Seinfeld reruns. That Seinfeld reruns or scrolling Twitter is more important than just taking five minutes to look at the Earth that you get to have the privilege to fly this high? And you can see planet Earth.
You're convincing me like, appreciate the fact that you're flying. Yeah, and it's like, give me some sunlight there, a vitamin D in this plane here. Here's what I'll say: on takeoff and landing, window shade can be up. Once we hit cruising altitude, window shade goes out.
Okay, that's cool. We can do this for America.