Pyjamas at 30,000 Feet

 THE CULTURE CODE

✈️ Pyjamas at 30,000 Feet

Japan gets a lot right — toilets sent from the future, power napping in public (without getting robbed), vending machines selling hot corn soup at 2 a.m.

But Christmas? Not one of them (sorry, Japan…)

Crucified Santa? Urban myth. But eating KFC like it's Michelin-starred turkey, 100% real. Normally, I flee to a warm beach.

But with the yen stuck in the toilet like a stubborn poo, overseas trips are off the table. So it's home for Christmas.

And honestly? Maybe that's a win.

Because air travel in 2025 feels like a stress test disguised as transportation.

• Nappy blowouts at 30,000 feet.

• Random hair draped over your screen like it’s auditioning for The Ring.

• Mystery toes creeping onto your armrest.

Didn't flying used to feel… civilized?

🎩 The Golden Age Fantasy

The US Dept of Transportation just asked Americans to “restore civility” by ditching airport pyjamas.

Their campaign? The Golden Age of Travel Starts With You.

Translation: bring back heels, hats, suits, pearls — the 1950s vibe (minus the chain-smoking and casual sexism.)

And yes, back then you got:

• Real meals on china 

• More legroom than a yoga class

• Piano bars (yes, really)

But the internet shot back:

“Lovely idea, but have you seen the seats?”
Shrinking legroom, shrinking amenities, growing delays (and rage.)

When airlines squeeze you like a tube of toothpaste, you dress for survival, not Instagram.

A YouGov poll backs it:
Gen Z approves of in-flight jim-jams (71% yes)
Boomers do not (78% no)

Maybe they remember a time before blood clots and emotional support ponies?

💬 The Conversation Hack

Air travel is perfect small talk — just avoid “So, been anywhere nice?”

Try: “What’s the worst thing you’ve ever seen on a plane?”

Instant laughs, and way better than swapping sunset stories.

So, what do you think?👇

FAMOUS WORDS

“There’s nothing like an airport for bringing you down to earth.”
(Richard Gordon, British author, 1921-2017)

🎬 Can you name the film?

Answer at the end of the issue.

WORD WISE

📚 The 2025 Dictionary Smackdown

Dictionaries add thousands of new words every year, which is why English now reads like a teenager’s group chat (remember “skibidi?”)

And 2025’s winners? All over the place.

• Collins: Vibe coding: Writing software by vibes alone. No coding required. Just talk to AI, and voilà — new millionaire app launched! (easy, right?)

• Cambridge: Parasocial — Your one-sided relationship with celebrities who don't know you exist. (Swifties…just…breathe…)

• Oxford: Rage bait — Content designed to piss you off for clicks. So… the internet, then? (YOU LOSER!…there, a bit like that.)

Linguists call it “language evolution.”
It just means English updates more often than your iPhone.

💬 FOLLOW-UP: What other new words have you heard this year?

TALK TOOLBOX

🎣 Beat the Bait

Rage bait – it’s not just online.
People drop it in real conversations too: hot takes, provocations, and Olympic-level button-pushing (kids are experts at it…)

Truth is: you’ll rarely change their mind. So don’t bite.
Try B.A.I.T. instead:

• B — Breathe first.
  Feel that surge of anger? That's the hook. Pause five seconds before responding.

• A — Ask a clarifying question

  “I want to understand — what do you mean by that?”

  Instantly cools the temperature.

• I — Ignore the emotion.
  Respond to facts, not fury. Strip out the spicy language and reply to what’s actually being said.

• T — Turn or terminate.
  Pivot smoothly (“Interesting point, anyway…”) or bow out (“I don't think we'll agree on this one”)

💡 PRO TIP: Whoever stays calm controls the conversation.
💬 FOLLOW-UP: What topic always baits you? (Trump…deep breath, deep breath…)
⛔ DON’T SAY: “No way! Are you winding me up?!” (Congrats — hook, line, sinker.)

BECAUSE THE ROBOTS ARE COMING

🤖 Bots Behaving Badly

At 15 minutes, this is longer than my usual picks — but absolutely worth it.

Watch him reveal what AI really thinks, what his AI “girlfriend” really wants, and how easily he convinces an AI bot to shoot him (10:40)… it’s like a full-blown sci-fi sitcom that predicts our doom.

Hilarious. Terrifying. Unmissable.

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RECOMMENDED

Good communication means knowing not everyone’s brain plays by the same rules. My old school friend Steph Curtis just taught me about PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance) — an autism profile I’d never even heard of.
Genuinely eye-opening and well worth a read.

ANSWER

🎬 Answer: Airplane (1980)

A disaster-movie spoof where a traumatised ex-pilot must land a plane after the crew eats bad fish

🌎 Cultural Impact: Revolutionized comedy parodies and gave us “Don't call me Shirley” — still quoted 45 years later.

🧠 Deep Dive: It parodies the (serious) 1957 film Zero Hour! shot-for-shot.

💬 YOUR TURN: What’s your favourite parody?

LAST WEEK

🎁 POLL: Is Christmas getting out of hand?

A) 😩 Yes — we’ve gone full Santa-industrial complex — 31%
B) 🥳 No — bring on the lights, chaos & sugar — 56%
C) 😆 I don’t “do” Christmas… but I enjoy watching the madness — 13%

💬 Your Two Cents

B.A: “It all starts too early, and I can do without Wham and Mariah Carey, but I do enjoy the lights, my kids' excitement, the warmth the season provides, and of course, the food and booze!”
A.C: “It's just too long now…it's full-on Christmas stuff everywhere in the UK once you get past November 5th and Guy Fawkes”
P.C: “I love Christmas because there IS religion involved and, honestly, sometimes wonder how people manage to align the massive meaning of the season with a totally secular approach to it.”
S.H: “Mariah…apparently makes around $2 million from royalties each year thanks to “that” tune.”

🎄My favourite week too, for the same reasons.

THIS IS THE END

That's it for #47.

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