Week Six: Saving Face

The article "10 instances where being rude doesn't pay" outlines a number of examples of Politeness Theory at work in the airline industry.  Any of the ten anecdotes can be used to demonstrate negative face whether it be the burnt-out flight attendant who made fun of passengers or the VIP passenger who threw her coat on a flight attendant.  Each of these examples depict someone making the decision to act freely without regard for the person they are communicating with.  A few of the examples show individuals performing bald on record face threatening acts including example number three in which a man communicated rudely and abrasively toward a flight attendant who was trying to upgrade his seat to first class. The flight attendant performed corrective facework by calming explaining her request and offering the upgrade to the man sitting next to the rude passenger.  In example number two, a flight attendant on his last flight before he took a new job miscalculated the social distance and power of a frequent flier when he performed a face threatening act by publicly berating the man only to find out later this passenger was the boss he was hoping to go to work for.