Or Perhaps It Is A Metaphor For Capitalism Itself

Notice here that an electric motor somewhere inside this ramp conveyor is keeping a process going that is clearly broken. Sound familiar?

 And why, you might ask, is it broken?

The particulars here don't really matter nearly as much as the larger understanding that corners have been cut to stay competitive, while still making a profit. That means that fewer people are involved to not only have provided a chance for someone to be proactive, and avoid this break in the first place, but also to come to the aid of the break in the immediate moment. And there are fewer people involved both because people are a major cost factor, but also because the newer machine, to replace the one that is just a dumb, motorized ramp, hasn't been invested in yet, though you can bet somebody is working to possibly make that new investment possible.

What I find especially ironic here is that the passengers connected to this particular mishap, stuck in ever more cramped aluminum tubes, and going through ever more invasive security to even have this wonderful opportunity for further transportation frustration, have their data move about the country, by those who really know how to make money with such data, without hardly any glitches at all; whether they want that data to be moved or not; or whether they want others making money off it or not.

This 7-Second Video Might Be The Perfect Encapsulation Of The Airline Industry