Waffoo
I guess I might consider a cabin crew-member to be a flighty person. In the aftermath of the British Midlands 737 accident at Kegworth, I also don't mind if they're a bit gossipy and feeling a bit feckless - as long as they aren't afraid to speak up or take on board something a passenger notices. In fact, in the aftermath of the 11th Sep 01 experience, any passenger who decides not to participate actively (in addressing any apparent anomaly) probably has a death-wish.
No-one's about to change the status quo with respect to the Airbus idiosyncrasy addressed here, so it's another area where passengers and cabin crew need to be observant. An observant passenger is another set of eyes and ears working towards a safer operation. An observant and inquiring mind is a prerequisite for cabin crew-members, but they are far outnumbered by the passengers.... so, in my view, they're all oarsmen back there.