If George Jetson approved, why not harbor residents?

There is a rule in post-modern cultural theory that we become our own cartoons.

For example, it was Nov. 4, 1962 when the “The Jetsons” cartoon first showed the “flying suit,” also known as the jetpack, and now we have it.

Of course the jetpack was around previously in science fiction novels and military prototypes, but let’s face it, it’s not real until it’s in a popular cartoon or TV series.

Consider the cult of Internet cat videos. Their origin? “Tom and Jerry.”

Video chat? Again, “The Jetsons.”

And 3D printing? The Replicator on “Star Trek.”

The problem with life imitating art, however, is that not everyone likes art.

Dean O’Malley, president of Jetpack America, knows this all too well. He has been defending his emerging business against some harbor residents in Newport Beach. The issue was debated before the Newport City Council on Tuesday, where Jetpack America got another year to operate but in a different location in the harbor.

Opponents worry about noise, safety, the size of water ripples and perhaps a new “War of the Worlds” invasion. The jetpack revelers do resemble a kind of flailing, sci-fi flying spider – albeit happy ones.

“It’s something you can’t put into words,” said O’Malley. “Until you’ve actually experienced it, it’s difficult to convey. The best I can do is say it’s like skydiving, jet skiing and even scuba diving, all rolled into one. You’re literally suspended in the air by nothing but two jets of water. It’s an exhilaration that no one’s ever felt before.”

O’Malley said it’s the joy his business brings to others that motivates him.

“The best part for me is taking people out who have never done it before and maybe they’re a little intimidated, and then seeing their face when they come back in and there’s nothing but smiles,” he said.

But it’s not all smiles in the harbor, where residents have fought mega-yachts, bridge jumping and other activities that they believe don’t belong.

O’Malley has tried to be patient, carefully addressing every concern, but he’s ready to move on if the political climate doesn’t change.

“We feel there is a very small minority of people that are speaking out against us while the vast majority do support what we do,” he said. “The analogy that we use is like the snowboard industry. About 25 years ago when the snowboard was introduced in the mountains a lot of places didn’t know what do to with it. There were a few early adopters. There were a few that just said we don’t want it at all, but very quickly people saw that it wasn’t just a fad. It was a true new industry.

“So they either had to adapt and evolve or get passed up. The same thing is happening here. This is something that’s spreading around the country and around the world. It is proving to be a very safe activity.”

In addition to Newport, O’Malley has operations in San Diego and Las Vegas. He said he’s also helped clients get started in Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Cayman Islands, Cabo San Lucas and other locations.

The latest complaint in Newport that seems to have the most traction is noise. One of the Newport city officials, Mayor Pro Tem Diane Dixon, reportedly visited the business and felt it was too noisy. Since 2011, Jetpack America has operated in several locations in the harbor.

“The drumming of that constant noise, as I expressed I heard it myself, it is just a drum in your ear like if you have a hearing tinnitus or something,” she said during Tuesday’s hearing. “It’s just constant, it’s unrelenting, it’s relentless, it’s never ending, so I will be reaffirm my existing position, which is opposition in deference to our residents of the peninsula. We are not San Diego, Mission Bay; we are not in Miami Beach.”

“She chose to come right up next to it,” O’Malley said before the meeting. “It’s kind of like, if you drive underneath the airport, you’d say, ‘wow, I wouldn’t want to live right here.’ We respect the neighbors; we respect the fellow businesses.”

It’s ironic that Newport Harbor is right under the flight path of John Wayne Airport.

It’s also interesting that people choose to ignore everyday noisemakers.

Officially, Newport Beach bans gas-powered leaf blowers in residential neighborhoods, but the ban is blatantly ignored.

All of those trimmers, edgers and mowers that keep emerald lawns so clean and verdant come to life early every morning. The jetpacks, however, operate during normal business hours hundreds of yards away from the nearest homeowner.

And it’s OK for homeowners to take their 80-decibel Harley Davidsons out for an early Sunday morning ride.

If the real issues are not noise, safety or wake size, one wonders this more to do with resistance to change. Whether it’s the Wright brothers or Uber, innovation is disruptive.

“I’m not really sure what the underlying issues are,” O’Malley said. “I think the main thing is that it’s new and different. They are not really sure how to make it work, so they want to push it out and not worry about it.”

Perhaps life would be simpler if we didn’t worry.

But then we wouldn’t have cat videos, replicators and jetpacks.

DAVID HANSEN is a writer and Laguna Beach resident. He can be reached at [email protected].