Is Blatant Racism the answer?
OK, I don't know how much news coverage this is getting in Canada. I am hoping zero to nil, cause this actually freaked me out when I read it.
I was sitting odwn to eat my lunch and read my newspaper when I came across an article that had the headline 14 Dark skinned Men. The byline told me it was a story about 14 middle-eastern musicians that restruck terror into the hearts of passengers on a flight from Detroit to L.A.. I went on to read the article and couldn't believe what I was reading. The article summarized an editorial written for an online Women's financial website. In this article, Annie Jacobsen tells readers of the terror she felt by the strange behavior of 14 middle-eastern men on her flight.
Now, I will admit that since 9/11 I have been edgy flying to and from L.A. every summer. But, I don't look at every fellow passenger as a terror suspect. Aparently neither does Annie, but her reaction to the behavior of these men is ridiculous.
She comments on how these men left their seats to use the bathroom at the same time. By that definition every teenage girl is plotting a sick and twisted act of social protest every time they go on a group date and one of them has to use the bathroom.
She also points out that while some of the men were standing in line to use the bathroom they spoke to another passenger in Arabic. How did she know it was Arabic? And what's wrong with using your mother tongue. And, had the passengers been speaking in English would she have been as on edge?
Mentioned in the article is the fact that some of the men removed something from their carry-on and took this into the bathroom with them. OH MY GOD!!!! Maybe it was personal toiletries! Or even worse a book!! God, please say it ain't so! Not a package in the bathroom.
I have flown to and from Taiwan a few times, and if I got on edge everytime I saw a passenger perform one of these actions, then I would be a big bundle of stress and probably would explode before the plane landed.
There are so many other great moments in the article where she clearly shows that she is not a democrat. She does say at one point that she isn't racist since she has in the past travelled in India without fear. But that's like when someone says: "I'm not homophobic. Some of my friends ar gay!" Plus, I would assume that since this is in America she feels more of a threat.
But enough of me summarizing. You can read her horrible account here .
It's a lengthy article but well worth the read. I hope that you are as shocked as I am that a person is able to write such an obvious piece of stereotyping and biggotry. And they are not only allowed, but they are being rewarded for it.
OK OK OK. Worse case scenario: They actually were plotting to do something. But, honestly is a middle-eastern man not allowed to fly without prejudice? In her article she states that if a large number of Middle-Eastern men board the same flight then they should be screened and background checked. Because we all know that a terrorist could never be white.
Right?
I was sitting odwn to eat my lunch and read my newspaper when I came across an article that had the headline 14 Dark skinned Men. The byline told me it was a story about 14 middle-eastern musicians that restruck terror into the hearts of passengers on a flight from Detroit to L.A.. I went on to read the article and couldn't believe what I was reading. The article summarized an editorial written for an online Women's financial website. In this article, Annie Jacobsen tells readers of the terror she felt by the strange behavior of 14 middle-eastern men on her flight.
Now, I will admit that since 9/11 I have been edgy flying to and from L.A. every summer. But, I don't look at every fellow passenger as a terror suspect. Aparently neither does Annie, but her reaction to the behavior of these men is ridiculous.
She comments on how these men left their seats to use the bathroom at the same time. By that definition every teenage girl is plotting a sick and twisted act of social protest every time they go on a group date and one of them has to use the bathroom.
She also points out that while some of the men were standing in line to use the bathroom they spoke to another passenger in Arabic. How did she know it was Arabic? And what's wrong with using your mother tongue. And, had the passengers been speaking in English would she have been as on edge?
Mentioned in the article is the fact that some of the men removed something from their carry-on and took this into the bathroom with them. OH MY GOD!!!! Maybe it was personal toiletries! Or even worse a book!! God, please say it ain't so! Not a package in the bathroom.
I have flown to and from Taiwan a few times, and if I got on edge everytime I saw a passenger perform one of these actions, then I would be a big bundle of stress and probably would explode before the plane landed.
There are so many other great moments in the article where she clearly shows that she is not a democrat. She does say at one point that she isn't racist since she has in the past travelled in India without fear. But that's like when someone says: "I'm not homophobic. Some of my friends ar gay!" Plus, I would assume that since this is in America she feels more of a threat.
But enough of me summarizing. You can read her horrible account here .
It's a lengthy article but well worth the read. I hope that you are as shocked as I am that a person is able to write such an obvious piece of stereotyping and biggotry. And they are not only allowed, but they are being rewarded for it.
OK OK OK. Worse case scenario: They actually were plotting to do something. But, honestly is a middle-eastern man not allowed to fly without prejudice? In her article she states that if a large number of Middle-Eastern men board the same flight then they should be screened and background checked. Because we all know that a terrorist could never be white.
Right?
3 Comments:
"I shared my story with a few colleagues. One mentioned she'd been on a flight with a group of foreign men who were acting strangely -- they turned out to be diamond traders." BLOOD/CONFLICT DIAMONDS!!!!! FOR THE LOVE OF ALLAH, RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!! makes me cringe whenever someone says/writes "Before I'm labeled a racial profiler or -- worse yet -- a racist..." it's a self-fulfilling prophecy of some kind. this journalist is obviously fueling a culture of fear with her article. i bet if she had the right to bear an arm on that flight she would have wacked those nice middle eastern men. -- roadwarrior
By
Anonymous, at 1:46 p.m.
just finished talking with a muslim friend of mine. he was born in bangladesh and has experienced his share of "profiling" on his bizness trips down south. he read the article. if the author's interpretation of the circumstances was correct, he too would have been concerned. his solution? ask them if they are terrorists. if not, sit down, kick back and enjoy the flight. common sense rules the day!!! -- roadwarrior
By
Anonymous, at 4:21 p.m.
Oh come on. White people can't be terrorists. Honestly. Blanket racism is the answer to all the world's problems. Go white or go home. /Channelling Dubya
Oh, I have a Blog now too. the roundabout way to get there is through www.stephanieandkyle.com or you can go to www.telusplanet.net/public/kyle_o/blog. Sorry I missed you while you were in town, man.
Just know that you're truly missed.
By
Kyle, at 12:44 p.m.
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