frightening flight experience

[jane_says]

And again, it didn't. I can't for the life of me understand why this article has gotten the attention it has on news sites, conservative radio shows and the like - it was a non-event.
Further, since no problems have arisen over the enforcement of this politically correct quota, it appears to be perfectly reasonable.

[bluesdave]

Originally Posted by jane_says

And again, it didn't. I can't for the life of me understand why this article has gotten the attention it has on news sites, conservative radio shows and the like - it was a non-event.

You wouldn't think so if you had been on the plane, yourself. It must have been absolutely terrifying. I hate discrimination too, but if I had been on the plane I would have been hoping that the air marshals would lock the whole 14 up in chains! It's all well and good to take the high road, sitting in our comfortable offices, and homes, but just think about what it was like for those passengers.

[Kitsune]

I hate discrimination too, but if I had been on the plane I would have been hoping that the air marshals would lock the whole 14 up in chains!

Nothing like letting our fears get in the way of other peoples' rights. (yeah, yeah, these guys were Syrians... Syrians don't have rights in the US, etc, etc)

These guys weren't even charged with interfering with a flight crew. They weren't charged with anything. The plane's crew and FAMs acted appropiately. I'm with Jane_Says. What's the big deal?

We're still a really nervous nation, it seems.

A woman on a plane got scared and wrote an article about it. Terrifying, but I'm sure she'll live. And here I thought all of our irrational reactions to fear instilled by the media were beginning to subside. The suggestions made in the article, and by others, seemed logical at first. "It would be stupid to ignore the obvious." "We can't be concerned with hurting other people's feelings." But after reading through some of Jane_Says' posts and thinking about the suggestions I've read, I've come to realize that the proposal of "searching everyone looks like an Arab" and "treating Arabs on airplanes as potential terrorists" is racism, pure and simple. The arguments had me going for awhile, but when you boil it down that's all this is: You're taking a group of people and subjecting them to treatment based solely on their appearance and, I think, that would be wrong. Either make security equal for everyone, or don't mess with it at all. Hurting feelings has nothing to do with this, but subjecting people to extra security based on a stereotype and hyped-up fear is wrong and, as a US citizen, I feel that I have the right to walk into an airport and not be singled out based on my race. I also expect the same treatment when boarding a bus, riding a train, attending a sporting event, or walking down the street. I tend to hope that every citizen would expect that. And while everyone hates the analogy that this is like locking up the Japanese during WWII, its the same thing: irrational fears leading to the mistreatment of and removal of rights for innocent US citizens based on their lineage.

Stop, take a deep breath. The Arab next to you might look scary, but they're probably not going to try to hurt anyone. Honest.

[bluesdave]

Originally Posted by Kitsune

These guys weren't even charged with interfering with a flight crew. They weren't charged with anything. The plane's crew and FAMs acted appropiately. I'm with Jane_Says. What's the big deal?

The deal is that they acted suspiciously; they weren't just sitting quietly in their seats, sipping coffee and reading a magazine. Sure, the fact that they were Syrians added to the passengers' anxiety, but I'm sure if the same set of events had occurred, but with 14 Anglo Saxons instead, there would still have been a considerable degree of alarm generated by their actions.

Don't forget that Annie's account of the flight was corroborated by the flight crew and other passengers. There is no doubt that her story is accurate.

There is also no doubt that the Syrians' behaviour on the plane was very odd if indeed they were just innocent musicians. What sort of plausible reason could anyone put forward to explain their actions? I hate to sound like a conservative, but the story does ring alarm bells. If Annie had not been supported by other accounts, then yes, you could dismiss the whole thing as alarmist trash, but this is not the case!