Stop The Plane! I Wanna Get Off

It's very hard to find that middle ground to satisfy the people. I mean on the one hand you've got people complaining about the fact that security on airlines these days is so stringent that you can't carry your own water or food without it undergoing scrutiny. Others complain that because of these rules people are not able to enjoy the privledges they once had and are a bit bitter about it. How do you satisfy them or come up with something that will make both sides happier? The simple answer is that you can't.

The truth of the matter is that no one (except perhaps a happy few) wants to come out and say what they really feel is the solution to all these problems and that's to racially profile people and apply stricter security measures to them. Why do I say this? Well, earlier this week, in San Diego, an American Airlines flight scheduled for an 11:15 departure (just prior to the airport closing down for the night at 11:30) was delayed due to a passenger suddenly getting cold feet over the fact that a group of male passengers sitting close to her were speaking... surprise surprise... Arabic. Not feeling comfortable going on with the flight, she demanded that she and her child be let off the plane. An arguement ensued and so the flight returned to the gate only to be delayed by nearly 12 hours because by this time, the airport had stopped operations for the day and wouldn't resume flights until the next day.

Now some people out there may think that perhaps this was the right decision on the part of the woman, but others out there probably don't agree. I'm in the camp that doesn't agree. I speak languages other than English and because of that I'm sure some people must look at me with a bit of suspicion. Hell, I've been viewed with suspicion for doing nothing more than sitting in my seat on a normal flight so speaking in a foreign language is definitely going to get me in trouble. At times like this many people have knee-jerk reactions which are that it's not racism or racial profiling that brings suspicion on these types of passengers but the fact that they are acting in a way that makes other people uncomfortable. I guess that just proves that this woman has no faith whatsoever in the Transportation Security Agency.

Given the fact that airport security can take up to an hour to pass through means nothing because our last line of defense is our common sense and for many people it doesn't seem to be operating. Or rather it operates when the person in question fits the description of someone thought to be a terrorist. Like it or not, most of the acts of terrorism in recent years have been carried out by individuals of Middle Eastern origin so perhaps it isn't surprising that these are the people who bring about the most suspcion. Still, if they are making us nervous, what about white guys with buzz cuts and pasty complexions a la Timothy McVeigh. I haven't heard of anyone complaining when guys looking like the close cousin of the Unabomber board a flight (and I've flown with a few who fit that description) with a duffle bag the size of a body. I mean these things could contain a missile for Pete's sake but that's okay. He's not speaking Arabic.

We complain about the fact that we can't carry liquids or gels in containers beyond a certain size. In the hands of Arabic speaking men it's probably a good thing but if it's holy water from a Vatican sponsored pilgrimage, it should be given an exception? No way! It should undergo the same scrutiny as any other liquid or gel that is taken aboard a flight. Blessed or not. I mean who's to say that a passenger couldn't carry illegal chemicals in these supposedly blessed bottles? If you want to enforce such rules then enforce them equally and without apparent bias. But seeing as how that probably won't happen, just come out and say it. The majority of people out there don't care for civil liberties if it means an average person happening to fit a general description and speaking a suspcious language will be allowed onto a plane.

It seems to me that not too long ago there was a struggle to eliminate such prejudices. I mean were it not for people like Rosa Parks, we'd probably have three sections now. Whites, Colored and Arabs. Is this the way we want to go? Do we want to run in place or eventually start running backwards. If some people had their way that's exactly what would happen. I have faith that the TSA and security agencies out there are up to their task and are doing what they can to keep the skies safe. What we need to do is approach things with a bit more logic. If you are that suspicious or nervous about flying or about people of a certain ethnicity, then don't fly. People may argue that someone causing suspicion shouldn't cause an individual to change their plans and that's true, but neither should a person like this woman and her child, cause the delay of over 100 other passengers simply because she's a bigot.