Dancing with Dogs: Racism - Not self-defense

Racism - Not self-defense - Updated

I tried really hard to not overreact to this item on the mutiny of some British passengers who refused to board a flight with two Arab-looking people who “might have” said something alarming in something that might or might not be Arabic. I didn’t want to jerk my knee too much - I tried to put myself in their shows - all I came up with was a big “F U” to the passengers who probably broke a few arms patting themselves on the back for bravely facing off with a couple of brown people.

I read through the entire thing - I understand how someone might have seemed suspicious wearing jackets during a warm patch of weather. I understand the atmosphere of suspicion the terror alerts create - the recently unearthed bomb plot would have made converts of some of the bravest people out there, probably. All that, still doesn’t excuse what happened. Where were cooler heads? Why couldn’t people think a little bit? The passengers have been through the same security measures all these dummies themselves came through, right? They have been checked as thoroughly as one can, right? What would have satisfied the idiots? IF the passengers stripped off completely?

How exactly are these morons making the atmosphere conducive for genuinely moderate people to not only live productive lives, but to report on those who are hell-bent on destroying those lives? This kind of nonsense serves no purpose but to propagate the racist tendencies and alienate those among us. I hope the passengers will NOT repeat this ever and call and write to apologoze to the innocent people they all virtually lynched in the plane.

Here is a good comment from Ann Althouse’s discussion of this same link -

The Krishnans said…

So lets see…Here is a scenario for thought. As someone who looks muslim - I am an Indian of Hindu ancestry - i have already been subjected to extra scrutiny by the TSA (i have no problem with that) and am waiting at my gate discussing the Bombay bombings with a colleague (who also happens to be Indian) and we are talking to each other in Hindi and the word bomb is part of our conversation. Mr and Mrs. Ignorant overhear us and freak out and refuse to fly with us thinking we are talking “Arabic”, look “muslim” and are security threat. All perfectly rational (but slightly silly - given that TSA has given us the once’s over). While certainly not racist, it smacks of paranoia. Its fine to be vigilant but the Malaga situation, at least to me, seemed to be an overreaction. But the one silver lining i see in this - flying while looking South Asian becomes more pleasurable because of empty planes.

Update: The passengers defend themselves…..

It was then, he said, that his wife Susanne began talking to another passenger who said she had sat next to the two men.
“She said she had heard them saying it was the last 30 minutes of their lives,” said Mr Wearden.

“It may well be that the two simply thought they were being funny, but it perhaps better explains the passenger reaction.”
He denied this reaction had been racist. “You hear about people making jokes about these things in airports and being arrested and told it is not a joking matter in the current climate. Well this was another case of that.”

Posted by shanti at August 21, 2006 8:54 AM