Dumb Enough To Work For The TSA; Too Dumb To Understand Satire
Wearing the above shirt, designed by BoingBoing's Cory Doctorow, caused a "brown" man to be abused (even more than the rest of us usually are) by TSA thugs and then yanked off a plane. Arjit blogs at Storify:
My wife and I arrived at Buffalo-Niagara International Airport to fly home to Phoenix after attending my wife's grandfather's funeral, flying via a layover in Atlanta on Delta #1176.While at the gate, a Delta supervisor informed me my shirt had made numerous passengers and employees "very uncomfortable."
I was then questioned by TSA about the significance and meaning of the shirt ("It's mocking the security theater charade and over-reactions to terrorism by the general public -- both of which we're seeing right now, ironically.") and was told I would be able to board the plane, but only after acquiescing to an additional security check of my and my wife's belongings and changing my shirt ("It's not you, it's the shirt," as noted in a tweet below). We would then be the very last two people to board the plane. I agreed to these stipulations.
Soon afterwards, the Delta manager pulled me aside again, this time accompanied by not only three TSA agents, but also multiple Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority transit police. I was questioned some more, our bags were searched, and the TSA agents were satisfied we had nothing suspicious and posed no threat. At this point, however, the Delta manager informed us the pilot had decided, regardless of the outcome of the multiple TSA screenings and my willingness to change shirts, that due to the discomfort my shirt had caused, my wife and I would not be allowed to board the aircraft.
Apparently, the fact that I was deemed not to be suspicious and we had no threatening objects in our baggage was irrelevant to Delta. Instead, the fact that someone had used their imagination to make the determination that I posed a threat was paramount. And appeasing those bigots by preventing us from flying was their preferred response.
...At this point, the transit police began to aggressively question us. I was asked where my brother lives (he was the one who gifted me the shirt). A bit surprised by the irrelevant question, I paused for a moment before answering. "You had to think about that one. How come?," I'm asked. I explained he recently moved. "Where'd he move from?" "Michigan," I respond. "Michigan, what's that?," she says. At this point, the main TSA agent who'd questioned me earlier interjects: "He said 'Michigan'." Unable to withhold my snark, I respond, "You've never heard of Michigan?"
This response did not please her partner, a transit cop named Mark. Mark grabbed his walkie-talkie and alerted his supervisor and requested that he be granted permission to question me in a private room. His justification?: "First he hesitated, then he gave a stupid answer." Michigan, my friends, is a stupid answer. (As a lifelong Ohio State Buckeye fan, I suppose I could've already told you that.)
And then, he decided to drop any façade of fair treatment: the veil was lifted, this was about who I was and how I looked (from a tweet by Arjit):
Says Buffalo-Niagara transit police officer Mark, in requesting authority for additional interrogation: "He looks foreign."Another Arjit tweet:
Did I mention a Buffalo-Niagara transit cop aggressively asked me why my wife didn't take my name? "WHY wouldn't she?" Yeah, that happened.In the world of NFTA transit police, women are the chattel of their husbands. And to indicate such, they must take their husbands' names! My wife's unwillingness to give in to this convention is clearly a sign of my swarthy suspicious character.
Eventually, after more questioning and being sniffed by drug-seeking dogs, we were rebooked on a flight the following morning at 7 am.
Delta enabling this treatment is icky stuff.
And a call to action: If you're traveling, consider going as Arjit did, with this emblem front and center. The shirt's no longer on sale, but you can print out the design and tape it to your back or chest. If we all use our First Amendment rights, they're less likely to be yanked from us.
Perhaps also print this out and bring it for the dummies at the TSA checkpoint so you can board your plane on the day you're supposed to.
via @Popehat
How about a shirt with the 4th Amendment on it?
I'm waiting for them to fix their 'prohibited' signs at airport security to include 'Civil Rights' as a prohibited item.
DrCos at August 21, 2012 3:34 AM
Clearly, NO ONE comes from Michigan! That's like saying, "He's from Narnia." Silly terrorist!
MonicaP at August 21, 2012 6:22 AM
At this point, however, the Delta manager informed us the pilot had decided, regardless of the outcome of the multiple TSA screenings and my willingness to change shirts, that due to the discomfort my shirt had caused, my wife and I would not be allowed to board the aircraft.
I love it when people can use their feelings as a weapon.
Steve Daniels at August 21, 2012 9:22 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2012/08/21/dumb_enough_to.html#comment-3311267">comment from Steve DanielsI'm caused discomfort when people wear flipflops on the plane, exposing their hairyass toes. (This is especially discomforting if the person with the hairy toes is a woman.) Yet, somehow, I buck up and manage to keep my mouth shut rather than ask that they be evicted from the plane for being dressed inappropriately for anywhere but the pool or shower. (They call them "shower shoes" for a reason.)
Amy Alkon
at August 21, 2012 9:32 AM
I'm caused discomfort when people wear flipflops on the plane, exposing their hairyass toes.
(Looks at feet, shrugs)
Huh. They don't seem all that hairy to me.
Steve Daniels at August 21, 2012 10:47 AM
I can't help but wonder if the captain was really the one who threw da bomb on this, or if that was just a convenient excuse. Most airline pilots get to where they pay little atttention to the pax, unless there's some kind of disruption, and even then they usually won't act unless an FA takes it up with them. What may have happened is that a TSA mofo went up to the captain and said, "Look, we really don't think you should let this guy on the plane", and the captain said "Sure, whatever you say."
Cousin Dave at August 21, 2012 2:32 PM
At this point -- if my company is going to force me to fly for some reason I'm going to show up in a speedo and require they hand check my all my medicine.
If they try to pat me down it will be very ugly, including assault charges from me on TSA agents for laying hands upon me.
Jim P. at August 21, 2012 8:35 PM
For all you regular readers of the Goddess' blog you can skip past this post. I'm going to post my regular rant about not needing the TSA. For all you new readers, please read it carefully and refute any statement or misstatement. ;-)
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The TSA was not needed one hour and one minute after Tower II was hit!
The paradigm, the norm, the expected, what everyone was taught to do was to sit down, shut up and wait for the plane to land and the negotiations happen. That was the model from Entebbe onward.
The passengers on board did not really know what was about to happen on September 11, 2001 at 8:46:30 when Flight 11 struck Tower I.
Even the passengers on Flight 175 probably didn't realize what was about to happen when they struck Tower II at 9:03:02.
The Pentagon crash of Flight 77 at 9:37:46 may have been still a matter of ignorance.
At 10:03:11 on September 11, 2001, United Airlines Flight 93 crashed after the brave souls counter-attacked and caused the hijackers to crash the plane.
The time difference is 60 minutes and 9 seconds from Tower II being struck to the crash of Flight 93. The shoe bomber and panty bomber were taken down by fellow passengers as well. Recently, JetBlue's Flight 191 pilot was taken down by the passengers once he was out of the cockpit. Additionally how many times have you heard of passengers' concerns and diverted flights?
The TSA is and has always been a joke, no make that a total stupidity, that has wasted our country's fortune going down a rabbit hole.
If you don't believe me look at the 9/11 timeline.
There will never be another 9/11 style attack unless the attackers can arrange planes full of geriatrics, and even then it would be doubtful.
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Please copy this post and send it to your state and federal legislators.
Jim P. at August 21, 2012 8:36 PM
The shirt (and a tote) is back!
http://shirt.woot.com/plus/threat-level-doctorow-1
Dwatney at August 27, 2012 8:33 AM
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