Southwest sees speaking Arabic as a threat - kicks man off flight

Cohete came all this way to unearth I'd be a dick about it? I thought I was clear about it from the beginning that I would be. I find this whole "episode" a farce that demonstrates both bad statistical thinking, and reveals certain biases.

I'm not as threatened by Arabic words as the rest of this forum is though, apparently.

Oh no, I'm unqualified to be an air steward. Time for me to cook s**t with heat lamps XD

 

I was just spelling it out for everyone. You'd be a dick about it and in the event that the threat was real, people would die and it would by your fault. I think we are all happy knowing that no one would put you in a position of responsibility like that.

 

in the event that Arabic words strung together constituted a threat?

Sure, blame me.

What threat, exactly, by the way?

 

I think in his case, he has never worked a job that requires responsibility - where the inability to meet security protocol can very likely cost you your job. Many places of business have security protocols for handling emails, electronic devices, electronic storage devices (CD's, USB's, etc), packages, etc. I assume there is no such policy at his place of business as he has very little responsibility.

 

I assume there is no ability to reason required for your job, otherwise a string of unrelated words might cause you to fall apart.

"Jesus", "Foxtrot", "Whiskey".

Fortunately, most corporate jobs require more dronehood than actual thinking, so I'm sure you've found a niche. Leave me and my lava lamps alone!

Cohete, why are Arabic words a threat to you?

Nobody cares about your prejudices.

 

Words in any language can seem suspicious, the fact that they were in Arabic is irrelevant. When you get a report of a passenger making comments that makes other passengers nervous, you remove that passenger. There's really nothing wrong with that.

Also, I'm not blaming you for anything, just pointing out that you'd be awful in a position of responsibility that mattered given your attitude.

 

So if I speak in French does that make you nervous? What if I list off different wines in Napa and it sounds a bit too much like Terrorist Town?

This thread is all about irrational biases reinforcing one another.

Why don't you answer this question?

->What threat, exactly, by the way?<-

Oh, right, because you're too busy implying I'd be awful at some job without knowing me. Thanks Bobby.

 

"I heard the man mumble about economics in his sleep, he must be money laundering".

This is exactly the kind of s**tshow thinking moral panic around terrorism has caused. It's exactly the kind of thing that permits all of the more extreme consequences of anti-Islamic thinking I elaborated to happen. This is a sideshow, but I'm convinced this thread has shown how utterly stupid this kind of discussion has become.

Let me put it this way, if any of you thought about guns or cars or burgers in the same way, there'd be no guns, cars or food.

 

We can debate why the words which were spoken by the passenger are or are not a threat, but let's stick to the above discussion for now.

In my case, NS, if I were approached by such a passenger who said they felt concerned about a conversation someone had which mentioned the words "martyr", "UN", and"insha allah" AND that passenger said they spoke Arabic - honestly, I don't know what the standard protocol is but I would think about following through on it.

 

LOL, I get it now, you fundamentally misunderstand what happened. The airline employees didn't overhear someone speaking in Arabic and throw him off the plane, an Arabic speaking passenger overheard him talking and thought his words were concerning enough to notify security about.

I was wondering why you were being such an idiot about this and now I get it, you simply don't understand what happened and are making up an alternate version of events in your head.

If you are speaking in French, and I'm a French speaker and I overhear you having a conversation that seems suspicious, then sure, maybe I'd report it and it would have nothing to do with "irrational biases"

Next time, read the story and find out what you are talking about and we can avoid this kind of thing.

 

I read the story. What irrational biases make you think the word martyr (never uttered but whatever let's throw it in) and the words "UN" and one of the most common sayings in Arabic constituted a threat?

What you report me as a French speaker for sounding too much like Terrorist Town by talking about the situation in Nigeria? For talking global geopolitics? By mentioning certain keywords like "le droit du sol" as implying that I am part of a right-wing conspiracy to kill all immigrants?

So again, I repeat the question.

->What threat, exactly, by the way?<-

What irrational biases make you turn these words, unstrug together, into a threat?

For you Bobby, this is f**king easy. Just say what you've already said--"I think people who speak Arabic are guilty before proven innocent of being a terrorist since that's the majority of what terrorists speak."

 

So, they searched him and his stuff and found nothing.

The guy and the plane were totally clean, and they were like "Mr./Mrs. Anonymous said were saying terrorist stuff. F U, Buddy."

 

Yeah, and what if I was a Frenchman who talked incessantly about the droit du sol or a Mexican who talked about the War on Drugs.

I'd have, statistically, the same chance of being a criminal and of killing everybody on board. Near-null.

Now that you've said all of this, WHY DO YOU THINK THIS WAY? I think that's a more interesting question.

Is the standard protocol kicking someone off the plane based on a sketchy eyewitness account and a full search of the person and plane that showed nothing? That's a stupid standard protocol if so.

 

SMH, you are really slow and it's painful. The kid said that he never said the word....well of course he'd say that wouldn't he? He'd be in trouble if he admitted to it. I know in your mind the Arabic speaker was racist or whatever but that's really reaching to support a narrative unsupported by the facts.

It doesn't matter what language the kid was speaking in, his conversation made others who also speak that language nervous. He can claim innocence, and maybe his conversation was 100% innocent, but it doesn't matter, you make people feel nervous on a plane, you're off the plane. He wasn't mistreated.

 

-> You make people nervous, and they drone your ass, violating their own Constitution. <-

*explains the War on Terror*

Why were they nervous?

Why do you share their anxiety?

Why do you assume the airliner's side when a subsequent search showed everything was all clear?

Thanks Bobby!

Is this new standard for "nervousness as threat" a new one for you? I didn't know you were so SJW! Welcome brother. That Trump-hating has certainly addled you to the right place.

 

One for the road-

Why is saying the word martyr in Arabic a threat to everybody on the airliner?

martyr martyr martyr

I've been a martyr for love
And I will die in the flames
As I draw my last breath
As I'm closing on death
I will call out your name

 

Are you trying to be stupid or can you just not turn it off?

I take the airliners side because they have to take reports like that seriously. Perhaps you think it was a racist Arab who dimed him out, maybe it's possible, or maybe it's possible that he said some things he shouldn't have while on a plane and it made someone who speaks the same language as him nervous.

As to why the Arab who reported his conversation was nervous, who knows? Maybe they had a bad experience with terrorists in the past, maybe they have an anxiety disorder, maybe they have known extremists in the past.

Also, to equate removing a passenger from a plane to drone strikes is just pants on head r****ded...you've just got to do better.

Of course, this just highlights why it kind of sucks to work in intelligence or security, you have to keep r****ds like you safe from threats while facing this kind of BS the whole time.....yet you'll be the first to whine if there is an intelligence failure or a breach of security.

 

I think your next persona should be actually good at debate rather than being terrible at it while claiming to be awesome.