I think that's just plain silly. Millions of people walk around in Iraq everyday without getting shot. That doesn't mean having a fear of getting shot if you're walking around in Iraq is irrational. That the scenario has happened gives an empirical base to draw upon. That there are people who are proclaiming they will attack us again gives further reason to believe there is a threat to be considered. That these people are from the same organization that led the empirical examples of the threat gives further legitimacy to the fear. That fear is the REASON for the increased security at airports! Three undeniable facts: there have been similar attacks, the same group has announced they will attack again soon, and the whole country has recognized the threat is legitimate by demanding increased security. I'm at a loss to explain how you can say the fear of a terrorist taking over an airplane is irrational. Again, I agree that from what we are hearing now about the flight that the restrainer overreacted. But to claim the fear of a terrorist attack is irrational is flat out absurd.
or away of avoiding harassing posters who's only intention is to make personal attacks. If jo mama actually posted something that showed 4 neural synapses at work, his posts might be worth reading. I'm sorry, but I don't have time for the mentally impaired.
I can't believe anyone would condone what happened to this man as anything remotely positive. This is a HORRIBLE situation and a step back for civilization. DD
Well it is sort of getting lost amongst all the other steps back for civilization from the last week.
Hayes the rate of attack in Iraq is multiple times a day. That is not true of flights or middle eastern men attacking them. Increased security at airports is to combat a threat. Being aware, and being prepared is different than acting out of fear. I'm saying that to live life in fear of a certain group of people is irrational. That is no way to live especially when odds are that it won't happen on a flight that we are on. It is well and good to be aware, be prepared, but it is irrational and leads to irrational acts to have that kind of fear. It leads to the type of incidents that we saw. When people react based on fear rather than reason we see the results, though they are just the tip of the iceberg. Reason should rule the day and our behavior rather than fear.
There is evidence to say he didn't. The evidence is that none of the witnesses have stated that it happened and it is entirely relevant and would be the precise thing that witness would be asked about and would remember. The reason it doesn't happen every day and only every once in awhile is that most people don't act on racist fears, thank goodness. That is why nobody should condone it when it does happen.
So far the only quote we've seen is from the crew who may have not witnessed everything. The information is incomplete - all I am saying let's wait to hear all sides before judging this as an act of racism or discrimination. Let's not be too quick to judge! Why is that so hard?
No, I'm not going to tackle people on an airplane, I'm not an idiot. If somebody gets suspicious because of racial profiling, I'm going to understand where this person is coming from.
Like I said early on I am basing my comments only on the information we have so far. If new information comes in I am willing to listen to it. But you ascribed probable status to things that haven't even been suggested in your effort to defend what happened.
Hey - the guy had some reason to do what he did. No one has heard his side the story......you didn't make comments...you passed judgement declaring him to be a racist. All based on that one quote from someone who didn't have all the information??? So the whole premise of "yet another incident of racism..." is just jumping to conclusions. We must stop crying wolf until all the facts are known. Passing judgement based on one quote is hardly your style. Don't call the guy a racist until we know all the facts!
And yet there are millions of people who will walk around everyday for the rest of their lives in Iraq and not be killed by an attack. The scope may be larger in one but the principle is the same. This isn't living in fear of a certain group of people. I don't not have to fear Middle Easterners racially in order to be more conscious of suspicious acting Middle Easterners on airplanes. I pointed out above three indisputable facts that make it rational to have this fear. Three undeniable facts: there have been similar attacks, the same group has announced they will attack again soon, and the whole country has recognized the threat is legitimate by demanding increased security. Of course, you argue that fear can overwhelm rationality. I do not disagree although that goes both ways. "Is that guy really trying to light his shoe on fire?" That is why a decision to try and restrain someone on a plane would have to include a reasonable and rational estimation of what is suspicious. That is where the restrainer made his mistake, as far as we can tell from the information given. It was not irrational and certainly not racist for him to have the thought to be conscious of middle eastern men acting suspiciously, but how he determined what was suspect seems to be far off kilter.
I wasn't accusing you of living in fear. But it seems the man who allowed the supposed ethnicity of an airline passenger to cloud his judgement of what was suspicious was. As far as restraining Richard Reid that is great. I am all for being alert. It should also be noted that Richard Reid was not a middle eastern man. That is an example that shows we should be aware of everyone and anyone. I'm not saying he shouldn't be aware of anyone acting suspiciously. What I am saying is that he misjudged what he believed to be suspicious at least in part based on the assumed race of the person. I remember when the movie Juice came out. The billboard was removed that contained Tupac with a pistol on it. However very close by was Christian Slater(I think, but it could have been another white actor) on a billboard holding a gun. That billboard wasn't deemed in poor taste or bad for society. It was a case where the same action was pictured by people of two races. It was deemed the black person taking the action was too scary, but the white guy taking the action wasn't. Some people were scared of Tupac with a gun, but not Slater with a gun. When race is part of the determining factor of what is suspicious then it comes down to racism.
How many human beings were in the air that day, that week, that month? Once incident is not a step back for civililzation. It's unfortunate but let's not overstate the problem.
It is a transative verb that the American Heritage Dictionary defines as http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/legitimate 1. To give legal force or status to; make lawful. 2. To establish (a child born out of wedlock) as legitimate by legal means. 3. To sanction formally or officially; authorize. 4. To demonstrate or declare to be justified. The word can be used as an adjective "That is a legitimate statement" or as a verb "Don't legitimate racism."
Maybe if middle easterns did more to fight against terrorism, people would be less afraid on the whole.
I agree. Its not like people are criticizing an Arab who was the victim on an injustice. It was an Jewish man. He even has a white sounding name. I would think at least the people who are blaming this man for listening to the Black Eyed Peas would have some sympathy towards him since they are so similiar in looks and nature.
