The shoebomber treatment

[LaRascasse]

... or how you are likely to be treated if you are of South Asian origin, unshaven, have lost your wallet and ID and have to board a flight.

 

[JustaSCOUNDREL]

Did you forget to include a link?

 

[LaRascasse]

Did you forget to include a link?

Nope. It happened to me on Friday.

 

[NaokoSmith]

Gah, I am really sorry. I knew as soon as I saw the title what had happened.

Dinesh D'Souza calls it rational racism. I call it plain old prejudice and bloody rude.

Check Henry Louis Gates and what happened to him when he tried to get back into his own house having forgotten the keys if you want to know it does happen to other people.

 

[R. Richard]

... or how you are likely to be treated if you are of South Asian origin, unshaven, have lost your wallet and ID and have to board a flight.

It would appear that you need to tighten up your presentation a bit.

 

[sr71plt]

If you don't have ID, you really shouldn't expect to be getting on an airplane no matter how you look.

 

[NaokoSmith]

I think LaRascasse had ID but had lost it while getting to the plane. I find it hard to believe he would have been in any way offensive or difficult with the airline about this. He's always been very polite when he sends me story text to edit. (Even if he did fail to take my advice about the champagne with beef ravioli, but I choose to believe he was only attempting to depict a villain so dreadful that any other action couldn't have conveyed it.)

There is no harm in being polite with a paying customer who has run into difficulties, rather than treating them like a terrorist, is there.

 

[R. Richard]

There is no harm in being polite with a paying customer who has run into difficulties, rather than treating them like a terrorist, is there.

At some point in time they had a security video on-line that depicted a couple of security guards letting a very late arrival go through a Boston airport check-in with no examination. The late arrival was one of the guys who flew an airplane into the World Trade Center.

 

[NaokoSmith]

At some point in time they had a security video on-line that depicted a couple of security guards letting a very late arrival go through a Boston airport check-in with no examination. The late arrival was one of the guys who flew an airplane into the World Trade Center.

OK, but we're not talking about no examination. Nobody is saying don't have security checks, LaRascasse was not refusing to have his shoes go through the x-ray machine or take his coins out of his pocket. We're talking about people being difficult and unpleasant with someone who was probably in a fix and flustered, but not being rude.

 

[LaRascasse]

Honestly it wasn't nearly as bad as some of those horror stories on the net. I just had to answer a few more questions and open my one bag for them. That and a few phone calls.

 

[NaokoSmith]

LOL, so it wasn't exactly shoebomber stuff then! Did they at least make you rip apart your new pair of trendy trainers to show there was nothing in them?

 

[sr71plt]

I think LaRascasse had ID but had lost it while getting to the plane. I find it hard to believe he would have been in any way offensive or difficult with the airline about this. He's always been very polite when he sends me story text to edit. (Even if he did fail to take my advice about the champagne with beef ravioli, but I choose to believe he was only attempting to depict a villain so dreadful that any other action couldn't have conveyed it.)

There is no harm in being polite with a paying customer who has run into difficulties, rather than treating them like a terrorist, is there.

Well, yes, but that wasn't in the OP, was it? (And treating him like the shoebomber--who wasn't treated badly until he was trying to light his shoe bomb--turned out to be an exaggeration.)

It remains, from just what was given in the OP, that you shouldn't expect to be getting on a plane if you can't produce ID at the boarding gate. Even if you look like Hillary Clinton. It doesn't have anything to do with profiling at that point.

 

[LaRascasse]

LOL, so it wasn't exactly shoebomber stuff then! Did they at least make you rip apart your new pair of trendy trainers to show there was nothing in them?

Nah. But they did have me go through the detector thingy a few times till they were happy. I'm not pissed off or complaining, just amused.

I has some serious street cred now.

 

[NaokoSmith]

Well, yes, but that wasn't in the OP, was it? (And treating him like the shoebomber--who wasn't treated badly until he was trying to light his shoe bomb--turned out to be an exaggeration.)

It remains, from just what was given in the OP, that you shouldn't expect to be getting on a plane if you can't produce ID at the boarding gate. Even if you look like Hillary Clinton. It doesn't have anything to do with profiling at that point.

Yup, you're right. I feel like a real silly MILF now!

 

[xelliebabex]

I think LaRascasse had ID but had lost it while getting to the plane. I find it hard to believe he would have been in any way offensive or difficult with the airline about this. He's always been very polite when he sends me story text to edit. (Even if he did fail to take my advice about the champagne with beef ravioli, but I choose to believe he was only attempting to depict a villain so dreadful that any other action couldn't have conveyed it.)

There is no harm in being polite with a paying customer who has run into difficulties, rather than treating them like a terrorist, is there.

I agree LaRascasse is an extremely polite sweet guy who has a habit of writing dreadful villians, pffffft no champagne with ravioli! What was he thinking!

 

[patientlee]

There is a Finger Lakes wine

I agree LaRascasse is an extremely polite sweet guy who has a habit of writing dreadful villians, pffffft no champagne with ravioli! What was he thinking!

With labels that recommend serving it with cheese puffs, macaroni and cheese or other crazy foods. I can't think of the name of it. It's along the lines Arrogant Bastard, but that's (good) beer.

Anybody know which one I'm talking about?

 

[NaokoSmith]

I agree LaRascasse is an extremely polite sweet guy who has a habit of writing dreadful villians, pffffft no champagne with ravioli! What was he thinking!

I know. Imagine my horror. Although, hard though it is to believe, I did recently meet a man who had come up with an even worse combination.

With labels that recommend serving it with cheese puffs, macaroni and cheese or other crazy foods. I can't think of the name of it. It's along the lines Arrogant Bastard, but that's (good) beer.

Anybody know which one I'm talking about?

Hmmm, sounds like a FAWC basket: beverage, arrogant, bastard, cheese puffs.

I had the Little Creatures Pale Ale the other day - that was a very nice drop. (One of your Aussie beers, xelliebabex).

 

[xelliebabex]

I know. Imagine my horror. Although, hard though it is to believe, I did recently meet a man who had come up with an even worse combination.



Hmmm, sounds like a FAWC basket: beverage, arrogant, bastard, cheese puffs.

I had the Little Creatures Pale Ale the other day - that was a very nice drop. (One of your Aussie beers, xelliebabex).

Oh dear champagne and chewing gum how...... gauche dahlink!


Now why couldn't i have the basket with cheese puffs and an arrogant bastard.

WA has some lovely beer/ale. I am more of a fan of Japanese beer myself it just seems smoother some how. Asahi is current favorite. But don't tell the other Aussies that.

 

[NaokoSmith]

Oh dear champagne and chewing gum how...... gauche dahlink!


Now why couldn't i have the basket with cheese puffs and an arrogant bastard.

WA has some lovely beer/ale. I am more of a fan of Japanese beer myself it just seems smoother some how. Asahi is current favorite. But don't tell the other Aussies that.

I always liked Sapporo. Obviously with my name, I am allowed Japanese beers, LOL. And as I am Scottish by birth, I am allowed all the lovely heather ales and legless making strong beers, although I do have to drink them with a whisky on the side.

Recently thank God, the Welsh started making some decent real ale. It was terrible here for a while, we would loyally try out something called Dragon Piss and there would be bottles of it lying round the house for months cuz nobody could bear it. I tried to use Brains SA in a beer trap for slugs once, and even they wouldn't drink it!

LOL, imagine what one could do with an arrogant bastard, a bit of intellect and some cheese puffs. Er, in a story that is.