Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences - This topic has 6 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 18 years, 4 months ago by
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I don’t want to get on or stay on a plane if I see Middle Eastern men, and lately I wonder about women as well. Thwarted attempts at terrorism have been successful but now we have limits on hair gel or shampoo as carry-ons. What will the would-be terrorists come up with next? Is it so wrong to racially profile for flying?
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Name : Lisa, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, City : Custar, State : OH, Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,They’ve been doing this in Israel for about 25 years now. Guess whose planes haven’t been blown up or hijacked in about 25 years? Here in the U.S., the absolute guaranteed surefire post-9/11 way of making sure you’re never hassled, EVER while flying is to wear a burnoos if you’re male, and chadoor if you’re female. The airport’s security will be so busy bending over backwards to ‘prove’ they aren’t ‘profiling’ by ignoring you that you could smuggle a whole family of illegal aliens from Mexico on the plane with you and no one would say anything. This is what we call ‘ABSURD.’ Here’s the rule I think the TSA should adopt and enforce across the board: ‘You are not allowed to bring any Muslim or Arab between the ages of 18 and 45 aboard a plane originating from a U.S. airport, and if you object, well, we’ll be happy to buy you a bus ticket to any Mexican or Canadian destination of your choice, until such time as your Imams and political leaders stop referring to terrorists as ‘freedom fighters’ and acknowledge that both Israel and the U.S. have a right to exist.’
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Name : Ann L. Lowenstein, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Animist, Age : 37, City : K.C., State : MO, Country : United States, Occupation : Administrative Assistant, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I am not Arabic or a Muslim, yet people often confuse me for one. I don’t feel as if I should be subject to racial profiling and harrassment on my travels (or anywhere for that matter) just to make xenophobic people like you feel safer.
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Name : KMW, Gender : M, Race : Black/African American, Age : 22, City : Boston, State : MA, Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class,One problem is that appearance alone has nothing to do with criminal behavior. Therefore, unless you’re suggesting that having an identity or nationality that is similar to that of others who have committed crimes justifies profiling, then that actually puts ALL of us at risk of being profiled, including white people. In fact, Timothy McVeigh was a white male in his 20s so, given the pro-profiling notion, all white males in their 20s should be considered a serious threat to national security. There are tons of other examples of this. The problem that I have with any group being singled out at airports is that it’s illogical for airports not to implement their best security practices for ALL airline passengers, regardless of identity. That is, every person who flies should be treated as a potential terrorism threat. That way, everyone is thoroughly checked and no stone goes unturned. We would be naive to believe that the only groups that pose a threat to the US are of Middle Eastern identity. In fact, Russians and others, who appear more mainstream, have the potential to pose a threat to airlines, etc..
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Name : Dee, City : Cleveland, State : OH, Country : United States,I see and understand your point. ALL of the recent attacks in America and abroad can ALL be blamed on one type of people. I myself would be nervous if I saw a couple of Middle-Eastern people get on my plane. I think the problem is a personal one here. Nobody likes having the finger pointed at them, even in situations where it is obvious where the blame lays. It is also unfortunate that a few bad apples spoil the barrel. I’m sure if the profile was middle-aged white woman you would have a problem being checked everywhere you went. The whole terrorism issue and its subsequent effects on daily life is a long and slippery road. I think it’s hard for authorities to 1. Keep everybody safe and 2. Not offend anybody. On our side of the fence (meaning whites) I think we should be aware of how the profiling makes others feel, and that those who fit the profile (black or Middle-Eastern people) should understand that at the moment it might just be a necessary evil.
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Name : Jason-G, Gender : M, City : Kiel, State : NA, Country : Germany,History says that most terrorists are homegrown. Statistically, Americans are much more likely to kill you in an act of terrorism than a Middle Eastern person.
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Name : Jacob-B20833, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 15, City : Bloomfield HIlls, State : MI, Country : United States,Rest assured that racial profiling DOES happen all the time. So if that makes you feel safer, there you go. People are always complaining about how easy we are getting it, well we aren’t, we get harassed all the time. There .. rejoice! I have no problem with racial profiling. I know I have nothing to hide, I don’t hate anyone, and I wish peace for everyone. I am also extremely proud of my ethnicity, religion and heritage. If someone wants to discriminate against me for either of them, no problem, it won’t change my mind about anything. But that’s not how every Arab feels. Many are hurt on a level deeper than you can imagine when they get profiled. But that would all be OK if profiling worked. In fact I also want to be safe while flying (imagine that!) and I know terrorists don’t discriminate, they kill more Muslims than anyone else. The problem is they adapt. You will stop all us Semitic-looking types flying? Well, there are blacks and whites in these terrorist organizations. Make it much harder for everyone but those evidently non-threatening? Well, how about they smuggle the explosives in the carry-on of an old white woman? Security needs to be comprehensive if it’s going to work. I pray to God things keep going as well as they have so far.
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Name : Karim, Gender : M, Race : Arab / Middle Eastern, Religion : Muslim, Age : 27, City : Los Angeles, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,
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