I'm here and happy
Well, I am offically in Canada. Hanging out at Pam's house while my beau runs a few errands.
My flight from Atlanta was interesting. I was chosen for "additional security screening". There were to men in front of me that were Arab descent. They were both pulled for addional screening. I think I was just thrown in to prevent accusations of racial profiling. It was fun.
Les and I are getting on very well..
But anyway. I'm going to close this .. I need to call home and make sure the house is still standing. More later as time permits.
My flight from Atlanta was interesting. I was chosen for "additional security screening". There were to men in front of me that were Arab descent. They were both pulled for addional screening. I think I was just thrown in to prevent accusations of racial profiling. It was fun.
Les and I are getting on very well..
But anyway. I'm going to close this .. I need to call home and make sure the house is still standing. More later as time permits.
posted by Anonymous at
5:55 PM
11 Comments:
Deep down i always suspected you were a terrorist.
By
Amanda, at 9:12 PM
Yep she's there. I saw her and Les and Pam and Nikita on cam. Big smiles all around.
By
Anna, at 7:05 AM
ok now I need you to go to Naniamo go see my dad and give him a hug for me :D
By
The Witch Doctor, at 1:29 PM
Wonder how you concluded they were of Arab descent? I cannot tell one person from the other... Arab, Indian, Chinese, Korean.. all of them look to the same to me.
By
Peeyush, at 9:03 PM
You ass, she wasn't being racist.
By
Amanda, at 9:17 PM
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
By
Peeyush, at 10:02 PM
Renee... sorry for cluttering up your blog comments with my deletes.
I kept posting as thoughts came into my head. Finally, I decided to post my replies as a complete post on my blog.
http://ionimbalance.blogspot.com/2004/09/red-light-green-light-what-difference.html
And Amanda, FYI, mine was a genuine question.
By
Peeyush, at 10:43 PM
You have to admit that with the wording of your question you gave the impression that you were offended just by the fact that she said "arab descent". I do apologize, I consider her my friend, and tended to leap to her defence while she is away.
By
Amanda, at 8:30 PM
I would admit that I did pose the question a little sarcastically (I said that in my post).. but I did not intend it as a rhetoric but a real question. I do understand the reason you got defensive. My reflex action probably would have been the same, had it been me.
Despite being a minority, I am just sad that we cannot talk about race openly without feeling guilt.
By
Peeyush, at 11:58 PM
It is sad. If this were a perfect world if race were ever discussed it would be as casual as speaking about the weather. However, it's not, and most of the world is overly sensitive to anything considered offensive.
By
Amanda, at 2:09 AM
For anyone interested Peeyush's post is/was
" Red light - green light, what difference?
The author of one of the blogs I frequent wrote recently:
(quoted from her blog without permission)
"My flight from Atlanta was interesting. I was chosen for "additional security screening". There were to men in front of me that were Arab descent. They were both pulled for addional screening. I think I was just thrown in to prevent accusations of racial profiling. It was fun. "
I found it intriguing that she could tell they were Arabs, without referring to the telling factor. Now, being a post-9/11 Indian in America, I have been confused for an Arab occassionally. Before 9/11, it used to be "Mexican".
As a result I wrote a comment to her:
"Wonder how you concluded they were of Arab descent? I cannot tell one person from the other... Arab, Indian, Chinese, Korean.. all of them look to the same to me."
To this someone, I assume an acquaintance of her, replied:
"You ass, she wasn't being racist."
I will give you that the question I posed to her was pretty sarcastic in nature - I am tempted to use the "English is my second language" excuse - but I did really intend to find out how does one conclude if someone is an Arab. I assume it is by the looks. I mean I threw in Chinese and Korean for levity, but most Americans have become more color aware since the 9/11 tragedy... and no thanks to the color based warning system the Department of Homeland Security has devised.
What I wonder more about is why are people so cautious and guarded when someone asks them about anything related to a race, religion or any other aspect of what they consider constitutes diversity. And if they did make a statement which could be interpreted as politically incorrect, why do they get so touchy and defensive the moment someone comments on it. This political correctness has gone out of control. One cannot even be true to themselves anymore.
I personally do not find anything wrong with stacking the probabilities in the favor of an action you are going to take.
If you are trying to stop underage drinking, you should specially scrutinize people who look young. Not to say that you should not screen the occassional person who has gained wrinkles or lost hair at a young age and is trying to use it to their only advantage. But where looks do matter, they should. If the airport security feels the person boarding the plane is a higher risk, even if it is based on their looks, that person must be further screened.
And I am sure there is some benefit for everyone in many such endevours. I am sure a lot of people who look like me and are "randomly selected" every now and then for security screening would rather keep it that way than make the security guy frisk Al Gore and let Md. Atta go by. I am sure for every teenager who could not buy beer, there are many others who drank fruit punch at the party and drove back home safely.
If something is likely to be a tumor, I would rather get it checked than die of cancer. And if someone asks you how you concluded it was a tumor worth looking into, just relax.... they might not be accusing you of being anti-cellular."
By
Anonymous, at 12:21 AM
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