British public announces that they give up, terrorists win, please don't scare us any more.

[theweaselking]

Mutiny as passengers refuse to fly until Asians are removed

British holidaymakers staged an unprecedented mutiny - refusing to allow their flight to take off until two men they feared were terrorists were forcibly removed.

The extraordinary scenes happened after some of the 150 passengers on a Malaga-Manchester flight overheard two men of Asian appearance apparently talking Arabic.

Passengers told cabin crew they feared for their safety and demanded police action. Some stormed off the Monarch Airlines Airbus A320 minutes before it was due to leave the Costa del Sol at 3am. Others waiting for Flight ZB 613 in the departure lounge refused to board it.

Patrick Mercer, the Tory Homeland Security spokesman, said last night: "This is a victory for terrorists. These people on the flight have been terrorised into behaving irrationally." "For those unfortunate two men to be victimised because of the colour of their skin is just nonsense."


In other news,
Americans still doing their best to roll over and surrender, too:

One of the two men who approached me first, Inspector Harris, asked for my id card and boarding pass. I gave him my boarding pass and driver's license. He said "people are feeling offended because of your t-shirt". I looked at my t-shirt: I was wearing my shirt which states in both Arabic and English "we will not be silent". You can take a look at it in this picture taken during our Jordan meetings with Iraqi MPs. I said "I am very sorry if I offended anyone, I didnt know that this t-shirt will be offensive". He asked me if I had any other T-shirts to put on, and I told him that I had checked in all of my bags and I asked him "why do you want me to take off my t-shirt? Isn't it my constitutional right to express myself in this way?" The second man in a greenish suit interfered and said "people here in the US don't understand these things about constitutional rights". So I answered him "I live in the US, and I understand it is my right to wear this t-shirt".

Then I once again asked the three of them : "How come you are asking me to change my t-shirt? Isn't this my constitutional right to wear it? I am ready to change it if you tell me why I should. Do you have an order against Arabic t-shirts? Is there such a law against Arabic script?" so inspector Harris answered "you can't wear a t-shirt with Arabic script and come to an airport. It is like wearing a t-shirt that reads "I am a robber" and going to a bank". I said "but the message on my t-shirt is not offensive, it just says "we will not be silent". I got this t-shirt from Washington DC. There are more than a 1000 t-shirts printed with the same slogan, you can google them or email them at wewillnotbesilent@gmail.com . It is printed in many other languages: Arabic, Farsi, Spanish, English, etc." Inspector Harris said: "We cant make sure that your t-shirt means we will not be silent, we don't have a translator. Maybe it means something else". I said: "But as you can see, the statement is in both Arabic and English". He said "maybe it is not the same message".

The shirt in question, on a different person who is neither me nor the writer of the above:


(edited for clarity: The second story is not my story, but is, instead, a story I am quoting in part from the second link.)

Comments

[thebitterguy]

Hmmm. I wonder what would happen if you wore a t-shirt that said "I am a robber" to a bank, but it said it in Arabic.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

We know what happens if you wear a "I am a drug dealer" shirt and the DEA breaks down your front door. (http://www.esato.com/archive/t.php/t-65446)

[scifantasy.livejournal.com]

Not comparable situations.

[larpguide.livejournal.com]

The thing about not being able to translate the arabic reminds me of the scares people are getting about japanese writing as tattoos. They say that they want the symbol for 'fear' or 'strength' and are actually tattoed with "Pussy" or "gay" in japanese.

I suppose they could be right. But here's the question I have - if no one can translate what it says - why do they care WHAT it says? NO one can read it!

[thette.livejournal.com]

The Japanese, and all who read Japanese, will know what it says.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

I think he meant the Arabic T-shirt.

"Nobody understands what your shirt says except you. You can't wear it, because we think it might be offensive because we can't read."
"You can't read it, so who gives a shit?"

[unnamed525.livejournal.com]

Your last question makes a presumption of rationality on the part of the psuedo-readers which I would venture to say is not only unfounded, by contradicted by evidence.

[unnamed525.livejournal.com]

A person who doesn't understand what they're reading due to inability to read the language in question. I didn't know what else to call them.

[flemco.livejournal.com]

"Ignorant" leaps spryly to mind.

[unnamed525.livejournal.com]

To be accurate, I'd have to call them ignorant of written Arabic, as simply not being able to read any particular language isn't evidence of being ignorant in general.

Also ...

[unnamed525.livejournal.com]

I like making up words.

[larpguide.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I guess I shouldn't have changed gears so quickly. What I meant to say was that since no one knew what the shirt said - what did it matter?

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

Well, it's real simple.

This is Murka, and in Murka you speak Murkin. We don't trust anything that isn't in Murkin, because we don't understand it, and if we don't understand it, it must be evil and against Murka and Murkin values.

After all, if Murkin was good enough for Jesus Christ, it's good enough for you (http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/maferguson146000.html).

[unnamed525.livejournal.com]

The moral of that story is: Don't get shit tattooed on you in a language you don't know.

[rimrunner.livejournal.com]

Good FUCKING lord.

[torrain.livejournal.com]

That second one is actually really depressing.

For some reason, all I can think of is that odd feeling I had during Superman, when the editor was asking whether Supes still stood for truth and justice.

(I mean, come on. I was never really a huge fan, but even *I* know it was suppsoed to be truth, justice, and the American Way.)

[meghan-sfz.livejournal.com]

Actually . . ."the American way" line was added during the radio show, because of the World War. It was not from the original comics in the way back when . . . just like it was during the radio show that Jimmy Olsen and Perry White first appeared with names, and Superman became able to fly (before that it was "leap tall buildings in a single bound". So, it isn't actually a slap in the face NOT to add "the American way," as it was a morphing of the phrase from the comics during a popular war . . .er, as opposed to an unpopular one . . .

[torrain.livejournal.com]

Nonetheless, I think it's fair to say that it's definitely a part of the current understanding of the character (much like flying rather than leaping tall buildings in a single bound).

I wouldn't call it a slap in the face, but I was sad to see that they left out "and the American way" when they clearly included so much other modern-rather-than-original stuff (like Superman flying, Superman not killing crooks, side characters with names), and sadder that I feel like I can't argue the decision.

[meghan-sfz.livejournal.com]

I completely understand . . .both with your statement, and your sadness. I am embarrassed by the current mass consciousness of what appears to be the majority. I do not wish to die by a terrorist act, but rather that than become a bigoted alarmist knee jerk xenophobe who fears skin color and t-shirts. I'm pretty sure there's plenty of kids in the middle east who have learned to fear caucasians wearing the stars and stripes. Welcome to a world of hate and suspicion . . .

*sighs*

[meghan-sfz.livejournal.com]

Oh . . but in no way am I saying any of the above circumstances are in anyway "okay." I was just being a geek . . .not defending the lack of personal freedoms appearing everyday!

[torrain.livejournal.com]

's cool. Although it does kind of bring up the (horrible, tangled, painful) question of what's true, what's original, which stories can or should be ignored, and why the damn superhero comics can't just let things die already.

Pink kryptonite, anyone?

[dilickjm.livejournal.com]

I have no idea if that translation is accurate or not. ساكت does mean "silent", but unless I'm going blind, نخواهيم ماند is much more likely to be Farsi than Arabic. مان would be "our" in Farsi, so the whole phrase is probably "Our [blah], not silent" taken literally.

[britpoptarts.livejournal.com]

God. The world gets more stupid collectively every day. Or so it seems. Sorry about your t-shirt problem. :/

*grimace*

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

I should be clearer: That picture is not me, the problem is not my shirt problem. It is the problem of the person to whom I linked, and quoted.

I will edit the post for clarity.

[matgb]

Re the 1st one? it gets worse. He's a US based airline pilot, denied a seat on an affiliate of his employer after taking his seat for more than an hour because he's asian.

The good thig is I've yet to see anyone seriously support either action over here, prety much everyone agrees with the Tory spokesman.

When I find myself agreeing with Tory spokesmen, then the world is going wrong.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

Brilliant!

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

Actually, that's not the same guy.

He just had the same experience, with Americans.

[matgb]

Yeah, sorry, just a related "asians on planes" story that pisses me off. Too many people are buying into the "arabs are evil" meme rather than the "religious extremists are a problem" truth.

That may be partially linked to not wanting to blame religion per se. Not really the case over here, where religious nuts not really a problem in electoral politics (Blair excepted, and he kept it quiet for ages).

Living in a country where proclaiming strong religious faith is a vote loser is a good thing, right?

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's a good thing.

And the meme is "Damn dirty brown people" because the religious extremists *are the ones doing the meme-spreading*.

There is no theological difference between Pat Robertson and Usama Bin Laden. The only reason Robertson doesn't sponsor suicide bombers is that he gets what he wants without needing to.

[matgb]

Was just reminded. beau_bo_d_or_fd.

http://www.bbdo.co.uk/blog/archives/153

One of the better takes on it I think. The guy in the "news" pic is John Reid, scaremonger in cheif Home Secretary.

[anton-p-nym.livejournal.com]

Didn't I hear that interfering with the duties of a flight crew is a felony? (Dangit, I wish I could check that out.)

-- Steve's hoping that each of these "upstanding citizens" gets to spend some time in stir. Stoopid vigilantes...

(PS: There's no excuse for that inspector-droid, either. Time to take him back to the droid-plant and render him down for spares.)

[itlandm.livejournal.com]

ASIANS ON A PLANE!

[matgb]

theweaselking, two weeks ahead of the BBC for the news...

Still a very sucky story.