The terrorists have won. Americans have lost their way of life.
Man kicked off flight by pilot for wearing anti-TSA shirt
11–20 of 88 posts
Re: Man kicked off flight by pilot for wearing anti-TSA shirt
#12While, I understand on principle why he thinks he should be allowed to fly wearing any political statement he wishes - it's the kind of principle I had when I was less than 30. Nowadays, I completely understand and appreciate why passengers don't want to fly on a plane with someone who was wearing a shirt that had the phrases, "Moisture BOMBS", "Terrorists gonna kill us all", "Alert Level Blood Red." At a certain poi…
I feel uncomfortable boarding planes with guys wearing NASCAR hats, subtly racist tattoos, etc. Can I get those passengers kicked off, too? Or is it only non-white liberals who get booted?
What do NASCAR hats and racist tattoos have to do with this?
This person knowing full well about the hysteria around terrorism, bombs, and air flights went out of his way to cause an incident, and is now complaining about "white racists", unfair treatment, and the airlines.
All he had to do was show up dressed in a normal tee-shirt. But this wasn't good enough for him. He had to make a statement. In a cramped space of an airplane, of all the places. And it turns out the other people didn't get his joke.
Re: Man kicked off flight by pilot for wearing anti-TSA shirt
#13I don't see why pilots need to have the power to boot passengers. At all. That's why TSA supposedly exists. Racist objections from passengers should not be able to lead to other passengers getting booted from flights.
Racism is one possibility, but so is anxiety about the guy's shirt and his attitude. Not very rational, but a cramped airline fuselage isn't the ideal place for your political protest. A snotty disregard for the concerns of others tends to make them unsympathetic to your point of view.
As for why pilots have the power to boot people, it's because they're responsible for the safety and happiness of the passengers during the flight, and the airline is there to make money on slim margins, not to serve as a public utility. Unless an airline engages in systematic discrimination against a protected class of people, then pilots will generally be allowed to appease the majority of paying passengers.
Re: Man kicked off flight by pilot for wearing anti-TSA shirt
#14What an immature little creep. There are plenty of people who are nervous about flying but who have to do so anyway due to family or business or what-have-you. So he shows up in this shirt-- why?? What's really the point? To get in the TSA workers' faces? To look like a tough guy to the scared grandma, who needed one less thing to worry about on the flight? Fuck off.
Kudos to the pilot who made a decision based on the comfort of the passengers. Let him walk. It's the same decision pilots make when they dodge a little turbulence. Safety? Not at all. Comfort of the passengers. Easing their mind. Pure and simple.
Re: Man kicked off flight by pilot for wearing anti-TSA shirt
#15While, I understand on principle why he thinks he should be allowed to fly wearing any political statement he wishes - it's the kind of principle I had when I was less than 30. Nowadays, I completely understand and appreciate why passengers don't want to fly on a plane with someone who was wearing a shirt that had the phrases, "Moisture BOMBS", "Terrorists gonna kill us all", "Alert Level Blood Red." At a certain poi…
The irony is that terrorists will try to remain innocuous and a guy like this is less likely to be dangerous than average.
Re: Man kicked off flight by pilot for wearing anti-TSA shirt
#16I don't see why pilots need to have the power to boot passengers. At all. That's why TSA supposedly exists. Racist objections from passengers should not be able to lead to other passengers getting booted from flights.
It's because when the plane pushes back from the gate, the pilot is in charge and is responsible for the safety of everyone aboard. Much like how a captain at sea is responsible for everyone on board his ship (and is held accountable should tragedy strike).
It's not a republic or democracy when you're on his plane. What he says, goes.
Re: Man kicked off flight by pilot for wearing anti-TSA shirt
#17I'd imagine the reality here is like many other times someone got "uppity" or "snarky" with people dealing in public safety: his version of expressing contempt for the situation was interpreted as belligerence and a lack of willingness to cooperate in the establishment of security.
I get what he was trying to do. I even agree with his opinions on the situation. But if that shirt represents the attitude he held in the whole encounter, it's no surprise things went to shit.
Re: Man kicked off flight by pilot for wearing anti-TSA shirt
#18Earlier quoted context omitted.
I feel uncomfortable boarding planes with guys wearing NASCAR hats, subtly racist tattoos, etc. Can I get those passengers kicked off, too? Or is it only non-white liberals who get booted?
What do NASCAR hats and racist tattoos have to do with this? This person knowing full well about the hysteria around terrorism, bombs, and air flights went out of his way to cause an incident, and is now complaining about "white racists", unfair treatment, and the airlines. All he had to do was show up dressed in a normal tee-shirt. But this wasn't good enough for him. He had to make a statement. In a cramped space o…
They have a lot to do with it, actually. My point is that if some speech, communicated by wearing a T-shirt and nothing else, is actionable, then perhaps other forms of speech should be actionable, too.
This person did not "go out of his way" to cause an incident. He wore a T-shirt and that is all he did.
"Making a statement" is ok. This is America. We supposedly protect that right, even when we do not agree with the statement in question.
"Hysteria" resulting from events that happened 11 years ago and which will never occur again is not an excuse for abandoning that principle.
Re: Man kicked off flight by pilot for wearing anti-TSA shirt
#19His point isn't particularly controversial, air security has gone too far. But he was looking for trouble by wearing that shirt, in his words mocking the "over-reactions to terrorism by the general public". He comes off as an angry person who doesn't sympathize with the genuine (and obvious) fears people may have. Ultimately he weakens his own point by acting so ridiculous; he gave the TSA and Delta a reason to mess…
Whenever I'm subjected to TSA, I'm an angry person and I don't sympathize at all with the fears people may have. Genuine though they may be, they are ridiculous. You are safer flying on an airliner than you are sitting in your living room, and that's not the TSA's doing. I shouldn't have to respect people's ridiculous and baseless fears in order to exercise my right to travel.
Re: Man kicked off flight by pilot for wearing anti-TSA shirt
#20What an immature little creep. There are plenty of people who are nervous about flying but who have to do so anyway due to family or business or what-have-you. So he shows up in this shirt-- why?? What's really the point? To get in the TSA workers' faces? To look like a tough guy to the scared grandma, who needed one less thing to worry about on the flight? Fuck off. Kudos to the pilot who made a decision based on th…
Exactly. The moral of this story is clearly not to wear t-shirts joking about bombs, terrorists, or killing, when you know you're going to be boarding a plane.