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Man kicked off flight by pilot for wearing anti-TSA shirt

arijitvsdelta.blogspot.co.uk

31–40 of 88 posts

Re: Man kicked off flight by pilot for wearing anti-TSA shirt

#31
post #7

His 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…

In other words, he trolled them successfully and they displayed the unprofessional, dumb conduct he expected.

I'll give him the benefit of doubt and assume he was not trying to provoke anyone, even though he could have expected the paranoid reactions of some passengers (probably a small minority that needs professional help, let's be honest).

Re: Man kicked off flight by pilot for wearing anti-TSA shirt

#32
post #25
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> he gave the TSA a reason to mess with him. So much for free speech.

There's a time and a place for everything, including speaking freely. As another example, the time to be vocal about your disagreement with someone's policies is not by picketing their funeral.

Wearing a sarcastic t-shirt is equivalent to the Westboro Baptist Church protestors trying to shout down a funeral?

Re: Man kicked off flight by pilot for wearing anti-TSA shirt

#33
post #14

What 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…

I think you're ranting, and did not actually read the article. This guy clearly did not have the objective of "getting in the TSA workers' faces"; the article clearly states that he had already cleared the TSA checkpoint without incident, and was then challenged by a Delta supervisor.

It sounds to me, based on all the facts we have available, that someone got in this guy's face. Not the other way around.

So basically, you are making up your entire argument.

Re: Man kicked off flight by pilot for wearing anti-TSA shirt

#36
post #24
post #7

His 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…

You can wear the shirt, but you can't be surprised when they single you out for more security checks. (Recognition and response to specific potential threats is what critics of "security theater" want, anyway.) Once you get the check, which was not unexpected, you should expect that if you are perceived as smarting off, then the situation will get worse. Since they have all the power, it can get arbitrarily bad. Give…

"You can wear the shirt, but you can't be surprised when they single you out for more security checks. (Recognition and response to specific potential threats is what critics of "security theater" want, anyway.)"

What? No. No, no, no. What we want is recognition and response to actual threats, not knee-jerk responses to anything unusual or non-conformist.

A shirt like this doesn't indicate a threat. Smart security would not single it out.

Re: Man kicked off flight by pilot for wearing anti-TSA shirt

#37
post #17

I'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…

> But if that shirt represents the attitude he held in the whole encounter, it's no surprise things went to shit.

It's not surprising, but it's also not right.

Cops who don't know how to deal with an antagonistic attitude aren't really useful anywhere that deals directly with the public.

Re: Man kicked off flight by pilot for wearing anti-TSA shirt

#38
post #22
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> In the future - perhaps different attire might be considered before boarding a plane. In the not too distant future: Don't wear attire supporting political party X if you plan to leave your house.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slippery_slope#As_a_fallacy

I don't think it's a fallacy when you extrapolate the slippery slope from watching the political establishment slide down said slope continuously for the past decade.

Re: Man kicked off flight by pilot for wearing anti-TSA shirt

#39
post #3

I 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.

I am a pilot (not an airline pilot). It is absolutely mandatory for the pilot-in-command to have complete discretion when dealing with passengers on their aircraft. While I may have let this man board my own plane, this pilot-in-command used his own judgement to determine that the passenger presented too large a risk to the safety and comfort of other passengers.

It is completely within his duties to do that. It is also completely within Delta's duties as his employer to question his judgement and fire him for being a racist later.

Re: Man kicked off flight by pilot for wearing anti-TSA shirt

#40
post #3

I 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 duri…

> a cramped airline fuselage isn't the ideal place for your political protest.

Free Speech (but only when we say so)

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