Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Detained in the US for “Visiting Thailand Too Much”

richardbarrow.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

91–100 of 127 posts

Re: Detained in the US for “Visiting Thailand Too Much”

#91

Post by solistice »

jacquesm wrote: post #27
ape4 wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How about the border between EU countries.

Which one? Between .ch and one of the surrounding countries? Between any two Schengen countries? Between a Schengen country and a non-Schengen country? What kind? On an airfield, a shipping port or a land border? How are you moving? With a vehicle or just you? Who are you? A Citizen of a Schengen country? A Citizen of the EU? A Citizen of the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia or New-Zealand? A Citizen of anothe…

As an example of a really porous border, the German/Swiss border. I used to live right at it (there are 3 bridges in my town leading into switzerland). There's one which you can only walk/bike over which used to have a border control which is now deserted. The other 2 ones have border controls, but they seem to be solely tasked with checking whether cars are allowed to drive in switzerland (road fees), whether swiss people are buying more stuff in Germany than they're allowed to (the price differences are immense, so we've got people comming from as far as Zurich to shop here), and sales tax refunds (Swiss people buying in Germany don't have to pay the Mehrwertsteuer of 19%, but the significantly lower Swiss sales tax. As the MwS. is factored into the purchase price, it's centrally refunded at the border).

It's more of a tollbooth/administrativa affair, really.

Re: Detained in the US for “Visiting Thailand Too Much”

#92

Post by eob »

steven777400 wrote: post #63
jasonkester wrote: post #11

For all the mean things that border control agents get away with every day, I personally enjoy "Returning From Thailand" as my little opportunity to even the score a bit. "How long have you been gone?" "I don't know. A year, give or take? Who keeps track?" "Which countries did you visit while you were away? Your landing card just says 'most of them'" "Well probably not most of them really, but definitely enough not t…

I'm happy for you. I have a friend in a similar situation to you (in terms of travelling/freedom/finances). It doesn't inspire me to "find a better job". Frankly, it makes me suicidal (I don't mean that in a hyperbole way). I look at how successful he is and I think; I could never be that successful. He will be cavorting around the world carefree for the rest of his life, and I will chained to a cube (whether at this…

Thanks for this exchange, Jason and Steven.

It's rare to get to see, paired tightly together, such a vivid example of what's going on inside the heads of two participants in an otherwise ordinary and well-meaning conversation (even though it's hypothetical, in this case). Both the traveler and the agent are projecting certain beliefs upon the other, and feeling certain ways about themselves that the other doesn't realize.

I don't know why, but I found reading this exchange really powerful. I think because it happens all the time for many of us (playing both roles), but we never stop to think about what's going on inside the head of the other person.

Re: Detained in the US for “Visiting Thailand Too Much”

#93

Post by vowelless »

grecy wrote: post #78
jasonkester wrote: post #11

For all the mean things that border control agents get away with every day, I personally enjoy "Returning From Thailand" as my little opportunity to even the score a bit. "How long have you been gone?" "I don't know. A year, give or take? Who keeps track?" "Which countries did you visit while you were away? Your landing card just says 'most of them'" "Well probably not most of them really, but definitely enough not t…

I'm Australian and come in and out of the US quite often. I've spent many years of my life traveling around doing what I want, including 2 years driving from Alaska to Argentina. > Basically, it's your opportunity to remind them that their job is to sit in a little cube talking to people who are actually out there leading exciting lives As a foreigner, this is exactly what you don't want to do. Pissing them off is a…

> As a foreigner, this is exactly what you don't want to do.

This is unfortunately correct. The border agent has final say in letting you into the country (regardless of the legitimacy of your documents).

Re: Detained in the US for “Visiting Thailand Too Much”

#94

Post by niuzeta »

jasonkester wrote: post #73
aneth5 wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I imagine it's hard for you to see how arrogant and insensitive it is to rub your success and privilege in the face of the middle class. Think about that twice next time. You have a great life. Appreciate it but also appreciate others. Being successful doesn't have to mean being a jerk.

For what it's worth, during the years I actually had these conversations, I doubt I ever made as much as a Customs clerk. I'd bring in maybe $20k in consulting and product income over the course of a year, which was enough to travel on but likely not enough to pay for, say, the apartment that the clerk lived in. There's no requirement for privilege, or even "living wage" to lead such a lifestyle. As such, I appreciat…

I need to remind you that you're using the fact that your financial situation isn't successful as a justification to being a jerk to another human being.

If a border officer was rude to you, then be a jerk to him, not some random stranger who just happened to be in same situation to him.

Re: Detained in the US for “Visiting Thailand Too Much”

#95

Post by jaysonelliot »

jasonkester wrote: post #11

For all the mean things that border control agents get away with every day, I personally enjoy "Returning From Thailand" as my little opportunity to even the score a bit. "How long have you been gone?" "I don't know. A year, give or take? Who keeps track?" "Which countries did you visit while you were away? Your landing card just says 'most of them'" "Well probably not most of them really, but definitely enough not t…

I don't think I've read a more privileged, arrogant, myopic comment in a very long time.

In what world is it your role to judge a person for going to work every day to feed their family?

"Basically, it's your opportunity to remind them that their job is to sit in a little cube talking to people who are actually out there leading exciting lives."

I'm trying not to read that sentence in the voice of a young English aristocrat from the 1920s, but that's how it sounds. Mocking the working class for the distasteful faux pas of needing a paycheck to survive?

You are blessed for having been able to find a way to live a life of travel and pleasure while others have to worry about which bills they can pay, hope they don't get sick, and dream of someday being able to take even one vacation. Does that mean you are better than them? You certainly seem to think so.

"One day they'll quit . . . the ones that need this sort of treatment . . ."

Honestly, listen to yourself. Are you some authority appointed to correct the misbehavior of your inferiors? No. You're a guy with talent who drew the right cards, played them well, and was rewarded with a life others would like to have. Learn a lesson about humility from my grandmother who grew up in the Great Depression, and reminded me always to tell myself "there, but for the grace of God, go I."

On a side note, I see that you are the founder of Twiddla. Not that the opinion of a single user matters, but as a user, I will now look for an alternative. I have no interest in supporting such arrogance.

Re: Detained in the US for “Visiting Thailand Too Much”

#96

Post by kyllo »

gnu8 wrote: post #71

It's odd that we still "stamp" passports, allowing border guards to see what countries you have visited in the past. This information should not be available to any authorities by any means, but especially not appended to your identity documents. Afaik, only Israel has a correct policy on this.

A passport was not originally intended to be an identity document, only a travel document. But the US doesn't have any official identity document, so the passport gets de facto used as one. This is unfortunate for a number of reasons.

Re: Detained in the US for “Visiting Thailand Too Much”

#97

Post by auctiontheory »

marvin wrote: post #33

I have no words. They won't even stop at looking through your files on a groundless suspicion - they'll clone your harddrive ? With your naked pictures of your girlfriend, diary, company secrets and everything? And I'm a "rights-free person" (a foreigner). If they do this stuff to citizens, I can't even imagine what sort of authority they have over foreigners. You guys really need to rein in your government, this is…

Canada does this too. [http://tynan.com/ohcanada] Probably every country with the technological capability does this when they feel like it.

You have no rights at an international border. And if you're non-white, you have even fewer rights.

Re: Detained in the US for “Visiting Thailand Too Much”

#98

Post by kamjam »

vowelless wrote: post #93
grecy wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm Australian and come in and out of the US quite often. I've spent many years of my life traveling around doing what I want, including 2 years driving from Alaska to Argentina. > Basically, it's your opportunity to remind them that their job is to sit in a little cube talking to people who are actually out there leading exciting lives As a foreigner, this is exactly what you don't want to do. Pissing them off is a…

> As a foreigner, this is exactly what you don't want to do. This is unfortunately correct. The border agent has final say in letting you into the country (regardless of the legitimacy of your documents).

I'm the same in at the immigration for my own country (UK) but as soon as I set foot in the line-up for any other country, it's "yes sir" and "no sir".

I'm not a tourist, it's my right to enter my own country.

Re: Detained in the US for “Visiting Thailand Too Much”

#99

Post by kintamanimatt »

Jtsummers wrote: post #85
kintamanimatt wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't see how jasonkester is being rude!

> Basically, it's your opportunity to remind them that their job is to sit in a little cube talking to people who are actually out there leading exciting lives. And that their attempts to make other people's lives worse is not really doing a very good job of making their own life any better. The assumption that those who aren't out traveling are beneath him and deserve the ill treatment that he's intending (whether t…

I interpreted it as him being encouraging and reminding people that there's a bigger, brighter world out there full of possibility—if they want it. Someone that's not interested in his kind of lifestyle won't be inspired, and his example would wash over them unnoticed. But for everyone else trapped in a life they never really wanted it's a gentle nudge and reminder to not waste time living a suboptimal life, doing a lot of things they don't want to be doing. It's a prod to take risks, start again, and make things better in whatever way is appropriate.

There have been people like jasonkester that have appeared in my life before. When times have been good they didn't inspire me, but were just good fun. When times have been bad, their example pushed and motivated me to get my life back on track. They may never have known what kind of good they did for me, and they may have even departed from my life, but I'm extremely grateful for the time they spent with me.

I really don't want to wear the same t-shirt for 40 days in a rainforest, and I really don't want to emulate jasonkester's travel plans; I'm allergic to spiders and nature! However, if I got stuck stamping passports or asking whether you'd like fries with that, I'm quite sure his passion would be quite invaluable as a reminder to sort my life out.

What jasonkester did can be done unpleasantly. Nobody likes people that say "nah nah nah nah boo boo my life is better than yours!", but I just don't get the feeling that's how it went down in this instance.

Re: Detained in the US for “Visiting Thailand Too Much”

#100

Post by flagnog »

lambda wrote: post #20
jacquesm wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

http://www.government.nl/documents-and-publications/press-re...

Note that in the US, we have strict stop everyone controls at the border (with Canada no less, this isn't just a Mexican border thing), at which you need to show your passport, and we have mobile border controls up to 100 miles within the border. I used to live near a place where they frequently put the "mobile" control on an interstate in Vermont about 80 miles from the border, so I got stopped by it a lot. Of cours…

With 11 million illegals in country I'd say we have anything BUT strict border controls. More like targeted border controls...
Post reply on HN