Arab-Americans removed from planes

[dbaker]

Most of you have probably seen the article that describes a series of events on a Northwest Airlines aircraft this Friday the 21st where four Arab American were removed from a plane because their presence made other passengers uncomfortable.

Although unfortunate and arguably a racist action, it is true that the men that hijacked four aircraft last week appeared Arab.

It is most certainly not a valid stereotype in virtually all cases, but it raises an interesting question: if you're sitting in your seat on a plane that you just boarded and four Arab men board the plane and walk by you down the aisle on their way to their seats, what would you do?

[dbaker]

Most of you have probably seen the article that describes a series of events on a Northwest Airlines aircraft this Friday the 21st where four Arab American were removed from a plane because their presence made other passengers uncomfortable.

Although unfortunate and arguably a racist action, it is true that the men that hijacked four aircraft last week appeared Arab.

It is most certainly not a valid stereotype in virtually all cases, but it raises an interesting question: if you're sitting in your seat on a plane that you just boarded and four Arab men board the plane and walk by you down the aisle on their way to their seats, what would you do?

[Decibel]

I dislike stereotypes. Previously, I probably wouldn't have paid any attention to 4 arabs on a flight, let alone feel concerned about it. Unfortunately, I'm not so sure now.

One way in which last week's tragedy impacted every American is with uncertanty. Sure, there was always the possibility that a major terrorist attack could happen in the US, but it wasn't something most of us felt any reason to worry about. Even after the previous WTC bombing, things returned to normal. It was certainly a shock that terrorists had finally been able to hit home on US soil, but in the grand scheme of things it was something most of the country wasn't greatly affected by.

Not so this time. Odds are you either know someone who was directly affected, or you were yourself directly affected. Not only has terrorism hit the US hard; it's hit every single one of us.

One of the results of this is we no longer take some things for granted... we stop and think. Is the guy on the other side of this Xray machine paying attention? Are there any suspicious looking people waiting for this flight? Would this flight be an attractive target for terrorists? What are the odds that I would be on the same flight as those four Arabs that just walked by?
Many people have talked about how if we surrendure our freedoms because of this attack then the terrorists have won. What about if we surrendure our ability to see four people walking past, instead of four Arabs?

Then the terrorists truely have won.

[Decibel]

I dislike stereotypes. Previously, I probably wouldn't have paid any attention to 4 arabs on a flight, let alone feel concerned about it. Unfortunately, I'm not so sure now.

One way in which last week's tragedy impacted every American is with uncertanty. Sure, there was always the possibility that a major terrorist attack could happen in the US, but it wasn't something most of us felt any reason to worry about. Even after the previous WTC bombing, things returned to normal. It was certainly a shock that terrorists had finally been able to hit home on US soil, but in the grand scheme of things it was something most of the country wasn't greatly affected by.

Not so this time. Odds are you either know someone who was directly affected, or you were yourself directly affected. Not only has terrorism hit the US hard; it's hit every single one of us.

One of the results of this is we no longer take some things for granted... we stop and think. Is the guy on the other side of this Xray machine paying attention? Are there any suspicious looking people waiting for this flight? Would this flight be an attractive target for terrorists? What are the odds that I would be on the same flight as those four Arabs that just walked by?
Many people have talked about how if we surrendure our freedoms because of this attack then the terrorists have won. What about if we surrendure our ability to see four people walking past, instead of four Arabs?

Then the terrorists truely have won.