Is this discrimination?

[highnote]

Sunday morning after the Breeders' Cup I'm at the Ontario, California airport. I go through the scanner and there is no beep or buzzer. So I assume I've got no metal objects on me.

I'm wearning a ball cap. The TSA guy tells me to take off my hat. I assume he wants to make sure I'm not carrying a weapon or something. He didn't ask me to take off my pants. How does he know I don't have something dangerous in my pants. (I won't go there :D )

No big deal. I was just slightly annoyed by having to be hassled.

So I arrive at LaGuardia airport in NY. As I am heading toward baggage claim I see two women about to go through the scanner. They are wearing some sort of scarves around their heads. I assume they are Muslim or maybe Indian. I'm not sure.

They walk right through the scanner and they are not asked to remove their head coverings. Couldn't they have been concealing something under their scarves as easily as I could have been concealing something under my hat?

Now, I'm a blond haired caucasion who was born and raised in Ohio. Statistically, the chances of me being a terrorist are miniscule.

I was asked to remove my hat by security at a podunk airport in California. Yet in New York, the site of 911, two women, who looked middle eastern to me, did not have to remove the material covering their heads.

Statistically, there have been more middle eastern female terrorists, than Ohio male terrorists. Am I right or wrong?

Assuming I am right, why did I have to remove my hat, but they didn't?

In your opinion, was I discriminated against?

[Marshall Bennett]

Maybe . On the other hand , had they been asked to remove the scarves and you were allowed through , they'd likely be saying the same thing . I doubt discrimination wasn't a forethought .

[highnote]

Maybe . On the other hand , had they been asked to remove the scarves and you were allowed through , they'd likely be saying the same thing . I doubt discrimination wasn't a forethought .


Not only that, if they'd been asked to remove their scarves and I wasn't asked to remove my hat I probably wouldn't have thought twice about it.

However, the fact is, I was asked and they were not.

The policy (whatever it is) should be consistently enforced.

[GameTheory]

Not only that, if they'd been asked to remove their scarves and I wasn't asked to remove my hat I probably wouldn't have thought twice about it.

However, the fact is, I was asked and they were not.

The policy (whatever it is) should be consistently enforced.What if the policy is to randomly select a certain % of people with hats and make them take them off regardless of what they look like? The policy probably is something like that, whereas a more focused profiling would actually achieve better security -- i.e. smart discrimination is the thing to do from a security standpoint. But is it legal, ethical, etc? It sure pisses people off to be singled out no matter who they are...

[happycapper]

This was definitely racism. From what I see, the majority of security people at airports are either Indian, Pakistani, or from some part of the Middle East.
Can anyone tell me why this is the case?

[GameTheory]

This was definitely racism. From what I see, the majority of security people at airports are either Indian, Pakistani, or from some part of the Middle East.
Can anyone tell me why this is the case?Most security people I've seen in airports are black with a few whites thrown in. Depends on the airport I'm sure...

[chickenhead]

Depends on the airport I'm sure...

it does often seem that way, has always struck me. Only two that come to mind that didn't fit the bill were Spokane, and down in Texas.

[raybo]

My fiancee is half white and half black, looks middle eastern and gets hammered at every airport she goes through.

[michiken]

Back around 9/11, I used to work with an engineer of Arabic decent (complete with sterotypical thick dark black mustache). I am also Caucasian with blue eyes and brown hair.

We used to travel to various auto plants (back when they were doing well) to conduct field surveys.

Every time we boarded a plane together, I was the one who was searched! I had to remove the shoes, belt, hat and have my bags scanned. This happened 8 times in a matter of two days due to multiple connecting flights.

He walked on the plane without being hassled every time!!!

:lol:

[happycapper]

Back around 9/11, I used to work with an engineer of Arabic decent (complete with sterotypical thick dark black mustache). I am also Caucasian with blue eyes and brown hair.

We used to travel to various auto plants (back when they were doing well) to conduct field surveys.

Every time we boarded a plane together, I was the one who was searched! I had to remove the shoes, belt, hat and have my bags scanned. This happened 8 times in a matter of two days due to multiple connecting flights.

He walked on the plane without being hassled every time!!!

:lol:

Ya this is complete b.s. Reverse discrimination, and it's completely annoying.

[Tom]

Give everyone a handgun at boarding and you don't have to worry about terrorists.

[ddog]

Sunday morning after the Breeders' Cup I'm at the Ontario, California airport. I go through the scanner and there is no beep or buzzer. So I assume I've got no metal objects on me.

I'm wearning a ball cap. The TSA guy tells me to take off my hat. I assume he wants to make sure I'm not carrying a weapon or something. He didn't ask me to take off my pants. How does he know I don't have something dangerous in my pants. (I won't go there :D )

No big deal. I was just slightly annoyed by having to be hassled.

So I arrive at LaGuardia airport in NY. As I am heading toward baggage claim I see two women about to go through the scanner. They are wearing some sort of scarves around their heads. I assume they are Muslim or maybe Indian. I'm not sure.

They walk right through the scanner and they are not asked to remove their head coverings. Couldn't they have been concealing something under their scarves as easily as I could have been concealing something under my hat?

Now, I'm a blond haired caucasion who was born and raised in Ohio. Statistically, the chances of me being a terrorist are miniscule.

I was asked to remove my hat by security at a podunk airport in California. Yet in New York, the site of 911, two women, who looked middle eastern to me, did not have to remove the material covering their heads.

Statistically, there have been more middle eastern female terrorists, than Ohio male terrorists. Am I right or wrong?

Assuming I am right, why did I have to remove my hat, but they didn't?

In your opinion, was I discriminated against?

Maybe he wasn't a fan?

[ddog]

Give everyone a handgun at boarding and you don't have to worry about terrorists.


Uh, i will take my chances with the 1 in a 100 million terrorist shot over the 1 in a 100 dumb drunk shot anyday.


Risk analysis, it's about the odds.