Ummm, Maybe?
In just a few hours Elizabeth and I will be heading out to the airport and our first real vacation since... well, at least since she was born. We will be flying to my brother's house. We're actually going to stop right in the middle of fly-over country. Imagine that! There is occasionally something of interest in that vast open space lacking a coast.
This morning, as I was leisurely waking up, all kinds of thoughts were running through my head... the items that can only be thrown into the suit case at the last minute... the time the shuttle will pick us up... and what the heck will it be like to get through security?
I've flown several times on business since 9/11. Security is a pain, unpacking your laptop before going through the x-ray, taking off your shoes, taking every last thing out of every one of your pockets and every extra piece of clothing off so you don't trigger the sensitive metal detector. But with the foil of the terror plot a couple of weeks back, they've taken security up another notch. I not particularly worried. My biggest fear is missing my plane because of long lines at the security check point or perhaps Elizabeth being spooked by all the measures.
I started to think about the things my co-workers (who travel almost every week on business) recommended to help speed our trip through the airport itself. The first recommendation was to check our bags with the sky cap. It costs a couple of bucks more, but it cuts out one of the long lines we'll have to wait on.
Being the paranoid person I can sometimes be, the first thought I had was a momentary panic caused by the thought of losing control of my bags. What if someone snuck something into our bags. Either we'd be blown up mid-flight or I'd be put in jail. Yes, my brain does work in scary and mysterious ways... But as I thinking about the control of my bags, I had this thought... what if the Sky Cap looked very middle eastern? Would I give that person my bags?
I really don't believe in racial profiling. I really do believe that all qualified candidates should be equally considered for any position. Would it be fair to deny someone a job just because of their appearance? You do realize that just because someone looks middle eastern; that doesn't mean they actually hail from the middle east. So in the theoretical, I think anyone who applies for the job of Sky Cap should be given a fair shot at it and hired based on their skills, references, and experience.
But in the practical sense, if I were standing on the side walk with my bags... would I actually hand them over? Would I opt to wait in the long line to check my bags with someone else? Would I find another Sky Cap?
Let's think about this rationally.
How many terrorist attacks have occurred on planes? I'm not totally sure of the answer... I know it's more than one, we all think about 9/11 but there have been several more in other countries and a few failed attempts even within our boarders. So the answer is certainly more than one. But I'm pretty sure it can be counted in double digits; so let's say there have been between 4 and 99 known attacks (or attempts) that can definitely be attributed to Muslim terrorists.
Now, how many flights have occurred since we started to worry specifically about Muslim terrorists (I'm not going to include all the Cuban hijackings and all the fears around Cuban from my childhood...) I figure that world wide there are several thousand flights each day. So the probability that my specific middle eastern looking sky cap will actually be a Muslim terrorist who is targeting my exact flight and picks my specific bags in which to hide something is pretty remote. I don't have the patience to calculate it right now... but if we were measuring the presence of a chemical in water... we'd be looking at parts per million or maybe even parts per billion. In other words, the chances are pretty darned small.
And yet, as I imagine myself standing in front of this imaginary middle eastern looking sky cap... I'm having a really hard time handing over my imaginary bags. I don't like the fact that it makes me nervous. But given the reality of our existence, I really can't be too hard on myself. We are a product of our experiences and my instinct to maintain the structural integrity of my person is pretty strong. So would I hand over my bags? Ummm, maybe.
This morning, as I was leisurely waking up, all kinds of thoughts were running through my head... the items that can only be thrown into the suit case at the last minute... the time the shuttle will pick us up... and what the heck will it be like to get through security?
I've flown several times on business since 9/11. Security is a pain, unpacking your laptop before going through the x-ray, taking off your shoes, taking every last thing out of every one of your pockets and every extra piece of clothing off so you don't trigger the sensitive metal detector. But with the foil of the terror plot a couple of weeks back, they've taken security up another notch. I not particularly worried. My biggest fear is missing my plane because of long lines at the security check point or perhaps Elizabeth being spooked by all the measures.
I started to think about the things my co-workers (who travel almost every week on business) recommended to help speed our trip through the airport itself. The first recommendation was to check our bags with the sky cap. It costs a couple of bucks more, but it cuts out one of the long lines we'll have to wait on.
Being the paranoid person I can sometimes be, the first thought I had was a momentary panic caused by the thought of losing control of my bags. What if someone snuck something into our bags. Either we'd be blown up mid-flight or I'd be put in jail. Yes, my brain does work in scary and mysterious ways... But as I thinking about the control of my bags, I had this thought... what if the Sky Cap looked very middle eastern? Would I give that person my bags?
I really don't believe in racial profiling. I really do believe that all qualified candidates should be equally considered for any position. Would it be fair to deny someone a job just because of their appearance? You do realize that just because someone looks middle eastern; that doesn't mean they actually hail from the middle east. So in the theoretical, I think anyone who applies for the job of Sky Cap should be given a fair shot at it and hired based on their skills, references, and experience.
But in the practical sense, if I were standing on the side walk with my bags... would I actually hand them over? Would I opt to wait in the long line to check my bags with someone else? Would I find another Sky Cap?
Let's think about this rationally.
How many terrorist attacks have occurred on planes? I'm not totally sure of the answer... I know it's more than one, we all think about 9/11 but there have been several more in other countries and a few failed attempts even within our boarders. So the answer is certainly more than one. But I'm pretty sure it can be counted in double digits; so let's say there have been between 4 and 99 known attacks (or attempts) that can definitely be attributed to Muslim terrorists.
Now, how many flights have occurred since we started to worry specifically about Muslim terrorists (I'm not going to include all the Cuban hijackings and all the fears around Cuban from my childhood...) I figure that world wide there are several thousand flights each day. So the probability that my specific middle eastern looking sky cap will actually be a Muslim terrorist who is targeting my exact flight and picks my specific bags in which to hide something is pretty remote. I don't have the patience to calculate it right now... but if we were measuring the presence of a chemical in water... we'd be looking at parts per million or maybe even parts per billion. In other words, the chances are pretty darned small.
And yet, as I imagine myself standing in front of this imaginary middle eastern looking sky cap... I'm having a really hard time handing over my imaginary bags. I don't like the fact that it makes me nervous. But given the reality of our existence, I really can't be too hard on myself. We are a product of our experiences and my instinct to maintain the structural integrity of my person is pretty strong. So would I hand over my bags? Ummm, maybe.
posted by Liz at 8:07 AM
2 Comments:
It's hard to be honest like this ...with yourself, but in a public forum is even harder. I respect you for that!!
The questions I have would run along the same lines. I've had friends that ARE from the middle east ... and that would help to paint my view ...making me a bit more relaxed ...but,not totally.
I've been relieved I don't need to fly anywhere since 9/11 ...
I would like to think that this is one of the times that you'd hear God speaking really loudly: NO. In terms of handing over the bags, but more in terms of getting on the flight. Perhaps that would be one of the instances when security would slow you down! You'd be really mad until you heard about the plane blowing up... So, just whisper a little prayer first, then listen really hard, and I think you'll be fine. :) Happy travels!
Post a Comment
<< Home