I fly JetBlue all the time, but this terrible story from Raed Jarrar, who was asked to remove his T-shirt because it contained Arabic script that “offended passengers” (never mind that nobody could read the shirt), has me rethinking the airline. Calls will be made tomorrow. (via Maud)
[UPDATE: It’s worth noting that, last October, Lorrie Heasley was ejected from a Southwest flight for wearing a Meet the Fockers parody T-shirt. Heasley vowed to file a civil rights lawsuit, but I can find no trace of it. But in a New York Times article, two law professors remarked that the Heasley case doesn’t apply to the First Amendment because only the government can violate the Constitution. Writing in Salon, Andrew Salon remarked upon this troubling predicament.]
Just curious, isn’t Raed a dude? Anyway, many years ago, during the first Bush admin., I was once asked to leave a buffet restaurant because I had a t-shirt on with the “eat the children” J. Swift inscription on it. I guess the satire was lost on the folks munching down on their honey ham and lima beans. Anyway, I know it isn’t the same but it still pissed me off and when I asked to speak to the manager the employee pointed to a sign that clearly spelled out the place’s policy that a person could be refused service for any reason. Sometimes it just doesn’t pay to be a billboard, political or otherwise. Raed got to fly, but I missed out on my buffet.
I cannot imagine that there are such people in Jet Blue, in America where people have freedom to express their opinions. “We will not be silent”, but Jet Blue will make you shut up! Let not use Jet Blue! That is only way to punish such a racialist.
One of the white flight attendants was racist towards me. First she wouldn’t greet me while boarding, then she was unnecessarily rude towards me. She was like really nice and all to white people but when it came to me she would stiffen up and act intentionally rude. I just took it to the chin and never complained.