If it was Spanish I wouldn't feel the same cuz I could read it. And last time I checked it's been a while since a Chinese or Japanese person killed thousands of people using airplanes.

I am around Arabs every day. I went to school in Dearborn for gosh sakes... the most Arab populated city in the country. I've never once felt threatened by any of them. But someone, from a religious background the same as monsters who devastated so many lives, doing something in an airport that is obviously for attention, makes me nervous.

My mixed feelings come from the way he was treated. Yes I think he did it for attention. No I don't think he should have been treated the way he was. I love having freedom of speech but I think sometimes people take it too far.

Out of curiosity, how would you feel if he was wearing one of those red bandana things around his head like the terrorists put on right before they took the planes over? Would that make you nervous or would you feel like "I don't wana racially profile".

It actually wouldn't bother me at all. Did the terrorists wear shirts with arabic writing emblazoned on the front on the flights on 9/11? No, so it's like apples and oranges. This is no different than crossing the road to get away from young black men because you know that some young black men have mugged people in the past. At some point,you have to accept that you can't go around expecting all people different from you to be evil.

I think my main point really is that just because you are nervous doesn't mean that the person that makes you nervous has to give up his/her civil rights so that you are more comfortable. Get used to being uncomfortable in this world. You'd be amazed how many bad things are done by people that no one ever would suspect...remember Jeffrey Dahmer?

for instance:

http://www.your-name-in-japanese.com...150_sample.jpg

http://www.011shop.net/011shop/image...rilica-bre.jpg

http://www.gailcooper.com/keyn_eynhore_tee.jpg


http://www.malcolmxshirts.com/prodim...-T68-large.jpg

I guess if someone has on any shirt like this or similar, we need to arrest them all huh, PM?

Reread my post. I don't think that all people different than me are evil.

Those have absolutely nothing to do with my post.

They have everything to do with your posts.

read what you wrote:


Think about that...really.

Your first sentence is what caught my eye. If you could read it...well if you could you'd feel safe. You have fear, which can be a healthy and natural thing, but I think it is misdirected here. It is okay to be scared in life, but it isn't okay to be irrational in the process. There were sarin gas attacks in Japanese subways that were considered a terrorist attack, and some people believe the actions of the Chinese toward Tibetans are terrorist acts as well; however you cannot ethcially and in good conscience associate anything Arabic with terrorism. If you went to school in Dearborn, and I know there are lots of Middle Eastern people and practicing Muslims in your community, you have to know some good people.

There are people in my church (locally, nationally, world wide) who are Middle Eastern and speak Arabic, not everyone is an Islamic extremist with fatwas and a jihad, I wish you could see that and let the hate and fear out of your heart, it makes me sad.

damn! next time i go to the airport ill where a shirt with some Arabic on it and see if I cant make some extra cash!!!

No it doesn't. And I've noticed that in any debate on GC, you see what you want to see without reading details. So I choose not to answer you anymore.

But I don't see everyone as an Islamic extremist. Lol I said that right in my post that I never felt threatened by them. My best friend's dad is straight from Pakistan and I certainly am not threatened by him. And it is normal to feel threatened or nervous by what you don't know. There are terrorist cells a 10 minute drive from where I live and that's scary. Since 9-11, I'm very wary of everyone around me. I feel the same way when I get into an elevator (aka death trap) with someone I don't know, no matter what color (yes even white) or religion they are. 9-11 has made people paranoid, and I'm one of those people. This is a current fear due to something that is still so fresh in a lot of people's minds. I'm sorry but that's the living truth and I'm not going to be ridiculed for stating my thoughts and feelings on it.

White people killed thousands of American Indians, clearly they should be scared of me wearing a shirt that has English writing into a reservation.

Your ancestors fucking WORKED WITH THE NAZIS. This is such an inane argument I can't believe we're having it.

THIS INVALIDATES YOUR WHOLE POINT GAAAAH.

BIf they're doing it for ATTENTION they are clearly not concerned with BLOWING UP PLANES. Remember how attackers keep a low profile, lest they be caught?

Do you see how illogical you're being here?

^^^ Tell em why you mad, son!

My ancestors were Sicilian, not Italian.

And yes, had that happened right after the white people killed the Native Americans, hell yeah they should be scared. Should African Americans be scared if a skinhead came through their neighborhood? Should Jewish people be scared if a Nazi came through theirs?

Yes this has nothing to do with the topic at hand. But oh well. Being attacked for my thoughts and beliefs is fun.

Couple of things....

"Truth" and "fact" are not necessarily the same thing. One's "truth" can be absolutely ridiculous, and one can absolutely be expected to be ridiculed for it. Facts are not usually ridiculed, if you ask me.

Have you been attacked? I wouldn't say so -- I see a group of people who don't ordinarily agree with each other (or me) questioning your opinions. That happens to all of us every day on GC, no matter how hot some of us are.

I generally think you've said some pretty out there stuff, racially speaking, so this doesn't really surprise me that you would feel this way on this particular topic. But knowing how GC gets regarding these topics, maybe you want to craft your opinions in such a way that they come across as more intellectual than emotional.

I'm not saying that you sound stupid or emotional, but it just doesn't seem that your concerns are coming from a place that many people who have replied already can relate to.

Not that you're here to make friends or have people agree with you, it just seems like this whole thread won't end with any particular new understanding.

And if you've read this far, I just want to say that the term "joker" is stupid and should be abolished.

Thanks for your time.

That last part a bout the elevator....heh...that is some bullshit if I ever read it...if you are that paranoid about people you don't know....stay in the house especially if you are using a post 9-11 reason for being that way...

Timothy McVeigh looked like a typical American and look how he turned out.

Again...look at those pics of the shirts...you simply fear what you don't understand BECAUSE you don't know what they mean. All of those shirts in Japanese, Cyrillic, Hebrew could all be saying something and you wouldn't know what they mean...should they be banned from U.S. airports because they aren't in American (pay attention y'all)?


My mixed feelings come from the way he was treated. Yes I think he did it for attention. No I don't think he should have been treated the way he was. I love having freedom of speech but I think sometimes people take it too far.

Out of curiosity, how would you feel if he was wearing one of those red bandana things around his head like the terrorists put on right before they took the planes over? Would that make you nervous or would you feel like "I don't wana racially profile".

^^^ this comes from watching too many movies I suppose

Do you fear people who wear turbans?

And please for the love of God explain how wearing a shirt bearing the writings of his native tongue him going too far in expressing his freedom of speech?


But you know what...I wear dredds and I get profiled....anyone wanna offer me some ganga?

WOW. First of all, how do you know there are "terrorist cells" within a 10 minute drive? Why do you constitute "terrorist cell" as? Just because they people are Arabs or Muslims? If you come from the "most Arab populated city in the country" shouldn't you be a little more open-minded?

If you are that scared, then really do stay indoors. If 9-11 has made you THAT paranoid, then you should seek some counseling.

Just a little FYI, but Pakistani =/= Arab.


ETA: This reminds me of the story I heard the other day about the Arab family who got kicked off a plane because they were debating what part of the plane was safer to sit in. EVERY time I get on a plane, I always ask what part of the plane is the safest and never have I been kicked off, but because this family was Arab (fyi:they were speaking in English, not Arabic) they took the comments as 'terrorist talk'