Profiling for Cash?

January 6, 2009 by Jeremy.

240,000 dollars awarded to man forced to cover Arab T-shirt

“Jarrar, a US resident, was apprehended as he waited to board a JetBlue flight from New York to Oakland, California, and told to remove his shirt, which had written on it in Arabic: “We will not be silent.”

He was told other passengers felt uncomfortable because an Arabic-inscribed T-shirt in an airport was like “wearing a T-shirt at a bank stating, I am a robber,’” the ACLU said.

Jarrar eventually agreed to cover his shirt with another provided by JetBlue. He was allowed aboard but his seat was changed from the front to the back of the aircraft.”

I do think that it is perfectly reasonable to make the man change his shirt or cover it up (as he did). His shirt could cause fear, apprehension, fighting, etc. on that plane and is is the airlines responsibility to ensure the safety and well-being of its passengers. Free speech is not intended to start riotous acts or even used as an attack at a single individual or a group (I believe his shirt did just that).

It is not fair, however, that he was made to sit at the back of the aircraft. He did what was asked of him and he should have been allowed to board as a regular passenger.

We have taken this PC movement too far. Things are more black and white than people want to believe. There is right and wrong and we need to get away from this gray middle because that will lead us to a point where we are unable to speak out against anything and that is truly a detriment to the Freedom of Speech.

Posted in Pointless Lawsuits, Jeremy, Coherent Thoughts, Current Events | Print | 5 Comments »