Three Cheers For Atatürk Airport Security
Turkey experienced a devastating terrorist attack the night before I left. I'll write more about this, but I only just arrived in Seattle late last night.
The morning after this happened, with it very clear that a lot more violence is on the way, I show up at the airport. I approach the Turkish Airlines counter, but before I reach it, and before I even take out my passport, a security agent walks up to me. "Hi, Claire!"
It takes me a moment to figure it out: He had interviewed me as I boarded a flight I took about six months ago. "Oh, hi!" I say. "How have you been?"
"I've been reading your articles."
"Seriously?"
"You look really tired," he says with concern.
"I'm exhausted. We all are."
"Have you written about what happened last night yet?"
"Not yet." We are both deeply upset by it. Everyone in Turkey is. When he asks me, I feel my eyes welling up. I haven't had time to write about it. I've been trying to find out what happened and trying to pack. No one completely understands what happened yet, but everyone knows this is very, very bad news in uncountably many ways.
He asks me the usual questions about whether I've packed anything that can be used as a weapon. When he gets to the part about tweezers, I laugh. So does he. "I liked your article about that," he says.
Behind me is a woman from Jamaica who accuses the security team of "racism" because they questioned her "aggressively"--this after she told them she did not know where she was going. "Someone else made the reservation for me," she told them. She turns to me and says, "They don't realize they are harassing the wrong woman. We have a black president now." (Who the "we" are is unclear, given that she says she's Jamaican.)
I stare at her, then say, "I just saw what happened. I did not see racism. I saw them asking you reasonable questions."
"Why didn't they ask you those questions?" she says, triumphantly.
Lady, I think, you are lucky that Turkey is more patient with you than I would be.
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Nov '10
Re: Three Cheers For Atatürk Airport Security
"They don't realize they are harassing the wrong woman. We have a black president now."
Americans taught her that. She may be an immigrant, or maybe she just watches lots of American TV, but she was just repeating a canned slogan she heard from some race hustler.
Just like the Saudis export Wahhabism, the American grievance industry is exporting their own special brand of virulent ethnic hatred. A Jamaican woman in Turkey is inconvenienced, and her reflexive reaction is to parrot an idea she got from the New Black Panthers. Small world, eh?
Edited on Jul 16, 2011 at 12:39pmApr '11
Re: Three Cheers For Atatürk Airport Security
Well she obviously couldn't have been referring to the Jamaican president since Jamaica doesn't have one. Having a queen kind of rules that out :-)
Jul '10
Re: Three Cheers For Atatürk Airport Security
I suppose someone else also packed her bags. Doesn't know where she's going? Some levels of incompetence require harassment.
Beast: Do not think for a minutes that the US invented or has any monopoly on the race card game. Being on a project where a first generation Taiwanese immigrant is trying to manage a first generation immigrant from the PRC is a preposterous experience. I can't imagine it working any better with the roles reversed.
Jul '10
Re: Three Cheers For Atatürk Airport Security
Maybe she's from Jamaica, Queens.
Mar '11
Re: Three Cheers For Atatürk Airport Security
Hmm, sometimes I think that American independence was not such a good idea, after all - would you rather have Queen Elizabeth or Mr Obama, mmm, mmm, mmm?
Well, if America had stuck to its founding principles it would be fine, so forget that thought.
Edited on Jul 16, 2011 at 1:11pmMar '11
Re: Three Cheers For Atatürk Airport Security
I suspect this wouldn't happen at Ataturk airport ;-)
May '11
Re: Three Cheers For Atatürk Airport Security
Claire Berlinski, Ed.: "
Behind me is a woman from Jamaica who accuses the security team of "racism" because they questioned her "aggressively"--this after she told them she did not know where she was going. "Someone else made the reservation for me," she told them. She turns to me and says, "They don't realize they are harassing the wrong woman. We have a black president now." (Who the "we" were is unclear, given that she says she's Jamaican.)
I stare at her, then say, "I just saw what happened. I did not see racism. I saw them asking you reasonable questions."
·
Great anecdote Claire. There are a lot of layers in that onion but I will start with the irony of when she said "They don't realize they are harassing the wrong woman." She obviously didn't realize she was talking to the Ricochet Coed of Conduct editor (see Peter's thread on splling below). Without knowing you, she must have been astounded that you responded by saying that you saw no evidence of racism. I suspect that is the first time in her life that someone refuted her charge of racism.
Re: Three Cheers For Atatürk Airport Security
I just regret that no one had the wherewithal to lecture her about her Orientalism.
Mar '11
Re: Three Cheers For Atatürk Airport Security
David Williamson: I suspect this wouldn't happen at Ataturk airport ;-) · Jul 16 at 1:15pm
There's no word why she touched the agent.
Mihamae now faces a felony count of sexual abuse.
Any chance the ACLU will come to this lady's assistance?
Somebody should. This lady could become a folk hero.
Jun '10
Re: Three Cheers For Atatürk Airport Security
Seattle? Is this a field trip to find out the price of coffee at the flagship Starbucks? Couldn't they just call?
Re: Three Cheers For Atatürk Airport Security
TR, please don't blow Claire's cover. We suspect that our reference Starbuck's may be under-reporting the price of a grande latte in hopes of denying our little counter-counter cultural web-site much needed revenue. We decided that only an in-person visit by She Who Must Be Obeyed would answer.
Aug '10
Re: Three Cheers For Atatürk Airport Security
I'd sure like this sorted out. I wonder if it is possible. I am unmollified whenever the word "obviously" is used.
Jun '10
Re: Three Cheers For Atatürk Airport Security
George: I won't say another word. As an early member, I only pay $3.47, as opposed to latecomers who pay $3.58. I take no position on raising their prices.
Jun '10
Re: Three Cheers For Atatürk Airport Security
[Ed.: comment removed.]
Edited on Jul 16, 2011 at 6:18pmRe: Three Cheers For Atatürk Airport Security
John, I don't trust anyone's reporting on this right now--especially not theirs. I couldn't begin to say what really happened from Seattle. Whatever happened, it will now unleash a hellstorm of violence, and I'm sick about it.
Aug '10
Re: Three Cheers For Atatürk Airport Security
I have to admit that until yesterday I had never heard of the Euphrates News Agency. I'll try to watch it more closely. It has long been my idea that Kurdish political/military action has been overrated, because (Turkish) news stories never said how they knew fighters, or corpses, were PKK. Are these guys in uniform? But here is someone taking credit for attacks, which suggests there is a political apparatus behind them. Well, at least they're calling 'em guerrillas. Whose guerrillas, I am not sure.
Another reason I've never quite believed Kurds are a force is the mystery of motive: what if "they" "win"? What do "they" "get"?
And a final (for me, tonight) thought: what if Turkey decides this military disaster is the last straw, and just says let's us have a hellstorm and be done with it. The country tries, with some success, to look graciously torpid, and yet it is unquestionably a very violent place. Maybe they decide that the EU is a goner, there's no longer any point trying to get into it, so why keep pretending to be nice?
Re: Three Cheers For Atatürk Airport Security
No. If anything, under-rated.