There’s a spectre haunting airports around the world, threatening passenger safety and moral sensibility. That threat: t-shirts.
We’ve seen passengers turned away thanks to shirts with messages like “We will not be silenced” or “Guns and Rollers.”
Now a British man, Allen Jasson, was kept off a London-Melbourne flight on Qantas until he bought a shirt in the gift shop to cover up his anti-George W. Bush attire. AND he got the same treatment in Melbourne, when trying to board a connecting Melbourne-Adelaide flight on Virgin Blue. For wearing this shirt, which was deemed offensive:
(Is it just me, or does the shadowy image of Bush on the shirt look a bit like the guy actually wearing the shirt?)
What’s going on? I mean, sure, the guy is looking to make a statement, and he’s interested in attention, but what harm does this shirt — or any of the “dangerous” shirts — do? Why is an Australian airline, operating in the United Kingdom, censoring a shirt that slams the American president? Is the London-Melbourne route populated by easily-irked Republicans? Why all the fuss?
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December 16th, 2006 at 6:14 am
Look, clearly the guy’s both a jerk and a fool, and clearly he just got what he wanted – attention.
It’s like high school, really, ain’t it?
But, like high school, there is a minimum dress requirement. So they also don’t let people through security (or on the plane) wearing bikini’s, without shoes, etc, etc.
How about a shirt that said “You are my n*****!” (saw that last week at the mall) – would you let them on the plane?
-TF
December 16th, 2006 at 10:34 am
I take a pretty libertarian approach to attire, and I think letting people make political statements or making an ass of themselves is a God-given right. I also recognize that these are private companies and they can set their own guidelines regarding whom they serve, but that doesn’t mean I can’t call them out on their policies.
In my opinion, as long as it’s not a health issue (”No shirt, no shoes, no service!”), let the person come on board.
How does “Guns and Rollers” or “George Bush is a terrorist” on a t-shirt really hurt anyone? Where’s the threat?
December 16th, 2006 at 10:48 am
Not saying it does, just that there are explicit and implicit dress codes.
How about a shirt filled with racist and foul language – yes or no on that?
-TF
December 16th, 2006 at 12:28 pm
TierFlyer:
You’re right that there are explicit and implicit dress codes. I think they should be more explicit (put it in the contract of carriage!), but that’s not really what’s bothering me here, either. Rather, it’s the fact that the airlines are playing the security card to justify an on-the-spot ruling on those dress codes.
You may not be saying that the shirt is a security threat, but the airlines in question are. From the article referenced above:
Will a shirt that mocks Bush (or Clinton? or Ike?) affect the sensitivities of (some) other passengers? Perhaps, if they have a problem with the free expression of political beliefs. But is it a security issue?
(Sidebar: To answer your question, I do consider political opinions different from purely racist proclamations on the front of a shirt. If you wore a shirt that said “Kill all the ___” — fill in your choice of group here — I wouldn’t be upset if the airline kicked you off. That’s going beyond an expression of opinion to the advocacy of hurting others.)
But that’s not the problem here. The airlines are claiming that this is a security issue. And that’s BS.
December 17th, 2006 at 10:30 am
My take on this is slightly different. I don’t think they’re objecting to anyone disparaging anyone else, they’re objecting to claims that the person wearing the shirt might be making.
I have a feeling that a T-shirt saying (something like)
“DUBYA IS
WORLD’S #1
TERRORIST”
is rather less likely to get mistaken for a T-shirt that apparently conveys the message “I am the world’s #1 terrorist” than that one. If anything, I think the shirt is too subtle (!) and a less subtle picture of Bush might be less likely to cause concern among fellow passengers.
December 17th, 2006 at 2:34 pm
Frankly, I don’t have a problem with the airline telling the passenger to change that shirt. Similarly, I would hope that the airline would ask a passenger to change a shirt that said “Osama Bin Laden – Number One Terrorist.” My issue isn’t with it being an anti-Bush shirt, its with it being a shirt that deals with terrorism.
Obviously the guy is making a political statement. But after September 11th, just as you don’t make *any* jokes about terrorism in an airport, you shouldn’t be going around with a shirt that makes jokes or statements about terrorism. The airline has a very valid argument that *any* mention of terrorism will upset the sensitivities of the passengers, and I think they’re right.
December 18th, 2006 at 5:58 pm
Good points – and I don’t think the shirt was *much* of a security threat if at all, but the silly (alleged) reason for booting the guy isn’t so much the point to me.
Point especially taken on the “hate language” (whatever that means
shirt vs. the political message.
How about a nice Mohamed joke t-shirt? Bet they’d pop that out in a second and you’d be able to hear the crickets over the media outrage.
-TF
December 18th, 2006 at 7:01 pm
Chris: I think you may be the only person who thinks this guy is being too subtle.
Richard: I don’t agree, but I can understand your position, to a point. The thing is, terrorism is mentioned in airports all the time. The recordings over the PA system, declaring that we are in code orange, uses the word, I believe. (I’ll listen for it on Wednesday, when I fly again.) So passengers are arguably being assaulted with references to terrorism all the time.
TierFlyer: I should start a what’s-ok-and-what’s-not poll. The example you’re giving is a tough one for me. What’s a “nice” shirt like that, exactly? (Please don’t answer.
)Depends on the specifics, I guess. Is it “political” or is it purely trying to offend people on the basis of their group identity? Former, fine, latter, not.
January 21st, 2007 at 9:07 pm
“Look, clearly the guy’s both a jerk and a fool, and clearly he just got what he wanted – attention.” -TierFlyer.
I think the foolish jerk here is the one who mistakes a political statement with his own confused views about democracy.
People are not jerks just cause they dislike that #1 terrorist called Bush, if anything, they are showing 10x more awareness than TF.
Please TF, Bush is not everyone’s hero on this planet! Read the news lately? You know? Iraq? Heard what’s happening there lately?? live with it!
January 21st, 2007 at 9:47 pm
Ricardo Mardi:
Please do not call any commenters on this blog names. Do it again, you’ll be banned. As long as you keep it polite (and don’t do things like post spam!), you and others can post all you like.
And besides, you don’t have to support Bush to think that Jasson was wrong. You can be anti-Bush and anti-provocateur at the same time. That’s a viable position. Don’t paint everyone in the same color.
Please also note that this thread is a month old…
January 22nd, 2007 at 11:17 am
[...] Dangerous shirts. Again. Remember the guy who was nearly kicked off a flight from London to Melbourne because of the “George Bush: World’s Number 1 Terrorist” t-shirt he was wearing? Looks like his month in Australia is over, and he decided to wear the same shirt on the flight back. This time, Qantas didn’t let him on board. I still think it’s a pretty silly restriction on the part of the airline, but the guy is clearly looking for publicity. [...]
January 22nd, 2007 at 12:45 pm
Okay, if I get on a plane with James Dobson and I’m gay–which one of us, both offended, gets thrown off the plane?
May 10th, 2007 at 9:48 pm
This guy got in trouble at airports in Britain and Australia. The irony is that had he worn this stuff at an American airport, no one would have batted an eyelash.
August 12th, 2007 at 10:36 pm
[...] – Would an anti-Tony Blair shirt get me in trouble in the U.S.? – Short hops – August 23, 2006 – JetBlue rewards one flyer a free t-shirt (in exchange for his [...]
June 8th, 2008 at 12:30 am
There seems to be some confusion with the term ’security issue/ threat’… this means anything which affects, or has the potential to affect, the safety of the flight from a security/order perspective… sure you might not think the t-shirt is offensive, but it may offend others, or start arguments. We all know the saying about politics and religion….
It would be the same if one passenger made disparaging comments to another.. it is not acceptable and the crew wish to stamp it out before it becomes a problem.
I’ve had to send passengers back to ground services for wearing offensive t-hirts (nudity, language) or for inappropriate behaviour/language.
Terms and conditions do state that boarding is at the discretion of the airline and the operating crew members- if they feel that safety or order will be compromised they have the right to act- whether that particular circumstance is mentioned specifically or not. You can’t cover every situation in the T&C’s of carriage.
January 8th, 2009 at 11:14 am
[...] – Dangerous shirts see their day in court – Would an anti-Tony Blair shirt get me in trouble in the U.S.? – Short hops – August 23, 2006 – JetBlue rewards one flyer a free t-shirt (in exchange for his [...]