5 ms·

Brown like Indian or Brown like Arabic? Does it even make a difference?

electrichead 10y ago
This is a common misconception - "Arabic" isn't distinguishable like this since a lot of Arabs are fair-skinned.
smacktoward 10y ago
Given how many Americans assume Sikhs are Muslims (see https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/01/the-trouble-with-wearing-turbans-in-america/384832/ https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/01/the-tro...), I'd say probably not.
- vinay427 10y ago
  As you probably know, the vast majority of Indians are not Sikh, and it's not clear that they assume Indians of other religions are Muslim as well.
  - iscrewyou 10y ago
    Yes they do assume Indians of other religions are Muslim as well. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39081698 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39081698
    - vinay427 10y ago
      I was hoping for more widespread data rather than a single incident. I have definitely heard about more incidents involving Sikh individuals.
      - rosser 10y ago
        > I have definitely heard about more incidents involving Sikh individuals. Most likely because all the aggressors in those incidents see is the traditional dastar. Remember that one of the more prevalent slurs for men from Muslim cultures is "raghead." If you're already enough of a shit to think that's a legitimate way to treat people, you probably don't care one whit about the cultural specifics of the "rag" in question.
vinay427 10y ago
Decidedly anecdotal: Not the OP but I am brown like Indian with a non-Muslim name and have never had any extra scrutiny at security, except for one "random" screening on my boarding pass that involved some TSA swab check. I am a citizen, but I haven't heard of any non-citizen family friends or relatives that have expressed anything out of the ordinary.
- refurb 10y ago
  and have never had any extra scrutiny at security, except for one "random" screening on my boarding pass that involved some TSA swab check. Interesting. I'm a white guy and I've gone through secondary screening (swabs, detailed questions, etc) probably half a dozen times over the past 2-3 years. And I have a US passport!
  - rosser 10y ago
    I've also been subject to secondary screening a lot more often than the GP, and am a white, native-born US citizen with a germanic surname.
  - sdenton4 10y ago
    Discretionary secondary screenings can have a lot to do with appearing nonthreatening. If the guard has a quota to hit (even an unstated one) and wants to minimize effort spent on dumb secondary screenings, it pays to choose people who won't put up a struggle.
  - DanAndersen 10y ago
    White American here. In the past 3-4 years (probably a couple dozen flights) I have gotten some level of patdowns and hand-swabs literally every single time I go through one of those millimeter-wave machines. Every time, without fail. My belief is that it's because I had gone through some pretty substantial weight loss in the past, and so my body skin/muscle/fat density is all screwy around the midsection, and thus it sets the machine off.
    - exclusiv 10y ago

This is a common misconception - "Arabic" isn't distinguishable like this since a lot of Arabs are fair-skinned.

Given how many Americans assume Sikhs are Muslims (see https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/01/the-trouble-with-wearing-turbans-in-america/384832/ https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/01/the-tro...), I'd say probably not.

vinay427 10y ago
As you probably know, the vast majority of Indians are not Sikh, and it's not clear that they assume Indians of other religions are Muslim as well.
- iscrewyou 10y ago
  Yes they do assume Indians of other religions are Muslim as well. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39081698 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39081698
  - vinay427 10y ago
    I was hoping for more widespread data rather than a single incident. I have definitely heard about more incidents involving Sikh individuals.
    - rosser 10y ago
      > I have definitely heard about more incidents involving Sikh individuals. Most likely because all the aggressors in those incidents see is the traditional dastar. Remember that one of the more prevalent slurs for men from Muslim cultures is "raghead." If you're already enough of a shit to think that's a legitimate way to treat people, you probably don't care one whit about the cultural specifics of the "rag" in question.

vinay427 10y ago

Decidedly anecdotal: Not the OP but I am brown like Indian with a non-Muslim name and have never had any extra scrutiny at security, except for one "random" screening on my boarding pass that involved some TSA swab check. I am a citizen, but I haven't heard of any non-citizen family friends or relatives that have expressed anything out of the ordinary.

refurb 10y ago
and have never had any extra scrutiny at security, except for one "random" screening on my boarding pass that involved some TSA swab check. Interesting. I'm a white guy and I've gone through secondary screening (swabs, detailed questions, etc) probably half a dozen times over the past 2-3 years. And I have a US passport!
- rosser 10y ago
  I've also been subject to secondary screening a lot more often than the GP, and am a white, native-born US citizen with a germanic surname.
- sdenton4 10y ago
  Discretionary secondary screenings can have a lot to do with appearing nonthreatening. If the guard has a quota to hit (even an unstated one) and wants to minimize effort spent on dumb secondary screenings, it pays to choose people who won't put up a struggle.
- DanAndersen 10y ago
  White American here. In the past 3-4 years (probably a couple dozen flights) I have gotten some level of patdowns and hand-swabs literally every single time I go through one of those millimeter-wave machines. Every time, without fail. My belief is that it's because I had gone through some pretty substantial weight loss in the past, and so my body skin/muscle/fat density is all screwy around the midsection, and thus it sets the machine off.
  - exclusiv 10y ago