5 ms·

I'm from Eastern Europe and I (literally) just flew back from a 2 week work trip from the US (California): - Getting a visa was a painless process. I just appl

by bnt 9y ago

I'm from Eastern Europe and I (literally) just flew back from a 2 week work trip from the US (California): - Getting a visa was a painless process. I just applied and I got a business visa. - Entering the States required me to show my passport. Nothing else. Nobody asked me why I was going there, nobody asked me to show my phone or laptop (I had both). There was no separation, pat downs etc.

1337biz 9y ago
Maybe because Eastern Europeans are rarely shooting or bombing innocent people? Just a wild, wild guess...
- foldr 9y ago
  In the US you mean? Eastern Europe isn't entirely free of terrorist activity, assuming that you include Chechnya.
  - m_eiman 9y ago
    There's a place called Ukraine…
  - 1337biz 9y ago
    Last time I checked these were local military conflicts and not about murdering innocent civilians around the world.
    - mcrae 9y ago
      You might remember that the perpetrators of the Boston Marathon Bombing were Chechen. I say this not because I think we should screen Chechens more thoroughly now, but because your original appeal to profiling at the border is provably ineffective and, frankly, ignorant.
bloomca 9y ago
There are tons of commentaries like that, and there is nothing wrong with it. Also, US is like second biggest visiting destination in the world, and of course they don't want to scare everyone. So, all of these dreadful stories are true, but they are just a drop in the ocean. The problem here is a possibility. The mere necessity to think about it, to possibly sweat in the line, to think about what have I erased or not, makes it bad. First of all, you are not treated with a dignity. Second of all, without precautions, you easily can be embarrassed (many people don't care and keep really private info, like messages or photos on their phone). And the last – there is a small, but a possibility that you'll fuck up a little, and you will be detained. It is a small chance, but it presents, and it is not a pleasant thought.

by bnt 9y ago

1337biz 9y ago

Maybe because Eastern Europeans are rarely shooting or bombing innocent people? Just a wild, wild guess...

foldr 9y ago
In the US you mean? Eastern Europe isn't entirely free of terrorist activity, assuming that you include Chechnya.
- m_eiman 9y ago
  There's a place called Ukraine…
- 1337biz 9y ago
  Last time I checked these were local military conflicts and not about murdering innocent civilians around the world.
  - mcrae 9y ago
    You might remember that the perpetrators of the Boston Marathon Bombing were Chechen. I say this not because I think we should screen Chechens more thoroughly now, but because your original appeal to profiling at the border is provably ineffective and, frankly, ignorant.

bloomca 9y ago

There are tons of commentaries like that, and there is nothing wrong with it. Also, US is like second biggest visiting destination in the world, and of course they don't want to scare everyone. So, all of these dreadful stories are true, but they are just a drop in the ocean. The problem here is a possibility. The mere necessity to think about it, to possibly sweat in the line, to think about what have I erased or not, makes it bad. First of all, you are not treated with a dignity. Second of all, without precautions, you easily can be embarrassed (many people don't care and keep really private info, like messages or photos on their phone). And the last – there is a small, but a possibility that you'll fuck up a little, and you will be detained. It is a small chance, but it presents, and it is not a pleasant thought.