Our internal e-mail lists have us discussing all kinds of stuff: Asian American identity, representation in the media, the experiences of activism in an academia setting and its progression as we transition to the working, adult world. And sometimes, we talk about Haisong Jiang, the “Rutgers Romeo” sentenced to community service and a fine for breaching security at Newark Airport. This is one of more intense debates we’ve had internally, so read the whole conversation after the jump. Where do you stand on this issue?
John: Haisong Jiang Faces Consequences for Kiss at Newark Airport.
Linda: So some security guards don’t do their job that day, but there are people out there who think this man should be deported? What am I not understanding?
Tim: As a frequent traveler, I have to disagree. If this happened to me while I was at the airport, I’d want whoever did it to be punished to the full extent of the law (whatever that happens to be). It’s plain stupid to not understand the consequences in this day and age. That being said, the security guard should be punished too. I don’t understand how he can’t have understood his actions would have caused such consequences.
Moye: As a non frequent traveler, I still don’t see how anyone could not understand the consequences of sneaking past the TSA line. They beat the rules into your head both in and out of the airport, there are signs everywhere about taking security seriously and the long lines that I always face seem to reiterate the fact that messing around in the terminal is probably a bad idea. If my husband was inspired to skip over the rope to give me one last hug, I’d push him back over with a big WTF. At least he’s not being a jerk about it and feels really guilty about what happened.
Ben: Okay… whose last name is Jiang? No one? Good. Because you know that guy is going on a list somewhere… and damned if I want to be linked to him. As one that has traveled a lot also and had it down to an art of optimizing my time so I spend the least amount of time at the airports, I have to say that as much as I hate the crappy security at TSA, this was a REALLY stupid thing. I don’t know about deportation, but I would definitely whack him hard with some community service at the very least.
Anonymous: I wonder if this is a cultural thing? I live in an Asian (read: mostly mainland Chinese) neighborhood, I am noticing that certain “rules” don’t apply. […] Believe me, I’m not saying this is “OK.” Far from it. Regarding Mr Jiang, it seems like the punishment of a small fine/community service doesn’t come close to being enough considering all the flights and re-screenings that had to be done (stuff that needed to be paid for). Of course, suggesting deportation is way over the top, but still — the punishment doesn’t seem to fit the crime here. I hope he (and his girlfriend) get put on some sort of TSA list where they have to endure EVERY SINGLE SECURITY SCREENING before ever getting to set foot on a plane again, so they can understand how seriously security is being taken.
Linda: I have my own “breaking the airport rules” story. I had just flown into Charles de Gaulle in Paris, and walked right past Passport Security, to try to exit the airport. I had no idea you had to show your passport before you could leave. The lady scolded me, made me feel like I was a total buffoon. Great way to kick off my first international trip. 🙂 My point is, everyone makes mistakes. We have the best intentions, and we don’t always pay attention to everything 24/7. It’s just part of being human, even in a post-9/11 world. The guy made a mistake, he’s learned his lesson (boy, did he), now let’s all move on.
Anonymous: Linda, your small airport mistake didn’t force terminal evacuation of the terminal on a busy travel day. You got stopped, went back in line, and all was okay. Mr Jiang’s “little mistake” caused 200 flights to be delayed or canceled. Aside from the hassle it caused passengers, think of all the manpower (and money to pay them) to rescreen thousands of passengers. Think about all the overtime to be paid by airlines, the airport, and the TSA to pay for all this. In the end it’s US who have to pay for this kind of stuff — by way of more taxes and airport security “surcharges” and increased ticket prices since the airlines assuredly lost money due to delayed or canceled flights. “Now let’s move on” definitely doesn’t seem like enough punishment for this guy. I don’t care if he gets EXTRA PUNISHMENT so an example gets made out of him. I’d be saying this whether or not the guy was Asian. I have no patience for people who make stupid mistakes which cost the rest of us.
Moye: […] The only way into any departing terminal is through security. The rule about having to have a boarding pass has been in effect for how long? I also like how the no-fly list has the wrong names on it (including those of children), yet this guy, who actually broke through security lines, just has to do community service. No Team Asia here. I think this guy got off easy. I want full body searches and background checks whenever he even BUYS a ticket.
Linda: It’s not right that the focus (at least, in this listserv discussion) is all on this guy. Yes, there were huge disruptions. But what about the security guys who are paid to prevent exactly this sort of thing from happening? Shouldn’t they be punished ten times worse? No? Then this guy shouldn’t, either.
I don’t know about you, but I’m not totally innocent of trying to get away with little things either. There but for the grace of G-d go I, that the little things I have done did not cause major problems for hundreds of people. For every guy like Jiang who snuck over a rope or whatever, there were probably two or three more who have done it (or worse) and for whatever reason, no problems have come of it. So in my opinion, we should breathe a sigh of relief that he was not a terrorist, that no real harm was done, and get on with our lives. Let’s try to have a little perspective here.
Ben: When it costs taxpayers and corporations money, regardless of the fault of the security personnel, it’s a big deal no matter how harmless the act was or may be. I’ve been in corporate security before, and you take everything to the extreme because that’s your job to do so. As said before, the guy got a slap on the wrist when it comes to just community service probably because the TSA personnel was also at fault. If this guy doesn’t have a life-changing experience from this and instead is really just like… “I’m in love!!!” then he needs a little more something to bring him down to earth. Security isn’t a picnic but it’s there for a reason.
Like I said, bring back the National Guard with armed personnel at the major exits. […] I think this thread has played out — we’re just running around in circles now. [And] I think we’ve established that Linda is a lot nicer as a person than me.
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