From Serious to Snarky in One Short Post
This morning, Pili and I went to have our fingerprints taken at our friendly local office of the Department of Homeland Insecurity, Office of Citizenship and Immigration Diservice. As we sat in the drab waiting room, Pili chatted with the security guard. This is one of the basic differences between us. Native New Yorkers are rarely chatters, I've found. Friendly, helpful, yes. That whole rude New Yorker thing is b.s. in my oh so humble opinion. But chatty, no.
She asked why we were not allowed to have our cell phones on. Was it a security thing or was it a respect issue? Respect, said the guard. You wouldn't believe how fast people can talk in Spanish or Vietnamese, yabba jabba jabba. And they're so loud. It's really annoying.
I fully sympathize with their desire to have a cell phone free zone. But frankly, I'm more annoyed when I can understand people's conversations. I don't need to hear about your brother sleeping with your best friend and how BETRAYED you feel, or about the fact that your dog farted last night and your c-section incision is still kind of oozing and your husband doesn't care.
Then, as I was having my fingerprints done, one of the workers commented that the man she had just fingerprinted, from the Sudan, was really stinky (not that I could notice, he wasn't).
It seems to me, that if you're going to work in an environment where you have the privilege of dealing with people who actually want to become citizens of this country, people who bring a rich gift of diversity and culture to our country, you might want to have the slightest sense of appreciation for those diffwences. And that the fact that so many North-but-not-Canada-Americans don't appreciate other cultures is part of why so many people hate us right now.
And the fact that so many people hate us right now is why I will have to hunt down my doctor's letter and prescription labels and check my lipstick (sigh. I will not look glamourous as I descend from the plane to claim my bags) when I fly to D.C. on Saturday for a combination of work/fun travel. The security guards at our dinky airport take their job far more seriously than any TSA official in a city where terrorism is a real possibility and I look forward to a lovely girl on girl wanding experience this weekend.
Ciao bellas!
She asked why we were not allowed to have our cell phones on. Was it a security thing or was it a respect issue? Respect, said the guard. You wouldn't believe how fast people can talk in Spanish or Vietnamese, yabba jabba jabba. And they're so loud. It's really annoying.
I fully sympathize with their desire to have a cell phone free zone. But frankly, I'm more annoyed when I can understand people's conversations. I don't need to hear about your brother sleeping with your best friend and how BETRAYED you feel, or about the fact that your dog farted last night and your c-section incision is still kind of oozing and your husband doesn't care.
Then, as I was having my fingerprints done, one of the workers commented that the man she had just fingerprinted, from the Sudan, was really stinky (not that I could notice, he wasn't).
It seems to me, that if you're going to work in an environment where you have the privilege of dealing with people who actually want to become citizens of this country, people who bring a rich gift of diversity and culture to our country, you might want to have the slightest sense of appreciation for those diffwences. And that the fact that so many North-but-not-Canada-Americans don't appreciate other cultures is part of why so many people hate us right now.
And the fact that so many people hate us right now is why I will have to hunt down my doctor's letter and prescription labels and check my lipstick (sigh. I will not look glamourous as I descend from the plane to claim my bags) when I fly to D.C. on Saturday for a combination of work/fun travel. The security guards at our dinky airport take their job far more seriously than any TSA official in a city where terrorism is a real possibility and I look forward to a lovely girl on girl wanding experience this weekend.
Ciao bellas!
posted by art-sweet at 10:56 AM
5 Comments:
"girl-on-girl wanding experience"...you're too much!!!!
I totally agree that I'd rather NOT understand what people are saying when they're jabbering on cell phones. You would think, however, that those who are working in a place where the function of their job is to work with people of other nationalities might have the slightest bit more tact and understanding.
Tiny airports are annoying as hell. We lived in Columbia, SC and flew 2 weeks after 9-11. We got wanded, our luggage got thoroughly searched, etc. On our way back, we had an overnight in Atlanta and had to go back through security, and they barely looked at anyone. I don't mind security precautions but, for the love of G-d, I wish they'd be consistent about them.
I'll sxwap your girl on girl wanding for a doctor on girl wanding any day!
When my (hideous) mother went to visit my brother at his small town she got pulled up for getting checked with the bomb making residue thingy at the airport. When my brother joked to my mother that she must have a terrorist look about her the security guard snapped at my brother "If you knew how scary terrorism is you wouldn't be joking". She didn't realise my brother is a captain in the army and had just gotten back from serving in Iraq! Those airports are soooooo stupid.
Ah, Homeland Insecurity, how I love thee, let me count the ways. I hope your stay with them is shorter than mine was!
Ah, Homeland Insecurity, how I love thee, let me count the ways. I hope your stay with them is shorter than mine was!
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