Comments on: Raise your hand if you are not here

By: cac

cac — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 04:12:11 +0000

I’m not sure if it’s apocraphyal or not but I have heard that immediately following the question on US immigration about whether you are a terrorist or genocidist it says “Answering yes may not mean that you are denied entry to the US”.

By: marine mammal

marine mammal — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 21:01:01 +0000

22 – the mass slaughter of cows in the UK wasn’t due to BSE, it was due to foot and mouth disease, which is easily spread via a person’s shoes. When foot and mouth was on in the UK, all footpaths were closed, so pedestrians couldn’t spread the disease.

By: Ginger Yellow

Ginger Yellow — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 09:51:23 +0000

Whereas genocide isn’t a crime?

With the memory of essentially every cow in the UK being slaughtered and burned in giant pyres still fresh, one would think the reason for this would be clear.

It would make more sense if the US didn’t refuse to systematically test slaughtered cows for BSE. Of course it’s a lot cheaper to get someone to fill out a questionnaire, but it doesn’t take a conspiracy theorist to think that the USDA fears what it might find.

By: cm

cm — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 05:52:52 +0000

ginger, kenny: It’s called “lying to a federal officer”, or something to that effect. You will note that the small print on top of virtually every signature line on a federal document has the phrase “under penalty of perjury”. Deportation or other administrative actions can then be based on grounds that illicit entrace to the country was obtained by misrepresenting facts or intentions to a federal agency.

By: Kenny Easwaran

Kenny Easwaran — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 01:53:36 +0000

13 – I believe the reason for that sort of question is so that when they get a visa, or become a permanent resident or even citizen or something, if they ever commit one of those crimes, then they can revoke citizenship or residency or whatever and punish the person more strictly and more easily.

By: Stentor

Stentor — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 22:30:26 +0000

I hate to take the fun out of a bit of corporate-bureaucracy-bashing, but I would imagine the survey writer assumed that anyone getting language assistance on the flight would also have language assistance while filling out the survey (eg someone to translate the questions and mark the appropriate answers).

By: Cranky Observer

Cranky Observer — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 21:51:32 +0000

> On the questionaire it asked if he intended to
> visit any farms while in Canada, he immediately
> checked “no” but then he goes into a stream of
> consciousness bit about “what does canada have on
> their farms that they don’t want me to see?”

With the memory of essentially every cow in the UK being slaughtered and burned in giant pyres still fresh, one would think the reason for this would be clear. Not that anyone ever puts an honest answer of course.

Cranky

By: Matt

Matt — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 13:11:05 +0000

I would have asked them to parse the phrase ‘on board this flight’, so I guess I do need language assistance.

By: Michael Kremer

Michael Kremer — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 12:32:00 +0000

Years ago I received a letter from the Social Security Administration—I don’t recall what it was informing me about—but I do remember that at the bottom of the page there was a notice:

“if you cannot read English, please call…”

By: bigboss

bigboss — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 11:28:36 +0000

Perhaps the suggestion that one needs language assistance applies to those who feel so frustrated, that they are inclined to use politically incorrect superlatives to describe their flying experience. Maybe its sarcasm???

By: chris y

chris y — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 10:58:02 +0000

Ginger,

The broadcaster Gilbert Harding once responded to an earlier version of that US question by writing “Sole purpose of visit”. He got in unchallenged.

By: Ginger Yellow

Ginger Yellow — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 09:27:35 +0000

It’s no more silly, surely, than the US immigration forms which ask

Do you seek to enter the United States to engage in export control violations, subversive or terrorist activities, or any other unlawful purpose? Are you a member or representative of a terrorist organization as currently designated by the U.S. Secretary of State? Have you ever participated in persecutions directed by the Nazi government of Germany; or have you ever participated in genocide?
Yes No

By: wickedpinto

wickedpinto — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 05:52:58 +0000

WHOAH! Belle quoting something form 2600 years ago (not correct dating but close enough) how about Agammemnon to Clyemnestra “honey? did you let your nails grow?!”

(blatant lie of a quote)

By: Belle Waring

Belle Waring — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 04:39:04 +0000

it’s like when clytamnestra says to cassandra “if you can’t understand me, at least make a sign with that foriegn hand of yours…”

By: jacob

jacob — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 03:37:21 +0000

In line with Alan’s response, but slightly different: I think that surveys like this are designed to make customers feel better about crappy service. This way, rather than leaving an airline thinking “This airline is crap, and I’ll never fly on it again,” you leave saying, “Boy, those people really care what I think and at least I got to complain.” It’s cheaper to give out a survey than to actually fix anything.