# The Flying Morons - another plane delayed by a fucking idiot **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 7, 2016, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flying-morons-another-plane-delayed-by-a-fucking-idiot/754219 "2016-05-07T20:51:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 21
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2016, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flying-morons-another-plane-delayed-by-a-fucking-idiot/754219/401 "2016-05-23T16:19:01Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > Considering that we’re talking about **acts of terrorism and the possibility of death or dismemberment** , why would anyone want to stop the public from speaking out? Cite that working a math problem qualifies? ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2016, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flying-morons-another-plane-delayed-by-a-fucking-idiot/754219/402 "2016-05-23T16:21:45Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > 'I’m sorry, sir. You may not board with more than 3.4 oz. of stupid. You can leave it here or ship it back home." Wow! You have so much stupid that you’re SELLING it? You’re quite the entrepreneur. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2016, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flying-morons-another-plane-delayed-by-a-fucking-idiot/754219/403 "2016-05-23T16:24:08Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Cite that working a math problem qualifies? Cite that working a math problem doesn’t qualify. You seem to be the expert on what terrorists can, and can not, do while they’re waiting for their bombs to explode. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2016, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flying-morons-another-plane-delayed-by-a-fucking-idiot/754219/404 "2016-05-23T16:24:30Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > Wow! You have so much stupid that you’re SELLING it? You’re quite the entrepreneur. There’s no market for selling stupid when you give it away for free. You’re the Sam’s Club of stupid. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2016, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flying-morons-another-plane-delayed-by-a-fucking-idiot/754219/405 "2016-05-23T16:52:21Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > It’s his modus operandi. > > I really don’t understand why, on a site like this one, someone would choose to highlight their own stupidity, but apparently **doorhinge** gets some kind of bizarre gratification out of it. I believe that if you see something, you should say something. It’s unfortunate that there are delays because terrorists are STILL trying to murder people. It’s also unfortunate that you chose to undermine the efforts of passengers to assist Obama’s DHS, TSA, and FBI efforts to uncover/minimize/prevent terrorism. Life’s a bitch, sometimes there are delays. I think a delay, even if it’s a mistake, is better than falling out of the sky. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2016, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flying-morons-another-plane-delayed-by-a-fucking-idiot/754219/406 "2016-05-23T16:54:04Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > There’s no market for selling stupid when you give it away for free. > You’re the Sam’s Club of stupid. You’re giving stupid away for free? How much stupid have you stockpiled? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2016, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flying-morons-another-plane-delayed-by-a-fucking-idiot/754219/407 "2016-05-23T16:54:23Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > I believe that if you see something, you should say something. It’s unfortunate that there are delays because terrorists are STILL trying to murder people. > > It’s also unfortunate that you chose to undermine the efforts of passengers to assist Obama’s DHS, TSA, and FBI efforts to uncover/minimize/prevent terrorism. Life’s a bitch, sometimes there are delays.\*\* I think a delay, even if it’s a mistake, is better than falling out of the sky. YMMV.\*\* So she made a mistake. What did she think he was doing? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2016, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flying-morons-another-plane-delayed-by-a-fucking-idiot/754219/408 "2016-05-23T17:07:20Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > You’re giving stupid away for free? How much stupid have you stockpiled? No wonder math frightens you. You’re illiterate. How many readers have you reported? ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2016, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flying-morons-another-plane-delayed-by-a-fucking-idiot/754219/409 "2016-05-23T17:09:41Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > Cite that working a math problem doesn’t qualify. > > You seem to be the expert on what terrorists can, and can not, do while they’re waiting for their bombs to explode. Seems like writing a lot of stuff, on paper, is exactly the opposite of how a suicidal terrorist would spend their last hours. And a person who is intent on blowing up this here aeroplane is by definition suicidal. You write stuff on paper in order to convey/preserve information for use at a later time. Their is no post office at thirty thousand feet. ---
**Author:** ![slumtrimpet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@slumtrimpet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slumtrimpet)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2016, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flying-morons-another-plane-delayed-by-a-fucking-idiot/754219/410 "2016-05-23T17:24:06Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > This is not the first plane that has returned to the gate because of a passenger’s suspicion. It’s not going to be the last. I assume ISIS, and the other terrorist organizations, welcome any attempts by Groupthink to undermine the anti-terrorist efforts of government agencies and concerned citizens. They’ll probably erect a plaster statue in your honor. Whereas I assume ISIL and other terrorist organizations are chortling into their beards. They don’t have to do shit, we can terrorize ourselves quite competently. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2016, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flying-morons-another-plane-delayed-by-a-fucking-idiot/754219/411 "2016-05-23T18:27:07Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > If things were different, things would be different. But you don’t know that things **are** different from the situation I described. In fact, all the available evidence indicates that what happened is **exactly the same** as the situation I described. But now you’re arbitrarily claiming that what happened is somehow “different” from that, based on no additional evidence. What became of your much-vaunted determination to wait for “all sides of the story” before believing any particular interpretation of the situation? :dubious: > [@doorhinge](#): > > In this particular case, a woman saw/heard something suspicious so she reported it to the aircrew. No, what happened was that she saw/heard something that _she_ considered suspicious. All the available evidence indicates that what she reported was not something that a reasonable person would have considered suspicious, and that her report was consequently the result of a stupid mistake on her part. > [@doorhinge](#): > > Which is what Obama’s DHS has suggested she, and all other passengers do. No, we’ve established by quotes from the DHS website that they want reports of suspicious circumstances to be based on rational criteria and informed awareness of what actually counts as “suspicious”. The DHS does not actually want members of the public freaking out over ill-informed suspicions that are baseless, irrational and absurd. Of course, given the high incidence of severe ignorance and irrationality in the general population, the DHS is inevitably going to end up dealing with a certain amount of reporting based on ill-informed suspicions that are baseless, irrational and absurd. But that doesn’t mean that such stupidity is a **good** thing, or that people shouldn’t still try to avoid making stupid mistakes. [QUOTE=doorhinge] It should be understood that mistakes will happen. [/quote] Very true. And some of those mistakes will be stupid ones. And there is nothing wrong with laughing at a stupid mistake, even if it was ultimately inspired by a fear of terrorism. > [@doorhinge](#): > > But the other option is to see nothing, say nothing, do nothing. Actually, for people who happen to have more brains and judgement than a can of tuna fish, there are **additional** options in between the first extreme of _“everybody should report everything that they find in any way disturbing, no matter how ridiculous, uninformed or stupid their suspicions are, and no matter how far removed the subject of their suspicion is from the DHS guidelines about what sort of incident constitutes a **rational** cause for suspicion”_, which you seem to be promoting, and the opposite extreme of _“see nothing, say nothing, do nothing”_, which nobody is promoting. One viable intermediate option, for instance, might be _“report the sort of things that typically constitute a rational cause for suspicion, but don’t be ignorantly paranoid, and try to avoid stupid mistakes”_. > [@doorhinge](#): > > Considering that we’re talking about acts of terrorism and the possibility of death or dismemberment, why would anyone want to stop the public from speaking out? Considering that resources for dealing with threats are finite, every thinking person from the DHS on down wants the public **_not_ to be constantly overwhelming the reporting system with suspicions based on nothing more than paranoid ignorance and stupidity, and thus _drowning the signal of genuine threats in the noise of irrational Chicken-Littleism_**. You, on the other hand, seem to believe that a constant deluge of irrational Chicken-Littleism will make the public safer, and even that the DHS agrees with you about that. Which, surprising though it may seem, is not even the stupidest thing you’ve said in this thread. Speaking of which, let’s get back to the other question that you dodged: > [@Kimstu](#): > > > [@doorhinge](#): > > > > In the mean time, perhaps you could explain to the class exactly what terrorists are supposed to do while they are waiting for their bomb to explode. Are they forbidden from doing mathematical equations? > > Wait, so you’re saying that you consider it reasonable to _report as suspicious **any** activity that **might** conceivably be engaged in by a terrorist while taking a **break** from their actual terrorist machinations_?? Well? Are you? ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2016, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flying-morons-another-plane-delayed-by-a-fucking-idiot/754219/412 "2016-05-23T20:18:54Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > In this particular case, a woman saw/heard something suspicious so she reported it to the aircrew. So you admit you consider doing maths to be suspicious? ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2016, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flying-morons-another-plane-delayed-by-a-fucking-idiot/754219/413 "2016-05-23T20:30:35Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > > [@running\_coach](#): > > > > Cite that working a math problem qualifies? > > Cite that working a math problem doesn’t qualify. > … [QUOTE=Monty Python] I came here for an argument! No you didn’t. Yes I did. No you didn’t. [/QUOTE] You do all see what’s going on here; right? ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2016, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flying-morons-another-plane-delayed-by-a-fucking-idiot/754219/414 "2016-05-23T21:10:28Z")
Well yes but causing cognitive dissonance in obnoxious dills is fun. Though whether doorhinge has enough brainpower to realise there is dissonance is an open question. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2016, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flying-morons-another-plane-delayed-by-a-fucking-idiot/754219/415 "2016-05-23T21:32:14Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > Well yes but causing cognitive dissonance in obnoxious dills is fun. Though whether doorhinge has enough brainpower to realise there is dissonance is an open question. I suspect that he does have the brainpower, but also has obnoxious and anti-social ideas about what constitutes fun. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2016, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flying-morons-another-plane-delayed-by-a-fucking-idiot/754219/416 "2016-05-23T21:33:05Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > Cite that working a math problem doesn’t qualify. > > You seem to be the expert on what terrorists can, and can not, do while they’re waiting for their bombs to explode. By those stupid fucking associations - anyone that is reading, writing, sleeping, paying attention to the stewardess, etc - CAN ALL BE TERRORISTS. You sir, are the KING of the Morons and the morons are wondering how stupid they had to have been to elect you. How many people have you turned in today that maybe could’ve possibly been a terrorist? did you turn in everyone you saw?? did you turn yourself in when you opened this forum? after all, terrorists read the net to!!! ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2016, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flying-morons-another-plane-delayed-by-a-fucking-idiot/754219/417 "2016-05-23T21:35:11Z")
> [@simster](#): > > By those stupid fucking associations - anyone that is reading, writing, sleeping, paying attention to the stewardess, etc - CAN ALL BE TERRORISTS. > > You sir, are the KING of the Morons and the morons are wondering how stupid they had to have been to elect you. > > How many people have you turned in today that maybe could’ve possibly been a terrorist? did you turn in everyone you saw?? did you turn yourself in when you opened this forum? after all, terrorists read the net to!!! That’s it! That’s why his posts make no sense. They’re actually coded terrorist messages! ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2016, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flying-morons-another-plane-delayed-by-a-fucking-idiot/754219/418 "2016-05-23T21:38:23Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > You found that writing math is dangerous. You seem to have an unusually paranoiac view of education. In other words, a typical Republican. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2016, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flying-morons-another-plane-delayed-by-a-fucking-idiot/754219/419 "2016-05-23T21:39:47Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > That’s it! That’s why his posts make no sense. They’re actually coded terrorist messages! but you recognized the code - you must be a terrorist too! \ stay seated - we’re sending someone right over. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2016, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flying-morons-another-plane-delayed-by-a-fucking-idiot/754219/420 "2016-05-23T22:41:19Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > I suspect that he does have the brainpower, but also has obnoxious and anti-social ideas about what constitutes fun. People who only \*act \*like morons should be taken at face value. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flying-morons-another-plane-delayed-by-a-fucking-idiot/754219.md?page=20) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flying-morons-another-plane-delayed-by-a-fucking-idiot/754219.md?page=22)