We are not the problem

Image via WikipediaMy heart sank as we walked into security at Belfast's 'George Best' City Airport and I saw the Group Four logos on the staff's shirts. Outsourcing airport security, for some reason, just struck me as wrong.

My word, but they were professional. Scrupulous, painstaking and unfailingly polite. Sarah's bag was re-scanned and finally hand-searched by a staffer who explained what was going on, why and what he was doing - who was pleasant and yet businesslike, his movements careful, considered and in no way threatening. He even offered to help repack the bag.

The whole experience merely highlighted for me how utterly dehumanising and demeaning the awful security at Heathrow is - and how it really doesn't have to be like that. I have had run-ins with the staff at Heathrow before, aggressive and pumped up with their own importance, they seem to jump on any chance to crack the whip and let you know that 'sir' is a word used to call dogs. Their attitude is bullying, aggressive and at times sneering - they use aggressive hand gestures, are above any explanation and seem to thrive on working in one of the filthiest security areas I have ever encountered.

I have been increasingly puzzled at why we all put up with it - cowed and compliant, we let the staff running this demeaning regiman treat us like criminals rather than the people they are charged to protect. We shuffle through the barriers, herded with curt grunts of 'this way', 'down here' or 'this side'; we stop obediently when hands are shoved in our faces, wait for trays to be brought before we take our laptops out of our bags (not Kindles, for some reason) and take off our belts and shoes to shuffle through the metal detector - all the while being barked at by the camp guards.

On one flight, Sarah was selected for random body scanning. Not unnaturally, she asked about the scanner - what technology was it, were there any risks associated with it? She was told to 'read the sign', which helpfully said you have been selected for scanning and if you don't comply you won't be allowed to fly. It was the final straw. We complained to the Important Looking Man With The Radio and pointed out that he might like consider a trip to Belfast to look at best practice because Heathrow's security area was a deeply - and wholly unnecessarily - unpleasant place to be (in fact, friends refuse to fly through Heathrow for this very reason).

He agreed with us. Apparently BAA recognises the fact they have poor people skills and that their management of passengers has become secondary to their management of the task. Which is all very well, but the people in this case ARE the task. We have security, surely, so we can travel without fear and the shadow of extremism over our heads. The people providing the security are public servants, accountable, open to question and responsible for managing the task, in this case protecting people, appropriately.

Or have I gone mad? Should we really be grateful, in the name of protecting us against extremism, to be treated like dumb beasts every time we travel?

Benihana - Dumb and Dumber

Image via WikipediaYou might recall the brouhaha around Benihana Kuwait, the restaurant that sued blogger Mark Makhoul for posting a mildly critical review of the restaurant. Mark, the man behind uber-popular Kuwaiti blog 2:48AM, defended himself in court and won the case.

Benihana Kuwait, a licensee of US based Benihana of Tokyo. (which has maintained an atrocious silence throughout), has appealed the Kuwaiti court's ruling and has won on appeal.

The whole sad incident has already created massive, global negative coverage online for Benihana. The story was picked up by bloggers in the Middle East as well as by a number of top global websites and media. Benihana, both franchisee and franchisor, could hardly have managed the whole sorry incident more cack-handedly. It's even recorded on the company's Wikipedia entry.

Mark's update post about the case is linked here. The court has awarded damages against Mark of KD1,000 - a pretty paltry sum, but an award nonetheless. He's going to take it to appeal because it's about more than KD 1,000, it's about consumers' right to hold and freely express an opinion and I must say in his shoes I'd do exactly the same thing.

What amazes me is how utterly, unbelievably stupid Benihana Kuwait is being in pursuing this tawdry case - and how idiotic Benihana of Tokyo is being by allowing these morons to drag its name through the mud like this.