A White mother who said she was questioned about human trafficking while traveling with her biracial daughter has filed a lawsuit against Southwest Airlines, accusing the company of “blatant racism.”

  • Squirrel@thelemmy.club
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    22
    arrow-down
    32
    ·
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    Honestly, good for them for doing what they can against human trafficking. It’s worth offending a person here and there to save people from that terrible fate. Unfortunately, differing skin tones/ethnicities are probably the easiest indicator of human trafficking to watch for.

    Edit: I assume race isn’t the only thing they consider. If it is the only criteria necessary to confront someone, that’s obviously a problem.

    Edit 2: I’m sick and my brain isn’t working right. Maybe I am just being stupid – it wouldn’t be the first time.

    • dhork@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      33
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      1 year ago

      differing skin tones/ethnicities are probably the laziest indicator of human trafficking to watch for.

      FTFY.

      This is the same attitude that gets minorities killed all the time, for “looking suspicious” while occupying their skin in the wrong place at the wrong time.

      • Squirrel@thelemmy.club
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        edit-2
        1 year ago

        Yes, easiest and laziest are basically synonyms in this instance. I assume they have other criteria before confronting people, and if not, that’s obviously problematic.

        Edit: Or maybe I’m being stupid. I don’t know, and my head is too foggy to think it through right now.

    • NAK@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      24
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      1 year ago

      Don’t be stupid.

      There are millions, if not billions of dollars in the human trafficking economy. Continuous reports of rich and powerful people all over the planet participating in it. Disgusting human beings willing to treat children like animals for their own gratification.

      And you think these people won’t start hiring adults of the same ethnicity as the children they’re trafficking to move them?

      It’s such a reductive argument. “Just question any group of people if the children are a different ethnicity than the adults they’re with! Let’s not look at the kids body language, or the way they interact. Race is clearly the indicator!”

      Fucking stupid

      • Patius@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        1 year ago

        Yeah. How much human trafficking is actually going on at airports with a “parent” flying “their” child somewhere?

        If some sicko is a billionaire with a private jet and is THAT dedicated to getting a kid to them, they’ll fly them on their private jet. You know, like Epstein.

        And if they’re the “usual” human chattel that is treated like cattle, they’re probably being transported in some slower, cheaper method than a plane that (1) costs way more and (2) has a dozen security mechanisms designed to catch you.

        This is just racism and people buying into Qanon propaganda.

    • Academician@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      17
      ·
      1 year ago

      Yeah, and they should totally be stopping people in turbans to prevent terrorism! Who cares if a few people are offended if it means saving lives, right?

      This is a bad take. There are so many mixed race families in the world. It is not okay to start harassing all of them just because they might be doing something wrong. It’s literally just racism no matter how you try to dress it up.

    • Eladarling@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      14
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      That’s the basis of every argument against free speech, Save the Children is more and more a dogwhistle excuse to harass a group someone doesn’t like. Drag queens, lgbtq folks, adults creating and consuming adult content.

      It’s a way to intrude on privacy and free speech in a way that is unconscionable.