Caught listening to ‘wrong’ sort of music
An Asian salesman was hauled off a plane as a suspected terrorist because he was listening to The Clash song London Calling. Harraj Mann, 24, was quizzed for three hours by Special Branch after his taxi driver overheard the lyrics, which include the lines “war is declared and battle come down”.
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“[The Taxidriver] didn’t like Led Zeppelin or The Clash but I don’t think there was any need to tell the police.” [Daily Mirror, via BSSC]
I’m not sure whether to laugh or despair.
London Calling, good song that. ‘London’s Burning’ isn’t too bad either. Though, i wouldn’t say that either or just about any pop song is deeply insightful. It takes a particular kind of system to supply that level of mass docility necessary to create a demand for pop music.
Despair.
If special branches are wasting hours questioning asian men listening to the Clash then I guess its time to feel pretty unsafe…think of the number of crackerjack terroristas who arn’t listening to such naughty music and yet plotting the demise of Prince Charlie’s flower pot. Do they ever get questioned? I’ll bet not…must make them feel so discriminated against.
I worry when I take photographs sometimes: “Oh theres a dodgy pakistani-coloured bloke taking photos of London Bridge (its an ugly bridge too)…”
Then again Ive had white friends pulled up for photographing doorways – looks like overreaction in the wrong departments doesnt discriminate after all.
Now I think being ‘vigilant’ is a good thing, but theres a fine line between vigilance and being silly – asking Average Timmeh to tell the difference is asking a bit much I guess…
I blame the Tabloids.
I blame the taxi driver who saw an Asian man (name sounds Sikh) wanting to listen to a song called London Calling, and the fhalfwit assumed he was a Muslim terrorist. The police are obliged to follow up every lead like this that gets reported to them. So it’s not their fault.
Darn, next time i’m in London, i’ll play the “Dirty Kuffar” video on my IPod and see what happens.
“[The Taxidriver] didn’t like Led Zeppelin or The Clash but I don’t think there was any need to tell the police.”
Yea there was nooo need….. expect if the salesman was listening to country music.
Vikrant,
You’ll come to appreciate country after you’ve had your heart broken and your truck repo’d.
The police are obliged to follow up every lead like this that gets reported to them. So it’s not their fault.
On one end I think its good theyre actively able to follow up leads like this…spending 3 hours on it though…hmmmm…perhaps the cabbie told them he looked ’slightly Brazillian…in that illegal immigrant sorta way’.
Is this an example of something that is diametrically opposed to “PCness gone mad”?
Any suggestions for a phrase to describe it that we can promote to equally cliched status? Something about “living in a police state” comes to mind. What? That’s a cliche too?
Damn. Original thought is so elusive these days.
Escape From Bumbaklart.
Certainly passes the originality test.
=>”Any suggestions for a phrase to describe it that we can promote to equally cliched status?”
‘The ghost of Hitler lives again’
‘Orwellian nightmare’
etc etc
BACKGROUND NOISE
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