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Freedom Fries Revisited
In the Fairfield Weekly, Tom Gogola writes of a horrifying encounter with security forces that began, as these things always do, with fried potato products.
I was heading back to Connecticut after a weekend with the family when I took the photo. I’d eaten the fries on the way over, but couldn’t stomach another round, so I snapped two photos at the food counter, and as I was putting the camera away, two guys behind the counter started lobbing hostile, accusatory questions in my direction. “Why are you taking pictures of the food?” “I’m writing a review,” I responded, and walked away.
I went outside to take some notes and then headed back into the cabin. I observed that there were two crew members standing near me, and I heard one of them talking about me, and the photo I took. I had been turned in!
I’m of the mindset that when overzealous 9/11-hero wannabes start making ridiculous accusations, I am going to stand up and say something. If I hear you talking about me like I might be a terrorist for taking a picture of french fries, I am going to interrupt and put some perspective on the matter. So I approached the mate and told him I had a complaint about his crew. I didn’t appreciate their hostility. Yes, I was livid. Stone-cold sober, too.
F-bombs are thrown, IDs are deemed invalid, and hilarity ensues.
|5.24.07 @ 11:09AM|#
Sorry, but Golga sounds like a world-class jerk. Of course "Gilligan" did not respond well to a guy cussing him out for no obvious reason.
|5.24.07 @ 11:10AM|#
If you ever want to find out if that big industrial facility
down the street works on defense-related projects, all you have to
do is pull into their parking lot, take a photo, and count to
ten.
Ooh, you're going to get the "A-1 Security" shif manager? OK.
Hey, those people have to justifiy their budget, too.
|5.24.07 @ 11:13AM|#
In light of this story, it's definitely worth re-visiting the
Shrine of the Mall Ninja.
http://lonelymachines.org/mall-ninjas/
|5.24.07 @ 11:14AM|#
When I'm ordered to show my ID, I'm always tempted to bust out my concealed carry permit. It is a state-issued ID, after all, but I always have the nagging feeling that Something Bad would happen if I did.
|5.24.07 @ 11:29AM|#
I'm a travel writer/photographer and it's amazing to me how
often this kind of thing happens, especially when I'm out just
taking pix in places where tourists don't normally
congregate.
My instinct is to react exactly like Golga, but I'm sure my editors
would be less than thrilled if they had to bail me out of some jail
in Raleigh or Boise.
And don't get me started about the, ah-hem, fine men and women of
the TSAr who play such a large role in my professional life
now.
|5.24.07 @ 11:37AM|#
The sad thing is, more people don't have the "when overzealous 9/11-hero wannabes start making ridiculous accusations, I am going to stand up and say something" mindset. How long before, submitting to body cavity searches when renewing drivers license becomes commonplace.
|5.24.07 @ 11:38AM|#
Just for kicks, when asked for a photo ID in the past I would
pull out my state issued 220 General Lines insurance agent card
with my picture on it.
It was a totally gay thing to do!!
|5.24.07 @ 11:47AM|#
The sad thing is, more people don't have the "when
overzealous 9/11-hero wannabes start making ridiculous accusations,
I am going to stand up and say something" mindset. How long before,
submitting to body cavity searches when renewing drivers license
becomes commonplace.
Problem is, the author didn't have any accusations made towards
him. He got angry at overhearing people talk about him.
Scooby|5.24.07 @ 11:57AM|#
Dan T., I'm not sure you'd realize that most people don't appreciate people making silly accusations about them (which is what he overheard), since that is the raison d'etre of trolls.
|5.24.07 @ 11:59AM|#
I agree with Dan T, this guy kinda brought this on himself. Sure, the employess overreacted, but if he had just rolled his eyes and walked away I bet nothing would have happened. Instead he got in the manager's face about what is really a super minor incident and, weird, the manager did not react well to it.
|5.24.07 @ 12:01PM|#
I've been on the Port Jeff - Bridgeport ferry a few times, and I
seem to recall that there are clear notices that photography isn't
allowed in certain places, both in the harbor and on the
ferry.
They tend to ignore it if you're taking pictures of the Sound,
which I like to do, but they don't like it if you're taking
"unusual" pictures.
|5.24.07 @ 12:05PM|#
As much as my heart wants to side with Golga, and as much as the
"papers, please" security show grates on me, I just can't do
it.
There is something about a guy who thinks that starting an argument
with a $7.00/hr security guard counts as a blow against Big Brother
that reminds me of the people who think that writing a blog and
using the word "Islamofascist" counts as a blow against
terrorism.
thoreau|5.24.07 @ 12:14PM|#
joe, the difference is that writing a blog doesn't actually
involve any interaction with the phenomenon one is railing
against.
But when somebody actually confronts you and says that taking a
photo of french fries threatens the Homeland, it doesn't matter how
much or how little the guy makes. He's actually there, in front of
you, trying to get in your way, and you have to call bullshit on
it.
|5.24.07 @ 12:16PM|#
That's fine, throeau.
Just don't pretend it makes you a freedom fighter.
All I'm sayin'.
Jozef|5.24.07 @ 12:17PM|#
I'm a travel writer/photographer and it's amazing to me how
often this kind of thing happens, especially when I'm out just
taking pix in places where tourists don't normally
congregate.
Two years ago I was taking photos of the July 4 fireworks in
Atlanta. Standing on a public sidewalk, overlooking Lenox Mall, I
still got harassed and shut down by the cops.
|5.24.07 @ 12:18PM|#
thoreau, I think the difference here is that the guy Golgola
cursed out doesn't seem to have confronted him; Golgola just
overheard a conversation about himself.
I agree with joe; I'm all for going to the mattresses if some
jackass confronts you about taking photos of french fries, but
there's no reason to open up with F-bombs because somebody else
mentions your odd behavior in conversation without knowing you're
there.
Chucklehead|5.24.07 @ 12:19PM|#
Just don't pretend it makes you a freedom
fighter.
It makes you a Freedom Fries fighter though.
thoreau|5.24.07 @ 12:19PM|#
Brian, if you realize that you are suddenly on the radar because you photographed some french fries, and you tell them that they are being ridiculous, what's wrong with that?
robc|5.24.07 @ 12:23PM|#
Warty,
I use my CCDW permit as ID on a regular basis. About the only
places Im ever asked for IDs are bars (and not very often anymore).
Its fun to use the CCDW there since I cant carry there. Ive gotten
some odd reactions.
Jennifer|5.24.07 @ 12:27PM|#
So, Joe: how high does an authority figure's salary have to be before you think his assaults against freedom should be taken seriously? Is it an absolute number, or is it relative to the salary of whomever he's fucking with?
|5.24.07 @ 12:27PM|#
The one time I did try to call "bullshit" was at a mall in
Cincinnati when a security guard informed me I couldn't take
pictures of the outside of her facility from a public street. (I
have no problem with a privately owned facility prohibiting photos
inside.)
I tried to remain pleasant, but asked to see her supervisor so I
could explain a few things.
The supervisor told me it was because the mall was a high-priority
terrorist target.
Of course right next door was a huge tourist attraction (which,
were I a terrorist, would be a much more attractive target), where
nearly everyone inside was carrying a camera and snapping
pix.
In any case, I just held my tongue and walked away, which wasn't
easy.
|5.24.07 @ 12:29PM|#
thoreau,
It's a matter of the way you go at it. From this guy's own
description, it sounds like he was spoiling for a fight from the
drop. A calm explanation of what he was doing would probably have
been more helpful than unleashing a stream of F-bombs at the $7/hr
security guard.
By the way, I'm not saying I'm above that sort of reaction. But I
can usually recognize afterward that I was being
counterproductive.
|5.24.07 @ 12:33PM|#
Jennifer,
Somebody talking about me is not really much of an assault on my
freedom.
Jennifer|5.24.07 @ 12:36PM|#
Somebody talking about me is not really much of an assault
on my freedom.
Somebody threatening to sic the cops on you if you don't obey his
petty dictates is. Low pay be damned.
|5.24.07 @ 12:37PM|#
Jennifer,
Is it a genetic flaw that you can't address arguments as they are
actually made, or is it a learned behavior?
Compare, "starting an argument with a $7.00/hr security guard" to
"taken seriously."
Now, when you figure out a way to formulate your question so it
bears some resemblance to my point, get back to me.
|5.24.07 @ 12:41PM|#
At the article's end Gogola writes "this episode was clearly
brought to you by the same dangerously moronic mindset that brought
you Freedom Fries."
More accurately, this is the same mindset that brought on the
Bostonian over-reaction to the Mooninite Marauders of the Aqua Teen
Hunger Force.
Them weren't ordinary fries. IT WAS FRYLOCK!
Jennifer|5.24.07 @ 12:43PM|#
Compare, "starting an argument with a $7.00/hr security
guard" to "taken seriously."
My question involves how much the security guard needs to be paid
before his petty power plays can be argued with. If you're too
dishonest to stand by your own statements after failing to think
them through, don't try projecting that onto me.
Chucklehead|5.24.07 @ 12:44PM|#
It's a matter of the way you go at it. From this guy's own
description, it sounds like he was spoiling for a fight from the
drop. A calm explanation of what he was doing would probably have
been more helpful than unleashing a stream of F-bombs at the $7/hr
security guard.
Gotta agree. Of course, if he had asked if he could take a snapshot
of the food counter, in light of there being 'no photography' signs
around (at least in the terminals), he probably would've gotten to
write his original story.
|5.24.07 @ 12:45PM|#
So this one time at the fry counter on the ferry, this prickly
jackass steps up to the counter and makes a big show of taking a
candid picture of the staff with a fancy journalist's $10,000
camera. Didn't even ask first or buy anything, but he may have
mentioned he bought fries on another leg of the ferry trip. He
tosses off a line about he's writing a review. Now, these fries may
not be the best in the world, but the workers have some pride, and
I don't want a picture of an inadvertent fly on the fries costing
their jobs.
The ship mates, collegial guys who the galley staff joke around and
smoke-break with, step up for the honor of co-workers, but in a
passive-agressive way, by making overzealous stage-whisper comments
"can-you-believe-that-guy" about our mr. jackass. The prickly
jackass has the nerve to call down the management about well-earned
opinions about his visible public behavior and demeanor, throws
around f-bombs, and proceeds to make a federal case out of it by
connecting it to 9-11 all by himself!
|5.24.07 @ 12:49PM|#
I'd eaten the fries on the way over, but couldn't stomach
another round, so I snapped two photos at the food
counter
I realize this is kind of irrelevant, but how is taking a picture
of the fries a substitute for eating them? Or, if he wanted a
picture just to jog his memory while at the computer later on, why
did the fact that he was full enter into his decision?
I just don't get this guy.
|5.24.07 @ 12:53PM|#
Jennifer,
"My question involves how much the security guard needs to be paid
before his petty power plays can be argued with."
No, your question involves how much the security guard has to be
paid before starting a fight with him, personally, amounts to
taking his actions seriously.
Personally, I'm not one of those people who shrieks at the DPW guy
doing pick and shovel work because my water bill went up, or at the
person at the check-in desk becaue the airline doesn't allow large
suitcases as carry ons.
But that's just me.
steveintheknow|5.24.07 @ 12:53PM|#
I can see joe's point. Terrorism stupidity/batin is everywhere,
but opportunities to fight back, and be a hero about it, are
not.
None the less, wouldn't urkobold be pleased with all of this
nonsense?
stuartl|5.24.07 @ 12:55PM|#
Jennifer, Is it a genetic flaw...
My guess is that it the extra X and missing Y chromosomes.
I keed, I keed.
Jennifer|5.24.07 @ 12:56PM|#
Personally, I'm not one of those people who shrieks at the
DPW guy doing pick and shovel work because my water bill went up,
or at the person at the check-in desk becaue the airline doesn't
allow large suitcases as carry ons. But that's just me.
Translation: that's just somebody who pretends not to understand
that the pick-and-shovel worker has no say in what your water rates
are, but a security guard, whether he makes seven or seventy bucks
an hour, damn sure has a say in whether or not he's going to view a
french-fry photo as a possible terrorist threat.
Mike Laursen|5.24.07 @ 1:10PM|#
Personally, I'm not one of those people who shrieks at the
DPW guy doing pick and shovel work because my water bill went up,
or at the person at the check-in desk becaue the airline doesn't
allow large suitcases as carry ons.
Unless they were on the Internet. In which case, you would devote
hours and hours of your time arguing with them.
|5.24.07 @ 1:14PM|#
The way I see it, it doesn't matter if he was a jerk, or if he could have handled it better- we're not looking for nominations for freedom-fighter poster boys here, because he wasn't striking a blow for freedom. What he was doing was striking a blow against utter fucktwit stupidity, and when fighting fucktwit stupidity a few F-bombs are totally fine.
NoStar|5.24.07 @ 1:15PM|#
Jennifer,
As much as I like watching you bitch-slap joe, don't you think your
time would be better spent giving the fans of your feral genius
blog a new and long over due journal entry?
Sincerely yours,
NoStar
PS: btw, did you see my new wine review at The Wine Commonsewer?
http://www.winecommonsewer.com/the_wine_commonsewer/2007/05/danzante_2002_m.html#comments
Lupito41|5.24.07 @ 1:46PM|#
"Personally, I'm not one of those people who shrieks at the DPW
guy doing pick and shovel work because my water bill went
up..."
I think I am one of those people. For example, if my rare steak
gets burnt to shit at a restaurant and no manager comes 'round
after I mention it to the server, that server is likely to get
stiffed on the tip. Was it his fault? No. But now he will complain
to the right people, because their mismanagement is costing him.
Not exactly the same situation as our hero, but similar
mindframe.
And yes, I waited tables for several years.
|5.24.07 @ 2:24PM|#
Jennifer,
I don't think you have a very good conception of how much say
security doods working for shit pay have over how they do their
jobs.
|5.24.07 @ 2:25PM|#
Just don't pretend it makes you a freedom
fighter.
Sure it does. If everyone pushed back at whoever was pushing them
around with no good reason, things would change.
|5.24.07 @ 2:29PM|#
Ah, RC, but the security dood and the TSA dood do have a good
reason - they're going to be fired if they don't do their job as
their superiors direct them.
If you want to push back at the mall management and Congress, have
at it. That's something that might bring about a change. If you
want to complain to the City Council about sewer rates, go right
ahead.
But you might as well yell at the toll both dood about the price of
tolls, as act like jerk to some security guard doing what his job
entails.
NoStar|5.24.07 @ 2:34PM|#
At the risk of invoking Godwin; since when does receiving a near minimum wage give anyone carte blanche to invoke the "I was just following orders" defense.
Jennifer|5.24.07 @ 2:43PM|#
Southern sheriffs made shit wages back in the day. The civil-rights protestors were damned rude to take their frustrations out on these low-paid state employees who were not, after all, committing any crimes. Quite the opposite: they were enforcing the law.
|5.24.07 @ 2:45PM|#
If any of you guys were true libertarians you'd point out that
Gogola consented to being questioned by the staff when he stepped
foot on the boat and thus has no case.
In other words, next time he should swim across the river.
VM|5.24.07 @ 2:47PM|#
joe -
do you remember the scene in Commando where Arnold gets
into the fight with the security guards?
Your 2:24 somehow got that scene in my head.
But I'm sure the issue you raise in that post will get addressed.
In some way or other! :)
|5.24.07 @ 3:13PM|#
"Southern sheriffs made shit wages back in the day."
When the mall cops take you outside and beat the shit out of you,
get back to us, Jennifer.
"who were not, after all, committing any crimes. Quite the
opposite: they were enforcing the law." As a matter of fact, they
were quite often committing crimes, ranging from assault to filing
a false report to murder.
And as you might have noticed, the civil rights movement did not
revolve around individuals acting like jerks to individual cops
going about their daily routines.
Jennifer|5.24.07 @ 3:18PM|#
Joe, you're the one pretending that the security
guards' salary has anything to do with the issue at hand.
And you never did answer my original question of how much money an
authority figure has to make before someone can resent the abuse of
his authority. Again, I'll settle for either a flat number of a
ratio of authority-figure wage to the wage of the person he's
harassing.
|5.24.07 @ 3:48PM|#
Nope, and I'm not going to.
Not even you are stupid enough to fail to grasp the implication of
the phrase "$7 an hour security guard" in this debate.
David Rollins|5.24.07 @ 3:56PM|#
What kind of CCW are y'all carrying around that has a photo on it? The one I got from the sheriff of Durham County, NC looks like it was made using a typewriter and some scotch tape. I'm kind of jealous that I don't have another form of state-issued photo ID, especially one that flouts your support of the 2nd admendment.
|5.24.07 @ 4:47PM|#
If any of you guys were true libertarians you'd point out
that Gogola consented to being questioned by the staff when he
stepped foot on the boat and thus has no case.
Very true. If he had consulted his True Libertarianism Guide before
he boarded, he would have been clearly instructed to read all
posted signs and the back of his ticket; do due diligence at
relevant government websites and, perhaps, consult a lawyer that
specializes in transportation law; and discuss his potential
boarding with the captain.
Jennifer|5.25.07 @ 7:52AM|#
A half-point credit at least, NoStar. But why does he keep bringing up non-sequiturs and then getting upset when people refuse to pretend they're actually valid points?
|5.25.07 @ 1:19PM|#
Jennifer,
Perhaps because he's just an average joe.
Or that he is the boil on the butt of this thread.
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