A security screener has been fired after passing a note to a passenger at a Rochester airport checkpoint that said “You ugly.” Notably this was an employee of a private contractor, and not the TSA. It’s unlikely they’d have been fired if they were a unionized government employee.
That traveler, Neal Strassner, said the worker gave him a note as he was passing through the security checkpoint. After he passed through he began walking away and heard the worker yell back at him “You going to open the note?”
At that point, Neal says he opened the note, which said “You ugly!!!” and the employee began bursting out in laughter, which you can see in footage from airport security cameras
Here’s the passenger – so you can decide for yourself how accurate the note is – and security video showing the note being passed to him. It took over a month to obtain security footage under a freedom of information act request.
"You Ugly" – Not the words a Rochester airline passenger expected to read when a security agent slips him a note at Greater Rochester International Airport. Now, according to TSA "You Fired" – see the surveillance video obtained by Neal Strassner. @SPECNewsROC pic.twitter.com/SGerBFmk35
— Wendy Wright (@WendyWrightTV) August 15, 2019
Here’s a close up of the note.
I would have had more respect for the screener if the note had said “you’re ugly and your mother dresses you funny.”
At the end of the video the screener begins writing another note…
I think she has a solid First Amendment case. 🙂
Were you trying to be funny? Because you’re not.
I didn’t think a Conde Nast Traveler Top Travel Expert would fat-shame someone. But here we are.
Who is being fat shamed? I don’t think I mentioned anything about anyone’s size?
Yesterday the CBP computer system failed, causing massive delays for incoming travelers across the USA.
And the top story at VFTW is the ‘You ugly’ story.
This is what you get when 90% of the TSA is ghetto trash. At most airports they’re busy shrieking at each other and at passengers in semi-coherent street slang. Examples like this are the reason most of us aren’t convinced their lives matter.
I would demand compensation from TSA in the form of 5 free passes (no security screening) on my next departures from this airport.
@gary – your cupidity is pretty depressing. this is the shaming (and completely unnecessary) part, you dolt –
“Here’s the passenger – so you can decide for yourself how accurate the note is“
Which part of that sentence is not designed to make fun of the passenger?
My video reaction https://youtu.be/bWk1AZwzx8Ac
‘Belinda’ but what does that have to do with fat as accused? And I wasn’t making fun of the passenger, who looks fairly average to me.
Gary, this is the quote from your article: “I would have had more respect for the screener if the note had said “you’re ugly and your mother dresses you funny.”” You clearly were making fun of the passenger. It’s wrong and disrespectful and speaks volumes about your character. Practice kindness.
@Kerl Smith – that would have at least been a funny line from their childhood that has nothing to do with the specific passenger :rolleyes:
I experienced stuff like this in school. Really bad in 6th grade. You would think adults would be different. The guy was not ugly. It’s rude and unnecessary to do stuff like this. The person deserved to be fired-whoever they were working for. I wouldn’t want someone like this to be looked at as a representative of an organization I was part of. I wish he hadn’t looked at the note right then. I think my curiosity would have got the better of me and I would have had to look at some point. Or if he looked and insulted the worker right back. I had an adult tell me this and that was my reaction-to tell him off. He also threw a bottle in my direction. I still don’t know what his problem was.
@Mr. Jackson. I watched the You Tube video and I wasn’t impressed. My reaction is on You Tube.