White couple: "It was a very racist thing to do"

[>:^|]

full text at http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald...8890993.htm?1c

A white couple from Tallahassee, Fla., and their adopted daughter were ordered off an airplane because police were concerned they had abducted the Chinese toddler.

Richard and Ruth Feiock said the actions of police were bigoted and that they may file a civil lawsuit against Erie International Airport.

"It was a very racist thing to do, ordering us off of the plane," said Richard Feiock, a political science professor at Florida State University. The family was in Erie on Tuesday night to see an older daughter graduate from Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy.

Two people aboard the Delta flight became concerned when the Feiock's 2-year-old daughter began crying incessantly as the airplane sat on the tarmac, police said.

[Cipherous]

that is pretty fucked up.

[ism]

Yes, it is. Makes me wonder if I can get rid of crying toddlers on my next flight if I complain it looks like the child has been abducted.

[rice cracker]

*lightbulb turns on* Hey, maybe someone could do that to Jerry and Louise Baker.

[mr. x]

ironically i bet its this whole perception of "protecting" that led to the bigotry, i mean obviously a white child would probly not have gotten a second look but yeah the cops werent thinking "lets hassle these chink adopters" but yeah im not defending the action, just saying shit happens

[SunWuKong]

are they really ready to adopt transracially if they are actually surprised by this?

[SunWuKong]

Originally Posted by professor frink

today at the airport i saw an amish couple holding their new asian baby - i wanted to say something but i held my tongue. they just looked really happy to have a baby.

so the baby is going to grow up to be an Amish Asian. how many of them do you think exist?

hey waitaminute... what were Amish people doing riding an airplane?

[NotAsian]

Maybe they weren't Amish. Maybe they were just going to a fancy dress party :p

Ok so what would have been everyone's reaction if the couple had been Asian and the baby had been white? I'm willing to bet you'd all be a lot more sympathetic.

[onnihs]

The Devil’s Advocate says:

What the police did to the Feiock’s was justified. It is still unusual to see an Asian child parented by a Caucasian couple, especially in certain areas across the country. The passenger who initially reported the alleged kidnapping was undoubtedly concerned over the well-being of the child, which makes it a little strange that the Feiock’s would cry racism when the entire fiasco was initialized for the safety of the child. They should be grateful that people still put forth the effort to help or do the right thing. Although it was an ill-fated attempt to do so, it was an effort to save a life nonetheless, and that is what the parents should focus on. The police were simply doing their jobs – they probably could have spoken to the parents right there on the plane and properly assessed the situation right then and there, but shit everyone panics when shit goes down on a plane these days, so naturally, they were asked to step off the plane first.

I’d bet $10 that Richard Feiock also became very rude and distraught over the initial confrontation, awarding more speculation and suspicion to the police. I don’t think his civil lawsuit will go very far at all.

[SunWuKong]

Originally Posted by NotAsian

Ok so what would have been everyone's reaction if the couple had been Asian and the baby had been white? I'm willing to bet you'd all be a lot more sympathetic.

i'd be pissed but i'd just think they were a bunch of dumbasses instead of racists, and i probably wouldn't file a civil lawsuit. because it would be unusual to see an Asian couple with a crying white 2-year old kid. hell, i'd probably stop them myself if i was a cop.

[>:^|]

Originally Posted by NotAsian

Ok so what would have been everyone's reaction if the couple had been Asian and the baby had been white? I'm willing to bet you'd all be a lot more sympathetic.

I'm not a sympathetic sort as a rule, but White kids are almost never adopted transracially. (One famous exception would be Scott Fujita, who plays for KC. I think his father is Japanese American and his mom is White.) Plus there would be a power differential.

[kimpossible]

Originally Posted by NotAsian

Ok so what would have been everyone's reaction if the couple had been Asian and the baby had been white? I'm willing to bet you'd all be a lot more sympathetic.

I don't get it. All you're basically saying is that you would hedge your bet that many of us would weigh the two scenarios differently, and considering there is a precedent of transracial/transnational adoption with some questionable practices that do sometimes involve baby stealing and power differentials based on money, race, nationality and history of colonialism - what would be the rationale for throwing all of those factors out the door? They're rather large and powerful factors. (yay for run on sentences)

I wouldn't care either way. I've been accused of stealing my own credit card because I don't look Asian enough to have my legal name but it's almost unheard of for an obviously full-blooded Asian woman with a Western name to be challenged because there is a higher percentage of outmarriage and transracial adoption for Asian females.

Sorry, but as a nearly white person I don't go for a lot of this 'reverse racism' nonsense and to neglect why the two situations might realistically be weighed differently is a bit simplistic.

[achtungbaby]

Originally Posted by NotAsian

Ok so what would have been everyone's reaction if the couple had been Asian...

White people wouldn't allow, say, a couple in China to adopt one of their own like that. Children are safest under the watchful Caucasian eye Same reason why a judge actually ordered that a Chinese girl be taken from the custody of her birth parents and placed in the secure, safe, loving arms of the white parents who wanted her.

Everyone wants a cute little Asian baby girl. Everyone knows that breed is housetrained, has strong inclinations to excel in school, plays nice (usually) with others, and will be a lifelong friend for years to come...!

Sorry. Maybe I've been browsing through too many dog rescue adoption websites. I was thinking about a pug or Yorkshire...something that will be compatible with my shih tzu mix. Then everything will be hunky-dory and preserved.

Fitter...happier...more productive...

And by the way...I wasn't sure how to react to this story. The couple was outraged by the officers' prejudices...?

How dare they think Asian children have Asian parents or guardians!! Don't they know that Asian babies are the birthright of all parents, white, black, jews and gentiles...? Such discrimination!

[Cipherous]

Originally Posted by professor frink

omg, this is hilarious. what a good reality check for the couple.

today at the airport i saw an amish couple holding their new asian baby - i wanted to say something but i held my tongue. they just looked really happy to have a baby.

love,
prof. frink

I am just curious, what would you have said?

[BigLew]

The white couple got thier kid back right? Too bad the same can't be said for Jack and Casey He.

Originally Posted by NotAsian

Ok so what would have been everyone's reaction if the couple had been Asian and the baby had been white? I'm willing to bet you'd all be a lot more sympathetic.