Lily Allen: ‘I’m a US customs target’ - Page 5

Beeyotch · February 11th, 2007, 10:16 PM

I definitely noticed customs people being unnecessarily rude after 9-11. And it doesn't matter if you look like you're of middle-eastern descent, either. My blonde, blue-eyed friend got the third degree coming into the U.S., she's a citizen. They searched her carry-on that had like 3 changes of clothes as if she were smuggling crack or pipe bombs or something, kept drilling her about what she was doing in the country and wouldn't leave her alone. All the while she was witnessing them similarly harrassing some poor lady in a wheelchair right next to her.

So I agree that sometimes no matter how pleasant and cooperative you are, those customs officials just don't care and will treat you like crap because they know they can get away with it. Sometimes they're just jerks with no accountability. It happens.

Lobelia · February 11th, 2007, 10:19 PM

The world is filled with people who love to abuse power.

pacific breeze · February 11th, 2007, 10:23 PM

C'mon, Lo, you KNOW that you have a bad attitude and a bad vibe. There is definitely a certain type of person who becomes a customs/immigration official though, and very few get to wield as much absolute power as they do. A lot of them are failed cops for starters, with all the insecurities and macho issues that involves.

That said, I've met some very friendly and personable customs' types, just not recently, and not in the U.S. for quite some time.

Lobelia · February 11th, 2007, 10:41 PM

Well, I've never had any trouble but I'm not a well-travelled person. When I have gone through customs, I was a little intimidated, probably due to my lack of experience.

I'm sure people go through with bad attitudes & attract attention. I'm also sure that there are customs agents who are jerks for all kinds of reasons, none of them good or professional. I imagine that each place has its own workplace culture, and being a jerk might just be the encouraged (subliminal or otherwise) behavior.

How do I know this? Because people are people, and it seems to be a common phenomenon that jobs such as these tend to attract people who are willing to accept relatively low pay as long as they have some authority. Unfortunately, it's easy to give yourself little raises here & there with your authority, especially if you're not well supervised.

Of course, they're not all jerks. It's just that there are a lot of factors that can very easily contribute to abuse of power in these situations.

moomies · February 11th, 2007, 10:56 PM

Customs officers get paid very well over here, I don't think they are paid low (two of my relatives work for Canadian customs). Don't know if it's the same in US though.

Yoko Ono · February 11th, 2007, 11:03 PM

Don't know if this has been fixed or not but it may explain the reason for some
of the harrassment of travellers at U.S airports....

WASHINGTON--About 30,000 airline passengers have discovered since last November that their names were mistakenly matched with those appearing on federal watch lists, a transportation security official said Tuesday.

details here.....
Tens of thousands mistakenly matched to terrorist watch lists | Tech News on ZDNet

A forum that I visit mentioned that people with common names like SMITH and JONES were on the list and the people were taken aside and hassled unnecessarily.

Maybe they still haven't fixed up this terror alert name list. I presume that you have to fill out a form to be taken OFF IT.

Just thought I'd post this for everyones information.

pacific breeze · February 11th, 2007, 11:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moomies

Customs officers get paid very well over here, I don't think they are paid low (two of my relatives work for Canadian customs). Don't know if it's the same in US though.

And U.S. customs officers stationed in Canada get $10,000 -- it may be higher now -- "isolation" pay on top of their regular salaries. A lot of my hubby's students become crime analysts for police forces or customs/immigration officers and they report a lot of hassles with the older workers who don't want to change their bullying ways.

moomies · February 11th, 2007, 11:10 PM

Oh yea the Police and Canadian Customs/Immigration peeps come to Career Day at SFU. I talked to a police recruiter person, he was thinking that I was studying forensics cuz I said I was majoring in anthropology...nope...SFU teaches social anthro, not physical...too bad.

mistify · February 11th, 2007, 11:11 PM

This thread is pissing me off so I am going... PB is not ignorant and dammit now I have to go.

Lobelia · February 11th, 2007, 11:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moomies

Customs officers get paid very well over here, I don't think they are paid low (two of my relatives work for Canadian customs). Don't know if it's the same in US though.

Well, when I said they get paid "relatively" lower, I mean that when you consider all the factors involved, the pay is lower than some other jobs with similar requirements, skills, stress level, etc. I did a quick search to see if the figures I had in my head were at least in the same ball park, and I found some conflicting information but from what I can glean, I wasn't off-base. But what constitutes a high salary or a low salary is purely subjective. It's a respectable salary, but you won't get rich.

Even so, I think that anybody who works in field that focuses on travel either in or out of the US has probably been more stressed during the last few years, as has already been mentioned. I wouldn't be surprised if agents have had to undergo a lot more training, meetings, etc. Nobody likes that. And they have to be "on" the whole time they're working. I would go bonkers if I had to stand on my feet all day & be hypervigilant, looking for problems, & being serious all day. It takes a certain type of person to be successful in this job, and there's got to be an up-side & a down-side to that.

Novice · February 12th, 2007, 07:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pinklilycat

Noooooo, don't be telling Lily to think before she speaks - it's truly refreshing the shit she heaps onto other celebs! I don't think there's anyone who that girl won't slag off! She may be obnoxious but it sure beats listening to all the other ass-kissers out there!!

I kind of meant don't tell everyone you're going to do charlie to celebrate then bitch when you're searched....

(but then in my completely uninformed opinion (coz I don't know her) she sounds like a typical spoilt little rich bitch so I don't really care how much she gets harrassed..... Oooh! I suggest she goes to France, they've been real bastards* for years! Yea!)

*I mean this in a good way.....

MrsDark · February 12th, 2007, 07:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lobelia

Well, when I said they get paid "relatively" lower, I mean that when you consider all the factors involved, the pay is lower than some other jobs with similar requirements, skills, stress level, etc. I did a quick search to see if the figures I had in my head were at least in the same ball park, and I found some conflicting information but from what I can glean, I wasn't off-base. But what constitutes a high salary or a low salary is purely subjective. It's a respectable salary, but you won't get rich.

Even so, I think that anybody who works in field that focuses on travel either in or out of the US has probably been more stressed during the last few years, as has already been mentioned. I wouldn't be surprised if agents have had to undergo a lot more training, meetings, etc. Nobody likes that. And they have to be "on" the whole time they're working. I would go bonkers if I had to stand on my feet all day & be hypervigilant, looking for problems, & being serious all day. It takes a certain type of person to be successful in this job, and there's got to be an up-side & a down-side to that.

You're definitely right about all this. In my FIL's case, he's pushing 60, already retired from another job plus a war vet, so the money (which isn't quite as bad as all that, though it could certainly be better given the job requirements) may not be as much of an issue as a younger person still raising kids. But the benefits are really good, I know this was as important for him as salary. Maybe being older and having worked hard for most of his life he has a tad more patience than some others might. This job is a pretty easy one for him. With the military background being hypervigilant is practically second nature. But there are all types of people who do this job. Cleary not all of them cut out for it. If I think about it next time, I'm gonna ask him if there's a high turnover there (maybe not outright quitting but putting in for transfers) for what he does.

MrsDark · February 12th, 2007, 08:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pinklilycat

Noooooo, don't be telling Lily to think before she speaks - it's truly refreshing the shit she heaps onto other celebs! I don't think there's anyone who that girl won't slag off! She may be obnoxious but it sure beats listening to all the other ass-kissers out there!!

Time and place. Surely she could keep her trap shut and behave long enough to clear security at an airport. But I'm guessing the free publicity she gets from showing her ass (figuratively speaking) in public is some compensation. I didn't know who the fuck Lily Allen was til now.

cissa · February 12th, 2007, 08:02 AM

I've had problems with US customs as well as having witnessed racial profiling right after 9-11, and also have been trhu humiliating situations when trying to get a visa, in the consulate here in Brazil. These people DO take advantage of their position to act superior and even infringe rights of those who travel or try to travel to the US, especially if they come from non-rich areas of the world, like Latin America, Africa and some places in Asia. I've been thru it more than a few times, even while I was a paying college student in the US. It's absurd and ridiculous. It makes a very bad impression of the US everywhere.

Mira · February 14th, 2007, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Picara

When you write about hispanic men always becoming angry just at the site of your "attractive" white face, that's racist.

For the record, I was not the poster who wrote that. Show me where I wrote that. You want to believe I wrote that to support your unfounded claims that I am a racist.

I have participated in many diversity trainings in Southern California, as part of a management training team. Many people who are of color will admit that in past years children are being raised to hate whitey and they want to know what to do about it - including dealing with their own race regarding the issue. Hating whitey is not a solution - only a reaction to their plight - and it is understandable but unproductive. Only by working together and treating everyone well will anything improve as far as racism goes.

As for your comments about astrology, you are entitled to your opinion but the serious study of astrology is not silly. It is a science and art based upon mathematical calculations and statistical probabilities. I do not do "sun sign" astrology which I agree with you is silly and useless.

For the record, another astrologer and I will be posting a jointly written article in the future analyzing Anna Nicole's birthchart and I will ask you kindly in advance to ignore it. You've made your points - over and over again.

I really don't give a shit whether you dislike me or not. You made up your mind to dislike me not just for my opinions but the for the fact that I have a strong presence here at gr. You're not going to succeed in making me go away so leave it alone.

And for the record, my current daily average for posts is 22.99, which is quite common for many posters and not at all excessive.