The Thinking ‘Kat: Mind What You Say
Picture the scene. You’re a tourist, who has booked a dream holiday to DisneyWorld. This is a once-in-a-lifetime voyage across the Atlantic to see one of the most iconic cultural and leisure destinations on the planet. However, your plans are vetoed because you had the audacity to be critical of the US government on social media. You find yourself either not permitted to fly, or you are turned around at the border, because you said something uncomplimentary about Donald Trump and his administration.
You might think this is far-fetched, and perhaps it is, but nor is it beyond the realm of possibility. Under proposed rules, US officials want to check the social media histories – up to five year’s worth – of incoming tourists. It is even proposed to check the family histories of inbound visitors. Precisely what shape these checks entail has not been made clear, but let’s consider the fragile ego of the Tangerine Tyrant. Let’s weigh up his increasingly draconian practices. Can he and his Republican bootlickers be trusted to adopt a reasonble approach to this measure?
If Trump values freedom of speech – and it’s increasingly evident that he doesn’t – then a few critical words and even insults should not matter where tourists are concerned. Visitors should not have to release the details of their social media just to satisfy his whim.
Of course, it may be that this is a genuine security effort. I can understand that people who use Facebook, Twitter etc to threaten violence against people and property, particularly if aimed at people from a specific nation, may find themselves on shaky ground. Boldly declaring you want to go over to the USA to kill people is an easy way of making sure you can’t be trusted! Even if you are making a show for your mates, it’s the sort of thing that security officials take a dim view of. It’s a bit like walking through an airport and pretending to have a bomb or a weapon. It isn’t clever, and it’s likely to have consequences.
The question is whether this is what Trump is looking for, or whether the instructions are casting a broader net. Trump bruises easily, and does not handle criticism very well, so would it be of any surprise to learn that people get turned away from the USA because they have been less than enthused with his ideals, policies and behaviour? It certainly wouldn’t surprise me!
What’s needed are details, but so far Trump and his team have not provided any. I guess we’ll have to wait and see, and in the meantime, if you wish to visit the USA, mind what you say!
‘Kat Comments