You have to know when to keep your mouth shut

After years of flying on commercial jets, I understand explicitly that you don’t joke about bombs or guns or any kind of weapon in an airport or on a plane. In the wake of the 9/11 terror this admonition is even more important. To do so is just tempting a nasty fate. Loveland Adjei, a British citizen, didn’t understand this and spent a month in hell as a result. One can watch shows like Oz and Law and Order all day and all night but that just can’t prepare you for the realities of a place like New York’s Rikers Island jail. Sample quote from Mr. Adjei on his experience: “The guards don’t care. They treat inmates like animals and the food served you wouldn’t give to a dog. I’ve now got a bad back because I slept on a concrete slab for a month.” All this happened because a nervous stewardess misunderstood his original comment but the whole episode underlines the simple reality that one just doesn’t make weapons-related jokes in or around airplanes, unless one enjoys the company of nasty and dangerous men.