There’s a story going viral at the moment that’s both disgusting and confusing, no matter how you slice it. It involves the actions of a comedian on a flight. I’ll share what we know and then what we don’t know.
Jess Moore is an Instagram comedian with 4.4 million followers (I hadn’t heard of her before), and she’s also on Fox’s Rel (again, I hadn’t heard of that before either). While taking a flight earlier today she decided to film the heads of Sikhs in front of her.
She zoomed in on their heads, gasped audibly, and claimed she was scared. She got a lot of backlash regarding this, so then filmed a follow-up video and went on a tirade about how she isn’t racist:
“If I’m scared I’m scared. F*** y’all, f*** how y’all feel. Y’all mad at me because I don’t side with any other black person, because I don’t side with every other race. F*** y’all. I feel how I feel. I felt threatened and that was it. F*** y’all, and I’m not flying there. We were evacuated, b****. Why? Why? With no technical difficulties or nothing.”
Apparently everyone was taken off the plane, and then eventually let on, but the Sikh passengers weren’t back on the plane, according to her.
Here’s a compilation of the Instagram Story (which has since been deleted), though note that it has a lot of bad language (as you can tell based on the above partial transcript):
Days after 50 Muslim people were murdered because of their religion in a terror attack, @jess_hilarious had 4 Sikh people kicked off a flight because she was “scared.” I am a Sikh. We must denounce this bigotry & racism. We can do better.
— Simar (@sahluwal) March 17, 2019
While she deleted the Instagram Story, she later followed this up by “apologizing” while also doubling down on not being racist and admitting to being ignorant about being Muslim while also saying she has Muslim family.
I’m disgusted by all of this. Especially as this comes just shortly after over 50 Muslims were killed in New Zealand. Though I wouldn’t be surprised if she lives in her own little world and didn’t realize that, since she also didn’t realize there were “different types of Muslims.”
What’s not clear in this story is:
- What route and airline she was flying
- Why she felt scared, since she never clarified
- Why everyone was taken off the plane; she claimed there was no mechanical problem, and also claimed it was unrelated to her video
- Why the passengers she was mocking weren’t back on the plane, according to her
Now, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Sikh passengers were in fact on the plane, and if everyone was taken off for a mechanical problem, and she just claimed that wasn’t the case to save face. And I also wouldn’t be surprised if the reason she was scared was simply because they looked different to her.
The ignorance of some people is really sad. It’s especially sad when they have a big following, and make this kind of stuff seem okay. And I’m sorry Jessica, if you get canceled from your show it’s not because you’re “human,” it’s because you’re an insensitive racist who needs to get a clue. Or at least that’s my take…
Does anyone have more information on what exactly happened here? There’s limited info answering the above questions, and I figure if there’s any group of people that can get to the bottom of this, it’s you guys.
(Tip of the hat to @pir8z40)
She may not be a racist but she's certainly talks ignorantly, foolishly and dangerously, especially in this current era in the USA . Thanks for this story, Ben. It is relevant.
@Alan, She's a racist but I can watch CNN for politics. Let's get back to miles and points and the latest Bonvoy horror.
So, are we ever going to find out why the men were removed from the plane?
Clearly it's not only the MAGA hats that have issues with political correctness; I highly doubt the "comedian" is a MAGA hat wearer!
I do agree with many on this site - please stop the posts on politics. Those that support your views might like them but at least some of us simply do not care. We get enough of that elsewhere.
Thanks for the post.
@K - the other K +1.
@BrewerSEA By "persecuted by Muslims" I assume you referred to the actions of Mughal emperors. That is just a huge generalization. The Mughal emperors were no more Muslims than Donald Trump is a Christian. By that logic, everyone in that region, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, and others, were persecuted by Christians for 200+ years! Would you go with that?
These Christians need to realise the terrorism they fear was started by their own *** (CIA to be precise).
There's a difference between Muslims and Sikhs.
Muslims were triggered to create terrorism by ** Christians, Sikhs were not.
@Lilly - I attribute that to the lack of diverse writers here. I'm not certain much is done to attract other (non, white homosexual) writers. The point of view of a senior traveler, a heterosexual man, a woman, and so on, would be refreshing.
I have to agree with many of the comments regarding this subject but particularly with respect to the very noticeable decline in the overall quality, momentum and relevence of the blog.
Another paranoid ignorant with an opinion that reminds me of the terrorist who killed 6 worshipers and injured 4 at a Sikh temple Oak Creek, WI thinking that he was killing Muslims! This bigot Sara should be on a no-fly list which should resolve her mental issues!
The blogger has every right to post whatever s/he deems appropriate & YOU have every right to read or NOT!
A danger of Social Media is that it can give such a psycho-bigot a platform from which to spew the utter ignorance and racism you splay and justify it by saying "I was scared". Scared of what? Did those mean Sikhs bother you?? Did they even notice you?? Did one step on your toe????
Jess, or whoever you are, you are no Comedian, just a garden variety hate-filled mess with a camera.
I'm scared...
A danger of Social Media is that it can give such a psycho-bigot a platform from which to spew the utter ignorance and racism you splay and justify it by saying "I was scared". Scared of what? Did those mean Sikhs bother you?? Did they even notice you?? Did one step on your toe????
Jess, or whoever you are, you are no Comedian, just a garden variety hate-filled mess with a camera.
I'm scared too Jess, and I WILL tell you why: It's sad, dangerous and pathetic when 4 million plus people would choose to "follow" or even give your diatribe the time of day!
Now, back to a happier subject which brings the world closer and makes me smile: Miles and points!
Yes, there are "different types of Muslims" (Sunni, Shia) but what does that have to do with Sikhs?
I'm embarrassed for you.
@David, @Gene, @bc, @Bill, @Noah, @ K (the other K above), @Debit, @Anon, @Abe, @Jan, @Nick, @Sled Do yourself a favor. Unsubscribe.
@Jay, @Suranjan, @Adam M, @Malc, @NMT, @Kerry, @Randy, @Flying Sikh. Big kudos!
I enjoy all of Lucky's posts. This is a very helpful blog. If someone doesn't like it, simply unsubscribe.
This subject matter is relevant to air travelers in more ways than imaginable. No need to list them. It's obvious. Would you...
@David, @Gene, @bc, @Bill, @Noah, @ K (the other K above), @Debit, @Anon, @Abe, @Jan, @Nick, @Sled Do yourself a favor. Unsubscribe.
@Jay, @Suranjan, @Adam M, @Malc, @NMT, @Kerry, @Randy, @Flying Sikh. Big kudos!
I enjoy all of Lucky's posts. This is a very helpful blog. If someone doesn't like it, simply unsubscribe.
This subject matter is relevant to air travelers in more ways than imaginable. No need to list them. It's obvious. Would you like to disembark, then reembark? What a waste of time. Would you like to sit next to a lunatic? A "scared" person? A person who thinks she's funny?
On a personal level, my daughter's college roommate is a Sikh. We became close to her whole family. How fortunate for us! What beautiful, nice people!
Thanks Lucky!
Shame on the above 12 that ought to unsubscribe.
That was such an affected and boring screed. Who's got the time and patience for such dumb*ss tirade? Boo!
As another Sikh fan - thanks for posting!
As a Sikh fan of your blog, I'm very glad that you did blog about this - thank you!
I travel fairly frequently to the US for work and fortunately I've not encountered anyone as bigoted as her, but it does happen. The Sikh Coalition in the US records incidents such as these when it can (i.e. if they are reported to them). I wonder if the Sikh family in the video even know...
As a Sikh fan of your blog, I'm very glad that you did blog about this - thank you!
I travel fairly frequently to the US for work and fortunately I've not encountered anyone as bigoted as her, but it does happen. The Sikh Coalition in the US records incidents such as these when it can (i.e. if they are reported to them). I wonder if the Sikh family in the video even know about her posts.
A few people have quite rightly pointed out that Sikhism is not a sect or a sub-branch of Islam, but is a separate religion. I don't think you intended to endorse her view that it is a "branch", but it would be great if you could tweak your post to recognise that Sikhism is a distinct religion (5th largest in the world - larger than Judaism!)
Thanks!
"if Ben (and others) didn’t raise it then this Jess would probably get away with saying what she wants and continuing to be a racist."
-I'm of the stance that if people didn't raise it she would realize her negative attention seeking isn't getting her anywhere and try something else, instead. Publicity is publicity. When I got reactions to my negative attention seeking, I kept negative attention seeking.
who is this person? how did you even hear about this? I'm confused as to why you wrote an article on this?
@Randy: criticism here is fine.
Sure we don't have to read it, we don't have to comment, we don't have to follow Lucky at all, but does any of that make people who are criticizing "trolls" (I mean it's not like all of the criticism is legit, but it's not all trolling, either.)
Personally, I get frustrated when some A$$clown gets national attention like this. Particularly because I was a child with a...
@Randy: criticism here is fine.
Sure we don't have to read it, we don't have to comment, we don't have to follow Lucky at all, but does any of that make people who are criticizing "trolls" (I mean it's not like all of the criticism is legit, but it's not all trolling, either.)
Personally, I get frustrated when some A$$clown gets national attention like this. Particularly because I was a child with a lot of the same tendencies as a$$clowns and I appropriately got in trouble for them instead of a book deal or sponsorship or dozens of articles about me or a Presidency.
More important than that though is that you are incorrect about it being "relevant" to travel. It is "related" to travel because it happened in an airplane instead of a movie theatre. But aside from the people it immediately inconvenienced it is not relevant to the travel world. Something like the 737 Max stories he has been posting, that is relevant to travel.
Beyond that, stories about a$$clowns does not fit within the overall theme of the blog (miles, points, CCs, reviews, hotel category changes, etc).
Anyway, all that to say it's still his blog, of course he can do what he wants, and for me... any criticism I dish out is not directed as a personal attack or slight against Lucky, but just some venting. I have learned immensely from the blog, and if I have to come across attention grabbing sludge in a few articles, it's a small price to pay.
The best part was "different types" :facepalm: Wow.
Lucky described a black woman disgusting.
Very brave and stupid.
The criticism of this post is childish and illustrates how the internet makes it SOP for anonymous trolls (like yourselves) to come unglued whenever you see something that doesn't fit into your mood / narrative / tastes. No one's making you read it. No one's making you type an insulting comment instead of simply moving on. And I doubt anyone who reads this post will start following her on Instagram.
The item is relevant...
The criticism of this post is childish and illustrates how the internet makes it SOP for anonymous trolls (like yourselves) to come unglued whenever you see something that doesn't fit into your mood / narrative / tastes. No one's making you read it. No one's making you type an insulting comment instead of simply moving on. And I doubt anyone who reads this post will start following her on Instagram.
The item is relevant to travel because another disruptive, garbage person evidently caused a flight to be deplaned and several passengers to miss their flight. Why? Because she's an ignorant ho / internet "celebrity" who influences 4 million other pathetic trash bags.
Ben, I don't understand why you continue to litter your blog with this garbage. I would imagine I'm not the only reader of yours who's turned off the the steady barrage of social just warrior-themed posts you make.
There are morons and bigots in the world; we're all aware. I just wish you wouldn't litter your otherwise-helpful content with this nonsense in an effort to garner clicks and stir up arguments among your wingnuts and...
Ben, I don't understand why you continue to litter your blog with this garbage. I would imagine I'm not the only reader of yours who's turned off the the steady barrage of social just warrior-themed posts you make.
There are morons and bigots in the world; we're all aware. I just wish you wouldn't litter your otherwise-helpful content with this nonsense in an effort to garner clicks and stir up arguments among your wingnuts and hippies in the comments sections.
I'm always disappointed to see tabloid-worthy articles on your site.
*unlike some here
Bravo for posting this Ben, I like some here I do think there is news value to this if only to educate people on how not to behave, but it would be nice if there were a clearly expressed statement in the article pointing out that Sikhs are NOT Muslim or related in any way.
I am going to assume you are aware of that, but it seems many internet readers are not so...
Bravo for posting this Ben, I like some here I do think there is news value to this if only to educate people on how not to behave, but it would be nice if there were a clearly expressed statement in the article pointing out that Sikhs are NOT Muslim or related in any way.
I am going to assume you are aware of that, but it seems many internet readers are not so it would be useful to highlight that in the article.
Keep posting stuff like this - the blog is made more interesting by travel news, not just points posts.
This is definitely relevant. People with turbans fly commercial airliners all the time. Unfortunately, bigots fly those same airlines too. It’s good to know who these idiots are. I, for one, am glad that this racist person is exposed for who she is.
Thanks, Lucky, for keeping your readers posted. This is as important to know as other travel/ reward related information.
Hey Ben, remember that time you took shots at another blog at the end of a clickbait video post, trying to justify why you posted a video of an airport fight? Maybe you should listen to your own criticism of others. Oh, but you and Boarding Area make money off of selling ads on the site, so there goes that.
I'm just surprised that you didn't have "disgusting" in all caps at the beginning...
Hey Ben, remember that time you took shots at another blog at the end of a clickbait video post, trying to justify why you posted a video of an airport fight? Maybe you should listen to your own criticism of others. Oh, but you and Boarding Area make money off of selling ads on the site, so there goes that.
I'm just surprised that you didn't have "disgusting" in all caps at the beginning of the article (like when you use WOW or OMG) and couldn't find an appropriate spot to add a Bitmoji.
Let me rephrase the "what's not clear" section in the article:
- Everything about the incident
- Why it's being posted on this blog.
This is going downhill quickly, maybe you should take a break from posting everything that comes your way and learn to be selective.
@Jan
"I can assure you that absolutely none of your readers are interested in these totally irrelevant topics" - just scroll up in the comments and you will discover that at least *some* readers find this very relevant.
There is no need for you to read every single article. I don't. Lucky also does a great job summarizing what he wrote about at the of each week - maybe you should stick to the weekly summary.
Really Lucky?
I know you are trying to reach a 10+ post a day schedule these days, but I can assure you that absolutely none of your readers are interested in these totally irrelevant topics.
Why not start a second blog with all of these extra posts? I am serious -> many other youtubers/bloggers do this to seperate content or speak to a different target audience.
And yet again more politics again... This blog is going down hill- fast.
@ Suranjan -- Thank you for saying so. It's an aviation-related blog, and I come here for airline stories, not just miles and points. I don't see the problem in posting this.
Ben, thank you for posting this - waiting for part 2 with some more information about the incidence. Please contact the airline, if possible, for the real story. I'm glad you covered this story and used your platform to raise voice against hate.
It's extremely sad how her hate made innocent people suffer, people who were minding their own business.
This stupid woman doesn’t even realise Sikhs have NOTHING TO DO with Muslims! Chalk and cheese! Separate Religion and beliefs entirely!
Stupid Post.
@Bill, @David,
Its an aviation blog. And Lucky's story is about an incident on an airplane, so if you don't see the relevance, really I think its your narrow vision of what Lucky should be writing about. This isn't a paid service that you have a say on Lucky's choice of content. If you don't like it, don't read it. I for one appreciate the vast reach of the articles I find on this blog....
@Bill, @David,
Its an aviation blog. And Lucky's story is about an incident on an airplane, so if you don't see the relevance, really I think its your narrow vision of what Lucky should be writing about. This isn't a paid service that you have a say on Lucky's choice of content. If you don't like it, don't read it. I for one appreciate the vast reach of the articles I find on this blog.
That said, as an Asian American, I'm forever baffled not just by the racism and ignorance of people with MAGA hats, but the small segment of minorities that have an unwillingness to empathize with racism unless its directly pointed at them. This comedian is shameful, ignorant, and frankly disgusting. But sadly, she's not an isolated case.
I"m also disgusted and outraged by this incident. And just like you I'd like to know what exactly happened here since we don't have the facts.
Lucky, your post on this was a terrible mistake. Your reference to her lack of knowledge about Sikhs included "she also didn’t realize there were “different types of Muslims.”"
Sikhs are in no way a part of Islam. Your comment showed woeful ignorance and you need to educate yourself on this topic, pronto. Please take a moment to even google the difference between the two.
Sadly, a number of Sikhs were attacked after 9/11 because,...
Lucky, your post on this was a terrible mistake. Your reference to her lack of knowledge about Sikhs included "she also didn’t realize there were “different types of Muslims.”"
Sikhs are in no way a part of Islam. Your comment showed woeful ignorance and you need to educate yourself on this topic, pronto. Please take a moment to even google the difference between the two.
Sadly, a number of Sikhs were attacked after 9/11 because, after all, "a turban is a turban".
You're too young to have learned this by experience. Please learn it via study.
Please acknowledge the error to at least know that a Sikh is not a muslim. Bigotry is wrong regardless, but a little knowledge goes a long way. I am also against anti-muslim bigotry. But get the facts straight.
https://www.thoughtco.com/ways-sikhism-differs-from-islam-2992956
I’m a Sikh and daily reader of this blog. Whoever this girl is, she simply showed how literate she is. I want to say so much to her but I’m not going to use any false language here. Did she really say “different kind of Muslim”??
I think this story needs more details to emerge and I'm looking forward to a follow up post.
It does no matter the gender, the ethnicity, the color of this so called "comedian" and where she is from.
What matters is that this person is stupid, ignorant and racist. What a disservice to being a human.
"Teach me" - oh the laziness .....
So are we all supposed to teach this idiot other cultures and respect?
What a disgrace of a person, honestly.
Mike - you are too kind to even respond to the fools. Kudos.
The funny thing is everyone CHOOSES to read this website and this post. It's a personal blog, so in effect, Ben can post what he likes when he likes. It's also technically a plane related video, which Ben has posted in the past - if Ben (and others) didn't raise it then this Jess would probably get away with saying what she wants and continuing to be a racist.
I get that this could...
The funny thing is everyone CHOOSES to read this website and this post. It's a personal blog, so in effect, Ben can post what he likes when he likes. It's also technically a plane related video, which Ben has posted in the past - if Ben (and others) didn't raise it then this Jess would probably get away with saying what she wants and continuing to be a racist.
I get that this could be classes as more goss than airplane news, but I reiterate - Ben can post whatever he likes here - you guys choose to read it. If you don't like it, don't read it.
@Bill
Was there anything in the heading of the post that suggested it would help you book Qsuites with AA miles or any other miles?
If booking Qsuites is your priority, then yes - you have wasted 2 minutes (plus up to 45 seconds commenting on the 2 minutes that have gone to waste). Write it off as a learning experience.
@K
Internet is full of wonderful things. The real world even more so. Why come back to tired/old/stupid blogs?
Sikh is further from Islam than Islam is from Christian. What a f#ucking ignorant idiot.
https://heavy.com/news/2019/03/jess-hilarious/
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RskvZgc_s9g
Relevant.
Why bother post this? This kind of post belongs on TMZ travel or something like that, not on OMAAT
Is there something in this post that will help me book a Q Suite with AAdvantage points or did I just waste the last 2 minutes of my life?
It Isn’t Complicated: Trump Encourages bigotry and violence (including verbal violence). He might not be responsible for every single attack, but he deserves blame for an increase in such violence.
I had a psychosis when I was a child. It didn't gain me 4.4 million followers.
@Gene, @Santastico:
1. No need to click on a story you're not interested in. I couldn't care less about Lucky's credit card stories. I don't click on them. Simple as that.
2. The fact that you have never heard of her (neither have I) does not make this story any less relevant.
3. I think most people interested in air travel would find this story interesting.
+1 to Gene. Why give this terrible person more publicity?
@Gene: +1 this does not belong here. I never heard of her and even after reading this post I continue to not knowing her. I feel sorry for 4MM+ people that follow her.
An "Instagram comedian?"
wtaf
@ Ben -- I honestly fail to understand how this content ties to your blog, other than it occurred on a plane. She is obviously seeking attention, and you are helping her. I've never heard or her....until now.
Even in her non-apology apology she fails to realize that Sikhs are not a “type of Muslim.” In fact, they were historically persecuted by Muslims. What a terrible, ignorant human being.
I wonder if she is scared of nick cannon and his cultural appropriation of turbans.
You admit to having zero context to this story and yet you flash "Disgusting" across the title? Don't clutter my feed with this garbage please.