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Atheist activist Richard Dawkins went on a bizarre Twitter rant after having a jar of honey confiscated at an airport.
Dawkins was not aware that honey was on a list of banned foods which may not be taken in passenger luggage across continents. Although, he incorrectly assumed that it was because of anti-terrorism measures. When followers tried to explain the difference to him, he accused them of missing the point.
Honey, fruit with seeds, meat and dairy produce may not be taken overseas due to biological ingredients within them. If these ingredients are not introduced into a new country carefully, it can cause irreversible damage to the local ecosystem. It has been illegal to transport such products, including honey, across continental borders since the 1980s (without proper checks and licensing).
Since the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, a number of liquid substances were also banned from passenger hand luggage on planes. This was to prevent the possibility of someone developing explosives or poisons on board a plane in mid-flight. Other liquids must be kept in under cabin luggage, or within clear containers of a specific size. Dawkins thought that he was not allowed to take honey onto a plane because of this latter ruling. This is why he kept insisting that “bin Laden has wonâ€.
There is a silver lining here. Dawkins has been trying to create a new slang terminology based on the name of the English town of Dundridge. His version of the word refers to someone who enforces the rules despite logic dictating that it is pointless to do so. This incident has given him a chance to promote the word. He also suggested that his honey pot was too small to contain enough liquid explosives to destroy a passenger plane. He is wrong on that point.
Dawkins became famous for his research into evolutionary biology and activist approach to atheism. However, his rants and theories have caused a lot of concern in recent years. A lot of his work has been discredited due to his insistence of using unproven or incorrect data to verify his own. Among his recent comments, he stated that he believes US President Barack Obama is an atheist, and that "light pedophilia" is ultimately harmless. He is also known to resort to personal insults when he has been proven wrong or someone disagrees with him. This last point is evidenced in his tweets below.
<div class='spoiler_toggle'>Dawkins’ airport security tweets</div><div class="spoiler" style="display:none;">
•Bin Laden has won, in airports of the world every day. I had a little jar of honey, now thrown away by rule-bound dundridges. STUPID waste.
•(Responding to someone who mentioned why honey is banned food substance0. Ofcourse I know the airport security rules. My point is those rules are stupid advertising displays of dundridge zeal. Bin Laden has won.
•(Again, responding to someone explaining why honey is banned) Do you know how much liquid it would take to blow up a plane?
•Are you carpers really too thick to see the difference between a matter of general principle and a petty concern with a single jar of honey?
•“Dundridge†is a coining I am trying to introduce into English. It means a petty, bossy, bureaucratic little rule-hound.
•Do you idiots seriously think I give a damn about my stupid honey? It’s the PRINCIPLE I care about. Get it? Principle, not honey, principle.
</div>
Dawkins was not aware that honey was on a list of banned foods which may not be taken in passenger luggage across continents. Although, he incorrectly assumed that it was because of anti-terrorism measures. When followers tried to explain the difference to him, he accused them of missing the point.
Honey, fruit with seeds, meat and dairy produce may not be taken overseas due to biological ingredients within them. If these ingredients are not introduced into a new country carefully, it can cause irreversible damage to the local ecosystem. It has been illegal to transport such products, including honey, across continental borders since the 1980s (without proper checks and licensing).
Since the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, a number of liquid substances were also banned from passenger hand luggage on planes. This was to prevent the possibility of someone developing explosives or poisons on board a plane in mid-flight. Other liquids must be kept in under cabin luggage, or within clear containers of a specific size. Dawkins thought that he was not allowed to take honey onto a plane because of this latter ruling. This is why he kept insisting that “bin Laden has wonâ€.
There is a silver lining here. Dawkins has been trying to create a new slang terminology based on the name of the English town of Dundridge. His version of the word refers to someone who enforces the rules despite logic dictating that it is pointless to do so. This incident has given him a chance to promote the word. He also suggested that his honey pot was too small to contain enough liquid explosives to destroy a passenger plane. He is wrong on that point.
Dawkins became famous for his research into evolutionary biology and activist approach to atheism. However, his rants and theories have caused a lot of concern in recent years. A lot of his work has been discredited due to his insistence of using unproven or incorrect data to verify his own. Among his recent comments, he stated that he believes US President Barack Obama is an atheist, and that "light pedophilia" is ultimately harmless. He is also known to resort to personal insults when he has been proven wrong or someone disagrees with him. This last point is evidenced in his tweets below.
<div class='spoiler_toggle'>Dawkins’ airport security tweets</div><div class="spoiler" style="display:none;">
•Bin Laden has won, in airports of the world every day. I had a little jar of honey, now thrown away by rule-bound dundridges. STUPID waste.
•(Responding to someone who mentioned why honey is banned food substance0. Ofcourse I know the airport security rules. My point is those rules are stupid advertising displays of dundridge zeal. Bin Laden has won.
•(Again, responding to someone explaining why honey is banned) Do you know how much liquid it would take to blow up a plane?
•Are you carpers really too thick to see the difference between a matter of general principle and a petty concern with a single jar of honey?
•“Dundridge†is a coining I am trying to introduce into English. It means a petty, bossy, bureaucratic little rule-hound.
•Do you idiots seriously think I give a damn about my stupid honey? It’s the PRINCIPLE I care about. Get it? Principle, not honey, principle.
</div>