Accents are not hard to play or drop for those who got around in their earlier years and have a skill for it.
Originally Posted by
PhlyingRPh
No. The skin colour was the primary motivator, followed by the accent. In the US, an American accent is not an advantage to a person with a Muslim name and a middle eastern/south asian appearance. Most Americans, as boren out by numerous polls distrust most Muslims and consider most Muslims to be terrorists.
I'm scratching my head because this incident actually blows what I'll call the PhlyingRPh doctrine, which states that no matter how irritatingly Islamic the name, no matter how brown the skin and no matter how Arabic the dress, and no matter how Aramaic the sandals, if one speaks with an Oxbridge accent, any bigot one comes across is instantly disarmed. I can't tell you the type of stuff I've pulled (accidentally of course and without the intention of breaking any laws whatsoever) with American LEO's, TSA and the occasional CBP agent.
Actually, now I'm certain you are correct that racism -- his skin color in particular -- is what drove this ridiculous situation if it is actually the case that he never lit up anything in the bathroom but people on the flight jumped to hysterical conclusions just because a "brown" person was found to have dropped some pipe tobacco packet in the restroom. If that is actually the case, then I take back what I said about United Airlines.
Either way it is quite clear that tolerant for intolerance directed at "brown" people -- persons who may or may not be confused for being believers in Islam -- has gotten out of control in America along with the federal government and flight crew reactions to so much that is inconsequential except for the histrionics of such hysterical people.
When you say "most" above, I am not certain that it is actually greater than a plurality -- in other words I have doubts that it's a majority (i.e. greater than 50%).