On March 5, a man named Adil Kayani went to the bathroom on an airplane travelling from Marrakech to Manchester. He was on the toilet for about 10 minutes, he told British newspaper the Independent, when he heard a knock at the door. He told the knocker, a flight attendant, that he'd be out soon, but he didn't get a chance to emerge on his own terms.
Instead the flight attendant forced their way into the lavatory on the suspicion, Kayani believes, that he was up to no good. He was still on the toilet when they opened the door.
"I feel completely violated," the 35-year-old Muslim, of Pakistani heritage, told the newspaper about the incident. "I think it's racial discrimination. They can see the colour of my skin."
Meanwhile, according to the Independent, the airline says it was following procedure and flight staff claimed Kayani had been in the bathroom for at least 15 minutes, not 10, hence their concern, and subsequent break-in.
But come on. Who hasn't taken a long time in an airplane bathroom? I certainly have, thanks in no small part to the Air Canada Bistro menu, and no one ignored my calls of "sorry, just a minute" before busting into my stall in a panic. But then, I don't look like Adil Kayani.
If you're still confused about what exactly white privilege means, it means that when you take a long time on the toilet, people assume you're taking a crap, not that you are readying yourself for a terrorist attack.
