Flight Delayed After Math Problems Were Mistaken for Terrorist Writings

Here is an example of how Americans have allowed fear and uncertainty to cloud their ability to evaluate their environments rationally. A flight was delayed and a passenger opted to go onto a later flight after she mistook the math equations of an economics professor for some sort of terrorist writings:

An Ivy League professor says his flight was delayed when a fellow passenger mistook his scribbling on a math problem as a sign he might be a terrorist. American Airlines confirms that a woman expressed suspicions about University of Pennsylvania economics professor Guido Menzio. 

He was flying from Philadelphia to Syracuse on Thursday to give a talk at Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada. He was working on a differential equation, but said he was told the woman thought he might be a terrorist because of what he was writing. 

Casey Norton, a spokesman for the air carrier, said the women’s allegations about Menzio were deemed not credible.

I will give this woman some credit. At least she chose to transfer to a different plane instead of forcing Menzio to leave the flight.