N.J. man says he was almost kicked off plane after flight attendant found shirt offensive

[hlthe2b]

49. Again context matters for use of the word "bomb"

A t-shirt with a cherry-bomb logo and ad (offensive?
A teen on a t-shirt inviting all to "come and get bombed" or to "get destroyed" with a liquor logo?

How about other related terms suggesting guns, not bombs:

Hotshot candy logo and lettering?
A shirt that states the US Men's Soccer team will have another "shot" at it in 2030?
A picture of high-powered water guns and kids
A cute dog whose food was changed to an inferior new brand labeled "kill me, just kill me now"

This stuff gets silly. The threat from using the word "bomb" is not that hard to distinguish from its nonthreatening use. But, even if they made a rule that the use of this term can never be used, given there are so many synonyms for threatening equipment, acts, and outcomes, the rule quickly becomes ARBITRARY and CAPRICIOUS. Just as SS has to sort actual threats to an elected official or other individual from the INTENT and ABILITY to do so. A word on a t-shirt just doesn't do it. A note dropped suggesting a bomb was on board--yeah, you bet that would do it.

Context matters (even if common sense seems in short supply)...