Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/12/25/this-christmas-tree-is-so-fuck.html
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Possibly a gas dispenser is a poorly-translated cigarette lighter?
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do i want to know what that tree-top ornament is made of? Punch-Blades?
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Pescovizzzed:
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Why on Earth would anyone want to put a potato peeler in their carry-on luggage? You don’t need to peel potatoes during the flight, and if you expect to do any potato peeling at your destination you can put the potato peeler into a checked bag. Also, potato peelers are readily available wherever there are potatoes.
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Welcome to the Baltic States!
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I never fly without my emotional support potato peeler.
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That masking tape gun, and the bullet with a keyring through the cartridge, are sure dangerous.
The extra $30 to check a bag just so you can have your good potato peeler when you arrive is a bit much.
It takes considerable foresight to know that a completely harmless item – potato peeler, cheese slicer, empty bullet cartridge, banana – will terrify airport security.
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Common sense suggests that anything that in any way looks like it might be sharp and/or pointed and/or resemble a gun will terrify airport security, no matter its actual nature, size, scale vs. the actual object, or practical threat potential to human beings or the structure of the aircraft. They will probably confiscate your NRA-issue cufflinks that have tiny silver pistols on them. (At first glance it seems that one of the confiscated objects is a cardboard cutout of a semiautomatic pistol but that’s hopefully just because they didn’t want to hang the actual pistol on the tree. OTOH, I wouldn’t be surprised if the cardboard cutout is the actual confiscated object, you never can tell.)
Also, how is the flight attendant to tell that the object you’re poking them in the ribs from behind with is actually a banana? Nah, all of that nasty contraband must be taken away from you.
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Common sense suggests that cufflinks with tiny silver pistols on them are not dangerous, unless issued by Q. This tree is a testament to airport security’s lack of common sense.
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They obviously prefer to err on the side of caution. I mean, nobody has yet heard of an airplane being hijacked with a potato peeler, corkscrew, or cartridge keyring, but who wants to be first? Not them, that’s for sure.
The common sense should be exercised on the part of airline travellers, by sticking anything which a security checkpoint person might conceivably construe as remotely dangerous into checked baggage or leaving it at home, unless one wants to get into protracted discussions with security checkpoint people or their supervisors. (People who think they know the rules and plan to insist should keep in mind that in general they have a flight to catch but the security people don’t.)
(Incidentally, here in the EU, pocket knives with blades of up to 6 cm in length are now OK in cabin baggage, and I’ve successfully taken a Swiss army knife through airport security multiple times. I really wonder what that potato peeler is doing on that tree! Also, you’re allowed one cigarette lighter or package of matches if you’re carrying it on your person as opposed to in your cabin baggage, so unless people have excess lighters I wonder why these are getting confiscated at all.)
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I confess I’m having trouble deciding whether you’re being serious. I hope not.
In any event, I’m heading for Oslo soon on a budget airline with tight luggage limitations; fortunately, Norwegians have a deep appreciation and understanding of the potato, so I can leave my peeler at home confident in my ability to find a suitable replacement there.
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Have a good trip! Oslo is a great place and I’m sure they’ll have quality potato peelers available, although as with most everything in Oslo you should probably be prepared to pay through your nose … 
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From my past times spent in Oslo I suspect SchnozzPay will be more convenient than using American credit cards.
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Within the US, a hex wrench is actually okay if the tool is less than 6" long fully unfolded, iirc. At any rate I no longer hesitate to travel with a bicycle multitool carry-on. I’m actually a little surprised a potato peeler isn’t okay.
Notable recent experience in the realm: on Monday the TSA did a hand check of my bag because my porlex hand coffee grinder looked weird in the xray scan. Was fine once they saw what it was. (No blades on that at all, just burrs.)
Though you know what they say, only a good guy with a burr grinder can stop a bad guy with a burr grinder.
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In that case you’ll want an ostehøvel, not a potato peeler. It’s basically the unofficial national symbol of Norway.
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And likely less controversial at airport security checkpoints … although the Norwegian goats’ cheese may get you in trouble there; non-Norwegian staff will probably think it is a weird-smelling kind of plastic explosive.
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Which is fair, since it tastes like the same. I never tried to put a fuse to it, but then a fuse wouldn’t work on plastic explosives, right?
Also, a Christmas tree jigsawed out of Norwegian caramelized host’s cheese sounds even more metal than this one from the other side of the Baltic.
If you burn it, that is.
