Your semi-interesting travel observation of the day
For those of you who will be travelling this holiday season, here’s a useful, spontaneous discovery I made yesterday. This is based on my personal experience with an automated voice recognition software program on the customer service line of a major airline: If, at any point, you say “f*** you” into the phone, you will ...
For those of you who will be travelling this holiday season, here's a useful, spontaneous discovery I made yesterday. This is based on my personal experience with an automated voice recognition software program on the customer service line of a major airline: If, at any point, you say "f*** you" into the phone, you will be automatically and politely transferred to a human operator.Remember, you have to pronounce the asterisks correctly. I'm sure my razor-sharp readers were already cognizant of this fact -- but if not, go forth and find out if it works on other airlines. UPDATE: This site is also useful for figuring out how to talk to a human (hat tip: loyal reader A.A.)
For those of you who will be travelling this holiday season, here’s a useful, spontaneous discovery I made yesterday. This is based on my personal experience with an automated voice recognition software program on the customer service line of a major airline:
If, at any point, you say “f*** you” into the phone, you will be automatically and politely transferred to a human operator.
Remember, you have to pronounce the asterisks correctly. I’m sure my razor-sharp readers were already cognizant of this fact — but if not, go forth and find out if it works on other airlines. UPDATE: This site is also useful for figuring out how to talk to a human (hat tip: loyal reader A.A.)
Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast. Twitter: @dandrezner
More from Foreign Policy

Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America
The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.

The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense
If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.

Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War
Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.

How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests
And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.