Saturday, December 29, 2007
The Airport Security Follies
Patrick Smith has a New York Times blog post about The Airport Security Follies. "Six years after the terrorist attacks of 2001, airport security remains a theater of the absurd. The changes put in place following the September 11th catastrophe have been drastic, and largely of two kinds: those practical and effective, and those irrational, wasteful and pointless." This is one of the best summations I've seen of why the TSA rules have been a joke.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
What this article missed is that the security screens are about PR and croud control, not actual security. On the one hand, by making a show of things, people feel like something is being done. But there is more to it than that. By humiliating and threatening travelers, they become more docile. Long delays allow people to be observed for shifty behavior and random searches allow real suspects to be detained without causing a scene. Just like the boxcutters weren't the point, neither are the bottles of shampoo.
I'm not saying I agree with it, but I have to think there is more to the restrictions than stupidity and the arbitray exercise of power.
Karl
Post a Comment