181–190 of 255 posts
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That's a very principled position. I'll see you on the other side of security.
Principle was the wrong word. I'm not taking an ethical stand -- I just hate this sort of humiliation from authority figures so much that I genuinely can't bring myself to make the rational decision to get Pre Check.
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I guess by "theater" you mean that there's no actual purpose to taking your laptop out of the bag other than making people feel better? I have a hard time believing that's true. There's people who spend their whole career understanding airline security and (since I know nothing about it) I'm inclined to trust they aren't wasting my time.
These scans are theatre. Actual security is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Y1kJpHBn50 , and most people in the USA would not agree with this sort of checks.
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Are they X-raying people now?
No. It would show up on a good old fashioned metal detector that we had in the 80s and 90s though
It's fascinating how the security theatre has gotten so big that now it basically just rolls forward under its own momentum. It's been around long enough that people accept it as normal, it serves no other purpose than to employ the unemployable and fill contractors' coffers, and it seems that no entity is able to stop or dismantle it.
It's also interesting to compare the prevailing opinion here on the TSA with that of the FAA, given that they serve the same industry. It appears that most people on HN feel that TSA regulations are pointless theater and should be weakened or eliminated, while the FAA is to be blamed for not exercising their regulatory power strongly enough (especially in light of the 737 MAX). Both agencies seem to follow a similar…
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Yeah, it's always up to the whims of the underpaid TSA agent who happens to be there that day. Back when iPads were new, I got scolded for taking it out of my bag, and scolded for leaving it in my bag, by agents at the same airport on two trips a few weeks apart.
Think how depressing it must be to collect a paycheck to annoy people to do something you know is utterly pointless.
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This is a pretty cynical viewpoint but I agree. It’s clear that TSA doesn’t do much. Someone I know has acidentially brought a pocketknife through security multiple times without it being found. They keep it in my backpack as a regular item and just forgot to take it out.
Freudian slip? =P
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I think your feeling is pretty rational. It's pretty annoying for no benefit. I wish they also offered flights with lower security. I'm fine getting on a plane if everyone went through a metal detector and kept their shoes on.
> I'm fine getting on a plane if everyone went through a metal detector and kept their shoes on. that's an interesting thought. May be if the price of a ticket could be made cheaper by cutting out these TSA bullshit, the market could correct this problem.
I live in Harrison, AR. I can fly to Memphis or Dallas for like $40 each way if I book a couple of weeks out. There is no TSA in Harrison, and the airline operates from their own hangars, not the general terminal on the other end.
I usually travel with a handgun, which I of course declare in my checked bag. They hand me my bag back and I carry it to the plane with me, and in a couple of instances have even asked me to put it under my seat due to limited cargo space. I’ve been told multiple times that I shouldn’t even bother declaring it by airport staff but I’m not clear enough on the laws there to take that advice.
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My favorite lines to use: "Whoa.. whatever you just did, do it again." or "Can I have her give me the pat down instead?" And you can really irritate them if you say the little spiel along with them. It rattles them.
Please don't irritate the TSA agents. If they don't get you for it, they will take it out on everyone behind you. Instead, write your congresscritters. Nearly all of them fly every week, so they feel your pain.
We really shouldn't tolerate people like that though, should we? If you don't respect TSA agents, it's your duty to remind them of that. Our ability to change the TSA through the democratic process has been on the wane for years now, but we can still force change by making it hard for the TSA to hire. If they have to double their salaries because being a TSA agent makes you a figure of mockery, they might fondle people a bit less.
As for how they take it out on the people behind me, that's their decision. They're adults, not dogs, their behavior is their responsibility, not mine.
Seemed to work OK, well, until my bag got pushed into the "additional screening" line and had to open it up for the guy to look at