> suspecion ... training
I don't think that those two words
had anything to do with the situation! Sorry 'bout that!
And, in an important sense, the training was
right on target! Again, sorry 'bout that!
It's called CYA or cover your ass. Or, what would,
could it look like to a higher up who worried what
it could, would look like to a reporter and what
it would, could look like to someone who wanted to
make a big stink, create a gotcha that later
they might be able to use, etc.
Or, the poor, lowly TSA agent
had to think:
"My supervisor is under a lot of
pressure and has me under a lot of pressure.
If he hears that I didn't regard that
passenger as suspicious, then it could be
my job. Letting the passenger board the plane
had no good
upside for me and possibly a big downside.
Calling the cops had a big upside for me,
took the hot potato out of my hands, and
had no downside for me. So, dirt simple
decision: Call the cops, get rid of the
issue and threat to my job, and get back to
inspecting swag some 4 year old girl
got from her trip to Disneyland."
Or, it's
all a stage play, commonly called security
theater. The passengers have to play along,
look like middle America tourists to Disneyland,
a salesman going to a sales convention where
he will eat and drink too much, or other
cases of a common man in the streets. Or,
first rule of such a sick, paranoid social
situation -- don't stick out. Instead, fit in,
conform, go along with the crowd. Else will
need someone with a lot of authority, power,
rationality, integrity, etc. to bail out your
poor, suffering back side, and that can take
a long time.
Did the SCOTUS ever pass out such advice?
Likely not.
Is that what the US Constitution says? Nope.
Is there a gap between reality and formality?
Yup, wider than the Grand Canyon.
Or, to paraphrase a common statement:
"It's not good enough to be innocent.
You also have to look innocent."
Have to understand that TSA, police, etc.
can get away with total nonsense behavior
at least occasionally and can say
"My long experience has taught me that
he was suspicious" and get away with that.
Is such nonsense TSA, police behavior
fair, just, reasonable, constitutional,
objective,
etc.? Nope. Real? Yup. Do I like it?
Nope. Can I do anything about it? Not much.
What can someone do? Try to stay
out of airports. Try to stay out of neighborhoods
where the police like to beat up on people.
Fit in.
The training? The TSA agents and police
likely do understand such things. One of the
little social secrets in the US, call it
social intelligence or understanding of
Organizational Behavior 101,
is that the citizens
have to understand such things also.
Yup, my blood boils, too. But I haven't been
to an airport since 9/11, and I'm not
eager to go again.