Airport Security

Airport security is a joke. I have not been asked to go through the body scanner at any time when passing through security. I’m offended people don’t see my unassuming, slender, Asian, well-dressed persona as a threat. Seriously, I could mastermind a terrorist plot! More seriously, the fact that the selection process for body scans is arbitrary makes the whole idea pointless. Why have them if by chance someone smuggling advanced weaponry or drugs is lucky enough to bypass the screening?

Furthermore the airport security staff isn’t very intimidating. If I was a terrorist I would be not be deterred by the staff or the scanners. If I were really hell-bent on causing catastrophe and societal panic, my motivation would be greater than the possible fear factor meant to be created by the added levels of “security”. I don’t believe these or any added measures that don’t totally deprive us of our rights will ever scare terrorists away. Someone will always be angry and feel powerless enough to not only resort to terrorism, but be innovative enough to succeed.

On my way back, there were screens playing a video to remind us why we needed security. Can you say 1984, V for Vendetta, every dystopian world ever imagined? We can’t let our country move in this oppressive direction.

If we want to prove to terrorists that their acts of violence mean nothing then we must ignore them. Remember, terrorism works when the victims targeted give in to fear and wildly overreact to isolated incidents. Widespread hyperbolic fear of terrorism and these added security measures prove that terrorists have control over your minds. The national security standards can’t do much to ebb terrorism. National powers can only deal with other national powers. If we really wanted to combat terrorism we would either need to change the tyrannical, arrogant image of America that upsets terrorists or simply not acknowledge terrorists’ actions and try to enjoy the amazing convenience that are airplanes. And we must do so unabashedly with our full complement of rights and dignity, that we fight so hard for, still intact.