After I was viciously pried away from little b (didn’t I just write a piece about using overly dramatic wording? Sigh, the journey continues.. ), I boarded an airplane to whisk me away to LA. And before I proceed, I need to say a just a few words (ha! If you’ve read even one entry of my blog, you know I’m not a fan of brevity)…. Ok, so I’m going to say many words regarding this airport security/personal rights trampling/molestation/brain cancer inducing/terrorist lurking/fear mongering rampage that the media has so suspiciously launched right before the travel season.
Don’t get me wrong, friends, I’m all for personal rights and such. But I am also very strongly opposed to being blown up into tiny little andie-bits at 30,000 feet by some misguided religious fanatic. So. Like most gigantic messy problems, in order to be successful and resolve said conundrum, a compromise must be reached. And like most “hot topics” (think abortion, death penalty, gun control, lady gaga, etc), you have opposing groups of people who are viciously attacking one another. Isn’t America fun? One group hurls the term “liberal” around like it’s synonymous with child rapist. The other accuses their opponents as supporters of a police state and hide behind battle cries for personal freedom. And as for me? I oppose both of them. I know, I know. How boring. I might as well change my favorite color to beige and start the rest of my sentences with “well, I agree with both of you but…”. To some, there is nothing more annoying than a moderate, a fence sitter, a person who agrees with certain points of both platforms. And if this describes you, please close your internet window now. Because this is my blog, and I get to write whatever I want. Take that.
But I am in the middle on this one. So I have some thoughts to express. Who’s surprised? No one. To the “don’t touch my junk” dude: get real and get over yourself. I have a feeling that the TSA has better things to do than fondle some hairy, sweaty, irritable dude’s balls. Same goes for all of the people who are convinced that the “death inducing xray super crazy terrible machines” are going to produce naked pictures of them which the TSA employees will then reproduce, put on the internet, send to their buddies, put in their wallets, send to their mom’s, sell on e bay, make a shrine, insert more ridiculous and idiotic ideas here, etc etc etc. stop it!
Further, I highly doubt that the radiation exposure caused by one or two trips through these machines will be a death sentence. This same person who is apparently afflicted with verbal diarrhea regarding the “life threatening” xray machines at the airports probably goes home, smokes a pack a day, drinks four beers at a clip and would only run a mile if being chased by bears. I would worry more about your lungs, liver and heart, friend, before you worry about the tumor that isn’t in your brain.
On the other hand, I in no way believe that the actions of a few misguided fanatics should give the TSA free reign to do as they please. I believe that most of the current TSA employees have this disastrous inverse relationship between power and intelligence, specifically, too much power and too little intelligence. Ah! This is terrible combination that rapidly breeds resentment, hostility, mistrust, etc. But be excited, dear readers, because I have some andie-ideas for how we could rectify this
One such idea is that we need to make the TSA a respectable position and we do this by increasing the amount of education needed for this occupation. No, they do not have to have a PhD in metal detection, a doctorate in pat downs, a masters in “put your shit in the bin.” But I think people have such a strong negative reaction to them because in most cases, they have fewer brain cells than the machines they operate. People don’t respect stupidity. And they respect rude, power inflated, morons even less. The TSA needs to seriously work on its people skills. Hold some trainings, seminars, speed dating, do whatever you need to do. Just learn how to speak to people without yelling or sounding like an asshole.
The original idea behind the TSA, making our airports and flights a safer place/experience, is much too important a responsibility to leave to bored, apathetic, irritable people. And that is what we’re cultivating in this current climate of minimum wage earning workers. Does anyone else find it mildly terrifying that the person in charge of making sure my plane doesn’t explode gets paid less than the average home depot worker? I do! My point is this, the TSA needs a serious overhaul, involving more training, more education and as a result, higher wages to attract quality workers, who are actually invested in the duty they are performing.
No matter what side of the proverbial political line you fall on, be it Rush Limbaugh-adoring-conservative, or tree-hugging-liberal, I think everyone can agree that in the world that we are living in, national security, including some measures at airports are necessary. But people, we need to have balance. I’ve grown very fond of the concept of balance and applying it to my life in recent years and I believe that I have benefited greatly because of it. I truly believe that exercising and instilling the practice of balance in most instances will yield positive results.
and in the interest of balance, this tired andie-pants needs a hot cup of tea and some cuddles with her almost-husband.
stay tuned, dear readers. i'll promise that eventually i'll coax my brain into producing something about my la trip, because it was a wonderful, relaxing, invigorating vacation filled with new experiences and reunions with beloved friends.
be thankful and be happy,
andie.
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