Dishwater and TSA Body Scans

[pen_grunt]

I'm such a whore for trying new foods. Hence, when I got a 2-for-1 coupon for Healthy Choice frozen lunches (puh-lease the portions are not large enough for dinner), I decided to give them a shot.

It doesn't matter that I'd tried a few varieties before and *hated* them. These were new flavors!

They all taste like dishwater. BLAND dishwater (at least give me washed-out-the-bacon-pan dishwater!).

Well, how much flavor could they reasonably be expected to fit into a 210 calorie chicken-and-pasta dish?

Hmph.

----

So I went through my first TSA newfangled body-scan thingie a few days ago. First I'll say: yeah, it caused lines to be much longer. Secondly: Privacy. There's been such an uproar about these--from pilots opting out to TSA agents getting into fights over the size of one's member, exposed for screeners to see--and everything in between.

(As an aside--Dear TSA: Please do not be concerned about a pilot carrying a gun or explosives. If they want to do something, they have a much bigger weapon than that at their fingertips, and unimpeded access to the cockpit. So... Yeah. Seriously. Logic, much?)

Normally, I have a live-and-let-live attitude about security screening. Take off my shoes? Fine. I'm not going to get all outraged about it. Not bring in my water bottle? Sure. Whatever. I have my full set of teeny-tiny grooming supplies. I'm good to go. It's how it is and putting up a fuss only causes delays.

I don't even personally mind going through the scanner so much. (The full body scans are anatomically graphic, it's true, but I don't really see anyone getting off on them after viewing millions. It's like saying that a gynecologist gets off on doing your annual pap smear. I mean, they could I guess, but they see so much vagina that it becomes clinical and not sexual. And you cannot see faces, and the images are NOT visible to the security that sees your person, so an association is improbable.)

They're very vocal about the fact that if you opt-out of the scanner, you're going to experience a thorough pat-down and delays. When I went through, it was absolutely and fundamentally clear that TSA agents were using full pat-downs as an intimidation tactic to dissuade you from trying to opt out of going through the scanners.

So I'll go through the scanners, I guess. No big deal, right? I would feel differently were I pregnant or nursing (extra radiation), in charge of a small child (um, I'm just opposed), or a survivor of sexual abuse or assault.

Speaking of that. Were I a survivor of sexual assault and I knew that my body image were being projected to a stranger (regardless of them being "turned on" by it or able to associate it with ME) I would feel absolutely violated and vulnerable. And is a thorough pat-down is a good answer to that? No. It's not.

But it's by an agent of the same gender, they say! (Baffling how even TSA security measures assume that all sexual assault and abuse takes place between people of opposite genders… and that no one could possibly feel threatened or assaulted by a person of the same gender. Gimme a freakin' break.)

So yeah, I've done it. I've been full-body-scanned. I don't plan on opting out anytime soon in my very busy winter work travel schedule (for my convenience), but I'm really, really starting to feel like this is one step too far.

Comments

[purplesquirrel.livejournal.com]

The difference between doctors and TSA agents are that doctors are trained professionals whereas TSA agents are, well, people who probably couldn't find work elsewhere. I'm sure that they're getting off on their power trips, patdowns and scanned images.

[pen-grunt.livejournal.com]

A good point, to be sure.

Though I would think that looking at ghost-porn images would get boring for *anyone*. I mean, I *like* looking at naked people, and I'd get really sick of it after the hundredth one.

The woman directing our line was *definitely* into the power of it all. My boss, behind me (and ever the prankster), remarked, "Hey, niiiice x-ray!" after I had gone through. She damn near bit his head off.

Huh.

[jasonecaesar.livejournal.com]

There's a big debate on that going on on my Facebook right now.

[floydcollins.livejournal.com]

I opt of everything. F*** them that it causes delays. I am surprised that businesses haven't risen en masse and put a stop to this security theatre nonsense, given the amount of inefficiency and damage to business they cause.