I think it's funny that for the most part it is the same people that were crying out for tighter homeland security for the past ten years that are now complaining about these new regulations.
Make up your minds already!
You know what I think the difference is? I think it's about who is on the receiving end of the screening. Make sure that those Muslims and A-rabs get the pat down, but don't touch my personal privacy and freedoms! Catch all of those Ne'er Do Wells on the streets, but leave my kids alone.
Here is a like-minded article:
Civil Liberties: Now With More Privileged People | California NOW
"It is no accident that women have been complaining about being pulled out of line because of their big breasts, having their bodies commented on by TSA officials, and getting inappropriate touching when selected for pat-downs for years now, but just this week it went viral. It is no accident that transgender people have been violated by searches for years, but just this week it went viral. It is no accident that CAIR identified Islamic head scarves (hijab) as an automatic trigger for extra screenings in January, but just this week it went viral. What was different?Suddenly an able-bodied cis-gendered white man is the one who was complaining."
And another: Change.org
So whether you think TSA has gone too far, or you think we are still letting terrorists on plans willy-nilly, know what your privileges are....and remember to wear loose shoes when you fly.
See Also:
Troy Davis: Georgia's 'Strange Fruit'
What is a post-9/11 American?
Grateful for God's Protective Favor but...
See Also:
Troy Davis: Georgia's 'Strange Fruit'
What is a post-9/11 American?
Grateful for God's Protective Favor but...
A clarification based on some feedback I received on facebook:
ReplyDeleteI am not trying to comment here about the invasive of the screening itself. I had no intention of coming down on either side of the debate with any gusto. After all, this is a blog about racism, not the privacy of air travelers or of national security. That conversation is an important one, not in this forum.
Perhaps some confusion stemmed from my use the 'funny' as a term for odd, or peculiar. The matter is not at all 'haha' funny. I should hope you are not laughing. I rarely consider privilege and prejudice a laughing matter.
The post points out the serious matter of an invasion that we now have to worry about at the airport, which has affected many others for years and everywhere they go. It does not condone the former, it merely highlights the later.
I apologize for any confusion