Fear of Flying
I have no real fear of flying, it is the falling and the crashing that bothers me. Ok, really even that doesn’t really scare me much; the odds are pretty much on my side there too. What really bothers me when I travel is the runs thru security at the airport. I used to say ‘It is a hassle, but it is worth it if it makes travel safer’. I don’t say that anymore because it has gotten worse and worse and the security is the same as ever. I travel a lot, I know the routine blindfolded. My laptop is out of the case, my pockets are empty, my shoes are off, and my jacket is in the bin. But it doesn’t help. It is still a major hassle with the TSA staff frequently rude, aggressive and unpleasant. We are not customers to them; we are cattle to be processed at their convenience. I worry that my anger at this treatment will show. They are very powerful bureaucrats and they can and have made my travel very difficult. I want there to be security, I want the security to be effective, but that doesn’t mean that I want to feel like I am entering a gulag every time I go to the airport. Anyway, Peggy Noonan has expressed this much better than I have here*, well worth a read.
*Sadly they don’t want too many readers to see their ads so registration may be required.
February 24th, 2006 at 11:35 am
Nice column! I didn’t have to register but have been told about bugmenot.com where you can get registration passwords for various news sites.
The trouble she describes is not about the security system as much as the management of the system. I feel bad for you and folks who travel for a living but I also feel bad for the workers who are obviously under such stress and bad management. Some airports seem to handle this better than others.
Oh and have a good flight this weekend!
February 24th, 2006 at 11:48 am
I would feel more for the staff if they weren’t actively trying to be aggressive. I understand it is the role they have been placed in, but that doesn’t make it any easier to enjoy. In the next two weeks I have eight flights, most are outside the US however and the guards in Europe and Australia are less hostile as a rule.