The Pat-Down Is Only the Beginning

[upstatecajun]

Among my rules for minimizing stress when interacting with bureaucracies with absurd rules are that the person you are interacting with not only didn't make the rules, s/he is almost always powerless to do anything about them. So often the best you can do is seek out that glimmer of humanity within the organization's representative, and try to let them see your humanity. Then if you're lucky, they might be willing to let things slide a bit, and everyone can walk away happy.

On the other hand, when you say, "These rules are frickin' stupid!", the person usually responds by saying, "You're making my job difficult. So I think I'm going to make your day a bit more unpleasant. How do you like that, asshole?" Not out loud, of course. But they do. And sometimes, that response is itself standard operating procedure (via BoingBoing):

http://prospect.org/csnc/blogs/tapped_archive?month=04&year=2011&base_name=the_patdown_is_only_the_beginn

[Wilms]

1. Excellent advice.

These workers are likely in a hell themselves. Acknowledging that makes the shoulders drop. I've had wonderful conversations with these people in response, often joking and laughing our way toward a solution.

[hlthe2b]

2. Yes, we must have polite & cordial blind obedience...

in all things. Absolutely. Wouldn't want to cause a "bother."

















:sarcasm:

[kentuck]

3. Right.

No one should call for a nationwide protest against these illegal and unconstitutional "pat-downs". One day should be designated where everyone refuses to go along with these government tactics. Surely there is another way to spot terrorists? Or we will just have to gamble when we fly?

[hlthe2b]

7. I wonder how fast organizers of a nationwide protest/boycott...

might have before they were nabbed and shipped to Gitmo...:shrug: (I wish I was totally kidding)

[Cirque du So-What]

4. I hear the best thing to do...

...is to just lay back & enjoy it.

Oh, and *just in case* it's needed...:sarcasm:

[JDPriestly]

5. The TSA is a full-employment program for below people with below average

IQs and Republican, paranoid temperaments.

Bush did not know how to reward these people for voting for him so he created the TSA to provide government jobs for them. (I'm joking, but I think this is actually more plausible than it might seem.)

[damntexdem]

6. Why I try to avoid flying at all costs.

I'm not sure how long I can keep it up, though.