Opting Out

[brynndragon]

It's that time, folks! Opting out of the porno tube scan is a good idea not for its effect on fellow travelers but for its effects on the human beings working as TSA agents - just ask Milgram. The ACLU is helping out with its airport options guide, and I personally advise that you chose and rehearse a plan of action well before you get to the airport (DAMHIK). Good luck and God-speed.

Comments

[motomuffin.livejournal.com]

I have just the bikini to wear. ;-)

[benndragon.livejournal.com]

Sports Illustrated - TSA edition!

[plymouth.livejournal.com]

That Milgram thing gets at a lot of what disturbs me by this. Me to TSA: "So, there's some dude in another room that I can't see looking at me naked and that's for MY privacy? Where he can pretend I'm not actually a person and this isn't affecting me? Nuh-uh - bring him out here where I can stare him down while he oogles my boobs."

[pseydtonne.livejournal.com]

I flew last week and I just didn't care. Okay, they can see me naked...

...but just now I'm realizing the gender effect on this. I'm male. I worked out my nudity issues and now I don't care.

If I were female, this would probably be a much bigger deal. It'd be someone's fetish -- blurry with outlines, fap fap.

Is that the point, more so than "hey, we should stop volunteering for these worthless cattle pens"?

[motomuffin.livejournal.com]

That and the whole "in line, citizen. Papers please. Cooperate with the nice authority figure who wants to see you naked or you'll be arrested. Then once you're used to this procedure we'll roll out the cavity searches."

+shudder+

[adaptively.livejournal.com]

TSA's lax background check record indicates that it may very well be a convicted sexual predator who's looking at your nude photos/feeling your genitals, too.

At least I can save the money I was going to spend on going to Roadburn this spring...

[benndragon.livejournal.com]

I wrote a previous post about my own experience with the porno tube and my reaction to it. Being female (particularly given rape culture) was definitely part of it for me, but the "this goes against the constitution[1] and therefore opposing it is my sacred duty" part would apply regardless of my gender.

[1] 4th Amendment: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

[plymouth.livejournal.com]

I'm big on maintaining my bodily integrity. That might be a girl thing. But I don't think I have nudity issues - I mean I've stripped at a large party that included people I didn't know (and a lot of people I did). The difference is that was 100% my choice (and not in a "if you opt out you lose a major priveledge" kind of way).

I'm also the sort of person who will go to the gynecologist and opt NOT to wear the stupid paper over my lap - I don't feel like having a piece of paper in between my doctor and me increases my privacy and I'd rather SEE what he's doing to my pussy thanks. I don't have any issue with what he's doing - I know it's for my own benefit. Similarly I'd rather SEE the TSA agent who's looking at my porn-o-scans. Of course in that case I'm also less convinced it's for my benefit.

[eetmewithtoast.livejournal.com]

For me, honestly, I was really pissed off by the huge delays and other nuisances of flying in October of 2001, and that was well before the days of removing your shoes and jacket and the stupid liquids things. I've been really angry and convinced that they're doing it all wrong for a long time. Pornocams and groping are finally the straw that's breaking peoples' backs? GOOD. Anything to push the Feds to leash the TSA, this is insane and making me angry and frustrated doesn't make me feel any safer.

[zandperl.livejournal.com]

Personally if I were flying my reason for opting out of the scan is that there is debate in the medical field over the safety of backscatter x-Ray scans. I have read technical arguments both ways, and despite my training being in astrophysics (we need to understand radiation) I found that I did not have enough expertise to be convinced either way. Since doubt exists, I'm not willing to take the risk of undergoing a full-body x-Ray.

As for how I'd react to an invasive pat down, I don't know, especially since I have a pain condition that is currently flaring up and an invasive pat down could cause me significant pain right now.

[benndragon.livejournal.com]

A friend of mine posted this statement from members of the USCF physics department, which basically says "We don't have this piece of data because you haven't deigned to tell us (or didn't both to make that measurement), so we can't tell if it's actually safe or not". Given the shoestore Xray problem, I'm not inclined to trust that this is safe either, particularly if multiple exposures occur.