And when they came for the yuppies, I said nothing, for I wasn't... oh, wait.

[LostInAnomie]

http://enikrising.blogspot.com/2010/11/and-when-they-came-for-yuppies-i-said.html

Enik Rising
Tuesday, November 16, 2010

I'm seeing and hearing a rash of complaints about elevated airport security measures. And I'll admit these sound pretty bad. Probably the most detailed complaint I've heard comes from this blog post. I fully agree with the author that sexually molestation at the hands of a government employee should not be a precondition for flying.

But can we not get carried away with this? Too many people seem to be following the lead of the first commenter, who praises the author's resistance to TSA by saying, with all apparent sincerity,

Rosa Parks would be proud.

Airport security theater does deserve some pushback, and I think it would be great if passengers simply refused to comply with gross violations of their privacy that do nothing to make air travel safer. I doubt too many people will resist, though, since not flying is usually not a realistic option for people who have places to be and have already packed and schlepped everything to the airport. TSA has us, literally and figuratively, by the balls.

That said, this is not the great civil rights battle of our time. Passengers are not being hauled out of their homes or tortured or placed in prison without access to legal counsel -- things that actually have happened to American citizens in recent years in the name of security. Nor are people being turned away from the polls or told they can't unionize or being beaten by police officers -- also things that have happened to real live Americans in recent years. What's going on in the airports is simply a form of government humiliation that has hit the professional class.

______________________________________________________________________________

Best blog I've seen on the matter.

[readmoreoften]

1. So working-class people don't fly?

Okay then.

[LostInAnomie]

2. Since when have the concerns of the working class been a concern of the media?

Certainly not in the last 10 years.

[Angry Dragon]

3. Damn .......... Good thing Dragons can fly

We don't need those flying metal cigars

[Hannah Bell]

4. no, i disagree. while it may be true that this isn't the most grave injustice in the us,

& that the "professional class" didn't pay much attention when such things were happening to others, that's no reason to minimize it.

the fact that the "professional class" is getting outraged about extensions of the security state is a big fucking deal, & that outrage should be encouraged, because it helps the push-back, & it helps the "professional class" to get a clue about what's been happening to others.

the writer seems to be mainly telling people to go back to sleep. He tells us resistance is good, but he doubts many will resist, since "TSA has us by the balls".

Then he goes on to conclude: "That said, this is not the great civil rights battle of our time. Passengers are not being hauled out of their homes or tortured or placed in prison without access to legal counsel -- things that actually have happened to American citizens in recent years in the name of security."

Um, so WHAT, dude? Unless you're the victim of outright nazi tactics, you should just grin & bear it? Only victims of outright nazis deserve political support? What is the point here?

I don't see what you find so appealing about this piece.

[LostInAnomie]

6. I think you are intentionally missing the point.

The point is that for the past few years the humiliation of the lower class has been a tertiary concern of the media and the upper classes. Actual stories of people being rounded up, coerced, or having their privacy invaded have been non-existent as far as the media is concerned.

Suddenly, there is now an invasion of privacy (a minor inconvenience compared to other things that have happened in the last 10 years) that is actually effecting the professional class, and the media is flooded with stories about "Don't touch my junk!" and hyped up concerns about radiation from scanners. It is a perfect example of how the concerns of the upper classes are the only ones that matter to the MSM.

No one is saying the pat downs and scans aren't something that should be ignored. But, compared to the indignities suffered over the past decade, they are minor.

[Hannah Bell]

7. i think the point you say i'm "missing" (though i'm not) isn't a very important one.

it leads to nothing & nowhere.

it's just "those damn yuppies, they never cared when muhammad got the same treatment."

so what?

they care *now*. they understand *now*.

this is not the time for that petty crap.

[Hannah Bell]

8. to be more clear:

the time to yell about muhammad is when the yuppies aren't noticing.

when the yuppies get hit, it's the time to say, "damn right! the same thing happened to muhammad! i'm with you, bro!"

[Waiting For Everyman]

5. If there's really enough security risk to justify these practices, then it's too dangerous

to fly at all, for anybody. If it's really THAT bad, then most planes should be grounded, and most discretionary flying by the public should be strongly discouraged.

I don't buy that the risk justifies these current techniques, but if I did believe it, I'd come to the conclusion above. This is all a load of bs by the TSA, as I see it.