TSA at LAX now trying to rudely dissuade passengers from opting out of body scanner ?
Hi,
Just went through security here at lax us airways terminal. I always choose to opt out of the body scanner. I have several reasons to (privacy, health) and it's my right. I never had a problem opting out.
Today, when I said I wanted to optout, some senior looking TSA agent told me "it's not xray, it's microwave". I said that I was aware of that. He lied: millimeter waves are I'm the Thz: way higher frequency than microwaves. So he turned around to his colleague and said "we got a sis who won't go through it" (I'm man). Another agent told me again:"it's not xrays, it's microwaves". At this point I said :"I know that. I'm an electrical engineer and studied microwaves a lot." (Even though she had lied too...no time to fight that.). She said :"you got me!" And walked away. The pat down was then carried out very professionally.
My main question here is whether TSA agents have now been instructed to dissuade passengers from their right to opt out of the body scanner (and by means of lies!). Has anybody else been given the "microwave" speech recently?
I don't think they're being trained as you suggest. My hypothesis is they are conditioned to persuade pax through the path of least resistance (couldn't help myself) thereby making their job as easy as possible. This conditioning also negates their ability to carry out any security they might provide effectively, as well as positioning themselves to be as adversarial as possible to the very people they're supposed to be protecting.
My hypothesis is they are conditioned to persuade pax through the path of least resistance (couldn't help myself) thereby making their job as easy as possible.
To be fair ... as much as people joke about it here to the contrary, I suspect that most TSOs don't enjoy performing pat-downs (medical, opt-out, etc.), for many reasons. It would be totally understandable if some might express their rather human frustration at having to perform this task, which is unpleasant for both TSO and passenger alike, and look for ways to avoid that outcome.
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
(And, yes, they chose that job, and they should just shut up and do their job, yadda yadda yadda blah blah blah. Believe it or not, TSOs are people, too.)
To be fair ... as much as people joke about it here to the contrary, I suspect that most TSOs don't enjoy performing pat-downs (medical, opt-out, etc.), for many reasons. It would be totally understandable if some might express their rather human frustration at having to perform this task, which is unpleasant for both TSO and passenger alike, and look for ways to avoid that outcome.
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
(And, yes, they chose that job, and they should just shut up and do their job, yadda yadda yadda blah blah blah. Believe it or not, TSOs are people, too.)
I was thinking it's more of a blanket conditioning so as to make the job as easy as possible. The pat downs are just one of many antagonistic tasks they have to perform. TSO's like to avoid any sort of confrontation. Heck, I might just add interaction to that.
So he turned around to his colleague and said "we got a sis who won't go through it"
How sure are you that the TSO referred to you as "a sis"? That does seem to be discourteous and disrespectful.
However, is it possible that you misheard? Could the TSO have said something about "assist" or "insist"?
__________________
I went around the world. It was alright for a holiday but I wouldn't want to live there - Michael Redmond
I suspect that most TSOs don't enjoy performing pat-downs (medical, opt-out, etc.), for many reasons. It would be totally understandable if some might express their rather human frustration at having to perform this task, which is unpleasant for both TSO and passenger alike, and look for ways to avoid that outcome.
This. I was talking to an off-duty TSO I know well a few years ago, and he told me how much he and his colleagues despise doing the patdowns.
You should also hear how much misinformation comes out of his mouth, but that's a story for another time and thread.
at IAH yesterday, one of the barkers was barking "this is a no-opt-out lane! if you're going to opt out of the body scanner, choose a different lane!" couldn't decide if it was staffing or laziness... (thankfully, i heard this as i was walking by in the precheck lane...)
Programs: I still call it Onepass every now and then. Platinum.
Posts: 408
Quote:
Originally Posted by Seat1A
at IAH yesterday, one of the barkers was barking "this is a no-opt-out lane! if you're going to opt out of the body scanner, choose a different lane!" couldn't decide if it was staffing or laziness... (thankfully, i heard this as i was walking by in the precheck lane...)
What the heck does that even mean?
Heck, if I had a couple of hours to spare, I'd purposely go through that lane and opt-out just because.
__________________ I was not born to be forced. I will breathe after my own fashion. Let us see who is the strongest. - HD Thoreau
Tell them your decision to opt-out was made at the last minute, randomly.
Predictable Inconsistency - if it's good enough for the TSA, it's good enough for us.
Random changes of heart are just another layer of my own personal security.
Also, I'd have opted out in the "no opt-out" lane as well. I was in that lane and intending to opt out before I heard the TSO shouting about it, and intend to exercise my right to opt out all the same.
__________________ Every increment of radiation exposure produces an incremental increase in the risk of cancer.
It is none of their concern why any particular passenger is choosing not to use the scanner. I, personally, am not willing to engage any discussion about it at all. I really haven't been pressured much, but I just ignore any attempts to discuss it. I treat the whole checkpoint experience something like being in a public restroom -- I'm just there to quietly accomplish something and not to make a social event out of it.
I'm surprised to hear that they said "microwave" rather than "radio wave". I do understand that standing in a scanner isn't the same as sticking your dinner in the microwave, but it doesn't have a very pretty ring to it. I think I would have responded in shock and horror: "Are you kidding me? I thought these were just radio waves!! Are you telling me the government is microwaving people??"
at IAH yesterday, one of the barkers was barking "this is a no-opt-out lane! if you're going to opt out of the body scanner, choose a different lane!" couldn't decide if it was staffing or laziness... (thankfully, i heard this as i was walking by in the precheck lane...)
Completely speculating here (what, speculation on the Internet?) ...
It might be that the lane in question was not well laid-out for opt-outs (e.g. being able to stand and wait in view of your personal effects), where the other lane was better situated for that. That would be a plausible reason for redirecting folks who will be voluntary or involuntary opt-outs to another lane.
Completely speculating here (what, speculation on the Internet?) ...
It might be that the lane in question was not well laid-out for opt-outs (e.g. being able to stand and wait in view of your personal effects), where the other lane was better situated for that. That would be a plausible reason for redirecting folks who will be voluntary or involuntary opt-outs to another lane.
Or maybe there was only one Testicle Slapping Officer on duty ?
