Originally Posted by
jucundus
Not to be pedantic, but what does "quantifiability" have to do with the subject? Obviously, TSOs cannot measure their courtesy "level" with a machine, not can they measure the subjective dispositions of those transiting the checkpoint scientifically. Civilized human beings (TSO or pax) regulate their interactions with others partly by intuition of the others' dispositions, and partly by a desire to err too much on the side of courtesy. Whether there is any true charity in this desire is beside the point -- it helps to grease the wheels of social interaction. For those who try to keep even a minimally higher standard, the age-old and almost universal adage commonly known as "the golden rule" applies. None of this is quantifiable; all of this is partly subjective but partly based on the quasi-universal expectations of civilized people.
You make my point for me. Thanks.
One cannot be sure of the attitude of the individual they face. A guess is the best one can expect, and a hope that one has not made an error.
One hallmark of civilized human behavior is frequent self-examination. This is not compatible with dismissing the importance of courtesy due to the "unquantifiable, subjective" nature of that "fine line."
And another is politeness. Both given and received. About the same thing you have said, but I take it a bit further than you. Rudeness is the strongest sign of a collapsing society, and rudeness is all to common in this day. The folks at the TSA are just as guilty of this as anyone in our society, and this is why they are trying to address it using the Evolution of Security training that we have all received.
I have argued before in this forum that the keys to "fixing" the TSA (if that be possible) are common sense and courtesy.
I disagree. The TSA needs uncommon sense. We face an uncommon enemy, and common thought has proven only marginally effective against them. We need to look beyond the usual and work on seeing the unusual. That is what EOS training is supposed to be teaching us. Now all we need is the other parts, the Customer Service parts of the program that are still deployed only to a few airports.