Originally Posted by
Global_Hi_Flyer
Submission.
It's for the same reason that they make you assume the "arrest" posture. To remind you that you're inferior to their power.
I don't think so.
I think it comes down to some blue-shirted moron asking, "Well, the procedure calls for the potential terrorist to raise their arms, but it doesn't specify whether they should do so palms-up or palms-down," and getting a clarification of the procedure written and distributed without so much as a thought for whether the resulting position was comfortable or not.
Never attribute to evil what can be adequately explained by abject stupidity.