Originally Posted by
goalie
Like the title says and it's been bugging me for a while (and yeah, I'm gonna get flamed so I'm donning my chest protector
)....
When front line TSA employees started wearing the now infamous blue shirts, I chuckled when the Smurf reference came out but imho, more and more I find that the term is being used in a derogatory manner.
Yes, many of us hate and despise the TSA and how it does things and yes there are TSO's who have no business working for the TSA as they can't add 2 +2 and come up with 4 but let's cut them some slack. We use the term LEO vs flatfoot or if undercover, plainclothes dick (shush, folks
) and a doctor who might perform abortions, no matter what your opinion is on abortion, is still a doctor and should be called as such so why not use the term TSO as opposed to smurf.
These folks chose to work for the TSA for what ever reason (i.e. unemployed, job security, benefits) and you can't fault folks for taking a job as it was a choice (and besides, it's the employer that we hate vs (in most cases) the employee*).
Ok, I'm done and now lowering the cage on my mask
(and to the moderators, if this is "too much of a
touchy (pun intended
) thread", please feel free to close it or move to OMNI
)
*I've met several TSO's and they are in fact good people
I see what
goalie is getting at and I generally agree with the premise that one should always preserve the dignity of the person one is dealing with.
goalie's request demonstrates that he is a good person - a man of principle, and that he would like all people to be treated with respect.
However, there are a few things to consider with regard to
goalie's request. First and foremost, the adhesive that holds the societal compact to be respectful to one another was abruptly melted by the right wing/republican/nazi/racist/religious bigots (select your own description) in charge of the government and defence department approximately ten years ago. The majority of the population, unworldly as they were (are) were perfectly happy to go along with the unsavoury actions that were implemented and were therefore complicit in bringing us to where we sit today.
I submit that the war on the sensible segment of the population was initiated by these two groups and I don't particularly think TSO's who grope, soldiers that murder, wannabe soldiers (the National Guard) who point guns into our backs at airports, ordinary citizens who cheer this nonsense and those LEOs that support this anti-freedom establishment deserve even a modicum of respect.
Having said that, it is incredibly hard to be rude to people who do not deserve our respect because our values largely prevent us from being so. That's where the word Smurf enters into things... I think the word works very nicely in this context precisely because it is not rude at all. It evokes a cute cartoon character and meets all the traditional indicators associated with light teasing, as opposed to outright derision. At airports, when I am on the secure side and happen to walk past a checkpoint where there are many TSO's standing around chatting, I will sometimes shout out a cheerful "Hallo Smurfs! How are you all doing this [morning/afternoon/evening]" while waving with my right arm, or if I am wearing a hat, lifting it up and waving it ever so slightly in respect. Some TSO's just stand there and stare blankly, others wave back and smile and some look pissed, so I don't think the word is altogether taken as an insult.
The only time this was a problem was when a very nice LEO caught up with me a minute or so after walking past a group of TSO's and asked me what it was I shouted to them. I informed him that I was merely greeting them with the term "Hello Smurfs!". He seemed puzzled but thanked me for the explanation and walked back in the direction of the checkpoint, so it is apparently not something one could be held accountable for even when a complaint is filed.
In fact, I propose to make tomorrow, Monday, April 4th, 2011, "Hallo Smurfs!" day. On walking past a group of TSO's tommorrow, one must enthusiastically greet them with the words "Hallo Smurfs!". Please post location and response here tomorrow.