Originally Posted by
InkUnderNails
IMO, no answer is better than a wrong one. I do not make small talk at the CP. From the TDC to final clearance, I consider it the same as a criminal investigation. They are not there to make me happy or make it easier. The are there to find reasons to impede my progress. I try to not give them any. Now some here will say staying silent is evidence that I may be suspect. Think about that. By not communicating one becomes a suspect. Not probable cause or suspicious action, but by what one chooses to not do.
To me, that is scary.
I completely agree. I do not respond to entreaties, no matter how socially "right" or trivial, from any person in the checkpoint who is with the TSA or might be with the TSA. I remain silent to all questions, directives, hassling, etc. Only after I opt out do I respond to questions about the groping procedure; and this is where I then do my pushback as needed (especially referring to the "resistance" in medically correct terms and so on).
This is an indoctrination effort underway on the travelling public. To me, it's no different from "Geben Sie mir Ihre Reisepapiere!"