Originally Posted by GradGirl
IloveParis,
I respect your opinion that taking off shoes is no big deal. But it's a big deal to me. I'm not elderly or obese, but I am indignant.
There is no value to anyone in my taking off my shoes. There is value in every individual's act of standing up to the agency that terrorizes us at the airport. We should all, individually, refuse to be cowed by their uniforms or their orders or their threats. We should push and push, every time we pass through a checkpoint, to retain as much of our dignity as we can.
This is the crux of the issue. We want our privacy and personal wishes respected. We also wish to fly on safe flights. Where is the division? It seems to me that we have to be willing to give just a little for the safety of all. If we were speaking about stripping down to underwear, I'd be the first to say, "No way!!" That's ridiculous. But, I think that to most of the world, exposing the feet in stockings or hosiery is not exposing private parts, and although inconvenient, it may prevent terrorists from trying to hide plastic explosives and other undetectable acts of terrorism.
Bottom line: we have to choose our battles. If someone has a major hangup about his exposing feet in stockings, then that's his battle. But there comes a point when we have to be willing to sacrifice for the sake of safety (which is not the same as saying that we should submit to every imbecilic request that is made).