Marin,

I hate to disagree, but here's a situation that happened to me a few months ago BOS-DEN. I requested an upgrade at the ticket counter to First, and was issued my E+ boarding pass that definitely did not have me as a selectee. Upon getting upgraded at the gate, I attempted to board the plane, at which time the gate reader did its beeping thing to let the gate agent know that I was a selectee. Turns out that the act of upgrading caused me to receive the dreaded SSSS.

Needless to say, I was unhappy. I had 1D on a 757, which meant that if I didn't get on the plane I wouldn't have my stuff near me (as the overheads and closets would most likely be full by the time they finished with me and the other 5, yes 5, selectees). After complaining to the gate agent for a while, she said "Well, we can just un-upgrade you, that would give you your original boarding pass and you wouldn't be selected."

After digesting his little piece of news (and in the knowledge that I had 9C in economy, I sometimes prefer to first), I let her do it. Out came my economy boarding pass without the SSSS on it. I waltzed onto the plane without a problem.

Granted this is a slightly different situation, but it just goes to show that the primary purpose of our current security situation is just for show.