I feel that there is some truth to that, but at the same time your sample size nor mine nor for that matter any bodies is large enough to determine the why and wherefores of what causes a TSA Employee to be rude or disrespectful or power tripping, etc.

I have dealt with some good to even great TSA Employees and likewise I have dealt with some really awful ones and I do not go in with a mindset, more I just want to get through a quickly and easily as possible.

Yeah, a lot of us fly a lot. I've had the Übermenschen lane for over three years now, so I don't have a lot of contact. But I've had 2 occasions where the clerks didn't know what a NEXUS card is and were too lazy to look it up. I had four clerks, including a supervisor trying to figure out what my NEXUS card was and telling me it wasn't a valid ID. The last time I went through the regular lane was at JFK T1 (an international terminal) and the clerk kept telling me she had to see my passport and I kept asking her why. Lots and lots of TSA clerks are too lazy to learn and do their jobs, and my encounters are trivial by comparison to what's happened to many many people.

I try to come correct, to be pleasant to the TSOs, to greet them cheerfully, and cooperate as best I can with the screening process (and when opting out, doing so politely.) I don't believe in harassing TSOs, as it's the system I despise and I see little gain in being rude to individuals.

However:
--that doesn't mean that one HAS to do these things. TSOs and people in positions of power should realize that pax shouldn't have to be having a great day in order to get through the checkpoint. Likewise, making "jokes", particularly about security threats or barring one's ability to travel, is an implicit threat given the power imbalance between pax and TSOs and the utter lack of recourse afforded to pax;
--I am a white cis male, a native English speaker with an American accent, and I don't look threatening in any stereotypical way (tattoos, dress, etc.) I realize that this affords me privilege in how I am treated. Because I certainly witness hostile behavior by TSOs directed at people who don't enjoy those essentially random characteristics that I do, and bad behavior not directed at me is still bad behavior. It's unprofessional and is emblematic of an attitude that I believe ultimately leads to less secure air travel;
--I also witness hostile behavior, power-tripping, yelling, and other bad behavior by TSOs that doesn't seem to be directed at anyone in general, whether or not the passengers in question are nice to TSOs. Whether it's TSOs barking in loud angry English to pax who don't speak the language at JFK T4, or the snarled "What's your destination?" at MSY, or not letting people maintain visual contact with their carryon luggage while clearing the MMW at RDU, it's still unprofessional choices from TSOs that don't comport with the TSA's mission statement;

And, I've noticed a marked improvement in TSO behavior over the last 2-3 years or so. I'm not a terribly representative sample, as I fly less than some (and a whole lot less than most FTers), but I see much less barking or other hostile behavior from TSOs than I used to. But! It still happens, and I see it maybe 15-20% of the time, as opposed to 80% of the time, and that's still unacceptable.

I would have thought that no special training was required to make TSOs understand that it is unprofessional to make sick jokes when their hands are inside someone's waistband or they are kneeling eye-level with their hands fumbling between a pax's legs. It is unprofessional to hold up personal items and make distasteful comments while they are rifling a bag.

My doctor gets it - I wonder if he figured it out all by himself or if he had to be trained.

Your doctor probably didn't get to medical school from an ad on a pizza box.

As a Physician, I have to mentally remind myself time and time again that while it is second nature to me, being poked and prodded is not a common experience for the patient. A few times I have caught myself talking to the patient, making small talk till I see the look of dread on their face and then I have to snap my mind back to remembering that the patient is not used to what I am doing to them. It does take some amount of thought (at least I need to think about it) to remember what is wrought process for one person is not for another.

It is not an excuse for any person (TSA/Police/Physicians/Nurses/etc.) but maybe more of an explanation.

So true. We are all different. I see red when a stranger touches me. If I go to a MD. then it is different. I might not like but I made an appointment.plus that MD ( I hope) has an education.
TSA is hired a lot of times from a pizza box???!!! And they THINK they are going to touch my "privates" without" me having a comment.
SICK

https://consumermediallc.files.wordp...sapizzabox.jpg

This is true. Be very careful the next time you order a pizza for delivery hoping to use the coupon for the free breadsticks, you might just end up working for the TSA.

Thanks -- I haven't seen the famous pizza box in years! I did see a sign on a gas pump in Alexandria about the same time.

What did it say - 'would you like a job hosing others?'

Ha Ha and HA. I dont like pizza at all. YES I know it is weird. But the truth. Plus i am over 60 so they would never be intresseted in me. SMILE

Over 60 seems to be the sweet spot for TSA hires.

Here they are, courtesy of WTOP:

http://media.dev-cms.com/wtop/19/1900/190021.jpg

http://media.dev-cms.com/wtop/19/1900/190024.jpg

Of course, the TSA Spokeshole in place back then had a lame explanation:

I have zero understanding of the security business, (truth be told) I know what my brain says, but whether that translates into how the security business should operate, I have no idea.

Having said that, it would seem to my non-security business brain that pizza box advertisements recruiting any old "joe/jane" would not be sufficient to bring in the type of applicant that is needed to preform security duties, but I do not work in the security business and do not profess to understand the needs of it.

One of my professor's in Medical School once said that some of what we (Physician's) will do is See One, Do One, Teach One and to some degree that is true (obviously it is way more than ONE, but the saying does hold truth). There is lots of knowledge required, there is lots of training required, but much of what of I do is wrought process and while you could not substitute any old person to do my job, some parts could be done by almost anybody if they receive the proper training.

To be very clear, I am not excusing TSA by any means, especially as to my brain I would not think that any old person is fit to the job, but maybe in TSA HQ's mind if there is a wrought process, than as long as the person is capable of performing the process, they can be TRAINED to do it.

I know that the Paramedic I am friendly with who moonlights as a TSA Employee Part-Time says that much focus is on training on HOW to do something, not WHY they do something.

Hence maybe TSA HQ's theory is if we have a process, than it can be trained to be performed by any old "joe/jane" and thus advertising for part-time employee on a pizza box makes sense as it has a wide audience? Again, it is not excuse and I said a few times I would think that security would require a specific type of applicant and not just any old person.

I realize I have gotten way off-topic here, but just thinking out loud.

Just playing devil's advocate here....you get all kinds at a gas station - doctors, bums, politicians, mothers, fast food workers, etc. From that standpoint, a gas station is a reasonable place to toss a very very wide net.

The hiring process is supposed to winnow out the unsuitable candidates - throwing such a wide net, inevitably many will be unqualified.

But seriously....what type of candidate do you hope to attract when you tempt them with 'xray vision'? Are you looking for mature, seasoned security professionals, competent newbies - or peeping tom clowns who are itching to be authorized to stick their noses and hands into strangers' bags and pants and crotches?

What would your reaction be to an ad for licensed health care professionals that dangled 'xray vision' as a perk of the job?

Face it -- the only TSA job requirement is a pulse, which I'm sure is waiverable.

But Chollie, that's just TSA's attempt to keep thing light-hearted and fun! It's an agency full of joking laughing, smiling, happy people! :D

As a passenger I'm not particularly damn happy with TSA.

The requirements to be a TSA screener are pretty low.

https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/416690200

I thought you were joking about the x-ray vision, then I went back and re-read the pizza box (I bet that's the first time that sentence has ever been uttered.). That is awful, particularly given the public's perception of the TSA. Next time, they should just write "See naked people!"

Mike

It was certainly implied.

No, from the top down. The low-level incompetents are easily replaced, and won't learn. Throw a few of the criminals at the top in prison and see what happens.

It's politer than they deserve, so I'd say "support".

I'd be flipping off whoever is looking at the scan, wherever he is.

But since my doctor has told me not to undergo the risk of those cancer machines, that isn't going to happen.

By "my doctor," I assume you're talking chiropractor.

such as half a tank of gasoline. (Half, because it's the fumes that are explosive, the liquid is merely flammable.)

It's for charity, I'd have taken the $10.

Were any of the TSA criminals charged with a federal felony for violation of civil rights under color of law? Why not?

And you're wrong.

I have yet to see a claim that the cancer machines are safe from any sane person who did not have a financial interest in them.

Tangentially to the topic:

I will withhold my opinions on Chiropractors (D.C.) for the moment, but as a Physician (M.D.) and knowing other Physicians (M.D.) who are Radiologists it is hard to tell what danger or lack there of these machines pose to the public.

The Chief of Radiology at the Hospital where I work and with whom I have talked to a few times about the Body Scanners has said the only info he can point to is 1 article printed in the Journal of the American College of Radiology which said that based on the DATA (provided to them, not DATA that they collected themselves) on the Backscatter Technology (which I understand is no longer in use), it would take 1,000 scans before a human received the same dose of radiation as 1 chest x-ray.

With regards to the Millimeter Wave Technology, it is similar to the type of wave that the cell phone puts out and according to what I have personally read the answer is mixed and as best I can tell none of it one way or the other is conclusive.

As an Emergency Medicine Physician, rarely (and to date never) would patient ask my opinion on the safety of the Airport Scanners (they would be more apt to ask their personal Physician), but to be honest, I am not exactly sure what I would tell a patient. I would probably say something like, I have no conclusive knowledge to make a qualified opinion, but that I would imagine that a few times a year is probably alright though I would not make it a daily occurrence and definitely not a multiple time a day occurrence.

On-topic:

I have given a lot of thought to this topic over the last few days and I have decided it is a job like anything else, it is the person who takes the job that makes it just another job or take it to the place of Pseudo-Officer, etc.

People would act the same way whether they worked at TSA or practiced Medicine or any other job where they would come in contact with other people.

Case in point, I called to make an appointment with my Dermatologist to have a rash looked at and while I know the guy and could have called him directly, I try not to pull rank at every turn and called up the office like any other patient. I spoke to his receptionist who is mean and could compete with the meanest power hungry TSA Employees around. She barks at the patients and sees her job as a buffer between the patients and the Physician as well as his protector all wrapped up in one. She demands to know what is wrong with the patient and doesn't take nicely to being told I would rather tell the Doctor personally.

She sees herself as the gatekeeper to the appointments and treats the patients with contempt, plus, she has an heir of authority to her that sounds like you better respect me or no appointment for you.

My point, she is merely a secretary in a Doctor's Office and she powers trips like so many other people, some of them TSA. I do feel that the job of TSA probably attracts a larger proportion of people who enjoy having some authority/power (even if it is very little and on the scale of things and very unimportant)

The funny part is that the Dermatologist is a really nice guy and would never treat a patient like that and the patients put up with her because he is so nice and so good. I put up with it because I respect him as a Physician and because he is a nice guy. In a similar vein I put up with TSA because I want to travel and I need to deal with them to be able to fly (whether I should have to deal with them or not is a different topic all together)

Simply put, I see no problem with a light hearted TSA Employee, heck I would wager if the entire Agency was more light hearted (whether we agreed with TSA or not), it (the TSA as well as its processes and procedures) would be a lot easier to stomach and maybe they would be less disliked as an Agency.

Guys, the thread is about light hearted TSA people. Not flyertalk members b.tching.

The TSA screeners including what appeared to be a TSM (was wearing a suit) stood by while Ms. Armato was held in a cage at the checkpoint for over an hour.

Her civil rights were violated, she was illegally detained, and I am pretty sure that a good lawyer could find several other legal violations were committed by TSA .

Yet as far as I know no TSA employees were ever held accountable for their actions.

Why is that?

I snipped all but the above to keep things brief.

Question, would you as a MD ever advise a person to accept x-ray exposure unless there was a qualified medical reason? That is what TSA was doing with Backscatter Strip Search Machines. Thankfully they are no longer being used.

Radiogirl has posted numerous times on the MMW scanners. She strongly suggests that the MMW are harmless if I fully understand her writings.

Your comment on front staff people in some practices is interesting.

I find that how I am treated by the doctors gatekeepers has a major impact on if I will continue to use that practice. In fact I did drop a doctor for exactly that reason. I really liked him and felt that he was very competent.

Doctors and all professionals need to be aware of what is happening out front in their offices. The actions of their employees can have a major impact on how patients and customers feel.

The government wound up paying her $75,000. Were the clerks even fired? And think about it. The TSA assigned someone to shadow Ms. Armato at the checkpoint. WHY was that necessary? After the first incident, why were the offending clerks not out the door so fast their heads spun? WHY does the TSA have passenger support people to show up and make sure screening gets done right? Why isn't the screening process done right all the time, with the consequence of failure being that the offending clerk gets fired?

In the Armato case the TSA staff at the checkpoint should have been prosecuted.

In the case of Phil Mocek the TSA staff who perjured themselves to the police and in court should have been prosecuted.

And more recently, and I forget the airport, but a TSA supervisor perjured himself and again, as far as I know, is still on the job.

So is the Ex-PedoPriest in Philly unless he has left TSA.

All of these are cases of TSA not taking action against employees who have violated the law.

And TSA wonders why they get so little respect.

The screening process isn't done right because TSA refuses to properly manage its employees. So the core fault sits in the office of the TSA Administrator.

Thread closed temporarily for moderator review.

---------
essxjay
TS/S moderator

Folks,

We've edited or deleted a number of posts and reopened the thread.

Please keep your remarks to the topic at hand rather than personalizing the discussion with non-contributive, snarky or disruptive commentary. As someone posted upthread this is about TSA agents attempting to lighten the misery of screening just a little bit, not your fellow FTers.

Also per FT's published community rules (Help menu >> Rules), altering or deliberately misquoting others, aka "FIFY" posts, is never acceptable.

For convenience here are the applicable sections of the rules:

Thanks for your consideration.

---------
essxjay
TS/S moderator

Total dose is irrelevant. Getting into a 104 degree hot tub I have more "total dose" of heat entering my skin than pouring a cup on boiling water on myself. Yet the former is pleasantly relaxing and the latter can require hospitalization for third-degree burns. A chest x-ray delivers radiation fairly uniformly throughout a large volume of the body. The nudiscopes deliver it all to the skin, a much lesser volume. The effects of radiation are not linear.

That was my question in the case with the transgender screening. Seems to me if a passenger support agent has to be present, that's an admission that screenings don't always go "by the book."

...and the eyes...