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Originally Posted by Boggie Dog
(Post 25531703)
I get it too and don't disagree that TSA likely ( I have my doubts) has some good, honest, hardworking people.
I think TSA calling itself a counter-terrorism agency, which is really a reach for airport passenger screeners, is a large part of the problem. Mom and Pop heading off to Vegas are not terrorist, should not be considered terrorist, and should not be treated like potential terrorist. They are also not in prison and should not be treated like they are under arrest. They are not in military boot camp and don't need to be treated like they are. TSA's silly reliance on SSI to hide the disgusting things they do at checkpoints needs to end. If your going to feel my "resistance" at least have the backbone to call it what it is, a penis, or other appropriately named body part. I don't need TSA to hide behind polite speak in order to avoid accountability. If TSA is going to deploy technology at least be honest enough to demonstrate that it has been independently tested and is effective in its role. TSA screeners are not LEO's. Don't try to make people believe otherwise. A little effort on building goodwill from the top of TSA down to today's new hire might help change the public's negative perception of TSA and its employees. Finally, if a TSA screener is a criminal and is caught doing something of a criminal nature while on the job I think the public has every right to know what the person did and exactly what TSA did in response. The individuals privacy should be a secondary concern. Finally, act like a responsible government agency should act. TSA knew of the screener who was assaulting passengers at Denver and didn't do anything. TSA could have acted sooner but didn't. TSA could have pursued legal charges but did not. And this is just one example. TSA knew that Stacey Armato was illegally held hostage at a TSA checkpoint but as far as I know no legal actions were ever taken against the TSA employees involved. Another case, Phil Mocek, TSA employees gave false reports to police. Phil fought and won the case at great personal expense and it was evident that the TSA employees lied to police yet nothing ever was done to the TSA employees. And in my own case the FLL FSD refused to investigate an attempted theft by a TSA screener. Instead I was told that we have to expect more invasive actions by TSA. So yeah, I suspect that TSA has some good people the problem is knowing which ones! Sometimes things are broken beyond repair or the cost of repair is just not economical. TSA is such a case! To the point of being an anti-terrorist agency I could not agree more, I too think that is a big part of the problem. I am not exactly sure what SSI is, but I have seen reference to it before, thus I am guessing some sort of Gov't coding/classification system. Something the paramedic (who moonlights as a Part Time TSA Employee) said to me today reinforced something you wrote, his Supervisor routinely says that things like pat downs which the Supervisor admits is not pleasant is for the greater good and that TSA is on the front line of aviation safety. The paramedic thinks most of the rhetoric from his Supervisor is bunk and he says some of his fellow co-workers do too, especially when you are patting down (for example) Mom who is taking the family to Disneyworld or The Frat Brother going on Spring Break to Vegas. By the way the paramedic is a really good guy, so there are a few good TSA employees out there. He said that he tries to be polite, courteous and professional in his role as TSA Employee, but admits that some of his co-workers do not and in fact can be real jerks. He tries to be light hearted when the moment calls for it and jokes around with the passengers as he believes smiling is contagious. |
SSI = Sensitive Security Information. A nonclassification method that does not require a security clearance to access and predates TSA.
http:// https://en.m.wikipedia.org/w...ty_Information |
TSA employees should indeed be professional, polite, kind, helpful - a lot of the stuff described by kmersh above. But like any public-facing government employee with any authority (in this case, the authority to touch your property, your person and to allow - or not - you entry to the "secure" side of the airport) there should also be some professional detachment. Smile, sure. Be cheerful, okay. But keep the small talk to a minimum and stop it when the passenger doesn't "play along." And stop the jokes completely.
They are not there to be our friends. They are there to carry out (what some believe is) an essential screening function. They are there because of the (infinitesimal) chance that one of us is a criminal. We are not there to be their friends. We are there because we want to go somewhere on an airplane. We are there because we have to go through the checkpoint because of the (infinitesimal) chance that one of us is a criminal. I make small talk with my friends. I'll make small talk with a stranger at the boarding gate or the lounge or the bus stop, because we share the common ground of fellow travellers, and because either of us can walk away if we don't feel like continuing. I make jokes with my friends. If they tease me I can tease them back. We know each others' weak spots and we don't get mean. If my friends don't think my joke is funny, they change the topic; they don't rummage through my handbag and then tell me I can't fly today. My friends don't post signs saying "no jokes allowed" and then make jokes about me. Before you say TSA should be "light-hearted", go back and read the specific examples in the original post. Here's my score: 1) Based on mistake about the passenger's t-shirt logo, the TSA employee attempts to find common ground with passenger over a video game. Not actually offensive, just unnecessary. Dude, he's going to be gone in a minute and you'll never see him again - you don't need to bond. 2) "Joking" about not allowing an object. Blatant and cruel abuse of authority, hiding behind "just kidding." Wrong wrong wrong. 3) The fact that he knew a bunch of languages is cool. Having someone available to help with translation when needed is cool. The fact that TSA pays someone to "walk up and down the line rattling out instructions" is not cool. A simple signboard using pictures is cheaper and more effective. (Visit absolutely any international airport outside the USA for examples). The fact that he was "trying to determine" people's nationalities could be an attempt to be helpful or it could be BDO profiling or it could be just showing off. There's no obligation to discuss one's nationality with TSA, and some people may not want to reveal personal information in front of a group of strangers. 4) As with (1), not offensive just unnecessary. The passengers are not there to help you deal with your loneliness or homesickness. Stifle the need to make small talk. |
Originally Posted by RadioGirl
(Post 25539152)
*snip* |
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