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I have similar issues and had that anxiety feedback loop once when questioned by an airline security officer, "How long have you been in Europe?" on a backpacki
by slirpee 11y ago
I have similar issues and had that anxiety feedback loop once when questioned by an airline security officer, "How long have you been in Europe?" on a backpacking trip. I was wondering if they meant EU or the continent and whether only since last exit or since I left home (since they were holding my non-European passport), and no exact correct answers were coming to mind for any of the possibilities, I was tired, wondering why didn't they just read the stamps in the passport if they cared so much, I wasn't prepared to get a grilling just to check in for my flight, and OH NO I'M HESITATING I LOOK LIKE SUSPICIOUS WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN?!? Well, I muddled through with vague hesitant answers that may have even been contradictory because of my uncertainty. Anyway, despite a really cringey performance from me, I guess they were satisfied that I wasn't knowingly or unknowingly carrying drugs/bombs (seemed to be the main concerns), because they gave me my ticket and I went through the real security and passport control which IIRC was nowhere near as invasive.
I guess they can tell the difference between a socially-anxious perfectionist stressing about giving correct answers and a liar stressing about giving false answers... or the airline is wasting their money by giving this "interview" but ignoring really sketchy answers. Or maybe I did not appear as suspicious as I thought.
Another time I casually broke eye contact with a bus security officer while he was rattling off prohibited items and searching my bag. I've noticed sometimes I subconsciously prefer to focus by looking down and maybe turning an ear toward someone talking about something detailed like this, but this guy seemed to interpret it as a sign that he'd just said something that was in my bag and shouldn't be. He repeated the question once and maybe twice, so this time I stared straight into his eyes as I answered. Maybe it looked like a liar over-compensating, but whatever, he was tossing my bag anyway.