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I've been thinking about this lately because I also hate the TSA way more than is even remotely rational. Even for frequent fliers, the TSA is pretty far down

I've been thinking about this lately because I also hate the TSA way more than is even remotely rational. Even for frequent fliers, the TSA is pretty far down on any rational list of complaints about government. I fly almost every week, but in the past 12 months I have probably spent a lot more time at city hall on a stupid residential parking permit than I did in (non-customs) airport security lines. In addition to personality, a lot of people project much larger political ideologies onto the TSA. You see a lot of that even in this comment section.

umanwizard 8y ago
Right, I'll be the first to admit that it isn't totally rational. I get much more upset about the TSA, since I see their petty authoritarianism face to face, than I do about things that affect me much more but only indirectly.
Reelin 8y ago
> the TSA is pretty far down on any rational list of complaints about government Only if focusing exclusively on direct interactions. From an ideological perspective, I don't think it's projection (your wording) to observe that in their current form they align closely with both general government authoritarianism and the exercise of federal power over the states. From a pragmatic perspective, I think it's perfectly reasonable to be alarmed about how such security measures seem to normalize invasive government behaviors in general. Societal norms and values aren't static, so how we do things in the present can and does affect how the public views things in the future.