3 ms·
It's interesting that the airlines are fighting back against the intrusive searches that the TSA does. I always assumed the TSA was the revenue protection bran
by jrockway 3y ago
It's interesting that the airlines are fighting back against the intrusive searches that the TSA does. I always assumed the TSA was the revenue protection branch of the major air carriers. That's why they need to match the name on your boarding pass to your government ID; a secondary market for airline tickets would cost the airlines revenue. (Imagine that instead of "no cancellations" you could just give the ticket you no longer want to a friend. That's basically the same thing as stealing the CEO's yacht!) The security function of the TSA is just to provide the illusion that they do something. In the 2000s when the TSA was introduced, people were scared that they were going to be the next building demolition squad every time they got on a flight. Some fancy looking machines and long lines make it feel like someone's doing something. But it's all a disguise for their actual function; revenue protection.
So now an airline comes along and says "yeah that's all security theater, we do a background check, pay our own guy to check your ID, and just have you walk through a metal detector", and they're mad about it? It was their idea in the first place! Be careful about voting for the "leopards eating people's faces" party... they might eat your face too.
- cj 3y ago> people were scared that they were going to be the next building demolition squad every time they got on a flight. Some fancy looking machines and long lines make it feel like someone's doing something I mean the only negative news I hear about planes is Boeing’s QA issues. When was the last terror attack on a plane? Is it possible the metal detectors are actually working and not just security theater? Or are other changes like a locked cockpit door the real reason consumer confidence in flying is high (only brought down by Boeing engineering issues)?
- eropple 3y ago> Is it possible the metal detectors are actually working and not just security theater? The results have been consistently poor over a long period of time. Just one example: https://web.archive.org/web/20181009074941/http:/oversight.house.gov:80/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/5-9-2012-Joint-TSA-Staff-Report-FINAL.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20181009074941/http:/oversight.h... It's possible that they are doing something for sure, but also possible they're just a tiger rock.
- invalidlogin 3y agoWhat is a tiger rock?
- xethos 3y agoPhysically and visually impressive, but unlikely to get up and do anything
- cdelsolar 3y agoSimpsons reference. A rock that keeps tigers away. “You don’t see any tigers around here do you?”
- eesmith 3y agoAnd here is a clip of the relevant scene, from the episode "Much Apu About Nothing" (1996), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSVqLHghLpw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSVqLHghLpw Quoting from its IMDB entry at https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0774432/characters/nm0810379 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0774432/characters/nm0810379 : Lisa : Dad, what if I were to tell you that this rock keeps away tigers. Homer : Uh-huh, and how does it work? Lisa : It doesn't work. It's just a stupid rock. Homer : I see. Lisa : But you don't see any tigers around, do you? Homer : Lisa, I'd like to buy your rock.
- sneak 3y agoThe TSA misses substantial fractions of weapons at checkpoints per internal testing. What this means is that approximately no one is attempting to blow up or hijack planes, otherwise they would be successful, as the test show 40+ percent of weapons will make it through screening checkpoints. It used to be twice that. They improved to only missing one third.