>Its too much to expect the average person to understand rank structure. Many people see an intimidating looking guy in a uniform and assume he's in charge of a

>Its too much to expect the average person to understand rank structure. Many people see an intimidating looking guy in a uniform and assume he's in charge of a lot of really important stuff. While I agree that military rank is complex, I'm pretty sure that most people are very clear that the folks doing the grope and grab at the airport are at the very bottom of the hierarchy. Of course, I could be wrong, but my impression is that the objection many people have to the grope and grab is at least partially a class thing. Most people see TSA employees as "beneath them" I believe this is exacerbated by our (fading) sense that air travel is a luxury thing, and that the employees who facilitate said travel ought to kowtow to me, not the other way around.