I felt the need to become informed, since I would probably be flying back from Cali within a month. It basically made me pissed off at all the arguments about the body scanners that I had read in the past few weeks.
I'm not saying it's right. I'm not saying it's necessary. I don't know if it's going to help. Then again, every security measure is a hassle until you're on the one plane with the guy with the bomb. And then you wonder...could something have been done to prevent this? You know, in between praying for your life and being scared witless. Conversely, 1 to 200 million odds seem pretty good, until you're the 1. And then you wonder, maybe it was that body scanner? Or maybe the hours I spent on the computer/cellphone/airplane/etc?
I don't support the body scanners. That's not what this is about. This is about the arguments people put up against them that I don't respect. Also, about the people that buy a ticket, walk into the airport, and start going through security, only to cause a giant fuss. (http://johnnyedge.blogspot.com/2010/11/these-events-took-place-roughly-between.html) So lets start with that.
Protesting in the airport. At times likened to Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
I haven't actually flown since these have been implemented; all I know is from stories like the one above. And I realize there aren't that many of those out there. Regardless, my opinion follows. I understand having a strong opinion about this. I understand wanting to take a stand and make a point and all that. If you really seriously 100% care as much as African Americans in Montgomery did about their buses--DON'T FLY. Do you care enough to give that up? Rosa Parks' arrest started the bus boycott, but the only reason it WORKED was because that entire community (or enough of it to make a good dent), did not ride buses for 11.5 months. And that was their main source of transportation. They made enough of a dent in the city's pocket that it was a concern. Money drives the world. If airlines lose significant business over this, they'll pressure everyone involved to come up with a better solution. So, if you want to make a fuss, at least be ready to follow through, that's all I'm saying. Pay your fines, do your jail time, and most of all, give up flying.
If you care, but not THAT much, there's always angry letters to TSA and Washington, protest rallies, etc. Just don't make a fuss in the airport and give some poor TSA employees a headache to take home to their kids. It generates more frustration than it resolves. Oh, and it doesn't make you badass.
Safety.
As far as we can tell now, it's safe. The same is true for our electronics. The difference being that you use your cell phone and computer virtually every day, and you only get scanned every time you fly. IT IS NOT AN XRAY like you get at the doctor or dentist. The radiation dosages are significantly lower. You would need to get scanned several hundred times to be exposed to as much x ray radiation as you get when you fly in the airplane itself. Even more to measure up to your medical xrays. You even get irradiated every day, on the ground, no matter what you are doing. So please, don't use radiation dosages as an excuse, unless you're willing to give up at least the voluntary radiation sources.
A better argument I've seen/heard is the concern over what happens when these devices malfunction. With a high probability, someone gets hurt. Then again, all technology from lightbulbs to microwave ovens to airplanes to nuclear power plants has that potential. As well as safeguards against it. I'd be lying if I said I didn't think there would ever be a body scanner breakdown incident. Life is risk, and the risk here is not significantly greater than with any other device (including medical devices, by the way!)
In summary, again, if you are arguing against the safety of these devices, what other technologies are you willing to give up to minimize your radiation exposure?
Privacy.
How is a TSA agent significantly different than a doctor in terms of their relationship to your body? It's their professional obligation to pat you down or look at your body scan. More likely than not (esp considering the state of America's health), they don't want to touch you any more than you want them to touch you. If you do have a hot bod, chances are they just experience less displeasure at the touching, rather than experiencing pleasure; they'll do that when they call their sweetie after work. And if, on the off chance, your TSA security person is a perv...how well do you know your doctor?
As for the images, they are viewed by someone in a separate room who does not see your face or know your name. Someone who sees hundreds of these images every day. Vaguely human-shaped white blobs. How much attention, exactly, do you think your body is getting? Only enough to determine if it has black blobs on it, which might be dangerous to others.
TSA claims (repeatedly) that the images are not saved anywhere. If, for whatever reason, they are or will be saved, we basically have much deeper underlying issues in our society than can even begin to be fixed by getting rid of these machines. Also, sue their butts off.
Note: I realize that different people have different concepts of modesty and privacy and different reasons for them. My definition is largely practical; it is considered inappropriate in society to display or touch certain regions of the body, so I don't. In the absence of these norms; any reticence or embarrassment I would have about undress would be strictly habitual, not moral. I reiterate, I realize others may have other reasoning, in which case, the options (as I see them) are discussed above.
In conclusion...
There are good arguments against these things out there. Most of them have nothing to do with the machines, and a lot more to do with the necessity argument. There are many much more gaping security threats in our country than commercial aircraft. There are other potential terrorist targets that have never been subject to such scrutiny or security measures. Ideally, we would be able to prepare for the unexpected, the unprecedented attacks. However, the methodology involved in that is...unclear. So we stick with what we know; we defend against the thing that has hurt us the most in recent memory. And that is why flying is a pain in the ass.
