That TSA pat down of the boy at Dallas-Fort Worth airport...was so disturbing.

[unsinkable]

Thoughts?

[Home'scool]

I'm not sure if I find the actual pat-down disturbing. What is disturbing is that we live in a world where this is now necessary. There are places in the world where children are being used as bomb carriers just because they are children. So the fact that the boy is young .... you just can't assume anything these days.

 

And I have seen other videos of people being subjected to very thorough pat downs, but I think that I personally would not take offense to it. It would make me feel safer knowing that the flight I was on was being so closely scrutinized.

 

Who would have ever thought that planes could be hijacked with box cutters? For every procedure we put in place, bad guys come up with a way around it.

[Guest]

I didn't think the pat down looked out of the ordinary from what I saw, but I always get the extra screenings for some reason. The forty five minutes in holding like criminals? That makes me much angrier on their behalves.

[Laurie4b]

I thought it was bizarrely "thorough." The TSA agent had finished patting down the kid, including genital area then went BACK and patted down the genital area again. The kid had not set off any alarms and the parent had requested an alternate to the invasive patdown. 

 

I thought the young boy stayed very calm. I can see it being disturbing to an NT child, let alone one with sensory issues. 

 

It was disgusting and unnecessary.  And kids' parents should be able to be with them. There is no excuse for the government traumatizing kids. 

[MercyA]

I think some members of the TSA are power-tripping, bullying jerks. Some seem to enjoy punishing anyone who doesn't bow down and comply. 

 

What happened to the boy was shameful, but sadly not surprising. 

[MercyA]

I thought it was bizarrely "thorough." The TSA agent had finished patting down the kid, including genital area then went BACK and patted down the genital area again. The kid had not set off any alarms and the parent had requested an alternate to the invasive patdown. 

 

Yes. The mother said in an interview, "...my son was pat down in private and sensitive areas repeatedly. They did not go over those areas one time, they went over them four times. They opened the back of his pants... They opened the front of his pants. They grabbed his arms on either side and grabbed his legs on either side. I don't know what they thought would've been under his skin, but I didn't think that was appropriate, and especially after I had told them that sensory issues were a challenge for him."

Edited March 29, 2017 by MercyA

[Scarlett]

My son can't stand for me to put my hand up his sleeve. Like if I pat his arm and my hand goes up past his sleeve.  He says it feels invasive.  :)  I can't even imagine what he would feel if a TSA agent opened his pants. 

 

But sadly this is the world we live in. 

[Tanaqui]

This isn't necessary. It's not.

 

You want to talk about how "bad guys" can overcome obstacles? How about this? The "bad guys" go to the airport, wait on the 30 minute line, and then blow their bombs, getting the TSA, the airport, and anybody hapless enough to be standing nearby. Which is a lot of people, because all that security theater eats up a lot of time.

 

(And meanwhile, the TSA misses most nearly everything that is an actual threat.)

[itsmylife]

The X-rays didn't show anything?  Why the extreme pat down?

[Scarlett]

The X-rays didn't show anything?  Why the extreme pat down?

 

 

I got the feeling the agent was powertripping and making the mom pay for her request for alternate screening.

[Xuzi]

This isn't necessary. It's not.

 

You want to talk about how "bad guys" can overcome obstacles? How about this? The "bad guys" go to the airport, wait on the 30 minute line, and then blow their bombs, getting the TSA, the airport, and anybody hapless enough to be standing nearby. Which is a lot of people, because all that security theater eats up a lot of time.

 

(And meanwhile, the TSA misses most nearly everything that is an actual threat.)

Yes! I think those bottle-neck security lines are actually the most dangerous part of airplane travel, from a terror-risk perspective. A large crowd of people all jammed together, *before* any sort of screening has taken place.

 

I found the video incredibly disturbing. The kid was obviously not hiding anything under his lose, thin clothing, and his private areas were checked repeatedly.

 

Ugh.

Edited March 30, 2017 by Xuzi

[frogger]

We should be contacting our representatives to do something about the TSA, like just get rid of them.

 

I bet they couldn't even fathom this when they wrote the fourth amendment.

 

Edited to add: This type of stuff should be heading to the courts rather than citizens just accepting whatever happens to them.

Edited March 29, 2017 by frogger

[Seasider]

I was disturbed to see the agent rub his hands over the boy's buttocks no less than three times. I understand the need for screening, but not like that.

[HomeAgain]

I'm not sure if I find the actual pat-down disturbing. What is disturbing is that we live in a world where this is now necessary. There are places in the world where children are being used as bomb carriers just because they are children. So the fact that the boy is young .... you just can't assume anything these days.

 

And I have seen other videos of people being subjected to very thorough pat downs, but I think that I personally would not take offense to it. It would make me feel safer knowing that the flight I was on was being so closely scrutinized.

 

Who would have ever thought that planes could be hijacked with box cutters? For every procedure we put in place, bad guys come up with a way around it.

 

I don't feel safer on a flight.  I don't.  I've flown out of several countries and the U.S. is the absolute worst.  If I were a terrible person, the steel cable they allow me to bring on board to knit with would be a great weapon.  Especially seeing that I have 6 of them in my current project, each 3-4ft long.  If I was a REALLY terrible person, I wouldn't be worried about the pat down because it's not a body cavity search.  If I was a really, REALLY terrible person who flew with others of the same mind, it would be like putting together a puzzle, each person having a piece.

 

The TSA is worthless.

 

These pat downs are demeaning and horrifying.  They are an unconstitutional search.  When one doesn't present a threat, to have something so invasive done to them in the name of the federal government, we've lost our rights to be the Americans that the constitution gives us the right to be.

[Laurie4b]

I was disturbed to see the agent rub his hands over the boy's buttocks no less than three times. I understand the need for screening, but not like that.

 

In the video I watched, the agent finished the rub down of the genital area in front, walked 3 feet away, then turned around and did it again. It made me ill to watch it. 

[Seasider]

In the video I watched, the agent finished the rub down of the genital area in front, walked 3 feet away, then turned around and did it again. It made me ill to watch it.

In any other setting, that man's actions would land him on a sexual offenders' registry.

[MercyA]

In any other setting, that man's actions would land him on a sexual offenders' registry.

 

Yep. The poor kid said, "Whenever this officer was touching me in certain areas, I was taught that nobody should touch you in that area. And whenever someone's touching you like that you would think, 'Oh, Who is this person and why are they doing this?' And for all that reason I didn't want to make a big scene, because my Mom got asked, 'Be escorted out with the police or go to San Diego...' And I really wanted to go to San Diego and I wanted to go to Disneyland and all of that stuff."

 

:mad:

[justasque]

For what it's worth, here's the TSA's response (bolding mine).

 

As you may have heard, on Sunday at Dallas Fort Worth (DFW), a 13-year-old passenger underwent enhanced security screening, which included a pat-down, after his laptop alarmed an explosives trace detection machine. In total, the pat-down took approximately two minutes, and was observed by the mother and two police officers who were called to ease concerns of the mother. The passengers were at the checkpoint for approximately 45 minutes, which included the time it took to discuss screening procedures with the mother and to screen three carry-on items that required further inspection.

 

The mother filmed the pat-down and posted it to Facebook. It has since gone viral.

 

So is this standard procedure? TSA screening procedures allow for the pat-down of children under certain circumstances. In this instance, a laptop alarmed the explosives trace detection machine, which requires additional screening to resolve the alarm. 

 

We get it. Nobody likes to be patted down. And nobody likes to see their loved ones patted down, especially children. TSA screens thousands of families every day, and our officers are trained to communicate with parents, explain screening procedures before they begin, and find the best way to get everyone to their plane safely and efficiently. Many of our officers are parents too.  

 

All of our procedures are based on current intelligence and our adversaries are always looking for ways to inflict harm, including recruiting young children to carry out attacks. Bottom-line is that passengers, including children, and their property are screened prior to boarding a plane and any security alarms must be resolved. 

 

So why does TSA conduct pat-downs? Pat-down procedures are used to determine whether prohibited and dangerous items are concealed. You may be required to undergo a pat-down procedure if the screening technology alarms, as part of random or unpredictable security measures, for enhanced screening, or as an alternative to other types of screening, such as advanced imaging technology screening. Even passengers who normally receive expedited screening, such as TSA Pre✓® passengers, may at times receive pat-down screening.

 

What should you know about pat-down screening? 

• Our officers will explain the procedures to you as they conduct the pat-down.
• We use modified screening procedures for children 12 and under that reduce the likelihood of pat-down screening.
• A pat-down may include inspection of the head, neck, arms, hand, back, torso, legs, and feet. This includes head coverings and sensitive areas such as breasts, groin, and the buttocks. You may be required to adjust clothing during the pat-down.
• Pat-downs require sufficient pressure to ensure detection.
• Our officers use the back of the hands for pat-downs over sensitive areas of the body. In limited cases, additional screening involving a sensitive area pat-down with the front of the hand may be needed to determine that a threat does not exist.  
• You should advise the officer if you have difficulty raising your arms or remaining in the position required; an external medical device; or areas of the body that are painful when touched.
• You may request a chair to sit if needed.
• You will receive a pat-down by an officer of the same gender.
• At any time during the process, you may request private screening accompanied by a companion of your choice.  

 

[SKL]

There should be records to prove whether or not there was a heightened alarm set off by his computer.  If so, then more careful screening would be justified.

 

There was one moment where I thought the guy went a bit far, but in general it was not disturbing.  Part of me thinks he was all the more thorough because he was being recorded.  If you know you're being recorded doing your job, you aren't going to cut corners.

 

Another thing I wonder about is how they are trained to deal with people / parents who protest or try to get out of the screening.  I mean, if you had something to hide, that would be a logical thing to do.  All the more reason to look extra closely at people who are trying to get out of any part of the screening.

 

I am not a fan of posting every annoying moment on facebook.  If she thought rules were broken, she should have gone to the people in charge, and their bosses if necessary.  Facebook is not a court of reason.  It may make the mom feel better to have everyone indignant on her behalf, but it has its downsides too.

[DesertBlossom]

I feel so bad for that kid.

 

I got a full pat down once because I asked that they not put my daughter's diabetes supplies through the scanner. And apparently asking that a small well-marked bottle of insulin not be scanned earned me a pat down.

 

I was surprised at how awful I felt about it. Sick to my stomach for hours. It felt so yucky to be touched all over.

 

I think the TSA is stupid for thinking a bottle of insulin makes me more likely to be a terrorist.

Edited March 30, 2017 by DesertBlossom

[FaithManor]

Yes! I think those bottle-neck security lines are actually these most dangerous part of a airplane travel, from a terror-risk perspective. A large crowd of people all jammed together, *before* any sort of screening has taken place.

 

I found the video incredibly disturbing. The kid was obviously not hiding anything under his lose, thin clothing, and his private areas were checked repeatedly.

 

Ugh.

This. And the added incentive of killing security, sheriff deputies, bomb and drug sniffing dogs and their handlers plus the bottle neck of cars trying to drop off passengers at departures further complicates rescue efforts.

 

Big ole target. May as well paint a red bulls eye on the front of the building.

[FaithManor]

In the video I watched, the agent finished the rub down of the genital area in front, walked 3 feet away, then turned around and did it again. It made me ill to watch it.

Smacks of pedophilia doesn't it?

 

I imagine we will end up with a bunch of sickos who still have no criminal record applying for the job. Free range groping of children.

 

This country so messed up. We have no right to point out any other country's faults. We rank so badly on human/civil rights.

[mamakelly]

It was pretty disturbing. I wonder why they didn't just use the x-ray machine? That's much less invasive. 

[Reefgazer]

I agree with this.  I did not see the pat down as "disturbing" or "excessive".

I didn't think the pat down looked out of the ordinary from what I saw, but I always get the extra screenings for some reason. The forty five minutes in holding like criminals? That makes me much angrier on their behalves.

 

[Mergath]

I don't know, I can see both sides of it. I understand how upsetting it must have been, but I don't understand why people think the boy having SPD should have somehow made him exempt. It doesn't work like that. Everyone has to be screened, even people in wheelchairs. When I was in the military and I had to fly, I wasn't exempt from security checks. This was back in the early '00s, and I had to get wanded and let them inspect my (Army-issued dress) shoes like everyone else. Flying isn't a constitutionally-protected right, and airlines don't have to let you fly if they think you're a security risk.

 

And from what I've read, the boy was supposed to take his laptop out during part of the check but didn't, and that's why it triggered the bomb alert thing. If he'd followed the instructions, none of this would have happened. And the TSA agent was probably screwed no matter what he did, given that the mom was recording. If he did a thorough check that followed protocol, the mom was going to get even more pissed. If he didn't do the patdown properly in order to get the boy out of there faster, he could have lost his job, and if he was groping the boy in a way that was outside of protocol, the TSA definitely wouldn't be defending him. Firing him would certainly be a public relations plus for them, given how much attention this story has gotten, so if they had a reason to fire him over this patdown, he'd already be gone.

 

Also, in regard to the family being detained for forty-five minutes, it sounds to me like most of that was the mom freaking out about the patdown, not the TSA interrogating them or something.

[YaelAldrich]

Had the thorough pat down *twice* last month.  Groin and bOOks felt up several times each. Pulled my skirt off my body and felt around my waist as well.  I felt gross and told them they should be buying me a beer afterwards since they got to grope me.   :ack2:

 

[Mergath]

Smacks of pedophilia doesn't it?

 

I imagine we will end up with a bunch of sickos who still have no criminal record applying for the job. Free range groping of children.

 

This country so messed up. We have no right to point out any other country's faults. We rank so badly on human/civil rights.

 

I don't know... if the worst human rights violation we have to endure is a patdown when we voluntarily fly, we aren't doing too badly compared to much of the world. Our country is screwed up, but imo airport security is pretty close to the bottom of the "things that suck about the US" list right now.

 

[DesertBlossom]

I agree with this. I did not see the pat down as "disturbing" or "excessive".

It's easy to watch someone get patted down. It may not look excessive or disturbing to onlookers, but having your genitals patted down by a complete strangers while people look on like it's supposed to be normal is actually quite traumatic.

Edited March 30, 2017 by DesertBlossom

[Farrar]

I didn't think the patdown itself was all that bad per se. Bizarrely thorough, yes. But...

 

This isn't necessary. It's not.

 

You want to talk about how "bad guys" can overcome obstacles? How about this? The "bad guys" go to the airport, wait on the 30 minute line, and then blow their bombs, getting the TSA, the airport, and anybody hapless enough to be standing nearby. Which is a lot of people, because all that security theater eats up a lot of time.

 

(And meanwhile, the TSA misses most nearly everything that is an actual threat.)

 

...mostly I just agree strongly with this. Like, if a patdown needed to happen, then that patdown was a little much, but not crazy. But a patdown never needed to happen in the first flippin place.

[Mergath]

I didn't think the patdown itself was all that bad per se. Bizarrely thorough, yes. But...

 

 

...mostly I just agree strongly with this. Like, if a patdown needed to happen, then that patdown was a little much, but not crazy. But a patdown never needed to happen in the first flippin place.

 

:iagree:  I don't think we should be blaming the TSA employee and calling him a pedo for doing his job, though. He's not the one setting the policies that dictate when a patdown occurs. He's just the guy stuck following the rules, even when it pisses people off and makes him the day's social media target.

[Farrar]

:iagree:  I don't think we should be blaming the TSA employee and calling him a pedo for doing his job, though. He's not the one setting the policies that dictate when a patdown occurs. He's just the guy stuck following the rules, even when it pisses people off and makes him the day's social media target.

 

I guess I'm not clear on that though. I mean, I've read stories where TSA was polite and understanding and stories where TSA was a bunch of unreasonable jerks. The back story seemed like they were unreasonable jerks. I seriously doubt he was a pedo and I hate the way everyone goes to that, but it did seem like he was power tripping. These people... they have really weird jobs in a way. They have to be authoritarian and strict, but also rarely see anyone doing anything wrong. I think when you're in that position, you tend to get overreactive about minor things. You feel like you're supposed to be coming down on someone in order to keep the nation safer so you end up coming down on someone. In this case, a mom whose young kid was flagged for random screening. Is that "just doing his job"?

[Mergath]

I guess I'm not clear on that though. I mean, I've read stories where TSA was polite and understanding and stories where TSA was a bunch of unreasonable jerks. The back story seemed like they were unreasonable jerks. I seriously doubt he was a pedo and I hate the way everyone goes to that, but it did seem like he was power tripping. These people... they have really weird jobs in a way. They have to be authoritarian and strict, but also rarely see anyone doing anything wrong. I think when you're in that position, you tend to get overreactive about minor things. You feel like you're supposed to be coming down on someone in order to keep the nation safer so you end up coming down on someone. In this case, a mom whose young kid was flagged for random screening. Is that "just doing his job"?

 

I was under the impression that once the bomb alert was tripped from the laptop, he didn't have a choice and had to follow protocol, which meant a patdown.

 

[Farrar]

I was under the impression that once the bomb alert was tripped from the laptop, he didn't have a choice and had to follow protocol, which meant a patdown.

 

 

Ah. I think I missed that when I read the post about it. Still though... the backstory from her POV felt like he was power tripping to me. Okay, so you need to patdown the kid. The mom is upset about it. That's not a reason to be hideous to her and detain them longer. That's *not* part of his job. That's just the perk that he added in.

 

One of the first things I thought watching it was how important it is for LEO's to have better training in dealing with people with special needs. So, the kid has some sensory issues. You know what? Instead of being nasty to the mom, who is freaking out because she's about to have to deal from the fallout from this incident for weeks, just be firm but compassionate.

 

Of course... it's still not necessary in the first place. Sigh.

[Mergath]

Ah. I think I missed that when I read the post about it. Still though... the backstory from her POV felt like he was power tripping to me. Okay, so you need to patdown the kid. The mom is upset about it. That's not a reason to be hideous to her and detain them longer. That's *not* part of his job. That's just the perk that he added in.

 

One of the first things I thought watching it was how important it is for LEO's to have better training in dealing with people with special needs. So, the kid has some sensory issues. You know what? Instead of being nasty to the mom, who is freaking out because she's about to have to deal from the fallout from this incident for weeks, just be firm but compassionate.

 

Of course... it's still not necessary in the first place. Sigh.

 

The impression I got from what I've read was that much of the detainment was from the TSA trying to explain to mom why they had to do a patdown and her freaking out about it. It's so hard to get an accurate picture of what happened in cases like this, though. I usually assume that both sides are exaggerating things to some extent and the truth is somewhere in the middle.  I'm guessing in this situation the mom overreacted a bit and the TSA agent could definitely have been more understanding.

 

[SKL]

I've come to view the TSA screenings somewhat like going to the doctor.  Yeah, you're likely to be touched in places nobody else is allowed to touch you.  It's not fun.  Best just get it over with.

 

I travel with my kids a lot, so they are used to the drill and know to be flexible and cooperative to avoid delays.  I do hear a lot of parents, though, who aren't used to travel, and they tend to freak out about things like being "singled out," "questioned," or "detained" for a short time period.  I advise parents to prepare their kids in advance for all the things that may happen.  Then when it does happen, they don't find it scary, just annoying (which it is for all of us).  And I would have advised the mom here to act like all this is normal - not get all freaked out in front of her kid, which is unlikely to help him remain calm.

 

I would also say it could be humiliating for the kid to have that video all over the internet of him being groped etc.  People need to think before they post.

[HomeAgain]

I don't know... if the worst human rights violation we have to endure is a patdown being sexually groped in the name of the law, being detained and interrogated for being Muslim (Muhammed Ali Jr.), having TSA power trip and take a government issued phone from a NASA employee to look through (illegally), assaulting a breast cancer patient, assaulting a woman who just had a brain tumor removed and many, many other violations as the list goes back more than 8 months when we voluntarily fly, we aren't doing too badly compared to much of the world. Our country is screwed up, but imo airport security is pretty close to the bottom of the "things that suck about the US" list right now.

 

 

Fixed that for ya.

[FaithManor]

I don't know... if the worst human rights violation we have to endure is a patdown when we voluntarily fly, we aren't doing too badly compared to much of the world. Our country is screwed up, but imo airport security is pretty close to the bottom of the "things that suck about the US" list right now.

 

What makes this seem like groping is that the TSA agent performed the past down, walked away, and the turned around and came back to do it again.

 

Not good!

[FaithManor]

And the reality is that time after time it has been conclusively proven that the TSA misses most of the threats, even the bizarrely easy to catch ones. So people are enduring what would be sexual assault in any other setting for absolutely zero increase in safety.

 

The net "gain" can be represented in negative numbers. So it is no longer reasonable to believe that this has a dang thing to do with public safety and has everything to do with conditioning the population to governmental abuse of basic civil rights and human dignity.

[historically accurate]

I have a family member who is a skin cancer survivor who we travel with often. He opts for the patdown over the imaging to try to protect his skin. The patdown I saw in the video looks the same as that family member receives every time. So, it was thorough (he was being filmed though, so he couldn't cut corners), but not any more intrusive than usual.

 

I will also refuse imaging for myself as I have BRCA and am a cancer survivor. I am not looking forward to patdowns, but I'll do it. So far, it hasn't been an issue since my kids are young. They've just waved me through the old-style x-ray things with the kids every time.

 

I wouldn't post a video of my family member getting a patdown on FB for the world to see - that smacks of more invasive than the patdown to me.

[justasque]

...Still though... the backstory from her POV felt like he was power tripping to me. Okay, so you need to patdown the kid. The mom is upset about it. That's not a reason to be hideous to her and detain them longer. That's *not* part of his job. That's just the perk that he added in.

...

 

 

 

...In total, the pat-down took approximately two minutes, and was observed by the mother and two police officers who were called to ease concerns of the mother. The passengers were at the checkpoint for approximately 45 minutes, which included the time it took to discuss screening procedures with the mother and to screen three carry-on items that required further inspection.

...

 

 

I've been patted down a lot, as has a kid travelling with me.  I never needed two police officers to "ease my concerns".  It sounds, reading between the TSA's lines, like this mom was freaking out, and that was the main cause for the delay.  I am guessing that they were inexperienced travelers, especially since they seem to have left a laptop in one of their bags for the screening, rather than removing it as you're instructed to do.    Most experienced travelers anticipate this stuff, and pack accordingly, so they can remove the laptops and liquids and such fairly easily as they put their stuff on the conveyor belt.  

 

I'm not a fan of security theater, but it doesn't seem like this family experienced anything out of the ordinary, given that they did not follow the screening instructions re the laptop.   Had mom anticipated the screening, removed the laptop from the bag, and prepped her son as to what to expect, it could have gone smoother even if the enhanced screening was deemed necessary.   I feel for inexperienced travellers - things have gotten so much more complicated. 

 

That said, I'd rather have a patdown and get to keep my electronics on board (Kindle!  Noise-cancelling headphones!   Relaxing yoga music from my iPod!) than to deal with what families flying Emirates from Doha and other "final point of departure from specific airports" flights are having to put up with.  I really hope those "no electronics except your phone" rules don't become universal.

[poppy]

To me it looks like the mom is wrong.  She said they didn't set off an alarm in her viral facebook post, but they did..  She posted a video of an uncomfortable pat down; she shouldn't' have. 

 

The person I feel most sympathy for is the TSA officer who is now being viewed as a pedophile by people who believe the rant. 

[Janeway]

I have the video on my FB page. I thought it was disturbing. I think it amounted to child molestation and should be treated as such. And it went on for a very long time.

[FaithManor]

To me it looks like the mom is wrong. She said they didn't set off an alarm in her viral facebook post, but they did.. She posted a video of an uncomfortable pat down; she shouldn't' have.

 

The person I feel most sympathy for is the TSA officer who is now being viewed as a pedophile by people who believe the rant.

I am not saying he is. However, he performed the "pat down", did not find anything, walked away, and then came back and did it again. That is very suspect.

 

The new enhanced pat down is now going to be the front of hand.

[ChocolateReignRemix]

Fixed that for ya.

I am not familiar with all of those incidents but two you listed above involved immigration/customs which is not the same as TSA.

[SanDiegoMom]

The last time my daughter and I flew, we saw different instructions for what to have out of our bags and what to leave in at the two different airports.  We were pretty confused, though we did ask before we put out bags on the scanners.  But the information was different in FL compared to CA (regarding liquids and where they should be left - in the bags or out). 

 

I am a pretty private person and I would have been devastated to have undergone that search. It really makes me not what to fly anywhere anymore! 

[Tanaqui]

I am a pretty private person and I would have been devastated to have undergone that search. It really makes me not want to fly anywhere anymore!

 

Many people share this response. So they drive. Unfortunately, driving is not as safe as flying, and driving fatalities have increased.

[SKL]

True, it is uncomfortable and many people do not want to go through that.  However, it seems better to be clear that this can happen to anyone, so people can plan accordingly.

 

There are things I don't do because I don't want to go through the discomfort or embarrassment.  When I make that choice for myself or my family, it's simply a choice.  It's not an outrage.  Flying to Disneyland without a patdown is not a need.

[Ravin]

I have a family member who is a skin cancer survivor who we travel with often. He opts for the patdown over the imaging to try to protect his skin. The patdown I saw in the video looks the same as that family member receives every time. So, it was thorough (he was being filmed though, so he couldn't cut corners), but not any more intrusive than usual.

 

I will also refuse imaging for myself as I have BRCA and am a cancer survivor. I am not looking forward to patdowns, but I'll do it. So far, it hasn't been an issue since my kids are young. They've just waved me through the old-style x-ray things with the kids every time.

 

I wouldn't post a video of my family member getting a patdown on FB for the world to see - that smacks of more invasive than the patdown to me.

You realize you get more radiation exposure from cosmic rays during the airplane ride than from the TSA machine, right?

 

https://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=safety-airport-scanners

 

https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/radiation/air_travel.html

Edited March 30, 2017 by Ravin

[Tanaqui]

True, it is uncomfortable and many people do not want to go through that.  However, it seems better to be clear that this can happen to anyone, so people can plan accordingly.

 

There are things I don't do because I don't want to go through the discomfort or embarrassment.  When I make that choice for myself or my family, it's simply a choice.  It's not an outrage.  Flying to Disneyland without a patdown is not a need.

 

You know, I find this attitude troubling. Why should we "plan accordingly" to deal with an invasive and demeaning procedure that is not necessary and doesn't save lives?

 

There is no benefit to these TSA screenings. So why do we put up with them?

[FaithManor]

You know, I find this attitude troubling. Why should we "plan accordingly" to deal with an invasive and demeaning procedure that is not necessary and doesn't save lives?

 

There is no benefit to these TSA screenings. So why do we put up with them?

100% agree. Numerous investigations of the TSA show they don't even see the guns PLAINLY on screen in carry on bags! The system is not in accordance for safety but to get the citizenry to willing submit to civil rights violations.