Airport security, profiling and saving money.
The recent internet kerfluffle over body-scanners and molester-guards has raised once again the question of racial profiling. I say "internet kerfluffle" because that is exactly what it was. Internet junkies and activists worked up the froth and bubble and... and then nothing. This is because we tend to get confused between The Internets and Real Life, and Internet Peoples and Real Peoples. Some might say the absolute lack of reaction to the new security measures just shows how out of touch most internet-junkies really are. Or, some might just use the opportunity to brush up on their personal superiority about how they're outraged, and everyone else is just stupid and sheepish.
But I digress. The question about profiling is old and full of wank and race-baiting and racism and this and that and the other thing. But the question I have about profiling is this:
If it is effective and if we should use it, why then shouldn't we just use the way more effective and way more cheap policy of banning Muslims from flying? You're concerned about effectiveness and security, right? And you want to save time, money and hassle? Just don't let Muslims fly then.
Problem solved.
Personally speaking, I'm hesitant to get on the profiling band-wagon because airliners are simply juicy targets of opportunity, and the problem with preventing one type of crime 100 percent is that the other shoe drops: you can prevent one thing all the time, or most things most of the time, but not all things all the time. Of course, when a disgruntled employee or crazy drunken pilot fucks up, we tend to have less of an... well... immediate reaction. The idea that we should profile middle-aged, college-educated white males for alcoholism is... well that's downright offensive.
But I digress. The question about profiling is old and full of wank and race-baiting and racism and this and that and the other thing. But the question I have about profiling is this:
If it is effective and if we should use it, why then shouldn't we just use the way more effective and way more cheap policy of banning Muslims from flying? You're concerned about effectiveness and security, right? And you want to save time, money and hassle? Just don't let Muslims fly then.
Problem solved.
Personally speaking, I'm hesitant to get on the profiling band-wagon because airliners are simply juicy targets of opportunity, and the problem with preventing one type of crime 100 percent is that the other shoe drops: you can prevent one thing all the time, or most things most of the time, but not all things all the time. Of course, when a disgruntled employee or crazy drunken pilot fucks up, we tend to have less of an... well... immediate reaction. The idea that we should profile middle-aged, college-educated white males for alcoholism is... well that's downright offensive.