“Enhanced” pat-downs have been getting a ton of press lately. But what are the guys giving the gropings actually thinking? (Hopefully not this.)
TSA agents opened up on the blog Flying With Fish about what’s going through their heads while they’re juggling your junk.
Some excerpts:
Yesterday a passenger told me to keep my hands off his penis or he’d scream. Is this how a 40-year-old man in business attire acts? He’ll scream? My 3-year-old can get away with saying he’ll scream, but a 40-something businessman? I am a professional doing my job; whether I agree with this current policy or not, I am doing my job. I do not want to be here all day touching penises.
I served a tour in Afghanistan followed by a tour in Iraq. I have been hardened by war and in the past week I am slowly being broken by the constant diatribe of hateful comments being lobbed at me. While many just see a uniform with gloves feeling them for concealed items, I am a person, I am a person who has feelings. I am a person who has served this country. I am a person who wants to continue serving his country. The constant run of hateful comments while I perform my job will break me down faster and harder than anything I encountered while in combat in the Army.
I was asked by some guy if I got excited touching scrotums at the airport and if it gave me a power thrill. I felt like vomiting when he asked that. This is not a turn-on for me. For me it is in fact a huge turnoff. There is a big difference between how I pat passengers down and a molester molesting people.
Don’t like ads? Become a supporter and enjoy The Good Men Project ad free
It is not comfortable to come to work knowing full well that my hands will be feeling another man’s private parts, their butt, their inner thigh. Even worse is having to try and feel inside the flab rolls of obese passengers and we seem to get a lot of obese passengers.
Righthaven bought the copyright to that TSA image and they are suing without warning. Please take this image off ASAP. Many bloggers are being sued. Please remove it before it is too late.
I think it’s a vitally important point. It is not a lot different from dealing with terrible customer service from demoralized, unempowered customer support agents at Phone Company X or Cable Company Y. The people you speak to on the phone, who are doing their jobs, don’t like what they’re doing – they’re just trying to pay the rent. It’s not a glamorous job and making them feel bad about it doesn’t help anyone. Direct your frustration and anger at the people who make the rules, not the people who are forced to enact them. It’s degrading for them too.… Read more »
I hear what those guys are saying, & they aren’t the one rolling policies through. That being said, that is the whole point of uniforms. You put one on, & you become a representative of what it stands for. Heck, McDonalds employees get worse abuse. Sorry you feel bad, but if you have this big of problems with what you are being asked to do, don’t take it up with the people you are making uncomfortable– take it up with management.