Manufacturing Outrage

[liveonearth]

It occurs to me, as I weed through my email inbox, that modern attempts to mold public opinion are largely efforts to incite us to outrage. The most recent one to cross my viewscreen was an email claiming that the TSA's purpose is to humiliate people. This claim was based, in this story at least, on the fact that they required that a breast feeding mother pump her milk before boarding the plane. The story made multiple references to her breasts, as if the TSA was actually doing something to them. I sincerely doubt that the TSA thought she had filled her breasts with explosives, but if she somehow had, having the liquid out where it could be inspected would eliminate that question. But more practically speaking, it takes a long time to pump breast milk, and there aren't many toilets on an airplane. It seems logical to me to pump while you're on the ground and avoid spending 10+ minutes in the restroom on an airplane. It's not a safe or pleasant place to hang out anyway. And others might need the restroom. So all this commentary is really just to say that there is more to every story. Before you allow someone to manipulate your emotions toward bloodthirst, look at the other side(s) of the question. Outrage in many cases is simply a lack of understanding. And little as I like the TSA's methods, their goal is not humiliation of the public, it is safe air travel.

Comments

[neptunia67.livejournal.com]

It's propaganda at it's finest... which is why I don't read email from certain people, don't stop to read the photo messages that people post on Facebook and always research a claim before I believe it.

People these days are expert at preying on others' emotions through the use of social media.

[anais-pf.livejournal.com]

From my own personal observations, a few individual TSA agents seem to have the goal of intimidating the people coming through the line, and lording their power over us. My mother, in particular, was subjected to some completely unnecessary passive-aggressive behavior by an agent a few years back. Nothing to do with security, everything to do with showing her he could slow her down if she didn't act all cow-like.