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The TSA and the government have begged people not to follow along with National Opt-Out Day, pointing out that the only thing it will truly succeed in doing is making sure that people are frustrated by long lines and miss out on time with their families. But that isn't stopping bloggers from insisting that they're going to opt out of the body scan in order to send a strong message to government that the new regulations aren't sustainable.
Furrygirl crashed her site after putting up a video of her TSA Stripdown on Sunday. At the writing of this, there were almost 100,000 views of her experience of showing up in a camisole and panties, stripping down at the checkpoint, and having them call in a police officer (for those who are only watching for the stripdown, it's easier to just look at her picture. The reality is the footage is 12 minutes of mostly shots of the ceiling with muffled sound of the experience in the background).
More famous is the "Don't Touch My Junk" man who taped his exchange with TSA on his cell phone and is currently facing a $10,000 fine for the comment he made to the agent.
La Shawn Barber agrees with the site We Won't Fly, a movement taking National Opt-Out Day a step further to include every day. Mama Says thinks the new scans are going too far. And Zoe Rights is terrified of the new body scans.
But not everyone is enamored with the idea of National Opt-Out Day. Feministing is on the fence about it, asking more questions than making statements. Laura Lohr has a post titled "Why TSA Can Ogle Me and Touch My Junk" about why she supports the new TSA scans.
Flying is not a right. It is a privilege, much like driving a car. You have the right to refuse a search of your vehicle, but expect there to be consequences. Driving is a privilege. Flying is a privilege. If body scans, metal detectors, and pat-downs are what it takes to keep me secure, I am all for it.
And while Christopher Elliott doesn't make a statement about the day, he does supply excellent advice for those who are flying on the 24th. His best advice:
You can record the encounter on your phone (that’s allowed) and you can take pictures of your screening, but please refrain from criticizing, mocking or threatening the agents. They’re just doing their job. Many of them don’t agree with these new policies either, for what it’s worth.
Like so many things, how we view the new TSA screeners and pat-downs is a product of our personal life experience. There are some who are thrilled that screening has gotten even tighter and others who think that the risk of an attack isn't worth the invasive nature of the screening measures.
So ... are you flying on the 24th? And what do you think of National Opt-Out Day?
Melissa writes Stirrup Queens and Lost and Found. Her book is Navigating the Land of If.
