Another Reason to Hate Flying

I hate flying on an airplane. I really do. The only thing I like about it is that it gets me to where I want to be a lot quicker than driving. But I truly hate to fly. I hate not being able to see out the front and see where I am going. (Like I'd be able to tell in the clouds, right?) I hate feeling trapped. I hate being charged for stupid random things, like luggage. (What? You brought clothes on your trip?! $25 extra, ma'am.) I hate going through security. Every time I have flown alone with the kids, and I have done it a few times, I always get pulled aside for the extra fun detailed search. Yeah, let's make my traveling alone with two or three kids even more adventurous. Having to put my toddler down while being searched was totally not stressful for him or I. Better watch out for that young mom, she's scary. I may not have been before, but going through security could make me develop some insane homicidal tendencies.

This summer we are flying back to Pennsylvania to see my family. I am so excited to go back to my lovely green Keystone state. Not only will I be able to take in time with my family and trees, but also I can have good Italian food and water ice in abundance. Heaven, I tell you, heaven. But I am already dreading the flying aspect of our trip. And now I have a new reason to be annoyed.

I just saw a piece the other day on the news about the TSA body scanners. I was intrigued and confused at the same time. Scanning bodies, huh? People are randomly selected, which will include me since it always does, to stand in the machine and get scanned. A TSA screener is in another room looking at the black and white image of the scan to see if there is anything suspicious, or of a differing shade, that may be a concealed weapon. Cool. A new way to find out if someone bad is trying to sneak something on an airplane to do some harm. I am all for that.

However, I am not excited at the same time because the scanned images are extremely detailed. The TSA says it protects privacy by blurring passengers' faces and deleting images right after viewing. Yet the images are detailed, clearly showing a person's gender. "You can actually see the sweat on some one's back," said James Schear, the TSA security director at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport. Umm, this is where I have a problem. This is where things get a little too Big Brother-ish, of the "1984" nature, for me. I am a private person. I think the security can be intrusive enough as it is. I understand why it has to be, to a degree, but I do not feel comfortable getting into a machine that broadcasts an image of my naked body to some random stranger. I don't care if they don't see my face. It is a gross invasion of privacy. And who's to say the person screening the images isn't getting their "jollies" from looking at nude people all day? I've read about perverts that go into the EMT profession so they can take advantage of people who are incapacitated. I wouldn't put it beyond some sick person to do the same thing with the TSA scanning.

I am all for keeping us safe from terrorist attacks. But I think in some areas "we" have gone a little crazy. I can understand the logic behind the scanners, but I do not agree with their invasion of privacy. Of course, I am "old fashioned" so maybe this whole detailed body imaging isn't a big deal to anyone else. But I find it disturbing. And I am sure I'll have to go through it, or reject it for the pat-down instead, because I am a scary young mom. We'd hate to profile the people who seem like threats, but rather go after the lady with three screaming kids and a baby.