Unfortunately, a lot of people can't make that distinction. The TSA is not some faceless giant organization; it is comprised of a bunch of little people doing what they're told but being painted with this broad, harsh brushstroke thanks to the decisions of a much smaller group of people at the head of said organization. I think the workers who deal with people are doing the best they can given the circumstances and catching a whole lot of undeserved hell for it.My disagreement is not so much with the workers who really are just doing their jobs as with the entire policy as a whole and the people who put it in place.
They're doing random searches on a small percentage of passengers and yes, it sucks to be part of that selected percentage but based on the outrage, it seems like people are assuming that every single person to buy a ticket and fly has to experience this. To help minimize chances, put anything you suspect may be metal in the luggage bin. Follow the rules; shoes in bins, liquids out, jackets, laptops, all that.
I'm all for filing complaints and writing letters and directing anger and disappointment, etc. through the right channels and people, here especially, have every right to voice their opinions but I don't know what would be better and I'm not certain anyone else does, either. I hear about bombs being smuggled onto planes, passenger or cargo, like the one headed for Chicago within this past month and I think something has to be done. It's an unsafe world, people want to hurt Americans, including Americans.
I have had terrible, involuntary experiences of a sexual nature at various ages (as young as 3.5, 4 and as old as 17) and do not respond well to being touched by people I don't know and trust. I would be very much affected by this, too, for what it's worth. Both the body scans and the patdowns.
I'll risk it, though. Because there are a lot of good people working for the TSA and I have to trust that they are on my side.
I didn't say what I did in my first post in here to start any arguments, by the way. I'm sure there are people shaking their head at how much of a sheep, do as I'm told, rule-following, non-revolutionary I am and thinking things will only get worse if everyone adopts my attitude but while those people are focusing on the big bad organizations and policies (and we certainly need people to do that), I'm going to focus on the individuals I have to deal with. Like Nomi said, if I can't do anything about it, I try not to get too worked up about it.