Resistance Is Futile
As I was flying out of Wichita last
Thursday morning, I watched a fellow traveller nearly become a statistic in The
War On Fluids.
He was a stout man, with a Slavic accent. He had obediently placed his nearly empty bottle of cologne in a plastic bag for inspection. The screener informed him that it was in violation of the 3 ounce fluid limits, because when full the bottle held 3.75 ounces, and she was obliged to go by container size rather than the actual amount. The passenger looked bewildered. The screener stepped back, and a burly uniformed man stepped forward.
"You can either go back through the security checkpoint and put it in your car, or you can surrender it here."
The passenger continued to look bewildered.
Repeated, louder: "You can either go back through the security checkpoint and put it in your car, or you can surrender it here."
The passenger shrugged, and waved both hands towards the large trash can containing other surrendered items.
The TSA guys did not accept that as an answer. Suddenly there was another TSA guy at the elbow of the first. The first TSA guy moved in within about two feet of the passenger's face and said, louder yet, "Take it back, or dispose of it here."
The passenger said, in a thick Slavic accent, "Get rid of here," and gestured towards the trash can.
Perhaps years of trying to understand people with illnesses, impairments, and language differences gave me a leg up in understanding what the passenger had said. However, the TSA guys did not recognize that as a response. Now there were three burly TSA guys. In formation, they advanced even closer to the passenger's face, the point man speaking louder while demanding a choice about what to do.
The passenger responded, "Get rid of here," and this time touched the trash can with his gesture.
"So you want to dispose of it here?"
The passenger affirmed this, and the TSA guy placed the bag of cologne in the trash can. The three uniforms watched the passenger intently until he had turned and gotten about fifteen feet away towards the gates, then dispersed back to other tasks.
He was a stout man, with a Slavic accent. He had obediently placed his nearly empty bottle of cologne in a plastic bag for inspection. The screener informed him that it was in violation of the 3 ounce fluid limits, because when full the bottle held 3.75 ounces, and she was obliged to go by container size rather than the actual amount. The passenger looked bewildered. The screener stepped back, and a burly uniformed man stepped forward.
"You can either go back through the security checkpoint and put it in your car, or you can surrender it here."
The passenger continued to look bewildered.
Repeated, louder: "You can either go back through the security checkpoint and put it in your car, or you can surrender it here."
The passenger shrugged, and waved both hands towards the large trash can containing other surrendered items.
The TSA guys did not accept that as an answer. Suddenly there was another TSA guy at the elbow of the first. The first TSA guy moved in within about two feet of the passenger's face and said, louder yet, "Take it back, or dispose of it here."
The passenger said, in a thick Slavic accent, "Get rid of here," and gestured towards the trash can.
Perhaps years of trying to understand people with illnesses, impairments, and language differences gave me a leg up in understanding what the passenger had said. However, the TSA guys did not recognize that as a response. Now there were three burly TSA guys. In formation, they advanced even closer to the passenger's face, the point man speaking louder while demanding a choice about what to do.
The passenger responded, "Get rid of here," and this time touched the trash can with his gesture.
"So you want to dispose of it here?"
The passenger affirmed this, and the TSA guy placed the bag of cologne in the trash can. The three uniforms watched the passenger intently until he had turned and gotten about fifteen feet away towards the gates, then dispersed back to other tasks.
Posted: Mon - December 4, 2006 at 10:04 AM
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Published On: Dec 04, 2006 10:04 AM
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Published On: Dec 04, 2006 10:04 AM