People Are Idiots - Film At Ten

[awmperry]

Just spotted this on Yahoo. An excellent example of sensationalist (not to mention bad) journalism, and an even better example of humans behaving like sheep... particularly stupid sheep.

http://dir.yahoo.com/thespark/5546/


The article:

XXX-Ray Security
By Arnold Chao

Backscatter X-ray image from the Rapiscan Secure 1000

From wearing leaded aprons to viewing our innards in black and white, many of us have experienced the standard medical X-ray imaging process. Now U.S. airport security is using this century-old technology in a new and revealing way. Instead of scanning your belongings and stepping through a metal detector, you might be virtually stripped by a Backscatter X-ray machine before hopping on a plane. The process would reveal any potentially concealed weapons and your nude body. The airport screeners may keep straight faces, but we wonder if our exposed bodies will spark voyeuristic chuckles when they see us and our loved ones naked. Is it less invasive than the old-school bouncer pat down? Is this sacrifice of privacy for the sake of security worthwhile? It's a tough call. We just hope that real X-ray specs won't be the next innovation -- people watching at the airport will be forever changed.

The odd thing is that nobody seems to have read up on the scanners, or even looked at the picture. Do you see any sensitive body parts there?

No, neither do I. But the few voices of reason - and there haven't been many - have been unsuccessful at stopping the ravings of the lunatic public; even ordinarily level-headed news sources have gone for the misleading shock, according to the links listed by the article:

The Daily Gamecock: Full-body X-ray Reveals Bad Thinking - will your privates be blurred?
USA Today: X-Ray Tests Both Security, Privacy - is that a plastic explosive or is that your...?
TSA: X-Ray Backscatter Technology and Your Personal Privacy - it’s not that bad, according to the Transportation Security Administration.
CBS News: Fly With a Smile -- and Nothing Else - support safety, fly naked!
CNET: Scanners Search Through Clothing - read passionate opinions from the public.

Now, it should be noted that I haven't checked those links, and given this alleged journalist's disregard for facts in his article I wouldn't be terribly surprised to find that he's misrepresented the contents of those articles. But still.

Anyway, yes, the lunatic public. A selection of particularly idiotic comments (and a fair proportion of the sensible ones) to fuel your well-deserved superiority complexes:

It does make one wonder if the 'Rap-' in Rapiscan is for 'Rapid' or Rape...

ondag500

Ah, I was wondering what that broom handle attached to the machine was for.

This is and would be an invasion of our privacy and not really necessary especially for young children of America, and if children have to go thru this x-ray this would be against everything that the law has stated in the past few years about exploiting children publicly, on the internet etc. what are these people thinking obviously not much. They need to reconsider their thinking and go back to the drawing board and come up with some other way to scan for potentially concealed weapons.

The US Airport Security Screeners needs to get off their butts and do their job instead of just sitting/standing around and do the old fashion PAT DOWN.

mysnowbabiesjmj

Quite apart from the English, which is fairly representative of these posters, I fail to see how a scanner that's non-intrusive and doesn't sodding show anything anyway is worse than being pawed at. I mean, I had security training in the air force, and I haven't gone through an airport without bleeping since I was three, so being frisked doesn't bother me, but still. A scanner is far more comfortable.

OMG! That's just stupid and peverted...I mean, i know their concerned about terrorists and such, but enough to where they have to go peverted and view people in the nude!? C'mon! Then there's the matter of young minors being scanned...I'm sure that air flight companies will lose a LOT of business...I know I wouldn't allow my kids or wife to go through there so that some stranger could look at every nook and crany of them, and if anybody else has any common sense im sure they woudn't neither.

dirt_e2000

Well, fair enough. Or it would be, if the machines turned passengers into centrefolds. But for heaven's sake, people, they just bloody don't!

My concern is public health, not nudity. Where is a definitive study showing back scatter X-ray is safe for repeated long term dosages? Has someone been dosing people long term without us knowing it? I have taken hundreds of flights per year. I am not taking some calculations based on suppositions as evidence this is safe. Have no doubt, this is radiation and is unsafe for human beings at any level over time.

thereitgodipset

Finally a sane comment. Well, at least in the right neighbourhood. Radiation is perfectly safe at some levels; indeed, there's background radiation everywhere, not to mention light, radio waves, and so on.

But yes, the real concern is the X-ray radiation. But I'm no radiologist - and people commenting there sure as hell aren't - so I'm not qualified to do anything but ask those in the know: are the machines safe for frequent flyers, or will we all turn green and glow in the dark? (Not that that wouldn't be pretty cool, but still.)

Our rights to PRIVACY are being attacked by those from communist countries who have infiltrated our government. They are controlling this nation like a MAFIA! They ARE the Mafia! Either we become the Elliot Ness of today or the couch potatos of tomorrow will be snuffed out like the Jews! The blacks were being drowned like rats at Katrina, people killed for simply trying to walk out of the city! This country is totally insane. A 92 year old woman's home was broken in to by police who probably scared her in to a near coronary, she was probably asleep and awoke to their screaming, waving of weapons and defended herself the best she could. She went down taking some of them with her I am sure believing they were thugs invading her home.

It's time Americans take the POWER BACK from the SERVANTS of thegovernment which SHOULD mean (the people). Government is paid for by the people FOR the people not the other way around. They are to voice what the PEOPLE want NOT what THEY want! Someone twisted every one of our consitutions into the opposite of what it means, that really ticks me. What's worse is that we are LETTING THEM! If the airport thinks they are looking in my underwear they can forget it! NO ONE is treating me like a terrorist in my OWN country! NO ONE!

gingerlead

Oooh, someone's off his meds...

But yes, wouldn't it be nice if airport security could just take people's word for it? "No, officer, I'm not a terrorist, I'm an American!" "Oh, that's all right then. I'll just ask you to leave any napalm at the desk."

Are these comments written by children?

sue_alfarnes

Yes, I was just wondering that. The spelling certainly seems to indicate it, in many cases...

You want to know what I think?

Um... no, not really.

Well then sit down cause here it comes!

Actually, I said I didn't. Y'know, just so you know.

I think that up untill this day I thought that every-thing the air-port has done was for the good of this country! But now I think that this is the most narrow minded idea ever!!!This brings discrase to me! Just because the air-port is to lazy to do the job them-self's they have to have peel feel ugly and fat and un-honored!I am not only discrased I am outraged by this!Get off your buts! Don't expose people to their families and their friends,and to complete stranges! You just gave the creeps that kidnappe and kill and every-thing a reason to keep doing what they are doing!I am asamed!!!!!

jacquelinelb1993

Um... okay...

Now, what was it Terry Pratchett said about using five exclamation marks?

If this is the cost of flying then I will never fly again. I choose who sees me naked and who does not. I reserve that right. This is not a medical emergency so I will not allow a stranger to look at me. But, most of all I will not allow some person to look at my underage children either. That is sick. I am a mother and therefore supposed to protect my children from prying eyes. How am I to explain that it is OK for a stranger at the airport can look at them yet no one else can. I would rather spend the gas money.

cafauntleroy

Read my lips: THEY WON'T SEE YOU NAKED! That's not how the bloody machine works! Look at the pretty pickyture!

that is just STUPID they had to strip search me once because there was a metal button thing on my shoe and let me tell you- it is NOT COMFORTABLE. that is just wrong, a thing like that should be considered a pornagraphy machine and made illegal.

rags81593

Ooooh, a pornagraphy machine! And it should be illegal!

I guess that's bad news for camoras, then.

hmmm, personally i dont think we should be asked to be stripped down then x-rayed, but if we could step through something with our clothes on and they x-ray our bodies then i dont really see a problem. Its either this or being strip searched with cavity checks, and i'd prefer a machine than a friendly hand groaping me and checking for weapons.

candysretarded

A fair comment, except that she doesn't seem to have read the article - the scanner is precisely what she said shouldn't be a problem. The hazards of skim-reading, eh?

tapping the phones, all of these invasions of privacy and they come up with THIS??? this is immoral!!! why cant they do the old fashioned pat down and let normal people through!!!!! like i said i was strip searched at 10 years old!!! NOT COMFORTABLE!!! and what gives the pilots the ight to just look at naked people whenever they want??? the government has gone too far and if it comes to this i am NEVER FLYING AGAIN!!!!!!

rags81593

Yes, it's the august (and profuse) Rags again. Not sure how the pilots got dragged into it...

What a great job - if you're a pervert or a pedophile

cak307

Oh, yes, absolutely. I hope the machines have wipe-clean keyboards. And monitor wipers.

Y'know, just in case.

it's invasions of privacy think about it how would you feel if your 12 yrs old daughter had to go through the scanner how humilating would that be? I wouldn't allow my children to fly those airlines can someone say child mulestation and more porn sights about young children. My concern is the children and the acess to pictures of them .

bsbrat06

Because...

Oh, forget it. I can't do any more of these. The outpouring of lazy, illiterate stupidity is makein mie brane mellt.....

Oh, wow... suddenly I'm starting to panic about stewardesses seeing me naked. Well, that explains it.


All right, I'll cut to my own contribution to the debate; note the elegant spelling and actual sentence structure.

Oh, for heaven's sake... THE MACHINE DOES NOT SHOW YOU NAKED.



It shows things like metal, polymers and so one on your body. It won't show your bones, it won't show your private parts, it won't result in security staff charging admission to their private peep show, because THEY WON'T HAVE ONE.



The only valid concern is the radiation; not being a radiologist, I'll leave that judgement to people with the competence to judge.

Once again, then, to see if this'll finally sink in: the scanner WILL NOT show you naked. It won't give rise to X-ray porn. It will show your belt buckle, your guns, your exothermic waistcoat, but not your dangly bits.

OK? Granted, the original article was inflammatory, inaccurate and badly misleading, but that's no reason for otherwise rational people to abandon all reason.

awmperry

It is, of course, entirely possible that I may have overstated "otherwise rational" a bit....