Comment by jasomill
6 days ago
My favorite example of this is the realization that a terrorist attack on a crowded TSA security checkpoint over the holidays would likely result in at least as many casualties as bringing down a commercial aircraft, with similar if not better odds of success (assuming, of course, the aircraft wasn't successfully used as a missile).
Same goes for concerts, sporting events, political rallies, and at least historically, shopping malls. Yet if anyone were to suggest a prohibition against carrying liquids in containers larger than 100 mL to the Indy 500, race fans would riot, despite a far larger and denser population than any aircraft.
Yeah. Everyone with half a brain who wasn't on their knees gagging for more of the sweet "Homeland Security" money was saying things like "If an attacker makes it to the TSA checkpoint, you've lost." and "The fact that no one has attacked the massive crowds at a checkpoint or other public gathering is yet more proof that this is all extremely expensive theater.".
> ...if anyone were to suggest a prohibition against carrying liquids in containers larger than 100 mL to the Indy 500, race fans would riot...
I'm not sure of that at all. Fans of other sports seem to have gleefully swallowed all sorts of "security" restrictions [0]. I don't see why Indy 500 fans would be signficantly different. Cut the price of water in half along with the change in "security" policy, and I bet many folks [1] will cheer it as a great convenience.
[0] That -totally coincidentally- happen to make the folks running the event significantly more money.
[1] Are these folks actually robots operated by PR firms who are hired to astroturf "positive sentiment" for unpopular changes? Who can say?