Drewbot

A few thoughts:

1. This story caught like wildfire. I was locked in a conference room last week, and when I emerged this was the lede story on everything from CNN to USA Today. Looking back, it’s a fascinating case study in how culture can open up and change in a moment. No one likes security lines and the threat of terrorism in the US is nearly invisible these days. Mix this and stew it for a few years and you’re just waiting for a official challenger to open the dam. In this case, it was the pilots who allowed both the right and left to question the security sweeps without fear of being branded un-American. Mark my words, Gladwell (or an aspiring pop-sci writer) will be writing an epidemiology piece on this shortly.
2. Speaking of the right and the left, I love how awkward it is that the far right libertarians and the left share a stance on an issue. The lunatic fringe that is Ron Paul introduces the American Traveler Dignity Act, harping on the same talking points Keith Olberman hit last night. Yet neither of them know how to address each other. I love it. (To take this a step further: would there be any doubt the scanners would disappear if the nuts at Fox and MSNBC formerly united on this issue?)
3. Speaking of dignity, am I the only one who thinks that our lack of power in the airport is good for us? The health issues need to be addressed, of course. But one thing I admire about the odd cultural space of the airport is the way it unites the masses in a shared ritual that spares no one (mostly). The airport was one of the last places left where everyone was powerless to control their destiny, no matter their class. It’s why comedians tell airport jokes. It’s a shared experience that unites America. If we start pressuring change I worry that it will be segmented, benefiting those with money, who can afford to pay for the bureaucratic short cuts that emerge. That would be a shame.