Airport Security | Blog Post #2

Christian McCormac
Ms. Giknis
Blog Post #2 (X Band)
11, May 2015

The topic I am writing about is airport security. I want to explain to people why I feel like airport security guards go too far to protect people. They have the job of keeping us safe but they go too far with the scanners and pat downs. I decided to get two views on this topic. I have already shown my view points in my first blog post. I have the second viewpoint from a interview I did with a airport security guard.

Below is the interview questions and answers:

Questions:

1. How long were you a airport security guard?

“I was a airport security guard for 6 years.”

2. Describe being a airport security guard in one word.

“Confusing.”

3. As a security guard what did you do?

“During my years with this occupation all that I really did was pat people down, and watch the scanner.”

4. Why did you stop being a security guard?

“I decided to go back to school to become a Respiratory Therapist.”

5. How did some people react to you searching them?

“There were times when people would verbally attack me for invading their privacy.”

6. What was the craziest reaction you had ever gotten?

“A lady had become very upset with me watching her on the monitor that shows the body scan. She then verbally attacked me and hit the security equipment with her purse.”

7. How did you feel about invading people's personal space?

“I felt confused. At training they made it sound like everything we did was for the safety of others but when you're in the field doing the actual work you feel like a creep.”

8. Have you ever been attacked verbally or physically while doing your job?

“I have been attacked both verbally and physically on multiple cases by people enraged with being searched.”

9. Did you feel like you were harassing people when you did your job?

“Yes, I felt like I was invading the personal space of others but it was my job so I had to do it.”

10. How did your fellow workers see the job?

“I remember my friend David Johnson quit because he didn't feel right doing the job.”

A airport security guard watching a scanner. Source

This interview proves my point. Even a former airport security guard admits that he felt uncomfortable doing the job. This is proved when he says ¨I felt like I was invading the personal space of others but it was my job so I had to do it.¨ This shows that even airport security guards did not love their job. They did it because they had to. Now I am thinking about spreading the word about airport security. I will make posters/flyers and pass them out to people. On these flyers I will explain why airport security guards have too much power and I will use the former airport security guard to back me up. I will pass out the flyers in public places such as school and maybe give them to random people I see.

I continued my research and found this article. This article shows how big the problem is. It also shows that there are other people fighting the problem besides me. I believe that if I pass out the flyers that I can make a show more people how big the problem is. I believe that if people can realize how big the problem is, then we can take the next step of making a change.