“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Children bring to the world a sense of hope, innocence, wonder and often times common sense that is unparalleled by their adult counterparts. The decline of any society begins with the intentional loss of protection of children and the elderly. As I watched this video I was mortified.
What is going on in our society that would allow such a travesty to occur? This is not just the act of one incredibly insensitive, ignorant and reprehensible TSA employee. What about the other participants. Yes, others. How many people were standing there while this took place and did nothing? They are participants. I’m a frequent air traveler. I can say with confidence that I would have intervened. I can also jump to the conclusion that I would have been detained. Doing nothing is doing something. I imagine most on-lookers were shocked. But the experience lasted long enough for intervention of some sort.
Are we more concerned as a country with “security” than common sense? Does this require sensitivity training, as TSA official James Marchand (TSA Regional Security Director) points out? I scream a resounding, “NO!” If you think the answer is to train an employee to stop touching a child that is screaming, “Stop touching me!”, then you need a solid reality check. The TSA website states: “Your safety is our priority.” I ask, “At whose expense?”
This is an open invitation to all TSA officials: our company will educate your employees for FREE in regard to common sense behaviors and creating a safe experience for consumers. In exchange, we would ask for a public service announcement that this TSA employees’ behavior was an abuse of power.
Please, stand up, speak up, shout out your thoughts! Do you believe TSA has gone too far? Remember, there were many other TSA agents standing by, allowing this to happen. Let your voice be heard. Silence is a statement.
“It is the job of thinking people not to be on the side of the executioners.” ~Albert Camus
