At what point does the need for security eclipse human dignity and compassion?

And therein lies the trap,  Accepting the proposition that movement within the borders of our country, we must submit to the fiat of the government in the name of putative security, what follows is just tweaks of degree.  We are outraged by particular instances of “torment” of people who are particularly vulnerable and sensitive, knowing full well that there was no need whatsoever to engage in this conduct.  Still, the less vulnerable, the less sensitive, sigh and endure it.

Ken raises  an interesting study out of USC, Stanford and Northwestern that offers an explanation of how people with petty power but no status are suited to positions like working for the TSA.

According to the study, “The Destructive Nature of Power Without Status,” the combination of some authority and little perceived status can be a toxic combination.

The research, forthcoming in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, is “based on the notions that (a) low status is threatening and aversive, and (b) power frees people to act on their internal states and feelings.”

As a  commenter there notes, anybody who has been in the military has seen this as well with the guy who’s stripe fills him with importance.  If you’ve watched Red Dwarf, you’ll recognize Rimmer, who was the penultimate grunt in the chain of command, lording over the one person below him unmercifully.  We laugh at it as a reflection of human foibles; the petty dictator.

We see the similar actions with police officers, by the way, and it’s worth remembering that reprisals, both physical and legal, to contempt of cop are along the same lines and reflect a similar mentality. We also see it with customer service representatives, who lack the power to beat us, but retain the ability to say “no.”  Challenge them and see who’s the boss.

Ken goes on to note that this explains, but does not excuse, the conduct of our status-envy servants.

The fact that this is a recognized psychological phenomenon explains, but does not excuse, any more than it excuses police abuse and bureaucratic indifference. Nor does it excuse the leaders of the TSA and the Department of Homeland security, who have decreed a feckless facade of security theater that is calculated to lead to this result, all in the name of promoting unquestioning compliance.

The relevance goes not toward a better understanding of the phenomenon of why status-deprived people given a little power are inclined to abuse it, but what can be done to limit the harm they inflict on others.  From a political perspective, this is a Libertarian’s dream, proof that power in the hands of government, and left for execution by its functionaries, will subjugate us all.  Not that it necessarily scales well to all political issues, but it’s hard to argue against this prime example.

That these TSA employees seem to enjoy the assertion of their authority, particularly in the most troubling ways, may be seen as outrageous by some, but they aren’t much different from the rest of us, and the types of people with whom we deal daily.  There are whole lot more low status folks out there than high, and while they may only have a bit of power under limited circumstances, they use it.  They know they make our lives miserable in small ways, but that’s their way of being worthy human beings.  It’s our way too.

The usual question is raised by Ken’s post, what can be done about it.  Amy Alkon, whose  recent brush with the TSA left quite a impact, advocates women crying as TSA agents touch their bodies.  Marc Randazza reportedly sticks out both of his middle fingers, which no doubt provides hours of entertainment in the TSA workers lounge.  We can’t vote TSA Chief John Pistole off the island, though we do get a vote as to his boss. But we have other axes to grind there, and for most Americans, the way we’re treated by the government isn’t their foremost interest. To make matters more difficult, the cure appears worse than the disease. 

I wish I had an incredibly thoughtful way to change the current situation.  I don’t.  As long as it remains politically palatable to the American public to be subject to whatever indignities are inflicted upon us in the name of security theater, it will go on.  We suffer from fear. Fear of terrorism. Fear of the government. Fear of being beaten. Fear of being disliked.  Fear of being publicly humiliated.

But I can offer one thought that’s been exposing its ugly head with increasing frequency.  Until we are prepared to overcome our own psychic issues, our own petty abuse of power, our own fears, we won’t change anything.  Our evolution begins at home, with ourselves, our family, our friends, our acquaintances.

If only people were as fearless in real life as they are in the comment section of a blog.  If only people were as fair to others in the performance of their occupations as they demand others be to them.  Or are we all TSA workers?