MaryAnnDVC
"Mare", DISing since '99; prefers being tagless
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2001
I saw a report on HLN about an African American woman claiming racial bias because her hair was patted down by the TSA. She said that people were looking at her and she felt embarrassed. She noted that she saw other women with ponytails whose hair wasn't patted down.
The reason the story made an impression on me is that I've only heard of a hair pat down once before...two weeks ago, when we left Providence for Orlando, and my oldest DD (23) said after we got through security that she had her hair (in a ponytail) patted down. Our other DD (20) had her hair in a ponytail and didn't have hers patted down. As with anything else with the TSA, it was random. We thought it was sort of amusing, as we had never heard of it before, and joked about what she could be hiding in there. The fact that she had hers patted down, and we never noticed anyone else getting their hair patted down (we never noticed HER getting hers done) only speaks to the fact that airport security is chaotic, and we're more concerned with keeping our eyes on our stuff.
End of story, until I saw the story on HLN today. Never thought twice about my DD's hair being touched, anymore than the fact that *I* was taken aside publicly to have my hands swabbed in Orlando on our return trip. No big deal with that either.
Are hair pat downs a new thing? Common? If you had it done to you, did you object? I mean, the whole TSA thing is annoying and frustrating sometimes, and I'd rather not be slowed down or have people not of my choosing touching me, but it is what it is. We've never felt traumatized.
The reason the story made an impression on me is that I've only heard of a hair pat down once before...two weeks ago, when we left Providence for Orlando, and my oldest DD (23) said after we got through security that she had her hair (in a ponytail) patted down. Our other DD (20) had her hair in a ponytail and didn't have hers patted down. As with anything else with the TSA, it was random. We thought it was sort of amusing, as we had never heard of it before, and joked about what she could be hiding in there. The fact that she had hers patted down, and we never noticed anyone else getting their hair patted down (we never noticed HER getting hers done) only speaks to the fact that airport security is chaotic, and we're more concerned with keeping our eyes on our stuff.
End of story, until I saw the story on HLN today. Never thought twice about my DD's hair being touched, anymore than the fact that *I* was taken aside publicly to have my hands swabbed in Orlando on our return trip. No big deal with that either.
Are hair pat downs a new thing? Common? If you had it done to you, did you object? I mean, the whole TSA thing is annoying and frustrating sometimes, and I'd rather not be slowed down or have people not of my choosing touching me, but it is what it is. We've never felt traumatized.
I think this last trip, they left him alone tho. Too busy patting down DD's hair and swabbing my hands at the time I guess!
Fortunately apparently the previous owner wasn't a terrorist or a meth head, because I got the official okie dokie and got to go on my way. To tell you the truth, the guy looked kinda disappointed. 
sad1: Back to deployment) where 90% of their fliers are military. They took his soap and shaving cream. He was like crap...now how am I supposed to shave? They KNOW where these men and women are going. I mean come on!
They had to send up some sort of alert and like 3 people had to go through my entire suitcase of dirty undies and items from my weekend away with ex-BF 
I've never been so embarrassed in all my life. For the record, that suitcase had never come into contact with anything CLOSE to explosives.. I have no clue what it detected.
and them taking his soap and shaving cream. 
I'd need pictures too!
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