http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article614380.ece
This article talks about Behavior Squads scouring the facial expressions of airline passengers for evidence of concealed fear and anxiety. As someone who experiences fear and anxiety simply by being near or even spotting an airplane (was in NYC on 9-11-01) I now feel as if I have even more to fear when I travel: fear of being profiled by said behavior police on account of the fact that I try to conceal fear and anxiety on a regular basis so as not to distress others. This makes me sick just thinking about it. Paranoia is viral. Discuss.
Well as long as you aren't doing anything not on the up-and-up I think you'll be just fine! I know it must be difficult to relax after what happened on 9/11, but I'm confident that they'll leave you alone. They dig up backround info on people, and I'm sure the info they find is the major factor in their decisions to interrogate/search people, so as long as you aren't a terrorist, or criminal, you should be fine.
RTFA >>2
While they certainly do run background checks and check the government files on passengers, this program in particular serves no purpose other than to identify anxiety or nervousness. From there, they can detain you, force you to take a polygraph test, and refuse to let you on the plane.
>>1 My Government scares me.
Just the idea that something designed to detect fear can inspire more of the same blows me away- then again it's my responsibility to handle it as best I can. I would say that a large percentage of any flight's passengers are anxious or nervous, simply because they're on a plane. So there would be a lot of anxiety "static" to discard. Besides, any terrorist would most likely practice suppressing their emotions so as to blend in, or even seek to find out exactly what esoteric knowledge of facial expression the behavior police are looking for so that they could then suppress those specific reactions.
Just more evidence of fear causing people to find threats in the wrong places. I guess I can relate.>>2 I agree with 2. You don't have anything to worry about unless you are actually hiding something. Long ago I used to worry I would get held back in the security check because of my baggage or that I wouldn't be allowed through immigration. Now I don't worry about that kind of stuff because I really don't have anything to hide. Even if they "catch" me what are they going to do? It's not like I'm doing anything wrong anyways.
Man, if I was going to paradise to collect my 72 virgins, I'd be totally relaxed...
>Even if they "catch" me what are they going to do? It's not like I'm doing anything wrong anyways.
If you're in the UK; they'll prison you for 42 days without charge.
>>8
6 here again. I'm just saying that if they decide they want to question me they wouldn't find anything suspicious. Its not as if they are just going to detain people left and right. I just think that its better to try to relax and tell yourself that there is nothing to worry about. For some people I think this bit of news would make them more relaxed knowing that there might be a way to catch potential terrorists.
Okay. Maybe we should put a GPS in your car, monitor your phone and internet connections, install closed circuit state cameras in your house and all public buildings, and submit you to a weekly polygraph test. Y'know, to catch terrorists.
Those who would exchange liberty for security deserve neither.
Besides, by adding the word potential in front of terrorist, a whole new world of potential misinterpretations of action opens up. (thoughtcrime, and now emotioncrime)
Let's only go after kinetic terrorists!
I agree with you, but what can we do? We could protest, but that's not likely to work. I highly doubt that you, or anyone else for that matter, are going to be able to change this. We have to accept it, the government is more powerful than us, and will do what it pleases.
All we can do is vote for the best possible representatives. Other than that, we just have to cope with the changes. We (the collective American people) elected (directly or indirectly) the people who allowed these things, and now we have to deal with the consequences of our (collective) choices.
Fortunately, we don't live in a fascist state, and there is a potential for change. So, if you don't like this stuff that's happening, than vote for someone who represents your interests, and hopefully you'll see some changes that are beneficial to you.
Now, if you don't/didn't vote than you can just shut the fuck up and choke down the vitriol that Bush and Cheney have been crapping down everyones' throats for the past 8 years. K?
>Now, if you don't/didn't vote than you can just shut the fuck up
How does it feel, voting for the lesser of two evils?
Some Democracy.
> I agree with you, but what can we do? We could protest, but that's not likely to work.
Human history would like to have a word with you.
> Now, if you don't/didn't vote than you can just shut the fuck up
Because there's no other mechanism for enacting social change besides checking a box amirite?
>I'm thinking about going as a ninja this time
Dress up as a diebold voting machine. The things they are doing to democracy are far more frightening.