An Unnerving Authority
Posted on March 1, 2007
Filed Under For Argument's Sake |
I remembered at last what it was about John Lennon and day-to-day problems, tribulations and general sourness that I’d meant to write about. It was at John Lennon Airport (motto Above us only sky - and I’m sure he would have added “not even a jot of ozone”) and I wonder if the great one wouldn’t have shuddered at the treatment the security staff there are giving out to innocent passengers. Fifteen years ago I went into the Soviet Union and the tension and treatment you got well…. leaving through Liverpool airport felt similar.
I was passing through security and inadvertently had left a bottle of shampoo in my bag. My son had left a Lucuzade Sport in his. Before asking any questions the security person grabbed the bag, unzipped it and started pulling my clothes out. My recollection is even customs and excise have to ask your permission (you can’t refuse) and are obliged to search with discretion and tact. Here at the John Lennon Airport Liverpool security were ransacking my bag, throwing my underwear out on the counter ( could have been embarassing) and generally ripping into things with abandon.
“You’re not having that. It’s not in a plastic bag,” she said about the shampoo - a costly organic one (I mean about 50 Euro a bottle. One of the few household extravagances -we don’t put any chemicals on our heads). She took the bottle and started stuffing my clothes back in. What got to me was the fervour she went after the booty. She was eager for it.
Ordinarlily when someone in authority starts to mess around like this, I stand my ground, tell them to be more courteous and ask to see a superivsor and when the supervisor arrives I ask them about my rights and their obligations. I did nothing. And the reason - I felt the dead hand of authority in the place. I reckoned if I complained I would have been fecked around for hours, missed my flight, had to re-book and lost hundreds of Euros. Worse I’d have had some jerk warning me I was breaking the law and didn’t I realise….terrorist…. security of all passengers !…. de-da.
I hate giving in to abuses of authority but I walked on meekly. Something sad is going on in the world when private security staff can give us the push around. OK, OK they’re doing a job but why alineate us in the process?
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What a fine page your Irish Times piece turned out to be. I would say that of course. But seriously, I’m delighted to find reference to blogs I’ve never heard of. And I thought the visual layout of the page made it attractive to a wider audience than the nerds.
I must read your blog properly more often. Isn’t it hard to decide which few blogs to read. There are always too many for the time available - not like a book which you can buy and stack up, until you have time to dip into them all.
Are you going to the Awards?
I’m going - in my hard hat.
Hi Omani
Trust you are well. Sorry I missed everyone Saaturday - Roos went fo rus and I looked after the kids. Maybe next time.