Exactly a week ago Bronwyn and I were landing in Seattle to spend Thanksgiving weekend with my parents. Travel there and back went by fairly uneventfully; the supposed ravening hordes of holiday travelers massed in record numbers went more or less unnoticed by the two of us. We packed light (carry-on only), checked in online beforehand, and as a result just needed to go through the security checkpoint.

As it were, this is my least favorite part of traveling. We still have to contend with the ritual of removing shoes, removing jacket, removing baggy of liquids, removing laptop from laptop case, and placing said items into two plastic bins while still juggling a boarding pass in hand as we pass through the metal detector and… oops, forgot the belt, take that off, too… and then don’t forget the other half of the process as one hastily gets dressed and assembles their belongings while baggage and bins pile up behind them.

It wouldn’t be half as bad if we weren’t required to remove our shoes. It’s not the time involved that concerns me. It’s the scrambling to reshod oneself, the hastened bending over and hopping about, that I find particularly belittling. I think a lot of the process is just to establish a power dynamic between the security personnel and the traveler. As a traveler, it’s hard to maintain a modicum of dignity under such circumstances. Meanwhile, while travelers are at their most vulnerable, security watches with an objectifying gaze and this is what really sours me on the process. The overhead P.A. proclaims that security is there “to serve us” when in reality travelers are forced to oblige the demands of security or else. The degradation, of course, extends past the metal detectors as one can see with the instances of passengers being trapped on the tarmac for hours on end or made to stand in hot cramped corridors in the airport (read that article, it’s a good one).

Truth be told, we zipped right through the checkpoint even with all the ridiculous security measures. We’re good little travelers and know how to pack so as to avoid any hassle. Regardless, being forced into such a submissive position irks the hell out of me. And while I need to comply if I want to see my family, the tourism industry and thus the economy as a whole is taking a hit as international travelers decide they don’t want to play ball.

Give us back our shoes! Give us back our dignity!

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