I've recently returned from acting in the domestic play tour of
George Orwell's 1984 directed by Tim Robbins where I had the
opportunity to host a Q&A with Arianna Huffington in Nebraska. With
this location being our first stop, I did not have much insight to
offer on Arianna's book subject On Becoming Fearless other than my
experiences with working through the play in Los Angeles. However,
because of the sociological and political nature of the book, through
the next month, I became privy to many facets of our current state as
a country and a people.
The subject I want to write about is travel. Firstly, I must mention
the ethnic composition of the cast and crew that flew with us.
Normally I find that pointing out people's ethnicity is a mundane
exercise used by statisticians, politicians and the uneducated,
however, I am reserving the right.
3 white women
4 white men
1 Asian man
1 Hispanic woman
We traveled through towns like Lincoln, Salt Lake City, Washington D.C
and State College. Later, I traveled solo through Charlotte and
internationally through London. As a frequent flyer, I am aware of
the federal government taking over the security of the airlines after
9-11. I have since come to recognize what is now considered mandatory
treatment of air travelers through small towns like Lincoln or Salt
Lake. I have never felt more violated than I did watching some person
sift through every nook and cranny of my baggage looking for what...eye
drops? Toothpaste? It became difficult to discern what was being
looked for because the NSA was so "thorough" that they missed the
scissors, matches, and other forbidden items that I had in my
carry-on. It felt more like a good old fashioned "groping" than a
security check. If I did not travel all over the United States through
larger port cities like NYC, Detroit, Cleveland, L.A... etc, then, I
might not know any better.
But why is it that the realistic targets,
the large urban cities, don't handle their security with the same
enthusiasm and zest as a Lincoln, Nebraska? Why is Johnny-Law in
State College, Pennsylvania going through my items like he's looking
for something much more personal than a bomb because he has authority
to do so and, simultaneously, why then am I able to soar through the
NYC and European security systems, where they've actually had
terrorist attacks? What is going on in America and our accepted
treatment of domestic travelers?
This question brings to mind Ayn
Rand's socially relevant novella, Anthem, where the "We" is not
superior to the "I"... "social gains, social aims, social objectives
have become the daily bromides of our language. The necessity of a
social justification for all activities and all existence is now taken
for granted. There is no proposal outrageous enough but what its
author can get a respectful hearing and approbation if he claims that
in some undefined way it is for "the common good". They are in fact a
dichotomous relationship where never the two shall meet. A
relationship consisting of our Civil Liberties and our Union's
Safety. A relationship that is being swept under the door-mat like an
old pile of dust relevant to some by-gone day.
The real question is
why have we created an America where a Lincoln, Nebraska is so fearful
of the world around them that everyone is a potential terrorist. 3
white women, 4 white men, 1 Asian man, 1 Hispanic woman. Now we have
something in common other than our citizenship.