I was flying home from dallas a few months back. They had a giant sign in the security line that said (maybe not verbatim) - We're trying out a new face recognition security system. This is completely optional. If you don't want to participate, just tell the agent "I'd like to opt out".
I get to the front of the line, tell the lady "I'd like to opt out" - she looks at me like I was speaking Algonquin. So I repeat "I'd like to opt out". Her - "What are you talking about??". So I point to the sign sitting two feet away from her and say "your sign says the face scan is optional and I can opt out???"
"Just say you want a pat down, we don't know what you're saying".
To say their training on this being "optional" is lacking is quite the understatement... You have signs telling people what to tell the agent, verbatim, and the agent acts like they have no idea what you're talking about... speaking of big government at its finest...
>To say their training on this being "optional" is lacking is quite the understatement... You have signs telling people what to tell the agent, verbatim, and the agent acts like they have no idea what you're talking about... speaking of big government at its finest...
It makes more sense if you think about it as a giant jobs program, but one that detracts from society instead of adding to it.
Don't get me started, our country makes my brain hurt. The Works program was considered so successful at eliminating unemployed folks, we killed it. Because why would we need to continue building roads and bridges, and fixing old roads and bridges, and giving people meaningful work to do vs. just handing out food stamps? That problem is solved... (Please note I'm not against food stamps/welfare programs, I just think having that be the ONLY option is detrimental to able-bodied folks that just want to feel like they're contributing to society but also can't find steady employment for various reasons).
I dug into this, and apparently the Works program was terminated because WWII happened, which obviously depleted people who were using it as a bunch were being either shipped off to war or hired up for war industries. The fact it hasn't been spun up again is worth investigating but it seems its termination had nothing to do with how successful it was.
It wasn't terminated because of WWII, it was terminated because it was determined it was "no longer needed". Nobody in their right mind would have though WWII would continue in perpetuity.
>Unemployment ended with war production for World War II, as millions of men joined the services, and cost-plus contracts made it attractive for companies to hire unemployed men and train them.[19][page needed][31]
>Concluding that a national relief program was no longer needed, Roosevelt directed the Federal Works Administrator to end the WPA in a letter December 4, 1942. "Seven years ago I was convinced that providing useful work is superior to any and every kind of dole. Experience had amply justified this policy,"
It was no longer needed, because of the war effort. Roosevelt didn’t say it would never again be needed. Roosevelt created it, and in ending it he endorsed it. There’s no indication that he would be opposed to re creating it future, but he opposed having a (temporarily) useless agency operating when not needed.
>> If you don't want to participate, just tell the agent "I'd like to opt out".
> I get to the front of the line, tell the lady "I'd like to opt out"
Come on man, you're talking to humans that have a lot going on in their minds, including your security and everyone else's. They can't do perfect Bayes inference to figure out what's going on in your brain. What the heck are you opting out of? Democracy? Your marriage? Life itself? Realize none of those are positive indications of someone who's likely to be a safe traveler. Try to make things easier on them.
Just saying "I'd like to opt out" with no added context on what you're opting out of is really following the instructions like a computer would. It makes you look like the programmer in those jokes who buys a dozen loaves of bread because he was told "buy a loaf of bread; if they have eggs, get a dozen".
I get to the front of the line, tell the lady "I'd like to opt out" - she looks at me like I was speaking Algonquin. So I repeat "I'd like to opt out". Her - "What are you talking about??". So I point to the sign sitting two feet away from her and say "your sign says the face scan is optional and I can opt out???"
"Just say you want a pat down, we don't know what you're saying".
To say their training on this being "optional" is lacking is quite the understatement... You have signs telling people what to tell the agent, verbatim, and the agent acts like they have no idea what you're talking about... speaking of big government at its finest...