The Poor-Man's Guide to Modernity - Independent Media Center

famously said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” So, that’s what I’m
doing by sharing this experience:
On my overnight, 11-hour flight back to Los Angeles last week after hosting the
red carpet premiere for “Fast Five” in Rio De Janeiro, I connected in Dallas Fort
Worth (DFW) where I had the misfortune of being selected to go through one of
those full body scanners that emits radiation. Now, if you don’t fly very often,
you might not worry about it. But I’m a frequent flyer and don’t wish to be
irradiated more than I already am on flights (we get a pretty large dose of
radiation while flying due to our proximity to the sun; the longer your flight, the
more your radiation exposure) and in life in general (we’re exposed to radiation
all day every day; it’s called “background radiation”). So I will always “opt out” of
going through these body scanners, especially since the long-term effects of
radiation are quite well documented: it mutates our cells, often in irreversible
ways, and causes cancer. I’m all set with that!
Anyway, after “opting out,” I proceeded to follow a very nice older female TSA
employee to the “pat down” area. It was an inconvenience, but I thought, “No
biggie. I just went through this at LAX for the first time and it wasn’t too bad, so
let’s just get it over with.”
Well, this pat down was completely different. It was MUCH MORE invasive than
my first one at LAX, just a week before. To say that I felt invaded is an
understatement. What bothered me most was when she ran the back of her
hands down my behind, felt around my breasts, and even came in contact with
my vagina! Honestly, I was in shock, especially since the woman at LAX never
actually touched me there. The TSA employee at DFW touched private area 4
times, going up both legs from behind and from the front, each time touching
me there. Was I at my gynecologist’s office? No! This was crazy!
I felt completely helpless and violated during the entire process (in fact, I still
do), so I became extremely upset. If I wanted to get back to Los Angeles, I had
no choice but to be violated, whether by radiation or a stranger. I just kept
thinking, “What have I done to deserve this treatment as an upstanding, lawabiding
American citizen?” Am I a threat to US security? I was Miss USA, for
Pete’s sake!
The Poor-Man's Guide to Modernity 239 / 334 Zahir Ebrahim