To Each Their Own examines political issues impacting Newfoundland and Labrador. Hans column appears bi-weekly, on Tuesdays.
A chance encounter two weeks ago left me pondering the complex relationship between the State, its security apparatus, surveillance, social inequality, andHello Kitty.
And it all began at airport security.
While I have many friends who are routinely and deeply offended by intrusive scans, 3-D imaging of their bodies, or physical searches, I normally couldnt care less. Im a nervous flyer, and my priority is normally to get from Point A (i.e. the bar located at the nearest spot before security) safely to Point B (i.e. the bar located at the nearest spot after security) in the least amount of time possible. From my perspective, airport security are basically like those annoykitty baging, badly dressed bouncers with attitude outside the club. You smile nice, dont act too drunk and hope they dont search you and find the water bottle full of gin youve got buried in your shoulder bag.
Invariably however, some combination of my large metal belt, steel-toed boots, or bionic body parts sets off suspicions and I get searched. On this particular occasion, a burly German was going through the motions while his associate, a woman officer looking politely away, watched my gear travel through the electronic scanner. As she watched, my laptop covered in Hello Kitty stickers, a
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ArticleTitle:On Occupy camps, Hello Kitty, and the State
ArticleUrl:http://www.kitty-blog.com/kittyshirt/51.html
