"Americans now must choose between a virtual strip search and a grope" says the ACLU

Well, it's between that and potential death, of course, but since people can only focus on the short-term versus long-term effects (think of teenagers who feel invincible when they pick up their first cigarette), the vague and hazy notion of being blown up in the skies trumps an uncomfortable patting session hands down. Idiots, the lot of them.

Quoth an unnamed security officer who has to perform these searches:

I come to work to do my job. It is not up to me to decide policy, it is up to me to carry out my duties as dictated by the Transportation Security Administration. When a person stands in front of me and calls me a pervert or accuses me of molesting them it is disheartening. People fail to understand that neither of us are happy about the intrusive pat down I am carrying out. I am polite, I am professional and while someone may not like what I have to carry out, they came to me because they choose not to utilize the alternative and less invasive method of security at my airport.

The "less invasive method" being full-body scanners which, predictably, have been publicly shunned due to paranoia over radiation and having your body bits splashed over a screen in glorious nonpixellated high def. Yep, still idiots. The first fear I can understand, or try to, but the second? Get over it! What do you think, that the supervising staff are somehow enjoying your ordeal? News flash, moron. One, you're probably not all that awesome to look at, and two, they're just doing their jobs. In case you haven't noticed here are hundreds of people passing through US airport scanners daily and if the officers found this task attractive in any way then they sure as hell don't now. I believe "desensitization" is the word. Except there's one thing they probably can't get desensitized to and that is the endless stream of whines and muttering and outright accusations (see quote above) that they are, in fact, "perverts" and molesters when they are only trying to do their job. Shame on you coddled self-righteous airline passengers. Get off your bloody high horse and be a little grateful and humble and flexible for once. If these people up and decided to leave you'd not be going anywhere and if you did there's a high chance you wouldn't make it because gee, guess what, no security checks means moar security threats for all. But of course, you'd just complain about that too...

Idiots. -shakes head-

The tl;dr here is that yon "virtual strip search" and "grope" are temporary discomforts compared to the slightly more permanent state of nonexistence brought upon ye in the event of having your plane knocked out of the sky, so shut up and deal with it. Jesus Christ on a bicycle, people, rein in the holier-than-thouness of your ego.

~Mnem