The Department of Homeland Security has announced a rule change allowing American air travelers to keep their shoes on during security screenings. This decision ends a long-standing policy initiated after a failed bombing attempt in 2001, which many viewed as security theater rather than effective safety measures. The rule change is seen as a populist gesture, catering to travelers' desires for convenience that were previously granted only to premium passengers. Overall, it represents a shift toward a more relaxed approach in airport security protocols.
Air travelers in America shall no more doff their chukkas, their wedges, their wingtips, their espadrilles, or their Mary Janes, according to a rule-change announced by the Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
The mandate to go shoeless, like the volume limit on toiletry items and the need to remove laptops from carry-on bags, gave the mere appearance of vigilance: not security but security theater.
Noem has indulged in a rival form of spectacle: populism theater. Her new policy gives citizens something they actually want, previously reserved for upscale travelers.
The system hasn't really been democratized so much as made indifferent. The fact of the TSA's doing less—and caring less—just happens to be helpful.
Collection
[
|
...
]