Once again I flew Continental from Newark To Dublin on a one-way-ticket and once again I was honored with being a selectee. At the security-checkpoint the selectee is patted a few times extra. The security officers check your laptop and boots for traces of explosives. And then basically they rummage around in your stuff to make it look more real.
This time I had the feeling that even the officer conducting the search could not take it seriously anymore.
It has become a piece of performance art.
The day that I won’t be a selectee anymore while flying one-way with Continental out of Newark not only will I miss the performance art, I’ll start worrying: What’s wrong with me? Don’t I deserve this extra pat? Don’t my boots deserve to be searched for traces of explosives?