Potential Energy

Originally this post was going to be about airport security(the game) and the strangle little company that made it, Persuasive Games. See, Airport Security is a little political commentary on the arbitrary nature of security regulations. As you try to get your travelers through the checkpoint, random updates come from the government: shirts are now prohibited, but water bottles are okay. Now shirts are allowed, but pants and hats are taboo. It's a great little statement in the guise of a game. Turns out that's Persuasive's gig: "We design, build, and distribute electronic games for persuasion, instruction, and activism." Other political statement games like Bacteria Salad and Oil God seem to support this. But then, a quick look at Persuasive's other games makes them seem less political activists, and more just game-mercenaries for hire. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it seems odd that the same folks making activists games would also have produced both Take Back Illinois and the Howard Dean for Iowa game.

As I said, this post was going to be about Airport Security (the game). But instead, it ends up being about Airport Security (the disturbing institution). When I went to the TSA site to grab a good picture , I was greeted with the headline: Man Charged with Murder SPOTted at Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport. Murderers trying to board planes? Can metal detectors detect that sort of thing?

Turns out, racial profiling is out, and SPOT is in: Screening Passengers by Observation. Why, TSA agent can now spot guilty people (snap!) just by looking at them. It's all in the distance between their eyes.

Turns out, this particular dirty Mexican dangerous criminal was deported to Mexico seven years ago on murder charges that were later dropped. Thank goodness we didn't let him anywhere near a plane! Thank you, SPOT, for keeping our airlines safe for white people the rest of us.