Good question

The last line of Donald Munro’s article brings up a good question, but the previous paragraphs have the answer. From Airport security is a theater:

But the effectiveness of the security isn’t the only factor at work here. One of the reasons we’re so willing to endure the elaborate rituals we enact at the airport is because it makes us feel as if we’re doing something.

You might debate whether that something has a real impact, but the important thing is that when we act this way, it makes us feel safer.

That’s what theater is all about: creating a different world and transporting the audience there, if only for a moment.

The question is why we’ve so passively agreed as a culture to the roles we play without questioning the need for rewriting the script.

As Munro already knows, we as a culture aren’t rewriting the script because it makes some people feel safer. It’s irrational to expect people to behave rationally.

In closely related news Kevin is now apparently a suspected terrorist.

Share