The Pleasure of Traveling

Terrorists have succeeded in turning themselves into the public enemy par excellence, as much for what they represent as a threat to the lives of innocent people as for the consequences of their actions on what had previously been a pleasant routine prior to travel, which, thanks to their actions, has been transformed into a humiliating, vexatious and downright repulsive process.

It is understandable that the American authorities are trying to protect their citizens from this terrorist threat. However, it is like trying to stop water with your fingers; it always seeps through a crack and you will never completely avoid it. In fact, the politicians of this country have been contradictory with regard to the prevention of violence, since, while their citizens have almost complete freedom to acquire arms and ammunition (a right protected by their own Constitution), to a deranged mind any reason is valid to use extreme force. Good examples of this are the massacres in schools, universities and shopping centers committed by citizens supposedly well integrated into society and having been so since birth.

Criminal violence is already installed in complex societies such as the United States. It would be very difficult to separate the straw from the grain and affirm that everything bad that happens in this immense country is because of illegal immigrants or Islamic terrorism. Therefore, no matter how many measures are imposed on air transit, Damocles’ sword will always be hanging over America’s blond head, for different reasons and various mediums. The problem is that there are consequences that must be paid, for some reason, by those of us who travel to that country. Now it seems that we are all potential terrorists and will be treated as such.

The security model being implemented in airports has reached a never before seen level and, in some cases, transgresses far beyond the proper treatment and human rights of passengers. The physical inspection, which can be so humiliating and degrading, includes passing through a scanner that reveals all the intimate details of a person to half a dozen inquisitive eyes.

That which previously was a delight is now a type of torture programmed with months of anticipation. The pleasant sense of relaxation produced by sitting in your airplane seat now has been converted into the anticipation of a tense and intimidating journey with strict instructions to obey, unquestioningly, the orders of the airline crew, which previously was only there to serve us and make our trip enjoyable. Where are the ships? Tomorrow I am buying a ticket.