• DBT@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    No, there was actually a case years ago (not too long after 9-11) of a man bringing a bomb on a plane in his shoe. Passengers stopped him as he tried to light it on the plane.

    IIRC that’s when they started making people take off their shoes. I could be wrong about that part but that’s how I remember it.

    • chicken@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      1 day ago

      Well I also remember that, but it doesn’t mean making people take their shoes off actually improves safety. And the point I’m making here is, if they are not doing that anymore, doesn’t it mean they don’t think it helps? If it doesn’t help now, then why would it have ever helped?

      • DBT@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        It would’ve prevented the guy we’re both talking about from sneaking a bomb on the plane in his shoe.

        I don’t think they’re taking it away now because they don’t think it helps. I think they’re taking it away because people don’t like doing it.

        Maybe they think the number of people who will try that again is low. Maybe they have other ways of detecting something like that now. Who knows.

        • chicken@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          1 day ago

          It would’ve prevented the guy we’re both talking about from sneaking a bomb on the plane in his shoe.

          He would have known they were going to make him take his shoes off and so tried something else instead that would probably have been more likely to work.

          I think they’re taking it away because people don’t like doing it.

          But we’ve never liked doing it

          • DBT@lemmy.world
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            12 hours ago

            We can speculate about what could’ve happened instead all day, but that doesn’t change the fact that what he actually did was hide a bomb in his shoe, and this would have prevented that specifically.

            I’m actually curious what you think would have been more likely to work?

            • chicken@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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              4 hours ago

              I don’t think anything is more likely to work. I don’t think they are capable of preventing terrorist attacks on planes directly, just like they aren’t capable of preventing any mass killings. I think TSA procedures are there to serve the purpose of pretending that they can. If it isn’t happening, it’s because no one happens to be trying hard enough. The only thing that could work is creating an overall situation in society where people are less motivated to do it, not preventing specific acts.