My Rights and the TSA

Our former governor—good old Jesse Ventura—has just announced a lawsuit against the TSA for sexual harassment. He claims to have been violated and degraded by the required patdown in the security line.

Jesse Ventura is a symbol of our culture and represents the attitude built into an entitlement world. His claim of violation is indicative of a belief that I am the center of the world….and I should not be forced into anything that is uncomfortable or restricts my individual freedom. This is an extension of a narcissistic culture that has been growing over the past 30 years.

I am sorry Jesse—YOU don’t supersede the needs of the many. Your personal preference should not be the filter for a national security policy—in spite of your inflated sense of self. I wish that security patdowns were not necessary. I wish that a terror attack was not a possibility in our world. I wish that our airports were exempt from any risk of terrorism. But, reality tells us otherwise. The recent bombing in Russia reminds us that risk is part of our world today. I am sorry Jesse.

An entitlement mindset says that MY needs are most important. It is selfishness expressed—and Jesse Ventura is the poster child for a selfish worldview. I am not speaking from an abstract viewpoint on this—I have had to undergo these patdowns for the past 15 years because I have an implantable cardiac defibrillator. Every trip for me involves a personal experience with a security agent—and I have seen this develop after 9/11. Do I like them? No. Do I look forward to them? No.

But, let me say again: MY feelings don’t matter. The fact that I don’t like them is not the filter to determining a security policy in the United States. If this policy has been thought out and developed to protect people, then MY preference is not the determining issue. But, Jesse would like to change that. He would like to have the country change its policy for HIS personal preference. Interesting….

As a friend said: “If you think the security process is invasive…..try shrapnel.” Bingo. There is a bigger need here—and it may restrict your personal freedom just a bit. But, our culture is having a tough time knowing how to navigate this issue. Look around you and see how this selfish, entitlement attitude is affecting your teenagers…the families you work with…yourself.

Following Jesus is recognizing that God is calling us to put our needs as secondary to others….to serve….to love…and to think more than our own selfish orientation. It is calling us past an entitlement attitude. Jesus loves me and then challenges me to stop thinking as if the world should revolve around ME. I need to express this attitude in the TSA line, in my ministry and in my family. The Ventura lawsuit was my last straw….what is yours? How do YOU speak into an entitlement world? How do you see this attitude in your ministry? What can we do to impact this pervasive culture? I’d be curious to hear your thoughts.