Protesting The TSA: Boobs Free Or Die
Lisa Simeone blogs at the TSA News blog about Kelly Voluntaryist, from the "Live Free or Die" state of New Hampshire, who's bra and underwear-protesting the TSA.
(Not sure that Voluntaryist is her real name, but I love the girl, who clearly loves our Constitution and doesn't just sit by blinking as it's crumpled up at the airport doors.)
Lisa writes that Voluntaryist:
...showed up at the Manchester airport on a frigid winter day and started handing out flyers. With a perky smile and cheerful demeanor, she informed people of their rights and disputed the TSA's contention that it should be able to violate them.You can see the reactions she got in the video. And as the slide early on in the video indicates, "This is obviously a longterm effort. Waking people up who've been asleep for decades doesn't happen overnight."
I have only word for Kelly:
BRAVA!
And the same goes for anyone who does this at their airport. If you do this at your airport, you have my permission to print up and hand out my op-ed on the TSA and our eroding civil liberties. Please, please -- do this. People need to be woken up. (I recommend markering an anti-TSA message on your body if you protest in this way so you can clearly be seen to be walking, underdressed speech in the name of our constitutional rights.)
UPDATE:
@voretaq7 responds to my tweet about this blog item:
@amyalkon Why just women?
I tweet back:
@voretaq7 Men, too, especially if they wear a pink bra and panties. That'll get some attention.
And thank you to the blogger for correct use of Italian.
silverpie at January 25, 2012 8:08 AM
I've said it before - there's helpful debate and protest, and there's acting like a jerk deliberately to provoke a respons so you can get on youtube.
I'm all but positive that there's rules against distributing flyers and pamphlets at the airport (not to mention the whole underwear thing) but clearly they realized a) she's not crazy b) she's not harming anyone or slowing down ticket sales or check-in, and c) it would create far more a stink if they made her stop (see first paragraph) so they let her continue.
How do I KNOW they let her continue? Cause if they'd stopped her, it's all the clip would have been about. Instead, there's a couple seconds (repeated) of them talking to her, and then nothing.
This is cute (and so is she) and funny, but ultimately it's more self attention grabbing than issue attention grabbing. If this makes the news, people will remember her, and not what she was protesting.
Vinnie Bartilucci at January 25, 2012 8:15 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2012/01/25/protesting_the.html#comment-2933141">comment from Vinnie BartilucciI'm all but positive that there's rules against distributing flyers and pamphlets at the airport
Those people collect money for some cause and they're allowed. Do we allow collection of money and not free speech at airports? If so, this is a serious problem.
"If this makes the news, people will remember her, and not what she was protesting."
No, they will think about the TSA because she made them do it -- woke them up. This is necessary, waking people up. I admire the hell out of this woman.
Amy Alkon at January 25, 2012 8:27 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2012/01/25/protesting_the.html#comment-2933174">comment from Amy AlkonRegarding my update just above: Of course, people like to tell themselves men and women are not just equal under the law but the same. The truth is, thanks to our evolutionary adaptations, naked or half-naked men aren't the thrill women are.
Amy Alkon at January 25, 2012 8:32 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2012/01/25/protesting_the.html#comment-2933246">comment from Amy Alkon"there's acting like a jerk deliberately to provoke a respons(e)"
Really, so many people act like blinking sheep at the airport, we need all the provocation we can get for this agency spending billions of our money, finding no terrorists -- not a one -- but priming Americans to be docile in the face of having their civil liberties yanked away.
Amy Alkon at January 25, 2012 8:48 AM
Oh, brother, Vinnie's back.
No, it's not about "acting like a jerk deliberately to provoke a response so you can get on youtube."
Talk about missing the point.
Ya know, there are a lot of ways to protest, not just one. This girl came up with a very creative way (and she's not the first, as I detail in that blog post), something that the more literal-minded among us perhaps can't appreciate.
Lisa Simeone at January 25, 2012 9:08 AM
"The truth is, thanks to our evolutionary adaptations, naked or half-naked men aren't the thrill women are."
Which suggests that if you were going to have a guy in the video instead of a woman, you'd probably be better off playing for laffs instead of ogles. Funny boxers with "Don't Touch" embroidered across the front would about do it.
Old RPM Daddy at January 25, 2012 9:21 AM
To clarify on my previous comment: thank you to the blogger for recognizing that "bravo" is specifically used of males in Italian and substituting the correct feminine version. (If anyone's even more curious, plural would be "bravi" for all-male or mixed, "brave" for all-female.)
silverpie at January 25, 2012 9:30 AM
Who here would like to see Amy put a flash mob together in their underwear, show up at LAX, and hand out her op-ed piece?
Eric at January 25, 2012 9:32 AM
Funny boxers with "Don't Touch" embroidered across the front would about do it.
I think a leather corset, chaps a Don't Touch Me, Bro (or, alternatively Can't Touch This) loin cloth would work.
Don't forget the riding crop.
I R A Darth Aggie at January 25, 2012 9:55 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2012/01/25/protesting_the.html#comment-2933604">comment from EricEric, I think it would be a super idea. Going to contact somebody about this and see what the laws/rules are.
Amy Alkon at January 25, 2012 10:05 AM
You gotta get some of your media friends to publicize it, report on it, get a whole movement together. Amy's Anti-TSA Massacre Movement- we should see if Arlo Guthrie is in town! Call the Danson's!
Hell, I'd even fly down, though nobody wants to see me in a thong.
Eric at January 25, 2012 10:24 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2012/01/25/protesting_the.html#comment-2933702">comment from EricJust wrote to a former prosecutor friend about this, Eric, to find out some legal deets!
Amy Alkon at January 25, 2012 10:38 AM
"Hell, I'd even fly down, though nobody wants to see me in a thong."
That's kind of why I suggested the boxers. I mean not in your case personally, but as for me, just taking off my shirt is enough to get Greenpeace's attention.
Old RPM Daddy at January 25, 2012 10:49 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2012/01/25/protesting_the.html#comment-2933777">comment from Old RPM DaddyHilarious: "as for me, just taking off my shirt is enough to get Greenpeace's attention."
Amy Alkon at January 25, 2012 11:10 AM
All my careful folding was for naught... when I opened my bag today it had been rummaged by TSA.
It's because I fit the high-terror-alert profile of white preppie suburban SAHMs. Also, I'm a dual national with the highly aggressive, war-mongering nation of Switzerland.
NicoleK at January 25, 2012 12:04 PM
I love it.
I wouldn't be able to travel to be a part of the flash mob, but since there's nothing wrong with multiple groups camping out for weeks at a time protesting something (I'm still not sure exactly what, besides that they have to pay back loans they took out) I'd be willing to protest and hand out copies of the op-ed up here in MN.
I'll look into what permits might be needed.
Jazzhands at January 25, 2012 12:56 PM
You can get any thing you want, at Amy's rest-aur-annnnnnnt!
If you're serious Amy, I'm gonna see if I can get hold of Arlo! When I lived in San Juan Capistrano he used to hang out at The Coach House, and I doubt he'd remember me but you never know....
Eric at January 25, 2012 1:53 PM
"This girl came up with a very creative way (and she's not the first, as I detail in that blog post), something that the more literal-minded among us perhaps can't appreciate."
As cynical as I am about activism in general, even I will admit that sometimes a publicity stunt is very helpful in grabbing public and media focus. But you can only do a publicity stunt so many times before it becomes trite. The question is, what's next? It needs advertising, and that takes money, and that takes organization since none of the established political interests will be interested in funding it.
Cousin Dave at January 25, 2012 5:30 PM
Heck, I'd fly in for the flashmob! Set it up, Amy! (for a weekend, can't do weekdays!)
momof4 at January 25, 2012 5:47 PM
If I had a figure like that, I would be tempted to go almost naked, as well.
The gold digger at January 25, 2012 6:04 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2012/01/25/protesting_the.html#comment-2934797">comment from momof4That would be awesome, momof4! I'd set it up for a Saturday, I think. We could get people to audio and video us if that's allowed, or at least do that until they catch us...or do it outside the airport and talk about it and get it on media.
I have to wait to hear from the legal beagle I wrote to and get a few other opinions so we're prepared. I also have to go to Target and buy a pair of non-thong underwear with some butt coverage. (I think she handled that area of the body rather tastefully!)
Amy Alkon at January 25, 2012 6:16 PM
Working on it. Thank you, all of you who are regular commenters, for your encouragement in the right directions. My op-ed only got in Pravda because dervish had the idea.
If anybody knows anything about rules/regulations at LAX on taping, lack of clothing, etc., please post it here. It would be great if we can use this great woman's protest as a prototype and get women across the country to protest. As much as I think we all should protest, I think women will get more attention and hit a nerve in a way men in boxers will not (unless we get male underwear models).
Amy Alkon at January 25, 2012 8:06 PM
Amy, the underwear you want are "cheekys". $5 at Victoria's Secret and tons of options if you want to go with a cute panty/bra combo! Can't wait to heat more about it!
Kyrstin at January 26, 2012 1:13 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2012/01/25/protesting_the.html#comment-2935923">comment from KyrstinAmy, the underwear you want are "cheekys". $5 at Victoria's Secret and tons of options if you want to go with a cute panty/bra combo! Can't wait to heat more about it!
Thanks -- super. And I have the bras -- the kind for people with large real breasts. Victoria's Secret bras are best for holding up the kind that a surgeon put in!
Amy Alkon at January 26, 2012 6:30 AM
Some Victoria's Secret bras include the fake breasts: http://www.victoriassecret.com/ss/Satellite?ProductID=1265712552469&c=Page&cid=1265710910896&pagename=vsdWrapper
(Heads up. It's a lingerie site.)
You can add more cup sizes than some women have to start with.
Insufficient Poison at January 26, 2012 9:36 AM
>> Heads up. It's a lingerie site.
Complying...
Eric at January 26, 2012 1:17 PM
Amy, LAX almost certainly has strict time/place/manner restrictions on protests, signs, and leaflets. Because all airports do. We can all thank the Hare Krishnas for that. Having said that: If you do a one-time thing, and you're careful not to interfere with people going back and forth, my guess is that it'll slide.
Cousin Dave at January 26, 2012 6:46 PM
Oh, and I can guarantee you that nobody in LAX wants to see me in my underwear. So I'll pass on the flash mob, thanks. But you guys have my support. If there's anything those of us out in the provinces can do, let us know.
Cousin Dave at January 26, 2012 6:48 PM
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