Overreaction

It seems like our society overreacts to everything these days. We can’t just calmly evaluate a situation and take appropriate action anymore. No, we must immediately perform a knee-jerk worthy of an NFL kicker. It’s not just an American thing either. It’s all of western civilization. We’ve forgotten how to take rational action in response to accidents, issues, and threats.

This morning I heard a news report that British officials had broken up a suspected terrorist ring that was planning to blow up airplanes. Tied into that report was the report that we can no longer take toothpaste or hair gel on commercial airplanes. That was the point at which I turned the TV off in disgust. I’m not even sure if the ban was for U.S. planes or British planes, but it doesn’t really matter. I didn’t hear the rationality behind this new rule, but I can probably guess it: A terrorist could make explosive material look like toothpaste and hair gel. Then he’d be able to detonate it while he’s on the airplane. Okay, I get it. I’ve watched enough Hollywood movies to understand the threat. I know the terrorists are bound to have thoroughly studied McGyver footage too. There is a potential for a security breach there, but do we really want to live out our lives in fear of everything? Taking fingernail clippers away from little old ladies and making children throw their toothpaste in the trash isn’t going to make things safer.

There’s no new threat. Nothing has changed other than our approach to things. The terrorists are getting what they want: we’re becoming terrified of everything. If someone were determined enough to blow up a plane with explosives hidden in a toothpaste tube, then they will just find some other way if they can’t bring toothpaste. We’ve got to stop being terrified of possibilities and get on with things. Search suspicious looking people and arm the pilots. Don’t worry about hurting anyone’s feelings and don’t be concerned about racial profiling. Search all the people who appear to be of Middle Eastern descent and anyone acting nervously. Then, if you think that there is something wrong with their Colgate throw it out, but don’t make everyone quit brushing their teeth just because of possibilities.

In Chicago they’ve outlawed the possession of BB guns that look like real guns in another fine example of overreaction. The reasoning is that the replica guns look so much like real guns that they can scare people and cause the police to mistakenly shoot children who are playing with them. I’ve got a better solution: Teach children not to point BB guns at people. It seems like that would be the very first thing to do. BB guns can be dangerous and you shouldn’t be pointing them at anybody. It’s pretty simple. Just make parents responsible for raising their kids properly. If the children know not to point guns at people, then the police (and everyone else) can feel free to shoot anyone who points a gun at them.

We’ve become afraid that people will say that we didn’t do enough or that we could have foreseen this event and that event so we overreact and over-legislate everything. We need to realize that the world is not a safe place and there is nothing we can do to change that. We need to stop performing ridiculous acts in the name of public good. We need to start making sense instead of headlines.

Date Added: 11-08-2006