[IxDA Discuss] the appearance of change

[Jeff Seager]

An interesting article, Michael.  I think there's a great study yet
to be made of the mob mentality that allows people to accept being
herded like cattle and humiliated in U.S. airports these days.  So
I'll call Eva's rant, and raise her one.

Security initiatives and terrorism are both essentially about
creating the illusion that we are perpetually at risk.  A security
firm will not put itself out of business by making everyone feel
delightfully safe and secure; they will instead create the illusion
that they are somehow in control of that risk.

How people *feel* is almost more the issue than the realities of how
safe we may be.  Any rational person will admit that risk is an
inherent part of life, so the only trick is to extend that idea into
the ridiculous notion that we are all in real danger most of the
time.

More and bigger security guards are just another brand of terrorism,
which is well understood by those who pull the strings of the suicide
bombers.  Terrorists and other sociopaths get more bang for the buck
by getting other people to do a large part of the work for them.

It's a brilliant (and sick) interaction design based on proven
principles of human psychology.  I agree it would be good for more
people to see it for what it is.


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=24028