I want to respond to one aspect of Will Saletan's blog about the nipple-piercing incident. One of Saletan's positions is that nipple piercings are elective, whereas pacemakers, prostheses, and other items made of metal that might set off airport metal detectors are not. The implication is that while it might be understandable if a pacemaker or an artificial leg sets off a metal detector, it's much less acceptable to become indignant if a nipple ring or tongue stud sets the detector beeping.

To an extent, I agree, there is a big difference between the reason for the metal in a pacemaker and the metal in a nipple ring or tongue stud. But I'd like to question how valuable the distinction Saletan implies between elective and necessary really is at protecting safety.

One of the cornerstones of our national ethos is the basic idea that we have the freedom to pursue life, liberty, and happiness, so long as our actions do not infringe upon the rights of others. I'd go so far as to say that self expression--visual art, literature, music, performance, and so on--is not just a right, but a defining characteristic of humanity.

There are limits to self-expression--what you believe is only defensible insofar as your expression of it doesn't infringe upon the rights of others. But I think it crosses a line to tell someone that if they expect to fly commercially, they should nix piercings. Might that be more convenient? Yes. Would it violate an individual's rights? Just as much as it would violate Will's rights to instruct him to leave pen, pencil, paper, and computer at home.

And I'd go farther than that. I'd say that all people have the right to express themselves--their individuality, their affiliations, their likes and dislikes--any aspect of their identity that makes them human beings. Right up to the point beyond which they would infringe upon the rights of others.

And I think that implying that someone should eschew piercings in order to fly gets too close to requiring particular haircuts or body styles. Diversity IS essential to society--be it elective diversity or not. And when it comes to American society, elective diversity is a First Amendment issue.

You have said it all beautifully but I would highlight a couple of additional things.

First, while I agree with you that this is likely a First Amendment issue, let's put that aside and look at this from a slightly different angle.

This woman was doing nothing wrong. Yet she had low-level government punks sniggering over her while she wept in pain and humiliation.

Will, my friend, that is simply orcish. Orcish. Proud to live in a country that defends its government's orcishness? I'm not.

Second, Saletan missed a huge point here. He leads us down the garden path -- unseen metal on the person of a passenger could be dangerous on an airplane. So sure, when the hand wand goes off, we have to do something. But having led us into the garden, Saletan abandons us. All that must be done to address that safety concern is to find out what the unseen source of the alarm is! And indeed an added social good would be to find out in an efficient way. It is not necessary to remove the metal if it can reliably be identified as a non-threat. Guess what? A quick flash to a female screener would have been far more efficient and just as reliable.

And guess what else? The TSA orcs were violating TSA rules in requiring her to remove the piercings and not offering the alternative of a same-sex pat-down search.

So you have power-drunk government functionaries breaking the rules and sniggering while a woman who has done nothing wrong cries in pain and humiliation.

Orcish, Will.

And quite frankly sir you are orcish to come anywhere near to condoning it.

Stop saying "orcish," we are not living in Middle Earth. That isn't even a word, at least not in the way you are using it.

Saletan is completely correct. While it is obviously wrong if the guards actually were "snickering" as is claimed, requiring her to remove the piercings is not a violation of rights.

Airports have a duty and obligation to make sure airlines are completely secure and that includes making EVERYONE pass through a metal detector. If you have an excuse, it better be a very good one (like a pacemaker), and it should be completely demonstrated that this is the only reason you can't make it through the detector.

You have every right to get a piercing, and you have every right to want to fly on a plane. But you have to make it through the detector, its that simple. If you want to fly on a plane, then don't make your piercing painful to remove. No one should stop you from doing what you want to do, but no one has an obligation to bend over backwards for your choices either.

Wow, talk about missing the point.

You don't have to make it through the metal detector without setting it off. There's no rule that requires that, and of course there shouldn't be.

People set off the metal detectors all the time. I've done it, sometimes with exactly the same objects on my person that did not set off the alarms when I went through security at another airport earlier that day. When that happens, the next and proper step is to try and figure out what caused it. You get wanded or patted down or whatever, and in extreme cases they ask you to take off some clothes. But it's entirely irrational, once you've figured out that the cause is something benign, to then insist on a step that does nothing to improve security on the plane. (Heck, when the rings were in, they were no threat at all - they only could be weapons after they were removed, although I don't know what you'd do with them.) I pass through security maybe 20 times a year and I've never seen anyone asked to leave something behind once the TSA employees were satisfied about safety. I haven't even been asked to remove my belt and its metal buckle when I've been wanded.

That's why, whether or not you like the word, "orcish" actually seems to capture the spirit of what happened pretty accurately. There was no benefit to what the TSA employees did, regardless of whether it was contrary to policy. All that could result was the pointless humiliation of a woman who had done nothing wrong. It is something a Tolkein orc would do, and certainly not what I want people doing to other people.

anyone foolish enough to get piercing should stay on the ground.

it's entirely irrational, once you've figured out that the cause is something benign, to then insist on a step that does nothing to improve security on the plane.

Exactly.

p.s. orcish orcish orcish orcish orcish orcish

anyone who's foolish enough to think that people shouldn't have freedom over their own bodies should go found their own nation-state.... elsewhere.