More airport security toys
“Let’s play ‘airport security’,” [link to http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/node/8234 no longer works] says Foriegn Policy. It’s like playing Doctor, only with latex gloves and inappropriate touching.
In an effort to help children understand and be comfortable and confident in the need and process of higher security protocols we’ve developed a new play and learning toy and resource web site to promote and educate security procedures.
It’s not really clear who “we” refers to here. The operationcheckpoint.com, also refers to “SampleRewards.com.” That sounds like the sort of pliable marketing channel who’ll sell anything for a buck, so maybe it’s not them who’s really behind this thing. OperationCheckpoint has four different names on a single landing page. (OperationCheckpoint, SampleRewards.com, Wizard Idustries and Product Exposure Services.) If only we had ID for the forces of evil. Maybe these guys could carry sample National ID cards, and kid’s tattoo guns, too.
Previously, “From the mouths of toymakers:”
There’s a press release out there. This was invented by a mom who, during her divorce, was concerned at the intimidation and confusion of having to go through security checkpoints (presumanbly, at the courthouse) so often.
The solution, naturally, is not more appropriate (and vastly fewer) checkpoints. The solution is that when life hands you a series of ill-conceived post-911 lemons, you make lemonade in the form of a toy.
http://www.operationcheckpoint.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_id=2385&ProReview_ID=362
BTW, that “pliable marketing channel that will sell anything for a buck” is a patented business process. [http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=7249064&OS=7249064&RS=7249064 no longer works]
So the problem is that the TSA took her baby away, her baby away, away from her?
@Ramones:
At least they didn’t beat on the brat with a baseball bat.
@Chris Well the TSA does make me want to be sedated.
I’m looking forward to future toys along these lines. I expect the Little People Concentration Camp toy to be especially popular. Lots of smiling swarthy Little People in orange jumpsuits, barbed wire and gun towers, and maybe a waterboarding setup and a leash for more imaginative play. I mean, if we’re going to turn our kids into willing participants in the nightmarish state we’re building, we’ve got to get them involved when they’re young!