security theater
n.— «The secrecy culture cultivated by TSA demands an extensive deference which (as Barlow’s attorney pointed out) is often supposedly justified by saying “September 11, September 11, September 11.” But in fact many aspects of aviation security practice are still stupid and pointless, or, to be more polite and precise, they are security theater.» —“In the Superior Court of California, County of San Mateo” by Seth David Schoen Vitanuova Dec. 16, 2004. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Asthenosphere, a geologist’s term for the molten layer beneath the earth’s crust, sparks a journey that stretches all the way from ancient Greece to the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Plus: What the heck is a dogberg? It’s when...
In 1971, when a new public library opened in Troy, Michigan, famous authors and artists were invited to write letters to the city’s youngest readers, extolling the many benefits of libraries. One of the loveliest was from E.B. White, author of...