Daily Tarnish

Dear All,

Perhaps I am naive, idealistic or behind the times, but a woman's purse is private- period.

Recently, when attempting to attend an event at a large local venue, I was asked to open my purse for the man at the gate. To put this in perspective, my bag measures 7x7x3. The person in front of me in line was not searched, and he had a huge backpack.

When I refused on the grounds that it was ridiculous, I was barred from entry and the ticket ripper would not give my ticket back. All I wanted was to get my ticket back so that I could return it and leave. The ticket taker never actually returned my ticket. Instead, my friend gave me her ticket that had not yet been ripped. I returned it and left. Did I mention that the police were summoned?

In my purse are private items; I am not ashamed of them. They are just private. For this reason, my purse could have been empty, and I still would have refused to allow it to be searched.

Have we really come to this? Are we all really this fear-driven? I guess I just don't get it- I really don't. I would rather live in a country where people don't act upon their worst fears everyday. This is a choice made of weakness rather than one of strength, and it tarnishes us all, a little bit everyday, until we are unable to see ourselves anymore in the people that we have become.

Sincerely,
Betsy