**FROM the ARCHIVES: TSA’s “Gold+” Screening Is a Modern-Day “Cargo Cult” – And History Agrees**

FROM THE ARCHIVES: TSA’s “Gold+” Screening is a Modern-Day “Cargo Cult” – and History Agrees

In a move that has aviation historians raising eyebrows, TSA’s new “Gold+” expedited screening lane—offering full-body pat-downs, shoe removal, and a personal QR code for the privilege—is drawing eerie parallels to the “Cargo Cults” of the Pacific Islands post-WWII.

Much like the native islanders who built bamboo control towers and wore coconut headphones hoping to summon the “silver birds” of the American military, the “Gold+” traveler is paying for the ritual of security theater without the substance. You get the same pat-down, the same wanding, but now it’s branded, queue-free, and costs extra.

“This is a classic case of potlatch economics meets surveillance capitalism,” says Dr. Mira Chen, author of The Rituals of Risk. “In ancient Northwest Coast tribes, you’d destroy wealth to show status. Now, you pay to be more inconvenienced. It’s the exact opposite of efficiency—it’s a signal of belonging.”

TSA insists it’s about “frictionless security,” but historians note the only time such elite screening worked was in the Roman Praetorian Guard—and even they were eventually disbanded for corruption. History says: when you pay extra to be touched the same amount, you’re not a VIP. You’re a participant in a new kind of tribute.

#TSAGold #HistoryRepeats #SecurityTheater #CargoCultFrequentFlyer