Sunday, December 16, 2012

Unflattering TSA portrayals in pop culture now extend to video games

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration has been ridiculed in TV shows, movies, television commercials, online videos and now video games.
A couple of games featuring the TSA have popped up on Apple’s App Store for play on iPhones and iPads. They include “Airport Scanner” from the Kedlin Company, which features a “trio of burly TSA agents that will lay down the pain on any troublemakers,” and “Checkpoint Madness” from SGM Games, which has a character named Officer Friskie. (See article in AZ Tech Beat.)
In “Checkpoint Madness,” you work as a TSA agent and can send passengers through the “Groping Line,” the “Naked Scanner” or the metal detector.
These games are more examples of art imitating life.
The TSA has been widely criticized as a wasteful, ineffective government bureaucracy that routinely violates the constitutional rights of citizens. It has become the most despised government agency, beating even the IRS. Airline passengers are growing increasingly upset with being harassed, embarrassed, molested and inconvenienced by the TSA.
This is showing up in pop culture portrayals of the agency, as I’ve documented.
The TSA is a frequent target of political cartoonists, such as Rick McKee of the Augusta Chronicle. (See below.) See more examples at PoliticalCartoons.com.


Also check out the cover of the Dec. 6, 2010, issue of the New Yorker magazine. The artwork by Barry Blitt is titled “Airport Security Kiss.”


As I’ve noted in previous posts, the TSA has been parodied by “Saturday Night Live,” “Up All Night,” “The Simpsons,” “South Park” and other television shows. I neglected to mention the movie “She’s Out of My League” (2010).


Related stories:

TSA a prime target of political cartoonists (Oct. 4, 2011)

TV shows and advertisements tap into citizen hatred of the TSA (May 18, 2012)

Videos: 

Top 10 funniest TSA parody videos (Dec. 13, 2010)

TSA portrayals in TV advertising (May 13, 2012)

TSA portrayals in pop culture (May 25, 2012)

10 Funny TSA parody videos (May 26, 2012)

More humorous TSA parody videos (Dec. 4, 2012)

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