Bag checks, metal detectors, pat downs, surveillance cameras — this is the standard American reaction to events like Boston’s bombing attack, and conservative New York Times columnist Ross Douthat calls it “Security Theater.” I agree with Douthat (my colleague Phil Klein disagrees with some of Douthat’s conclusions), and I used that term to describe airport security.
“Security theater” means very visible and intrusive security measures that may not be able to stop a bomb or a weapon, but certainly give off the impression that nothing can slip through. It’s not an inherently derogatory term: Maybe security theater fools a potential terrorist. Maybe, as Klein writes, “the general focus on threats among the public at large arguably makes them more alert in general and thus helps prevent potential attacks.”
