You raise a good point about this being a shift in the mindset. But I can't get over the fact that the security guards called a boat over and he got on with enough of an arsenal to murder 80 people. If he'd looked Middle Eastern, would they have at least looked in his bag? My knee-jerk suspicion is that yes, they would have, and they'd have called HQ to check his story. But honestly part of the problem here is the Milgrim "Obedience to Authority" problem, from another angle. He presented himself as a police officer, who is automatically an authority over security guards in most places. (I had a college friend who worked as a student worker on campus security; they were officially required to render aid to law enforcement on request, as one of their job duties.) People are taught not to challenge authorities, and saying, "would you open your bag, please" is a challenge. So is, "can you tell me the name of your boss, so I can call and make sure you are who you say you are?"
This is just so utterly horrifying from nearly any angle.
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You raise a good point about this being a shift in the mindset. But I can't get over the fact that the security guards called a boat over and he got on with enough of an arsenal to murder 80 people. If he'd looked Middle Eastern, would they have at least looked in his bag? My knee-jerk suspicion is that yes, they would have, and they'd have called HQ to check his story. But honestly part of the problem here is the Milgrim "Obedience to Authority" problem, from another angle. He presented himself as a police officer, who is automatically an authority over security guards in most places. (I had a college friend who worked as a student worker on campus security; they were officially required to render aid to law enforcement on request, as one of their job duties.) People are taught not to challenge authorities, and saying, "would you open your bag, please" is a challenge. So is, "can you tell me the name of your boss, so I can call and make sure you are who you say you are?"
This is just so utterly horrifying from nearly any angle.