--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Why is it that we all - myself included…" description: "\"Why is it that we all - myself included - believe these stories? Why are we so quick to assume that the TSA is a bunch of jack-booted thugs, officious ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e8/bruce-schneier-8231_accountability_why-is-it-that-we-all-myself-included-be_1350205.jpg" --- # Why is it that we all - myself included - believe these… ![“Why is it that we all - myself included - believe these stories? Why are we so quick to assume that the TSA is a bunch of jack-booted thugs, officious and arbitrary and drunk with power? It's because everything seems so arbitrary, because there's no accountability or transparency in the DHS.” quote by Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e8/bruce-schneier-8231_accountability_why-is-it-that-we-all-myself-included-be_1350205.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e8/bruce-schneier-8231_accountability_why-is-it-that-we-all-myself-included-be_1350205.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e8/bruce-schneier-8231_accountability_why-is-it-that-we-all-myself-included-be_1350205.jpg) > “Why is it that we all - myself included - believe these stories? Why are we so quick to assume that the TSA is a bunch of jack-booted thugs, officious and arbitrary and drunk with power? It's because everything seems so arbitrary, because there's no accountability or transparency in the DHS.” [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People trust narratives that fit their biases, especially when institutions lack transparency and accountability. **In simple terms:** We believe stories that match our suspicions about powerful groups. Key Takeaway Question authority and demand openness. Themes trust bias authority transparency accountability Mood skeptical critical Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - government oversight - public policy - media literacy - activism Key Concepts cognitive bias social psychology institutional trust Questions to Reflect On - How does lack of accountability shape public perception? - What mechanisms can improve institutional transparency? A Different Perspective Even with transparency, power dynamics can still breed distrust. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accountability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accountability/) [Arbitrary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arbitrary/) [Arbitrary Accountability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arbitrary-accountability-4590059/) [Assume Tsa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assume-tsa-4590057/) [Assuming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assuming/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Bunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bunch/) [Drunk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drunk/) [Plane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plane/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Thug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thug/) [Transparency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transparency/) [Transparency Dhs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transparency-dhs-4590058/) [Tsa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tsa/) [Tsa Bunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tsa-bunch-4590060/) ## Related quotes > [I've got a lot of folks who want to get rid of TSA, a bunch of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-rogers/i-ve-got-a-lot-of-folks-who-want-to-get-rid-of-tsa-a-bunch-of-them/) [Mike Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-rogers/) > [TSA is such low-hanging fruit. I mean, anybody can bash the TSA.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kane/tsa-is-such-low-hanging-fruit-i-mean-anybody-can-bash-the-tsa/) [Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kane/) > [The TSA holds its screener work force to the highest standards of security and professionalism, .. and will continue to focus on these principles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-johnson/the-tsa-holds-its-screener-work-force-to-the-highest-standards-of/) [Robert Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-johnson/) > [While Admiral Neffenger is an impressive man, it is naive and dangerous to pretend installing one director can heal what ails TSA, the Department…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-e-sasse/while-admiral-neffenger-is-an-impressive-man-it-is-naive-and/) [Benjamin E. Sasse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-e-sasse/) > [I want to take TSA to the next level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-want-to-take-tsa-to-the-next-level/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Go to any airport in this country and you’ll see how well our government is dealing with the terrible danger you’re in. TSA staffers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-medlock/go-to-any-airport-in-this-country-and-you-ll-see-how-well-our/) [Ann Medlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-medlock/) > [Other countries, such as Israel, successfully employ behavior detection techniques at their airports, but the bloated, ineffective bureaucracy of TSA has produced another security…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mica/other-countries-such-as-israel-successfully-employ-behavior-detection/) [John Mica](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mica/) > [I want to improve TSA's counterterrorism focus through intelligence and cutting edge technology, support the TSA workforce, and strengthen the agency's relationships with stakeholders…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-want-to-improve-tsa-s-counterterrorism-focus-through-intelligence/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What we're going to do is try to get TSA out of the human resources and personnel business and into the security business to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mica/what-we-re-going-to-do-is-try-to-get-tsa-out-of-the-human-resources/) [John Mica](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mica/) > [The TSA is under fire for major security lapses. The TSA has let through pipe bombs, knives, and the last three Nicolas Cage movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/the-tsa-is-under-fire-for-major-security-lapses-the-tsa-has-let/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [Every time I travel, government TSA officials seem to recognize that I'm a Muslim and 'randomly' pull me aside for 'special treatment'. My sincere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abu-ammaar-yasir-qadhi/every-time-i-travel-government-tsa-officials-seem-to-recognize-that-i/) [Abu Ammaar Yasir Qadhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abu-ammaar-yasir-qadhi/) > [“Seurity!" I yelled. "I'm being harassed!" Security officers swarm around me and one orders me to step inside the small office area. "What's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-mcafee/seurity-i-yelled-i-m-being-harassed-security-officers-swarm-around-me/) [Stephanie McAfee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-mcafee/) > [The travel is a lot uglier than it once was with TSA and the deregulation of the airline services. These planes are getting smaller…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-young/the-travel-is-a-lot-uglier-than-it-once-was-with-tsa-and-the/) [James Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-young/) > [Bridget adds, "Did Anyone bring a weapon?" "Confiscated," Zach admits for both of us. Vesper holds up her metal fingernail file. "They didn't take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-leitich-smith/bridget-adds-did-anyone-bring-a-weapon-confiscated-zach-admits-for/) [Cynthia Leitich Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-leitich-smith/) > [I just heard about a woman in Germany who just gave birth to a baby boy named "Jihad." Or as the TSA put it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-fallon/i-just-heard-about-a-woman-in-germany-who-just-gave-birth-to-a-baby/) [Jimmy Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-fallon/) ## More by Bruce Schneier > [It is sort of interesting that in our society this days we are very quick to apply the term 'war' to places where thare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/it-is-sort-of-interesting-that-in-our-society-this-days-we-are-very/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [There are two types of encryption: one that will prevent your sister from reading your diary and one that will prevent your government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/there-are-two-types-of-encryption-one-that-will-prevent-your-sister/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [Don't make the mistake of thinking you're Facebook's customer, you're not – you're the product,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/don-t-make-the-mistake-of-thinking-you-re-facebook-s-customer-you-re/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [Cryptography products may be declared illegal, but the information will never be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/cryptography-products-may-be-declared-illegal-but-the-information/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [The real targets of terrorism are the rest of us: the billions of us who are not killed but are terrorized because of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/the-real-targets-of-terrorism-are-the-rest-of-us-the-billions-of-us/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [A colleague once told me that the world was full of bad security systems designed by people who read Applied Cryptography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/a-colleague-once-told-me-that-the-world-was-full-of-bad-security/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [Surveillance is the business model of the Internet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/surveillance-is-the-business-model-of-the-internet/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [History has taught us: never underestimate the amount of money, time, and effort someone will expend to thwart a security system. It's always better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/history-has-taught-us-never-underestimate-the-amount-of-money-time/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [ID can be hijacked, and cards can be faked. All of the 9/11 terrorists had fake IDs, yet they still got on the planes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/id-can-be-hijacked-and-cards-can-be-faked-all-of-the-9-11-terrorists/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [Terrorism is a crime against the mind. We win by refusing fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/terrorism-is-a-crime-against-the-mind-we-win-by-refusing-fear/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [It's certainly easier to implement bad security and make it illegal for anyone to notice than it is to implement good security.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/it-s-certainly-easier-to-implement-bad-security-and-make-it-illegal/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [The very definition of news is something that hardly ever happens. If an incident is in the news, we shouldn't worry about it. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/the-very-definition-of-news-is-something-that-hardly-ever-happens-if/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [“Even though we don't know which companies the NSA has compromised – or by what means – knowing that they could have compromised any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/even-though-we-don-t-know-which-companies-the-nsa-has-compromised-or/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [Computer security can simply be protecting your equipment and files from disgruntled employees, spies, and anything that goes bump in the night, but there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/computer-security-can-simply-be-protecting-your-equipment-and-files/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [Hardware is easy to protect: lock it in a room, chain it to a desk, or buy a spare. Information poses more of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/hardware-is-easy-to-protect-lock-it-in-a-room-chain-it-to-a-desk-or/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) [Explore all 82 Bruce Schneier quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) ## More Accountability quotes > [Think of these things, whence you came, where you are going, and to whom you must account.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/think-of-these-things-whence-you-came-where-you-are-going-and-to-whom/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [In the battle for police reform, accountability and justice, Americans don't have to re-invent the wheel. We just have to revoke the thing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-johnson/in-the-battle-for-police-reform-accountability-and-justice-americans/) [Jason Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-johnson/) > [Transparency pertains to impartial behavior, implies openness, communication, and accountability. Inculcate transparency in attitude and experience a life free of controversy and blame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-anil-kr-sinha/transparency-pertains-to-impartial-behavior-implies-openness/) [Dr Anil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-anil-kr-sinha/) > [Democracy must be built through open societies that share information. When there is information, there is enlightenment. When there is debate, there are solutions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atifete-jahjaga/democracy-must-be-built-through-open-societies-that-share-information/) [Atifete Jahjaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atifete-jahjaga/) > [Democracy is not being well served as we're accustomed to. There is less information, there's less investigation, there's less analysis, there's less accountability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-greenspon/democracy-is-not-being-well-served-as-we-re-accustomed-to-there-is/) [Edward Greenspon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-greenspon/) > [I come from a world where accountability and accomplishments matter, and where titles and rhetoric take a back seat to results.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-fiorina/i-come-from-a-world-where-accountability-and-accomplishments-matter/) [Carly Fiorina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-fiorina/) > [It means a lot. It means I'm accountable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/champ-bailey/it-means-a-lot-it-means-i-m-accountable/) [Champ Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/champ-bailey/) > [Our particular principles of religion are a subject of accountability to our god alone. I enquire after no man's and trouble none with mine;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/our-particular-principles-of-religion-are-a-subject-of-accountability/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [This strongly asserted but ill-defined license to kill without accountability is not an entitlement which the United States or other states can have without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-alston/this-strongly-asserted-but-ill-defined-license-to-kill-without/) [Philip Alston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-alston/) > [Responsible Development shares many practices with XP but the roots are different. Responsible Development's values are honesty, transparency, accountability and responsibility. These lead me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-beck/responsible-development-shares-many-practices-with-xp-but-the-roots/) [Kent Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-beck/) > [“Opinion is really the lowest form of human knowledge. It requires no accountability, no understanding. The highest form of knowledge… is empathy, for it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bullard/opinion-is-really-the-lowest-form-of-human-knowledge-it-requires-no/) [Bill Bullard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bullard/) > [The American people deserve accountability over wasteful spending, and we accomplish that by prioritizing taxpayer dollars in a responsive and responsible manner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-britt/the-american-people-deserve-accountability-over-wasteful-spending-and/) [Katie Britt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-britt/) > [If torture is going to be administered as a last resort in the ticking-bomb case, to save enormous numbers of lives, it ought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/if-torture-is-going-to-be-administered-as-a-last-resort-in-the/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [“There are many professions that require individuals, on an ongoing basis, to pass drug tests, physicals and psychological evaluations in order to keep their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-hopkins/there-are-many-professions-that-require-individuals-on-an-ongoing/) [Gary Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-hopkins/) > [“Expecting accountability from the UN system was akin to expecting a blind dog to catch a flying Frisbee.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-soussan/expecting-accountability-from-the-un-system-was-akin-to-expecting-a/) [Michael Soussan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-soussan/) [Browse all 860 Accountability quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accountability/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Why is it that we all - myself included - believe these stories? 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