Opinion - The Case for Eliminating TSA

 Disclaimer: I am a Flight Attendant for a major US Airline. My views reflected in this article do not reflect the views of my employer. I am not a security expert, but the decisions that are made by the Transportation Security Administration do have a profound impact on my daily life. I am speaking into my own opinions, that are based on information that is readily available to the general public. 

If you are my age, you were alive on September 11, 2001. It is unlikely however, that you have any recollection of the events, because like me, you were a toddler. In fact, you probably have no understanding of life before 9/11. Even so, these cowardly attacks on our nation would shape the world we would grow up in. It was the first defining moment of our generation (Generation Z), and the most significant until the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Nobody in my generation understands what air travel was like before 9/11, but we know all too well what it became afterward. 

It may surprise many who are younger than 30 to know that the Transportation Security Administration did not come to exist until November 19, 2001, more than two months after these attacks took place. Prior to this, airport security was handled by private companies that were often hired by the individual airlines. That is to say that passenger screening was once to an extent the responsibility of the airlines, not the federal government. This first came to fruition when the Federal Aviation Administration issued an emergency rule in December 1972 that required all passengers and their luggage to be screened either by using metal detectors, or by being physically searched by hand. This was officially written into law as the 1974 Air Transportation Act (not to be confused with the one issued in 2001 that established the TSA). 

Airport security prior to the attacks was less in the foreground, was more efficient and less intrusive. I want to quote a statement made to NPR by Jeff Price, the Assistance Security Director at Denver International Airport (DEN) on September 11, 2001. His description of airport security at the time is that "it was designed to be something in the background that really wasn't noticeable and definitely did not interfere with aircraft or airport operations. You could walk up to the gate at the very last minute. You did not have to have a boarding pass..." You could quite literally meet or see off loved ones at the gate, even if you yourself were not flying. 

All of this changed with the inception of the Transportation Security Administration. Airport security is now much less efficient, and much more invasive, and as I will later argue, perhaps less effective. Gone are the days where you can arrive at the airport a mere 30 minutes before your flight. Now you need to give yourself at least 2 hours, perhaps more if traveling during peak seasons. You have to remove your shoes and belts and woe is you if you bring liquids more than 3.4 ounces through a checkpoint (or try to anyway). You have to effectively unpack your carry on bags to ensure that your laptop, iPad and chargers are in the bin separate from your bag. And if you set off the Millimeter Wave Detector, you may be subject to an invasive pat down from a Transportation Security Officer, all in the name of safety and security. 

This brings me to my argument. It has been nearly 22 years since the TSA was founded, and there's little to no evidence to support that the enhanced screening procedures have ever stopped a terrorist attack. However, there is evidence to suggest that screening methods are extremely flawed. There are two primary examples I am going to mention. In 2015, the US Department of Homeland Security conducted an audit, in which they sent a task force referred to as the "Red Team" to attempt to smuggle fake weapons and explosives through screening checkpoints. This was done 70 times, and agents were successful at smuggling said items through checkpoints 67 of those times. That means out of this sample, there was a 5% success rate at detecting such items. That means that screeners failed to detect these items 95% of the time. 

A similar audit was conducted in 2017 with comparatively better results, though less information is available about this audit. What is known is that the failure rate for detecting fake weapons and explosives was still up to 80%. This is very troubling, especially considering the budget for the TSA in 2017 was 5.8 BILLION dollars. What this tells me is that we are spending $5.8b on an agency that is responsible for aviation security that is only successful up to 20% of the time. Mismanagement of taxpayer dollars? I want to point out a few things about the private companies that were operating security checkpoints in Boston, Newark and Washington-Dulles on September 11, 2001. All 19 hijackers involved in the attacks passed through checkpoints operated by Argenbright (the 5 hijackers that overtook American Airlines flight 11 passed through a checkpoint in Boston operated by Globe Security). It is commonly known that knives were used in the attacks, something that cannot be brought through TSA checkpoints today. But it may surprise you to know that the fact that these hijackers were able to bring knives through those checkpoints on September 11 was not a failure of airport screening at all! They were not considered prohibited items at the time. Airport security, along with air crews when it came to aviation security operated under the conventional wisdom that if an individual or group attempts to overtake an aircraft, the purpose is of gain for themselves, and/or a cause, such as asylum, being brought elsewhere, or financial gain. Hijacking aircraft and using them as literal missiles against buildings and civilians was something that was never done before (and for reasons I will soon explain may never be done successfully again).

Another problem that currently exists within the Transportation Security Administration is a very high attrition rate. The turnover rate for TSA agents can be as high as 80%. Some figures indicate that for every four new Transportation Security Officers employed, three leave. There's an even more terrifying problem. Periodically when congress can't reach a deal on a budget, the government shuts down. TSA officers are not among the 'essential' government employees who continue to be paid during this time. This means that for as long as a shutdown lasts, TSA officers don't see a single penny of their paycheck. They do receive back pay when government reopens but imagine going weeks without a paycheck and being expected to deal with rude and grouchy people, and perform the same tasks over and over again. You probably aren't motivated to be your best. 

Another issue is that many policies that are put in place by TSA are reactive rather than proactive. I have read this quote in multiple different articles and I can't remember who said it but it goes "when it comes to TSA addressing threats, its like they are always trying to fight the last war rather than the next one." We can thank Richard Reid for having to take our shoes off every time we want to go through security checkpoints. Why? On December 22, 2001 Richard Reid while flying on American Airlines flight 63 from Paris to Miami attempted to detonated homemade explosives in his shoes. He was subdued by passengers. A terrorist plot to use liquid explosives to bring down aircraft was foiled in 2006, so liquids greater than 3.4 ounces are out of the question. This number is based on a test that was done following this plot being uncovered, but the validity of this hypothesis is questionable. In my mind, it also lost credibility when the Transportation Security Administration relaxed liquid rules for hand sanitizer during the Coronavirus pandemic. The other thing I find bizarre about this rule is that liquids are usually disposed of in sinks or trash cans. If liquid explosives are being placed in a trash can, in a crowded area of an airport after being prohibited through a checkpoint... I cannot be the only person who thinks this is absurd. 

There are three other layers of security that are substantially more effective at thwarting attempted terrorist attacks (and people who just flat out go mental). First, on January 10, 2002, the Federal Aviation Administration set a standard requiring reinforced flight deck doors on all commercial aircraft with more than 20 seats. This alone makes physically breaching a flight deck more challenging than prior to this rule. Second, upon the creation of the Transportation Security Administration, the newly found agency took control of the Federal Air Marshal program and expanded it. This increased the number of air marshals in the sky, who can and will neutralize a threat against the aircraft. Third, the attitude of passengers and crew members toward hijackers has changed. Gone is the attitude of total compliance, come has the attitude of "you're taking over this plane? The hell you are!" This ironically began while the attacks were unfolding beginning with United Airlines flight 93. Passengers on the flight decided to attempt to retake control of the aircraft after finding out from family and friends about the aircraft that had crashed into the North and South Towers of the world Trade Center, and while the aircraft did crash, tragically killing everyone on board, it did not do what AA 11,  AA 77 and UA 175 successfully did, and that is crash into buildings filled with civilians. If you look at recent events such as a United Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Boston, you'll notice that in every case where a passenger tries to storm the cockpit or threatens to take over the aircraft, they are immediately tackled and in some cases even beaten senseless by fellow passengers.  Alluding to my earlier point about a 9/11 type attack never being successful again, this is why I believe that to be the case. Intelligence is another tool with great success. 

None of this is to say that there should be no effort on passenger screening, passengers should not be allowed to bring firearms or knives through security checkpoints. But considering the amount of taxpayer dollars that go toward screening checkpoints despite more effective layers of aviation security existing is troubling. I've spent some time complaining about grievances I have towards TSA, and I would like to now offer a solution. 

First and foremost, I believe that the Transportation Security Administration should be abolished. It is a federal organization that costs taxpayers billions of dollars annually but does not perform up to what I would consider to be worthy of nearly that much money. Passenger Screening should be returned to the private sector as it was prior to the attacks on September 11. The Federal Aviation Administration should take back control of the Federal Air Marshal program, as well as take over the Federal Flight Deck Officer program. In addition, in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security, a group of trained security experts with military and public law enforcement backgrounds should be tasked with the sole purpose of trying to infiltrate security checkpoints to ensure that screeners are vigilant. 

Financially, this may pose a problem to small airports that only see service from commuter airlines like Southern Airways Express and Cape Air (Lancaster Airport, PA for example). All airports with passenger service should have a certain level of passenger screening. If an community is covered by the Essential Air Service Act, they should be eligible for subsidies to employ private contractors to handle passenger screening. All other airports can determine how they fund passenger screening, either through a tax on airline tickets (this where some of TSA's funding currently comes from), additional fees from concessions, etc. 

In conclusion, aviation security is an integral part of protecting our citizens, but federalizing passenger screening was a mistake that was made as a knee-jerk reaction to the attacks on September 11. We can improve security by returning passenger screening to the private sector, and honing in on the more effective layers of security. My ultimate desire is to see a robust system of aviation security that is effective and successful on all layers and is capable of adapting to an ever changing threat landscape. 

Sources 

“4 Reasons Why TSA Officers Quit Their Job.” AFGE, 17 Dec. 2018, https://www.afge.org/article/4-reasons-why-tsa-officers-quit-their-job/#:~:text=While%20federal%20employees'%20overall%20turnover,between%2030%25%20and%2080%25.

The 9/11 Commission Report: Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States: Official Government Edition, U.S. G.P.O., 2004.

Engle, Jane. “U.S. Aviation Security Timeline.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2011, https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2011-jun-12-la-tr-airline-safety-timeline-20110612-story.html.

Fishel, Justin, et al. “EXCLUSIVE: Undercover DHS Tests Find Security Failures at US Airports.” ABC News, ABC News Network, 1 June 2015, https://abcnews.go.com/US/exclusive-undercover-dhs-tests-find-widespread-security-failures/story?id=31434881.

Josephs, Leslie. “How the Sept. 11 Terrorist Attacks Forever Changed Air TravelL.” CNBC, CNBC, 11 Sept. 2021, https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/11/how-9/11-forever-changed-air-travel.html.

Kennedy, Dana. “'A Matter of Time until Another 9/11' Warn Experts as Airport Security Weaker than Ever.” New York Post, New York Post, 14 Aug. 2021, https://nypost.com/2021/08/14/a-matter-of-time-until-another-9-11-warn-experts-citing-airport-security/.

Kerley, David, and Jeffrey Cook. “Https://Abcnews.go.com/US/Tsa-Fails-Tests-Latest-Undercover-Operation-Us-Airports/Story?Id=51022188.” ABC News, ABC News Network, 11 Nov. 2017, https://abcnews.go.com/US/tsa-fails-tests-latest-undercover-operation-us-airports/story?id=51022188.

Koenig, David. “How 9/11 Changed Air Travel: More Security, Less Privacy.” AP NEWS, Associated Press, 6 Sept. 2021, https://apnews.com/article/how-sept-11-changed-flying-1ce4dc4282fb47a34c0b61ae09a024f4.

“Richard Reid's Shoes.” FBI, FBI, 1 Dec. 2020, https://www.fbi.gov/history/artifacts/richard-reids-shoes.

Schaper, David. “It Was Shoes on, No Boarding Pass or ID. but Airport Security Forever Changed on 9/11.” NPR, NPR, 10 Sept. 2021, https://www.npr.org/2021/09/10/1035131619/911-travel-timeline-tsa.

Talton, Remington Tonar and Ellis. “Is the TSA Really Necessary?” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 12 Oct. 2022, https://www.forbes.com/sites/ellistalton/2019/01/28/is-the-tsa-really-necessary/.

United States, Congress, Federal Aviation Administration. Aircraft Security Accomplishments Since Sept. 11 (September 2002), 2002.

United States, Congress, Transportation Security Administration. Budget-In-Brief Fiscal Year 2017.

7 Myths about Singleness by Sam Allberry

 Introduction

My feelings about singleness are no secret to those who have read some of my previous blog posts. It is well known in the Christian community that marriage is a beautiful thing. However the church has also done a fantastic job of elevating marriage to the degree in which singleness, or more specifically biblical singleness is inadvertently made to look like a negative thing. Now, I will be honest and say that I used to believe that getting married would solve all my problems, and that I would feel content. I also used to believe that the goal of the Christian life is to get married and have kids. Of course even still I desire marriage in my life, and to someday be a Father. Alas that is not my present circumstance. 

With that in mind, I recently had the pleasure of reading Sam Allberry’s 7 Myths about Singleness. The book is exactly as it sounds, addressing seven different myths that the church as a whole is sometimes lead to believe about singleness. Based on my own experiences, and even some of the external pressures to date and get married, it is clear that singleness is one of the most misunderstood things. I want to address five of these myths and provide some of my own insight based on personal experience and my view of the Apostle Paul’s words regarding the matter. 

1- Singleness is Too Hard

There appears to be a common idea that marriage is easier than singleness. This of course is one of the reasons I grew up believing that getting married would solve all my problems. Now, make no mistake, singleness is hard, but no harder than marriage. In fact there is a greater complexity to being married than to being single. As Allberry puts it, “The contrast is between complexity and simplicity. Married life is more complicated; singleness is more straightforward.” Off the bat I want to clarify something. Allberry isn’t alluding to the freedom of doing whatever one pleases when they are single. Rather, he is alluding to what Paul has to say in 1 Corinthians 7:32-34, in which he mentions that the unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, but the married man’s interests are divided in the things of the Lord and how to please his wife. 

The truth is that both singleness and marriage are good gifts from God. However each does have its own unique ups and downs. As Allberry puts it though, “The temptation for many who are single is to compare the downs of singleness with the ups of marriage. And the temptation for some married people is to compare the downs of marriage with the ups of singleness, which is equally dangerous (Allberry 33).” Now I myself am guilty of this. I see a married couple and immediately think about how they always have a companion, someone to come home to every day. I also frequently compare my own life to the lives that people display on social media. In reality, we always put forth our best foot on social media, and never reveal our true authentic selves. As for the married person, they may look at the upsides of singleness particular during times of great stress, when they have to take into consideration someone else when making a big decision. Overall, both marriage and singleness have their unique challenges, but truthfully neither is harder than the other when all things are considered, though there is the matter of as Allberry puts it, complexity vs. simplicity. 

2 - Singleness Requires a Special Calling

This is a myth that I believed for a very long time. However, Paul never actually states this. You may recall my response to Jonathan Pokluda’s Outdated. Something that he mentions is that everyone who is single in this moment has the gift of singleness. The gift of singleness may be temporary, or it may be lifelong. However, under no circumstance is it a season of waiting for something better. In fact I would hardly call it a season of waiting at all. The truth is, your life does not begin when you finally get married and have kids. Your life started the day you were born. Opportunities exist all around you to advance the Kingdom, and pour into the lives of others. “Gifts are about building up the church rather than feeling a sense of individual, personal fulfillment. It is about serving others and not about feeling a special sense of peace (Allberry 45).” 

The gift of singleness isn’t reserved for the superhero who can bear the brunt of being alone. That type of life isn’t meant for any of us. The whole reason that Eve was created was because it was not good for man to be alone. This statement doesn’t say its not good for man to be unmarried. Outside ourselves community is of vital importance. Even for the introvert, some level of social interaction and connection is vital. Even the married person will someday once again experience singleness but will find they are not alone. 

3 - Singleness Means No Intimacy 

I want to start by saying that contrary to popular belief, intimacy and sex are not synonyms. One can easily exist without the other. The concept of friendship has become severely watered down, especially with the rise of social media. We now view friends as people we connect to on Facebook who can see our pages to keep up with our lives. But the truth is, a real friendship has an extremely deep level of intimacy, greater than that even of family. For the friend doesn’t have any obligation to the other person, but chooses to build the connection. I think of my best friends, Kate and Marissa. Young women I am so close to that I really do call my sisters, and they call me their brother. To me, they live out the Proverb, “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24 ESV).” Furthermore these two have been by my side even during the lowest points of my life. “Wealth brings many new friends, but a poor man is deserted by his friend (Proverbs 19:4).” They know me better than anybody in my family does. They might as well themselves be Halls. This is what intimacy actually looks like. 

Though godly singleness means to live a life of celibacy, it does not mean to live without intimacy (Allberry 54). Sex can exist without intimacy. One of my favorite tv characters is Barney Stinson from How I Met Your Mother. Barney is notorious for sleeping all over New York City. Each of these are examples of sex without intimacy. In this case, it’s just a physical activity. Tinder exists for this very thing, relatively anonymous sex. This has no intimacy. Of course there is a certain level of depth to the intimacy that a married person experiences with their spouse, but there is a breadth to the intimacy that a single person experiences with their friends. 

4 - Singleness Means No Family 

I mentioned in my introduction that I desire to someday become a father and have kids of my own. But even in singleness, you do in fact have a family. This family may not be biological in nature. I’m referring to the family of believers that surround you. I want to refer to the words of Jesus, referring to Peter’s statement about everything he and his fellow disciples had left behind. “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions and in the age to come eternal life (Mark 10:28-30 ESV).” Now in the case of Jesus’ disciples, the cost of their discipleship was being shunned from their families, though they obtained new brothers and sisters and mothers through their fellowship. I personally know people who have had to leave their families after making the decision to follow Christ. But even in the present life, they do have a spiritual family. “Whatever the cost of our discipleship may incur, however much family we may lose in the course of following Christ, Jesus is saying that even in this life it will be worth it. Following him means an abundance of spiritual family. Nature may have given us only one mother and one father; the gospel gives us far more (Allberry 77).”

This may all sound great but it is rather unfortunate how rarely this is put into practice. Presently we all, including myself, value our privacy. Many are focused so much on their nuclear families are close off their lives to everyone else. And yet, this is contrary to what is commanded of us. Paul says to Timothy, “Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity (1 Timothy 5:1-2).” Allberry takes great interest in the way that this is worded. “He [Timothy] is to not just treat them as family but as close family. Paul doesn’t say “treat older men as great-uncles, or, younger men as distant cousins.” They’re not distant family, but immediate family (Allberry 79).” I want to remind everyone reading this that being a Christian isn’t about going to church on Sundays. It’s about choosing to lay your life down to follow Christ, and allowing yourself to become sanctified through that. Your outward expression toward your spiritual family should reflect this sanctification, but in an age where we are always “busy” we fail at this, myself included. We choose convenience over our greater spiritual family. 

5 - Singleness is Easy 

The first myth that I highlighted is that singleness is too hard. But I also want to point out that this doesn’t mean that singleness is easy. Marriage and Singleness both present their own unique challenges. When it comes to singleness, one challenge that Allberry highlights is how others perceive us as a result of our singleness. This is less of an issue for young adults who are single and more so older adults who are single. Based on examples from his own life, Allberry states “remaining unmarried can alter how others perceive our maturity, and we feel the pain of that perception (Allberry 148).” I remember going into college and my parents telling me that I would find the one there. I remember the joke that most women go to school for their Mrs. degree. This of course creates unrealistic expectations. In my case, as I got further into my college career, still single and having been rejected for the umpteenth time, I started to think that I was doing something wrong, that I was somehow failing at college. It did not help that I went to a small Christian college where the dating culture elevated marriage to an extreme. 

The other big challenge with singleness is that as your friends start to get married, or even into relationships, your friendship with them starts to change. I have seen this in my own life. Watching a friend get married sometimes feels like you’re losing the friend. I remember when Kate told me that her current boyfriend had asked to her be his girlfriend. Of course I was happy for her, but at the same time, I felt a sense of bereavement. This would mean I would get to see her less, would hear from her less. It almost felt like I was losing one of my closest friends altogether. This is something that Allberry has experienced as well. Other close single friends of mine have experienced this. We find that we start to be primarily the only ones who take initiative in our relationships. It makes us feel as though our married friends really no longer need us. For me, sometimes I feel like my married friends, or my friends who are now in relationships don’t want me to be a part of their lives anymore. I would argue however, that married couples still need single people in their lives and would encourage married couples to continue to reach out to their single friends, welcome them into their homes and their lives. Treat them the way that Paul commands Timothy to treat his spiritual brothers and sisters. 

Conclusion 

Throughout the last few days, spending time reading this, as well as various scriptures regarding singleness, marriage and contentment I have come to the following three conclusions, which can also be viewed as applications. 

1. Singleness, even if only temporary is not a season of waiting. It’s not a period of waiting for something better. It’s a good gift from God 

2. Singleness is not a gift that only a few have that can somehow “bear the hardships” of singleness. Everyone who is single at this moment, presently has the good gift of singleness. 

3. Nobody should seek to find contentment in singleness, we should seek to find contentment in Christ being enough for us, for this must remain true regardless of our circumstances. 

I want to close this out by reminding you that life is hard and is filled with uncertainty. For the single person this may present itself as they think about the future, especially as they age. But for the married person, circumstances can also change in an instant. The spouse could be killed in an accident, a child diagnosed with a life altering disability, or a job loss. Marriage is also a beautiful thing and should not be discouraged. But we also need to do a better job of not idolizing it. We as the church need to do a better job for our single brethren. 

Apokalupsis: A Study of Revelation (Part 1)

 Part 1- A Background on Revelation (Revelation 1)

Revelation, seen as the last book in our version of the New Testament. When one hears Revelation, the first thing that may come to mind is end times, or the apocalypse. You may think of speeches and sermons that have been preached trying to tie current events with what is written in Revelation as 'signs of the times.' I myself can think back to some of the interesting things I've heard in regards to the COVID-19 pandemic, my personal favorite being that the vaccine is the mark of the beast. But a lot of this seems to stem from a lack of understanding as to why Revelation as a book in the bible exists in the first place, and that brings me to introducing this new series, Apokalupsis. This five-part series will look at Revelation through the eyes of the early church to better understand why it exists, and what it means for us as the present-day church. 

Before discussing Revelation as a book, I want to dive in to the word revelation. The word revelation simply means that something is being revealed. When discussing revelation in a biblical context, there are two primary types of revelation, being general revelation, and special revelation. General Revelation refers to God revealing himself in a broad way, such as through creation or nature. In the most simple terms, general revelation is the revelation of God's existence. Special revelation on the other hand actually has to do with a special manifestation, such as the initial coming of Jesus, which is revealed to us today through scripture. The key difference has to do with redemption. General revelation is merely the revelation of God's existence but doesn't speak into salvation. Special revelation does go deeper in that way. Liberty University's Harold Willmington puts this in an even simpler way. General revelation being indirect and unwritten, special revelation being written and direct. This is a lot of words to say "to be revealed, or unveiled." 

Jumping into Revelation as a book, I want start by going back to this scripture's native language. As is much of the New Testament, Revelation was written in greek. The actual word in this case is Αποκάλυψης. Translating this into latin letters, this is Apokalupsis (also referred to by some as Apokalypsis). This translated into english is Apocalypse, which means destruction. However, Αποκάλυψης actually means to reveal or to unveil as to make known. Thus, we get the name Revelation instead of Apocalypse for this book. This is important for understanding Revelation as a book and why it exists, given how much it refers to trials, tribulations and chaos. 

Revelation is in essence, a letter to the seven churches in Asia Minor (which today is primarily Turkey). In fact just as with the epistles, there is a greeting in Revelation which appears in 1:4, "John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and is to come from the seven spirits who are before his throne" (ESV). I will dive more into the seven churches in part 2 of this study. John reveals that he is writing from the Island of Patmos (Rev 1:9), which can be found in the Aegean Sea as a Greek Island. It is primarily believed that John was exiled there by the Roman Empire during a time of anti-Christian persecution. 

There is some debate as to exactly when Revelation was written, with a lot of the debate surrounding whether Revelation is connected to the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in AD 70, something that was foretold by Jesus as he was leaving it before going to the Mount of Olives and discussing signs of the end of the age (Matthew 24). However the predominant sentiment was that Revelation was written in AD 95, which was about 25 years after the destruction of the temple. The Roman Empire was the setting for most events that occured in the New Testament and around this time, Domitianus was emperor. Domitianus was known for being quite cruel particularly toward the later years of his rule. It is also worth noting that emperor worship was common at this time under the Roman Imperial Cult. I will be digesting the conditions that the early church lived under during this time in later parts of this series. 

This background of Revelation will play a role in diving deeper into why it was written in the first place, what it meant to the early church, and what it means to us today. I think it is safe to say that Revelation is a very misunderstood book and has used as a weapon of fear rather than what it is truly meant to be, an instrument of hope. It was been used improperly in politics as a talking point, it has been abused by televangelists hoping to make a quick buck. My hope is that I am able to at the very least cause you to dig a little bit deeper and recognize that even in this chaos we see in Revelation, just as we see in our own world, God remains on the throne. 

Citations

Ice, Thomas D., "The Date of the Book of Revelation" (2009). Article Archives. 75.

McFayden, Donald. “The Occasion of the Domitianic Persecution.” The American Journal of Theology, vol. 24, no. 1, 1920, pp. 46–66., https://doi.org/10.1086/480090.

“The Roman Empire: In the First Century. The Roman Empire. Emperors. Titus & Domitian.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, https://www.pbs.org/empires/romans/empire/titus_domitian.html.

Willmington, Harold, "Question 36 - What is the difference between General and Special Revelation?" (2019). 101 Most Asked Questions. 14.

Outdated by Jonathan Pokluda

Note: Because I listened to this book as an Audiobook I will not be able to provide specific pages in this review and discussion, but will do my best to provide chapters. 

Singleness and Dating is not a new concept on this blog by any means. I've written about the struggles of trying to date while on the spectrum and having no success. I've written about the hurt that I feel that I am still single despite the fact that many people my age are in relationships or have been in relationships. And I have also feared the "spiritual gift" of singleness being in store for me. Since my first blog post about my life on the spectrum, I've grown a lot and gained a lot of new perspectives. I've also been able to do a lot of new things as a result of my lack of a romantic relationship, in part because I have a lot more time to devote to other people and interests. A close friend of mine, whom I have also mentioned in my blog recently shared a book with me called 'Outdated,' which I have been using some my reserve time to listen to. To summarize my feelings about this book, I thought it offered some really interesting points that many, including myself really need to ponder on. 

It is no secret that Hollywood loves to produce love stories. Furthermore, it is not even remotely a secret that I am a sucker for Disney movies. With that being said, these movies are written through the lense of a different worldview than what we should be looking to for dating advice. I myself am guilty of this. In fact, for a very long time, I found myself longing for my 'Happily Ever After.' But Pokluda pointed out something rather peculiar. How many fairytales that end in a 'Happily Ever After' wind up being remade instead of having sequels? Aside from Shrek, I can name quite a few. Beauty and the Beast was remade from the animated version to one featuring Emma Watson (who I still cannot see as anybody other than Hermione Granger). There was no sequel. Cinderella was remade from the animated version to one featuring Lily James. There was no sequel. Rapunzel saw her 'Happily Ever After' in "Tangled" 12 years ago and yet there have been no rumors of a remake. And even with movies that do have a sequel, like Shrek for example barely includes the romance as part of even a 'B' story. 

I bring this up to make it clear, I do not believe that happily ever afters exist in the real world. Marriage is not easy. If it was, divorce would be a very rare occurrence. In our broken world, there are so many reasons that so many marriages end in divorce, or wind up being extremely broken, even in communities of believers. I'm going to highlight a couple of the points that Pokluda mentions in his book 'Outdated' while also interjecting with some of my own thoughts. But the biggest point of all, is that so many marriages fail because they do not reflect God's design for them. The reasons many people choose to marry a certain someone is for reasons influenced by the world, by culture, rather than for reasons that will last much longer. 

Singleness

The first point that I want to highlight from 'Outdated' is actually not about dating at all, but rather singleness. I want to point out that one of the most important figures in the bible, the Apostle Paul was single. And he even addresses this in 1 Corinthians 7 where he states "Now as a concession, not a command, I say this. I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another." (ESV). Now in this verse, Paul is speaking of his singleness as a spiritual gift, and Pokluda highlights this in two different ways. He highlights lifelong singleness as the spiritual gift, but also a season of singleness as a spiritual gift. He calls the idea that singleness being a period of waiting for something better a lie. And I used to think this of the season of singleness myself. You see, Pokluda is a pastor. But he is also married and has children. Because of this, his attention and time is split between his marriage and his congregation. But the single man has all his time to devote to the things that bring glory to God, whether this be through direct ministry in a church or even in the workplace. 

A good friend of mine has an uncle who attends my old church. He is in his 50s and is still single. Now one might pity him, but in reality, he is happy, and I would strongly consider him a Godly man. His entire life is dedicated to child evangelism. Bringing Children to Jesus. What an amazing life that must be! That on a regular basis, you get to see a child, with childlike wonder, turn their eyes and curiosity to Jesus. Despite the fact that the single person has more time and energy to devote to ministry, we rarely see single pastors in the protestant church. In fact, in many cases, you rarely see single people as leaders in the church. I believe this has part to do with the cultural belief that the single person is incomplete. This attitude is influenced by the worldly idea of a spouse being somebody's "other half." Now I have despised that saying for a while now, because to me the idea of not being complete until you are married is absurd. Why would you marry somebody who is incomplete? Why would you marry someone if you were incomplete? To me that is just asking for trouble. The reality is, that the single life, whether it be for but a season, or for life, is a spiritual gift, and the perfect opportunity to invest into others, and into the church as a whole. How this looks in practice will vary from person to person. 

"Physical Qualities don't last, but you can look for character that will."

The second point I want to highlight has to do with physical attraction. The lie that Pokluda points out is that physical attraction is ultimate. However, how many of us would consider an elderly person truly attractive? The reality is, that our bodies change as we get older. In fact, this is something that is even pointed out in Proverbs 31:30 as Pokluda points out "Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." In fact Proverbs 31:10-30 really highlights this. Many people will choose to date because of physical attraction. But the reality of this is, as we get older, our beauty begins to fade. This isn't specific to women but also men. A relationship that is built on the foundation of physical attraction is guaranteed to fail. But a relationship that is built on the foundation of character, of a fear of the Lord that is reflected in that character, will succeed in the long term. 

A conversation that Pokluda often has with young adults involves women who say they are never asked out on a date, and men who say women always say no. While I have never spoken to Pokluda, I have certainly found myself in this category. But here's the thing... most women I have asked out have been based on physical attraction and not so much on character. This was a less mature version of myself. In fact the first woman I ever actually told how I felt, shot me down really hard. I've written about that in earlier blog posts. We've become really close friends since then, and if I knew what I knew now, I would have asked her out at the time based on her character, rather than her physical appearance. But the same can be said about myself. While I wouldn't consider myself to be especially attractive, I am not so much focused on my physical appearance but more so how I treat others. I also try regularly but fail to be consistent in my walk with Jesus. But with all that rejection and the hurt that comes with it, a new question arises... do I really want to be sad about somebody who rejected me on the base of physical appearance? I am finding now that the answer is absolutely not, because that relationship was destined to fail from the very beginning. 

Pokluda also makes a really great point. When talking about sex and physical attraction, we often hear people discussing how important physical attraction is... but why is this so important when it comes to an activity that is usually done with the lights off? My mind was blown as soon as he made that point. It's actually quite comical how big of a deal is made over physical attraction. Unrealistic expectations are born out of this, and can result in men and women who would actually make incredible spouses being overlooked because they aren't seen as physically attractive enough. 

Finding the ONE

How many have heard of the idea of finding the 'one.' The one who is absolutely perfect for you, checks all your boxes. Now... married folks, how many of you have actually found that? Pokluda and I are in the same school of though that the one doesn't actually exist. In fact, Pokluda even admits that there are other women who are probably better for him than his wife and vice versa. But this alludes to the fact, that his wife is the woman he has committed himself to. I used to have a list of things I was looking for in a woman. Blonde hair, blue eyes, cute smile was only slightly different from me in height, and was NOT on the spectrum. But these expectations were based on worldly ideas. These traits have nothing to do with character. And like I mentioned in the last point, physical qualities are only temporary, but character is something that can even improve over time. 

How many years have we all wasted on trying to find the perfect person? The truth is, every year we spend trying to find that is a wasted year. There is no such thing as the perfect person. In fact, just like when it comes to physical attraction, so many people who would actually make amazing spouses get overlooked. The only perfect one is Jesus. The rest of us... not so much. But this is something perpetuated constantly in our culture, from romantic comedies to fairytales to books and beyond. The "one" ultimately is the person you choose to commit to for the rest of your life. Not that perfect long, blonde and handsome that doesn't exist. 

Why we date

The last point I want to highlight in this review and discussion is the purpose of dating. Now Pokluda points out that the idea of dating is actually relatively new, however the reason we choose to date will have a major impact on the outcome. The lie he points out is that dating is supposed to be fun. And this is something we see all the time. Many people I know had their first relationship in middle school. But here's the thing... if we are dating for fun, that relationship isn't going to last, and we are going to get hurt, and we are going to wind up hurting someone else. Let's be realistic... how many middle schoolers who are going on dates are thinking of marrying the person they are with? The answer is probably very few. How many of these couples wind up getting married? Again... the answer is probably very few. Dating for fun, or for the sake of dating will almost always result in failure, and unnecessary pain for everyone involved. 

What Pokluda points out is that the purpose of dating should be to determine if the person you are dating is someone you would actually be comfortable and willing to commit to for the rest of your life. If you are finding that this person you are with may not make for a good spouse, at least for you, don't waste any more of your time or theirs. In that instance, the longer you put off the inevitable, the worse its going to be. It's just like when we were all kids and we ran away from our parents to avoid punishment. The reality is... it just always made it worse. Likewise, when running away from reality when it comes to relationships that really don't have a leg to stand on anymore, just makes it worse in the end. 

In conclusion, dating in the modern era is significantly influenced by popular culture. Because of this, so many people, Christian and Non-Christian struggle immensely in the dating field. There is a lot more hurt and tears than there really needs to be. When the focus isn't so much on the physical, but more so what is inside, who the person actually is, there's a greater recipe for success. When we choose not to set our expectations on love based on movies and culture, we set ourselves up for better results. We recognize that even when we do get married, the race is far from over, because it takes an incredible about of work to maintain a relationship. And with that in mind, when you marry someone for all the wrong reasons, whether that be physical attraction or having a bunch of things in common with you... when you both get older, there will be nothing left. But when you marry someone for the right reasons, who they are, what Christ means to them, as you age, your character continues to develop. Results of course will vary based on what happens in your lives, but success comes from doing what's hard, not what is easy. 

HarmonioUS: A Review

 Background: HarmonioUS debuted in September 2021 as part of the Walt Disney World's 50th Anniversary Celebration. It replaced Epcot Forever, which ran from October 2019 until September 27, 2021, with a hiatus during the Coronavirus Pandemic. The show serves as the long-term replacement to Illuminations: Reflections of Earth. The show occurs nightly in the World Showcase Lagoon, with the most ideal viewing areas being in the Japan Pavilion, American Adventure and the entrance to the World Showcase. 

I had the pleasure of seeing HarmonioUS in person for the first time on March 13, 2022. As of that date, I have now seen every show at Epcot that has existed in my lifetime. I did watch the World Premier on September 28 on the official social media accounts of the Walt Disney World Resort, though seeing this show on a screen does not do it justice. My viewing was from the Norway pavilion, so while I did get a clear view of the pyrotechnics and fountains, I was unable to see the projections on the water-based screen. 

The show reminds me in some ways of the World of Color nighttime show at Disney's California Adventure as it features large fountains that are illuminated at the base, affixed to the show's structure. The projection screens also remind me of the projection technology used for Disney's Illuminations which takes place at Disneyland Paris. Of course it also features the fireworks we all know and love from the Disney parks. Overall, I would consider the show to be quite breathtaking. The fountains are beautiful, the LED screens add a whole new dimension to nighttime entertainment at the Epcot Center, and the fireworks are amazing as usual. 

A departure from the tradition of nighttime spectaculars at Epcot, HarmonioUS is a celebration of the music of disney, representing different cultures around the world. This is fitting considering the show takes place in the World Showcase Lagoon. In a true Epcot touch though, not only is the music performed in English, but each song is also performed in the language native to the country in which the movie is based. 

There are some things that I feel HarmonioUS does extremely well at, especially where Disney Enchantment at the Magic Kingdom seem to fail at. First of all, the show does a very good job at connecting with younger and older audiences alike. Younger children will most certainly recognize music from Frozen, Moana and Coco, while older audiences will immediately recognize classics from movies like The Jungle Book, The Lion King and the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Younger and Older fans alike will be enthralled from the very beginning when How Far I'll Go and Go the Distance are combined for an incredible introduction to this amazing show. 

In addition to this, I feel that the show does a very good job of reaching out to nearly every guest that is gathered around the World Showcase. The show is very intentional about featuring Disney music that is featured in films based all around the world. Almost every guest looking on in awe will see their culture represented in this nighttime spectacular. The only downside I see of this show is that the pyrotechnic features are a bit more muted when compared to Illuminations: Reflections of Earth and Epcot Forever. 

HarmonioUS has seen plenty of controversy since its inception. For starters, many have complained about the showpieces (which are permanently affixed in the center of the World Showcase lagoon). The sightlines from across the World Showcase lagoon are now obstructed by the showpieces. This is something I can agree with. However, this could be improved by making use of the fountains during the day, turning the showpieces into a massive water feature by day, and dazzling light and firework display by night. 

There were also may complaints that this show is inferior to Illuminations: Reflections of Earth and that it is not a suitable replacement. Many would agree with me when I say that Illuminations is an icon in the history of Epcot. Afterall, the show did run for 20 years, won multiple awards and even saw its soundtrack featured in a Super Bowl halftime show. But here's the thing... the show began in 1999, with technology from 1999. By the time I saw it for the first time in 2014, it had become a bit dated. That isn't to say I didn't like the show, but considering what Disneyland had to offer with their shows, I felt there was definitely a lot more that could be featured. Parks also must experience change as they grow and develop. While I believe Illuminations was a critical part of Epcot in its time, It doesn't really have a place in the future of Epcot. 

With that being said, I do find HarmonioUS to be a suitable replacement for Illuminations, and well representative of what Epcot is becoming. As Walt Disney once said... "EPCOT will always be in a state of becoming, It will. never cease to be a living blueprint for the future." EPCOT is becoming much more modern, especially with the developments that are currently underway towards the front of the park. HarmonioUS breaks technological barriers when it comes to nighttime entertainment. The show within itself is in a state of becoming. 

Overall, I absolutely love the show, and believe many of the complaints about it are simply that it isn't the old show... it isn't what they grew up with. It isn't the EPCOT they've been visiting for years. They scoff at what it is becoming, saying that the magic is gone. In reality, the magic is only beginning. To those who complain about the changes, I say only this. It was Walt Disney himself who said... "We keep moving forward, opening new doors, trying new things, because we are curious, and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." 

 

Whatever happened to the Splash Mountain retheme?

Disclaimer: This article makes mention of a controversial subject. I did my best to write this in a neutral voice, focusing primarily on what is occuring. 

Splash Mountain is perhaps one of the most iconic attractions at both the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California and the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. If you've visited either park outside of the past two years, you may have noticed consistently extensive wait times for these attractions. It is not controversial to say that these attractions are extremely popular. Based on the 1946 film, Song of the South, these attractions have garnered some controversy over recent years, due to portrayals (or perceived portrayals given the wide range of viewpoints that exist regarding the matter) of individuals of multiple different races. 

Disney Parks, Products and Experiences as a business organization is no stranger to such controversies, as similar concerns have arisen in regards to the portrayal of indigenous people, particularly on the Jungle Cruise attraction. In response to these controversies, the company announced that some components of the attraction would be redone and integrated into a new story line to ensure that the attraction promotes an environment where guests of all cultures feel welcome. One of these changes that has already occurred was the removal of Trader Sam, although his Tiki Bar is expected to remain a part of the story, at least for the time being. 

What does all this have to do with Splash Mountain? For those who aren't up to speed, Disney announced on June 25, 2021 that Splash Mountain would be reminaged and themed to the Princess and the Frog. According to the announcement on the Disney Parks Blog, the storyline for the reimagined attraction will "pick up after the final kiss, and join Princess Tiana and Louis on a musical adventure - featuring some of the powerful music from the film - as they prepare for their first-ever Mardi Gras performance." (Ramirez). This announcement also included an initial rendering of the rethemed attraction that was met with mixed reactions. 

Credit to Disney Parks, Products and Experiences

It is important to discuss the context of this announcement. Though Disney has stated this redevelopment has been in the planning stages since 2019, the official announcement comes on the heels of large scale protests following several high profile incidents of police brutality against people of color. This announcement came less than a month after the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis Police Department officers, and not much longer after Breonna Taylor was shot during the execution of a no-knock entry warrant by officers of the Louisville Metro Police Department. It is needless to say that the concept of racial justice and police brutality became a common theme in 2020 headlines, sparking conversations and heated debates in multiple facets of live, ranging from media, to schools, and reaching as far the Attractions & Entertainment industry.  

With all of this in mind, many people have asked the question... why the retheme? Typically when a theme park makes the decision to close and replace an attraction, there are a number of factors that park management will consider. These range from operating and maintenance costs, labor demands, as well as ridership. Attractions that have increasing operating costs and dwindling ridership counts are often the ones that get put on the chopping block. Such is the case for Vortex at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio, which closed at the conclusion of the 2019 Haunt event. While the attraction was a historical icon at the park, the truth is that the manufacturer of the ride, Arrow Dynamics had ceased to exist over 15 years prior to its closure. This was due to dwindling ridership counts, increasing maintenance costs, and a growing lack of spare parts. The trains for Vortex can be found today on Carolina Cyclone at Carowinds. 

What is interesting about the case for Splash Mountain however is that it does not appear to meet any of the traditional criteria for putting an attraction on the so-called chopping block. This of course would be the reason for re-theming it rather than outright replacing it. But even in its current form, it is a very popular attraction. Even during the days of Covid when the parks were operating at reduced capacity and a number of popular rides were walk-ons, Splash Mountain still had a noticeable wait time. To give some perspective, during my visit to the resort in August 2021, extremely popular attractions such as Soarin, Expedition Everest and Flight of Passage had no wait times whatsoever, and yet Splash Mountain still held steady with a 30 minute wait. My estimate is that the ride has a theoretical hourly capacity of 1500 riders per hour. As such, if the attraction was not popular, it would have been a walk-on. 

Even with all this in mind, one important fact remains. Since making the initial announcement, Disney has remained mostly silent on the matter. the most recent information about the retheme came in August 2021  in an interview with Melissa Valiquette, who serves as the Vice President of Disney's Magic Kingdom. In this interview with Theme Park Rangers, she indicated that there was a lot of ongoing discussions and developments, but that such a project can take months to years. This begs the question, was the timing of the announcement the result of the current events that were happening at the time, or was Walt Disney Imagineering ready with the concept? At a seasonal amusement park, work typically would begin just a few weeks after such an announcement. At a destination resort that operates year-round like Disney, projects may even begin before they are announced.  

The primary reason for the retheme appears to be the concerns regarding the portrayal of people of color in the film, and also on the ride itself. Disney has been public about efforts to become more inclusive to all Cast Members and guests, and with this has come some changes to what were once considered timeless favorites. This of course has come with some pushback, particularly from longtime visitors. It has also been used as artillery for political discourse on both sides of the political spectrum. I personally think this is as big of a deal as it is because of the influence that Disney has on American Culture and society. 

Another question that is circling around is whether the retheme will happen at all. It's no secret that the global Coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on every sector of the travel and tourism business. And it's also no secret that Disney is currently interested in making and retaining more money rather than less. New programs such as Genie+ and the reduction of resort benefits should serve as glaring evidence of this. The complete redevelopment of an attraction is a multi-million dollar project and would result in the long-term closure of a key attraction at the Magic Kingdom. From a business perspective, Disney would not have any interest in moving forward with this project, especially considering the fact that there are several other large-scale projects that are still under construction and development, such as Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind at Epcot, and Tron Lightcycle Run at Magic Kingdom. From a business standpoint, there is no financial incentive to redevelop another attraction regardless of the ongoing circumstances. I'm not even going to mention the ongoing situation with the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser resort slated to open March 1. 

From a Guest Experience perspective, Disney Parks, Products and Experiences might be more inclined to make this investment, to ensure that all guests who pass through the turnstiles of the parks feel welcomed. Inclusion after all is the newest core value of the company. With that being said, Disney seems to be less and less focused on the overall Guest Experience, and more and more on revenue. See the above paragraph for examples of this. 

With all this taken into consideration, only time will tell if this retheme ever comes to fruition. Personally, while I love the movie, Princess and the Frog, I find that retheming an attraction to the movie a bit disingenuous. I see a lot of opportunities for attractions and experiences inspired by this movie far greater than a rethemed attraction. Given how much there is to this movie, a better option would be to build a new attraction from the ground up, and build a plaza inspired by the movie around it complete with shops, quick service and table service dining options, and a theatre for live entertainment. 

Revisiting Theme Parks in the Age of Covid-19

 A while back, I made a post about what I thought would change at theme parks across the country when they reopened in the era of COVID. Some of those predictions included the requirement of face coverings, capacity management through the use of reservation systems, among other things. Let's go through each of my predictions to see how I did. 

Slinky Dog Dash at Disney's Hollywood Studios

1. Limited Capacities- This prediction was spot on. In most cases, capacities at parks were determined by state and local restrictions, but even in areas without capacity restrictions, in most cases parks limited their capacities. All parks operated by Cedar Fair, Six Flags and Disney Parks, Products and Experiences managed capacity through the use of reservation systems. Many parks have now done away with reservation systems as the availability of vaccines and treatments improves, but this is not the case for every park across the country. For parks that did not utilize reservation systems, the concept of dated tickets made a return. An example of this is with Herschend Family Entertainment. Good any day tickets were not available in the early phases of reopening, and only a certain number of tickets were available each day. Reservations were available to season pass holders. 

The Ugly- The necessity of capacity management due to state and local restrictions resulted in major headaches for season passholders at quite a few parks. With few exceptions, almost every park required passholders to make reservations, and with the exception of Hersheypark, inventory was not set aside for passholders. This notably impacted Disney AP holders, who early on experienced great difficulty securing reservations when the Walt Disney World Resort initially reopened. 

2. Phased Reopenings- This wasn't very relevant to some of the smaller parks out there but we did see phased reopenings at resort destinations. For example, just like at Shanghai Disney Resort, Walt Disney World's phased reopening started with Disney Springs. Universal CityWalk opened before the parks did, and out in California, Downtown Disney opened well before the Disneyland Resort parks did. At Knott's Berry Farm, California Marketplace opened prior to the park. For some parks that were able to reopen, due to staffing and timing constraints, aquatic attractions were often left behind. Such is the case for Wildwater Kingdom at Dorney Park, and Oceans of Fun at Worlds of Fun. Many aquatic attractions opened late in 2021 due to staffing shortages. 

3. Increased Sanitation of Ride Units- Every park that I visited in summer 2020 placed an emphasis on frequent cleaning of ride units. This led to longer wait times, though thanks to the accompanying capacity restrictions these wait times were not excessive. Many parks began to dial back on these protocols later on in the summer when new information about transmission of COVID-19 became known, such as how long it is able to survive on surfaces and how it spreads in outdoor environments. By late summer, all the parks I was visiting had stopped doing hourly sanitation and limited to doing so prior to park opening. These changes often came in conjunction with increased capacities. 

4. Increased Sanitation Stations- This is something we started to see before the initial lockdowns began. Days before announcing its closure, cast members at Disney were seen setting up portable handwashing units throughout the park. Upon reopening, many guests noticed a dramatic increase in the number of hand sanitizer dispensers placed throughout the parks. Over the past several months, I started noticing that some of these stations were disappearing. Upon talking to Cast Members at Disney during my August trip, I found out that they were gradually removing these portable stations as they continued moving back toward 'normal' operations. 

5. Masks- This became an almost universal policy across the country. With very few exceptions, every park required gusts to wear face coverings both indoors and outdoors early on in the pandemic. Later on this was relaxed to just indoors. Even in December 2021, there are still some parks that require face coverings for all guests while indoors. Few parks if any however still require face coverings to be worn outdoors. 

6. Virtual Queues- This is one of my few predictions that wasn't seen as widely as I expected. Universal Orlando Resort and Cedar Point are the only parks that I am aware of to have used virtual queues at any point during the pandemic. While Disney's Hollywood Studios did make use of boarding groups for Rise of the Resistance, this is not related to pandemic restrictions as this was in place prior to the pandemic, and actually ended recently. 

7. Temperature Checks- Like masks, this was a policy applied almost universally with the only exceptions being parks that didn't have the means to screen every guest, such as Knoebels. Six Flags made use of thermal technology to screen all guests entering the parks, Cedar Fair and Hershey Entertainment (along with Disney) made use of more traditional hand held thermometers, and any guest with a temperature greater than 100.4 degrees was denied entry. Most parks if not all have done away with temperature screenings at this point in time. 

8. Cashless Payments- This is one of those things that's a little more complicated than meets the eye. Cedar Fair has announced a transition to all cashless payments at all parks by the start of the 2022 season. Most orders at Disney Parks are completed through mobile ordering, and parks that are not cashless encourage cashless payments. This is one of those things where every park is doing something a bit different. 

9. Social Distancing- This is another one of those universally applied policies. Queue lines at every park I visited over the past two summers had social distancing markers in the queue lines. The problem was, that nobody paid any attention to them. Most parks did not have the staffing to have employees in the queue lines to enforce social distancing policies. At this point in time, most parks have removed social distancing markers from the ground, and all remaining markers that were painted onto the ground will likely be pressure washed at the conclusion of the 2021 operating season. For parks that do not host holiday events, this process has likely already begun. This will likely hold, at least in the United States regardless of new concerns surrounding Omicron. 

Intimidator 305 at Kings Dominion

Overall, I would say I was pretty spot on for most of these pandemic changes. As we get further from 2020 most parks have returned to a more normal version of their operation, with few restrictions if any still in place. Globally, there could be some new restrictions as a result of Omicron, but I find it unlikely that parks, at least in North America will be forced to shut their doors again. 

Special Note- One question some experts have asked is weather parks would require proof of vaccination as a criteria for admission. As of writing this article, the answer is primarily no. Park management teams really do not have an interest in mandating vaccines to enter parks, as doing so would cause major headaches for arrival attendants and would likely result in a sizeable number of people refusing to visit. That being said, there are a couple of parks that do require proof of vaccine due to local restrictions. One such example is Six Flags Magic Mountain, and this is due to requirements by the County. A caveat to this is that Six Flags has been strategic in the way they've gone about doing this. The county's vaccine mandate is based on crowd size. As a result, Six Flags Magic Mountain only requires proof of vaccination on certain days where they expect crowd sizes to meet or exceed the county requirements. These days are noted on the park's operating calendar. Universal Studios Hollywood is in the same county, and indicates a vaccine or negative PCR test result as a condition for entry, but such policies are enforced based on park attendance. At this time to my knowledge there are no other parks that have such requirements in place.