On a recent trip, I performed the routine airline passenger drill. At the entrance to the security line, I presented my driver’s license and boarding pass for the first leg of the flight to the screener. Trudging behind other passengers in the slow-moving line to the X-ray equipment, I continued with my usual practice: tucking my driver’s license in a pocket of my briefcase alongside the boarding pass for the second leg of the flight. All’s well.

When it was time to board, I was ready to zip through: I was first in line with my boarding pass in hand, ready for the electronic scanner. But all was not well—the scanner did not beep its approval!

The non-beep of the electronic scanner was, in effect, a Voice of Authority, and the Ticket Taker responded with a knee-jerk reaction. With her own Voice of Authority, she chastised me—loudly and clearly . . . 

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All of us—individuals with disabilities, parents, educators, providers, and others—can and should be skeptical and question Authority. We can ask, “Who says? Where is it written? How do you know? What if...” and many other questions. We can slow down, give ourselves time to think . . . Click here to continue.

Authority has every reason to fear the skeptic, for authority can rarely survive in the face of doubt.
Robert Lindner

The Voice of Authority (and Knee-Jerk Reactions) 

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