The story of a mom allegedly groped by a TSA agent in a Phoenix airport has all the markers of a really great tale. Moms are ALWAYS heroes. And this one was actually crying, which just makes you want to go kick that mean TSA agent in the shins, doesn't it? Bringing you to the other half of the equation. Every good story needs a villain, and what does America hate more than the TSA? Anything? Nothing?
OK. So good story. Except maybe it's just that. A story. A made up, fabricated story. Confused? The viral video of the crying mom itself is real alright. It's been making the rounds of the Internet since Ryan, a man who goes by the name rynomaz111, uploaded it to YouTube over the holiday weekend.
You get to see his mom crying as she demands someone bring in a cop to help her after she was allegedly molested by a TSA agent. You get to see Ryan escorted away by agents who say he can't film in the Sky Harbor International Airport.
But here's where things get interesting. Right around 3:33, a member of airport staff can be heard noting that this is "the second time this family has done this." Take a listen:
See this video on The Stir by CafeMom.
Poke around on rynomaz111's YouTube account, and she's right. Back in January, Ryan and his family did something very similar. Filming at the same airport, Ryan's first response to being told that he had to turn off the camera was "you're going on YouTube." That was right around New Year, when the TSA issues were at their most heated with holiday travel at its peak:
See this video on The Stir by CafeMom.
I don't blame the kid or his parents for trying. With an upcoming flight planned, the one thing I'm most nervous about is the so-called "groping" that TSA agents have been accused of by countless Americans. People have to speak up when it happens. But one video stands alone. Two videos, coupled with the kid's wording, makes it suddenly suspicious.
I can say that if I was just sexually assaulted and my son was standing there taping it, if he put it out there on the Internet, I would become more hysterical. But everyone responds differently to trauma, don't they? So it is feasible. Then again, there's that flip side. That this family has obviously got a vendetta against the TSA. That they come to the airport, cameras in hand, itching for a fight. They might have good intentions but bad follow through. Or good intentions and really bad luck! Or they might have bad intentions, period.
Is this a guy trying to expose problems with the TSA, to help his mom who was supposedly just sexually assaulted? Or is this a family that is working to get its 15 minutes of fame? I can't say for sure.
So what do you think? Are you suspicious? Could this be a hoax?
Image via YouTube