Previously, I was indifferent to Clear, an identity-verification program seen mostly in airports. I’ve seldom seen their services used, and I certainly haven’t felt impacted by them. However, this brief Slate piece presages an unpleasant future. Clear’s existence makes things worse for non-members, with no real benefit. Like so much of air travel, an inconvenience is being made, with the opportunity to pay to avoid it then provided. In this case, longer security lines are being exacerbated by Clear, who then let you pay to avoid hassles and delay. That’s a recipe for terribleness, unless you’re an investor in Clear anyway.

When I finally reached the end of the TSA Pre line, a Clear Secure employee instructed me to back up so she could place a CLEAR member in front of me. The CLEAR member turned to me and apologized. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I hate this process, too.” She told me she had only joined CLEAR because she was sick of all the line-cutting.

Well now you’re part of the problem, lady! No thank you. We’d all be better off if Clear didn’t exist. I think the only thing to do is to shame folks who choose to pay for Clear. Buying access to the front of the line is gross, and it’s a behavior which ought to have no place in a civilized society.