Airport Security and Questioning Authority

So I am heading back home on a flight last week and it is a late night return flight. I have had a long day of meetings and shuffling all around a foreign city. Now it’s one of my favorite lines to be in – airport security.
I stand and watch everyone in various stages of disrobing and dress. No one seems to be having fun but everyone is following the instructions of the security guy like it was a Simon Says game. Take our your laptop. Remove all metals from you pockets. Take off your shoes. Finally its my turn.
I have been through this process many, many times and know the drill. The parts that drive me nuts are the ones that are inconsistent in airports. Laptops always get unpacked in all airports so that one is something I follow and build into my airport routine. Other ideas seem random like taking off belts, shoes, watches off or on. This confuses me and also makes me wonder about the effectiveness and need for some of these “checks”.
I drop my gear into the grey bins and start to walk. Oh, sir you need to take off your shoes, says the security guy in a strong robotic voice. I say, Why? He stops and looks at me, not with concern but with confusion. Has no one ever asked him this before? Am I the first one to have trouble linking my light leather loafers to a terrorist attack?! So I help him out saying, the security gate I walk through will scan my whole body including my shoes so we’re covered. He continues to look at me and still hasn’t said anything. By now I can tell he is processing what I have suggested and suddenly, like he had never thought it before says, okay, fine.
The two stocking feet guys in front me both look back and seem upset like school kids that have just been ripped off. One guy's face screams, I didn’t even know that was an option!
My point is that questioning what is a given or a perceived authority is always a great tactic. Many of the people administering security, rules and guidelines often don’t know why they do it. If you want more freedom, stop following the rest of the herd and ask why whenever you can. It starts to give you a whole new perspective on your world.