Why the system works.

Meet my sombrero. It is covered in red velvet with silver and white accoutrements. It is 3 feet wide. I was walking through the airport with the stupid thing on my head. I went through security without a single problem or even getting a passing glance from the security staff. Now I am not trained in airport secuity, but if some dork walking through an airport was the only human being in the entire airport with a three foot wide hat on covered in red velvet with silver and white accoutrements, I'd take a second look at the guy. Just for the heck of it. At the very least, I would ask him to remove it to see how pointed his head really was.
Did they do that? Nope.
They checked the lovely lady that was walking behind me. The one NOT wearing a three foot wide hat made of red velvet with silver and white accoutrements. Were they right to ignore the doofus in the hat and check the lovely lady behind him? Was she an obvious threat to the safety and secuirty of the aircraft unlike the dork in the hat? Apparently. They found (after some time looking) a pair of plastic tipped tweezers.
Good thing I was there to vouch for her. Lord only knows how much time she may have been given.
Good thing I'm a pillar of the community (even in a three foot wide hat made of red velvet with silver and white accoutrements.)
If you're wondering, No, I don't wear it on the campaign trail. I save it for the pool.