TSA + VIP = WTF

i made the mistake of waiting until today to travel (fourth of july weekend travel started today i think), and then made the mistake of waiting until today to purchase a ticket. southwest was a complete mess, so i walked across LAX to the united terminal and bought a ticket there. then i went upstairs to go through security.
a security officer asked me if i was flying first class, or whether i was a united gold member. i said no, and he pointed me to a long line. (i would have been placed at the head of the line otherwise). i started walking to the end of the line, then spun back around and asked the officer whether this was a security checkpoint. yes it was, he said. and it is operated by the TSA? paid for with tax dollars? yes it is, he said. then what bearing does it have whether i am flying in first class or not? because the first class passengers go in a separate line.
i told him i was very confused. he said that he understood my confusion, but that “that’s the way the airline wants it”.
of course when i got to the head of the line, i was placed in the “VIP” area anyhow, for buying a oneway ticket at the airport. what the fuck is going on with the preferential “class” treatment at the airport? sure, this is not exactly the most egregious example of class inequality in this fucked up country of ours, but how is it exactly that people who pay more for their tickets get preferential treatment at a government checkpoint? (for the price i paid they should have thrown fucking rose petals across my path to the metal detector wanding and patdown).