Racial Profiling

[Stormwalker]

Just out of curiosity, what are some of your thoughts on racial profiling? I mean, right now, taking the current political situation into account, if you were told that there was a group of people in an area, your family being in this group, and someone had a bomb on them and you were going to try to find who had it before they set it off, would you start pulling aside Muslims first? Or would that be wrong?

Furthermore, as I understand it, a person that supports racial profiling is not automatically prejudiced, that racial profiling is mainly used in times of war, to protect the citizens of a country or regional area.


Sorry to make another potentially politically charged thread, but I really want to hear what some people have to say about this.

[theduckylittle]

It depends on when the profiling is being done.

Does only asking the Arabic people about a suspect bomb in the area constitute bad profiling? Yes. Any ethnicity is as likely to blow up a bomb as any other. I don't remember the Unibomber praying to Allah.

Your "times of war" statement, I think, is a reference to Korematsu, which is also a very poorly decided case. Thinking that all Japanese Americans were possible enemies to the United States and locking them away violates so many Constitutional rights I can't see anyone on either side of the aisle supporting anything similiar to it in to the future. Even in US v. Padilla, the Court (upon accepting Certiori of the case) will more than most likely overturn the original Korematsu v US decision. Stare decisis only can hold on for so long when the precedent is WRONG. There really aren't any modern legal scholars stating that internment camps are a "good thing."

-Duck

[Obscene1]

canadians dont carry Hot dog bombs, So im gonna be prone to search somebody who looks like they live in canada.

and mexicans cant afford hot dog bombs, so im not gonna search them,

Black people to lazy to build a hot dog bomb, so no point in searching them,

White people, to damn many of them looking to damn many ways to even wanna try profileing them in hope of finding a hot dog bomb.

Asians just dont care about hot dog bombs so why bother even asking them


Who does care about hot dog bombs.


Ill be serious for a second....


if you wanna be PC racial profileing is wrong, if you wanna be smart racial profileing is right.




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[BirdofPrey97]

Seems this is more of a numbers game.

How many of what Race do it? How many of that Race are in the questioned party? Those are the ones I would look at first.

That way odds are you would get them figured out and less harm done.

[Mullet Tuner]

if you wanna be PC racial profileing is wrong, if you wanna be smart racial profileing is right.




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[Stormwalker]

Seems this is more of a numbers game.

How many of what Race do it? How many of that Race are in the questioned party? Those are the ones I would look at first.

That way odds are you would get them figured out and less harm done.

Take what I had originally written into account, "given the current political situation".


Let's take some events into account:

9/11: Muslim people flew airplanes into buildings in New York

Israel: Suicide bombers cross the border all the time, all Muslim

Iraq: All suicide bombers are Muslim, though even the targets are Muslim in this case

London: The london bombings were carried out by Muslims

Now, I HAVE NOTHING AGAINST Muslims. Please don't take my questions here the wrong way. I am just wondering, like at airport checks, mass transit checks, etc., is it wrong if Muslims are scruitinized more than other people? This would be racial profiling. I just don't know what to think anymore, because the media has skewed the issue one way or the other so bad, that it is hard to make an informative decision nowadays, and it is such a politically charged issue. Is racial profiling the same as prejudice? Or being "racist"? I really don't know. We are at war, but this one is so confusing, because there is no line between "civilian" and "military" anymore.

[Stormwalker]

Dammit Walied, you post in every single other thread, post in this one! I want to hear your opinion on this, since your nationality is somewhere near the areas of the nationalities I am speaking of!

[68GTO]

The overall profiling question, racial or some other characteristic, is an easy one to answer. It is less easy to put into action well, however.

Profiling example #1: Someone steals your '03 cobra. You witness this from 100 ft away and see that this male person, (build, hair, skin as described by you) was wearing a North Carolina Baseball cap, a sleeveless t-shirt and baggy blue jeans. You report this to the police. They then begin to look anyone fitting this "description". The police have just created a "profile" and will seek to speak with anyone fitting this description because they know that someone like this has just committed a crime. Profiling.

Profiling example #2: As in this discussion thread, perpetrators of terroist crimes against the USA and throughout the world share common characteristics. They are race, religion, gender and age group. Authorities then create a "profile" on the information at hand to help "filter out" persons who meet these "criteria". Other than locating, watching and questioning people who fit this profile, there is NO HIDDEN AGENDA here. Profiling.

Profiling example #3: Murders are reported in Minneapolis with a certain ethnic group as the target and a certain ethnic group as the perpetrators. Police begin to look for these people based on the characteristics known. They may be poor. They may drive certain types of cars. They may dress a certain way or have a trademark fashion statement. All help to create a profile of that suspect/suspect group. If most of these crimes against one group are committed by another group, then to profile the suspect group is not bad. Profiles are created based on CHARACTERISTICS. Some are racial, behavioral, attitudinal, fashion-based, etc. Profiling.

You see, we do it all day - everyday! In job postings, in seeking a woman, in looking for a car. WE all have a list of criteria that helps us narrow our searches.

Profiling by itself is a neutral thing. Profiling is a useful tool. We ALL do it.

[Stormwalker]

68GTO, you really posted some super useful information. Thanks.

[Emart]

Kurt always has something interesting to say.


I think that about sums it up.

[MadMatt]

68GTO, you really posted some super useful information. Thanks.

[95.0mark]

everyone racial profiles.
the way a person dresses,acts,and looks is the first impression an outsider has to go on. hence,you use those things to create a "profile" about said person.
profiling can be very usefull.

to bad this country is pusified.

[RyanM]

its called life

[Zinc]

I am just wondering, like at airport checks, mass transit checks, etc., is it wrong if Muslims are scruitinized more than other people? This would be racial profiling. I just don't know what to think anymore, because the media has skewed the issue one way or the other so bad, that it is hard to make an informative decision nowadays, and it is such a politically charged issue. Is racial profiling the same as prejudice? Or being "racist"? I really don't know. We are at war, but this one is so confusing, because there is no line between "civilian" and "military" anymore.

I dont think they should be treated any diff at airports simply because of the fact that more than one of my close family members have been taken OFF of planes for no reason other than their names. Kinda BS, but whatever. Another thing people seem to forget about is the crazy Christians that go on killing sprees / blowing up buildings etc. in rural USA.

just a thought.

[MadMatt]

everyone racial profiles.
the way a person dresses,acts,and looks is the first impression an outsider has to go on. hence,you use those things to create a "profile" about said person.
profiling can be very usefull.

to bad this country is pusified.

I agree 100%.