Is it natural to profile people?

I know people have made a big deal of Zimmerman profiling Martin as a possible robber being in his neighborhood, because he was Black and many of the robberies in the neighborhood were done by Blacks.

Many Blacks complain they are stopped by police just because of their color. I think to a large degree that's true. While we shouldn't judge all by the actions of a few, or more than a few, it happens. Is it mostly because of racism? Are we still back in the days of our Civil War, when we looked down on Blacks as a lessor people? That Whites think they are better than Blacks? No, in most cases Whites don't. We know Blacks can achieve anything that they want. They have held almost all of the highest offices in the land. They have dominated many of our sports and we look up to these people. So why do e still have so much racism? Why do we still profile Blacks as Zimmerman did? Think about it.

 

I'll give you something else to think about. Jessie Jackson, one of, if not the biggest Black activist in the country, profiles people and races. He made a statement once that he was walking home one night and heard foot steps coming up behind him. He said he felt afraid until he turned his head around and saw it was a White man. Why did he feel that way? Was he profiling Blacks as more aggressors and Whites as not? I mean he didn't know this White man. He didn't know if he would attack him or not. But his fear of being attacked went away when he realized he was White. What does that tell you? Was Jessie Jackson profiling Blacks and Whites? Sure he was, just as Zimmerman profiled Martin. But we want to condemn Zimmerman for it and think nothing of it when Jackson does it.

 

Even though we still have racism in this country and every country, and always will, I think the biggest problem is not with the color of one's skin, but the conduct of many of it's people. Blacks only make up about 13% of our total population, but commit over 50% of all major crime in this country. Do you think that would have something to do with racism against Blacks? About 80% of all Black births in this county is done by unwed mothers. Do you think that would have something to do with how people look at Blacks? Do you think having so many babies born, growing up without the guidance of a father, would have something to do with the high rate of crime among Blacks? In other words does conduct of people have more to do with racism and profiling than the color of one's skin? I think it does..

 

I'm alive today because I made myself aware of possible criminal activity and as a threat to my life by profiling the people in the particular environment I happened to be strolling through.

 

Everyone does it, every day. It's part of our survival instinct.

Color is only brought into it when stereotypes become reality.

 

I'm surprised, I expected to get a lot of flack from Liberals on this. I guess I must be right in what I sad.

 

I believe that virtually every human on the planet "profiles" in one way or another. I think it is an intrinsic component of human nature "bred" into the human genome over millions of years.

Instead of profiling it could be called "immediate threat assessment within the current environment".

Does it make it racist? I don't think so. But it is a self fueling process, since the more the profiling is successful the more it reinforces the validity of profiling in the first place.

Its no secret that El Al has routine profiling in its arsenal of anti-terrorism security (something they have been doing since arafat started the whole stealing jets thing). Seems it works extremely well.

OTOH, using profiling for arbitrary "fishing expeditions" should be banned outright. (I realize the difficulty in doing so, but that is actually racist use as opposed to El Al's application)

 

How is it wrong that Zimmerman did it? He sees a Black kid that he hasn't seen before in the neighborhood looking at homes as he walks down the street. They have had quite a few homes broke into and they know at least some have been done by Blacks. He belongs to the neighborhood watch. He feels like the police should at least check him out. What is wrong with that? When the kid starts running, wouldn't that make Zimmerman even more suspicious? Wouldn't that make him feel even more this kid is up to something and want to make him keep tabs on him till police arrive? Sure it would. He didn't do anything unexpected, being part of the neighborhood watch.

 

Please god, not yet another bloody Zimmerman thread! I'm sick to death of hearing about him.

 

Obviously you folks haven't got a clue what you are talking about. I don't want to use the Zimmerman case too much here since there is a new thread for it, but he established a stereo type view of black people in his head and applied it to everyone he saw. He was placing an entire emotional expectation on a person he had not even met.

Now, if you can't see that is wrong, then you missed the whole point of the situation. It's as simple as "Don't judge a book by it's cover.", because that is a potential error that can work both ways. You can pass up a good book if you base your opinion on it's cover or even the title, and wind up reading a time wasting piece of garbage because it was more attractive.

Let me give you a simple idea how bad it is, in both white and black communities the percentage ratio of people who smoke pot is virtually denticle, but black people are arrested 4 times more often for it. The problem gets even worse when you look at the court processing systems, a black man is over 10 times more likely to get convicted of a crime than a white man for the exact same crime! Those are common statistics and the facts are founded.

Yes, there are prejudice black people, and there are black people who have fearful reactions to white people, but they don't go hunting them down with a loaded gun for it. And even if they did, if Trevron had done what Zimmerman did instead, he would not have been allowed the "Stand Your Ground" argument in his defense, and he would have been locked up for the better part of the rest of his life for it. That is the difference in a nutshell.

 

Didn't Jessie Jackson do the very same thing? At least with Zimmerman, he hadn't seen him in the neighborhood before. Several robberies had been done by Blacks and Zimmerman saw Martin looking at homes as he was walking. At least he had some reason to be concerned. Jessie Jackson though of Blacks when he heard foot steps behind him and thought he might be attacked. When he saw it was a White person, that fear went away. Did he not judge both Black and White there? Why did he feel a Black might attack him just because he heard foot steps behind him.

 

I look at it this way. If there just happens to be so that people looking in a certain way commit more crimes one shouldn't ignore that. And if looking for criminals it makes much more sense to look more carefully at people who look the same as the criminals. There's nothing racist about that really, just common sense. I mean, why have a colour blind police search when you know that there much more statistically likely to be of a certain group?

 

Everyone profiles.........makes assumptions about others based on their life experiences and influences.

That does not make it right.

I lived in Japan for 10 years. I experienced negative profiling first hand on many occasions. I would often be followed around the store while shopping....and I was refused entry to more than a few businesses.

I must say, the OP presents a very uncompelling argument.

 

If a white guy in a black car holds up a Quick shop, dont you think that the police should say so on their radio. Or------------just to show they are not profiling, should they pull over and harrass a black woman in a white car????

 

Talk about profiling. A Latino kills a back kid and black America is profiling all white people as racist murders.

 

riot

Great point!!!!!

 

That doesn't address the subject at all.

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That is not true. What is the root of your persecution complex?

 

How is it not true? I don't see black protesting in Latino communities. Hell I hardly see black not call Zimmerman white. I don't hear Obama talking about black and Hispanic relations. Tell how I'm wrong

 

Not robberies.. burglaries in the daytime on week days.

I think we all profile, but most rational people know that their "profiling" isn't foolproof..

 

I don't hear msnbc calling for more dead Latino babies! So blacks profile Zimmerman is to be white to fit their agenda. Plus they are just too damn scared to pull this sh!t in the Latin communities.

 

marine...bad timing on this thread. that's all i'm saying.

 

I think the timing is right. I have read so much on these boards of profiling and racism. My God, the word racism has been the most used word in the Liberal language since Obama got elected.. How many times have I read people accusing Arizona of racism and profiling Hispanics? We are right on the border with Mexico and 90% of those crossing into Arizona are Hispanics. Who should our law enforcement be looking for more, Chinese? Most of the Middle East terrorist are young men between 18-35 years old. Shouldn't we be giving these people a closer look than a 65 year old Middle Eastern man or woman boarding a plane or etc? Of course we profile. It's only natural to do it. It doesn't have to make you a racist.

 

Everyone profiles.. We don't all assume our profiles are accurate and foolproof.

 

Well, you are just too clever for me. Who could argue with that? I mean....the msnbc comment.....you just nailed it.

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What does make you a racist?

 

Thank you for noticing.