Quote:
Originally Posted by Froide
Wait...what? Your MobileRead profile says you're from Atlanta, GA, so I'm surprised you'd believe that, much less write that.
I have a better understanding than most of both the effectiveness of profiling when it is done properly and of how the practice is actually applied (read: abused) by some. This understanding is attributable in part to the facts that:
- One of my mentors was a prominent American consultant on the topic, so I not only studied the phenomenon as part of my Ivy League doctoral studies but in addition learned from one of the masters,
- A close friend's brother-in-law was head of security for all of El Al (an airline often touted for its top-notch security practices, including its method of profiling), and
- Unwarranted racial profiling (without justifiable cause) is an undeniable, well-documented reality in the USA, hence the existence of numerous research and investigative reports, statistical studies, lawsuits, and acronyms addressing commonplace profiling practices that handily rebut your statement, e.g., DWB (Driving While Black), FWB (Flying While Black), SWB (Shopping While Black), and WWB (Walking While Black - 'though "WWB" is sometimes also used to describe another unfortunate, race-based phenomenon).
|
I write it because I am from Atlanta, Ga and pay attention to such things. I get that it's a hot button topic for a lot of people, and I get that the idea that profiling=prejudice is accepted as gospel in certain circles. Doesn't mean that it's true, though. Is a group of black teens going to get extra scrutiny by the police. Sure, but for it to be prejudice, you have to ask will a group of elderly blacks also get that extra scrutiny. The answer to that is usually no.
Young black males get extra scrutiny because the crime rate among young black males is very high, especially in certain urban areas. On the other hand, if it happens when there is a sizeable black police force (and the percentage of blacks in the Atlanta police force is higher that the percentage of blacks in the general population), then perhaps something else is going on. Atlanta has had a black mayor and black police chief for most of my life, and I'm not a spring chicken anymore. Why would they be prejudice against blacks?
I teach self defense classes. A number of my fellow karate teachers have worked as bouncers. It's all about accessing threats. That's what profiling is.
As far as driving while black, in general people who look out of place get extra scrutiny. You don't get pulled over for driving while black in Atlanta. On the flip side, a white guy who is slowly cruising in a black neighborhood known for drugs is likely to get pulled over for driving while white.