Racial Profiling

[JustBlaze]

This issues has many applications, from people crossing our borders to airline flights.Do you think that racial profiling is wrong, or does it make sense to target specific ethnic groups?

 

[Opal]

This is tough. I just think you hould search any suspecious people.

 

[BBoy Ken]

its wrong.not all terrorists are brown-skinned and not all illegal immigrants are mexicans. theres white terrorists, black terrorists, every race has them. sh*t i remember there was some british guy 2 yrs. ago in london who tried to blow up big ben.we do have to watch what people who come in this country do though. 7 or 8 guys fresh outta afghanistan taking flight school in the usa? that can't be good.

 

[JustBlaze]

Yes, but in many cases the majority of a certain type of criminal belong to one race, so it makes sense to target them.

 

[valo35]

In the army we are told to "be on the lookout for suspicous looking people," and me and many of my work buddies have had debates on this subject. I personally think people use the word "suspicous looking" so they don't look bad, but what they are really wanting to say is "racial profile." They try to make us think that any Arabic grown male is a suspicous person and should be searched. I hate that line of thinking though, the Arab countries and Arab people are not terrorists, but the few that have done something have given the entire arab world a bad rep in america. I don't think America has realized that alot of terrorists acts and deaths in America have come from grown white males, and should make us white males look "suspicous." Timothy Mcvay, Eric Rudolph, Charles Manson, and many others. I think that if the U.S. government is going to search "suspiscous looking people", they should search everyone. It's the only right way to do things.

 

[JustBlaze]

Well in that situation I don't agree. There are very few Arab men who are terrorists, and having your view of the entire race of of what a few men did on 9/11 is ignorant.However, under other circumstances it makes more sense. If I'm an immigration officer and I see some Mexicans near the border then of course I'm going to question them instead of the white people. Yes that's racial profiling, but I'm going to catch more criminals that way.

 

[Rok]

Well I'm not for racial profiling, because say a black person is walking down a street, are cops supposed to automatically think he's a criminal and stop him for no apparent reason. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>If I'm an immigration officer and I see some Mexicans near the border then of course I'm going to question them instead of the white people.</div> Makes sense, but the fact it's not 100% reliable is why I'm not for it. You could probably catch more criminals that way, but it's still wrong.

 

[pjcolpitts?]

The thing is its what has to be done. It doesnt matter who or what they look like. Would you guys be making such a deal over this if they were profiling a different race?? I doubt it. It makes sense. Exampleuring the 1960's the KKK was still really big. When the govt was looking for those responsable for killing blacks, were they looking and searching other black ppl's homes? No, that would of been a waste of time. Were any of thier suspects Hadistic Jews or Japanese? I doubt it. Its the same thing right now. Who flew two planes into the World Trade Center? Islamic Fundamentalists. Who fits that profile? Arab men do. Thats the bottom line. If the Amish and Mormon ppl were known terrorists, i guaruntee Muslims wouldnt be known as "suspects". Amish and Mormon ppl would be the ones searched. Sorry, but thats just the way it is. What happened during WWII in the U.S? They gathered up Japanese people because we were fighting Japan. Most ppl dont have a problem with that. Everyone is scared that they might hurt someone's feelings. I dont care about anyones feelings as long as the American population is safe.

 

[Rok]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Everyone is scared that they might hurt someone's feelings. I dont care about anyones feelings as long as the American population is safe.</div> Unless it happens to you. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>When the govt was looking for those responsable for killing blacks, were they looking and searching other black ppl's homes? No, that would of been a waste of time.</div> It's still a waste of time considering the amount of whites that could easily fit the bill of a KKK member just based off their skin color. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>They gathered up Japanese people because we were fighting Japan. Most ppl dont have a problem with that.</div> I think that would be a problem these days. Back then discrimination was widespread but now, it's impossible to take a specific race and put them in a certain place.Now I agree in some situations it's common sense to search for a specific race depending on the crime, but other then that there's no reason for it. There's more to catching specific suspects then the color of their skin and race.

 

[JustBlaze]

I think it's totally dependent on the circumstances, sometimes it's a good idea and other times it's just ignorance.

 

[pjcolpitts?]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Rok @ May 11 2006, 05:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Unless it happens to you.</div>No, I'm not going to be a hyprocrite on this. If i was a Muslim i wouldnt be mad or anything. Lets say Americans were known terrorists in Iran lets say. They would do the same exact thing. Would i get offended that they were trying to protect thier country and people? No, i am just one man. If it takes me 20 extra minutes to get on a plane, it doesnt matter to me, as long as it helps protect national security. I know what your saying though, plenty of people would get offended by something like that, but tough for them i guess.

 

[Rok]

Well I'm taking more into account then stopping at airports. I was looking at it as a whole, where many middle eastern people are looked down upon in the U.S. and automatically viewed as terrorists. You can look at it as protecting your country but being viewed as a terroritst just for the way you look is hard to digest and not easy for many people to accept like you would. I definately wouldn't.

 

[JustBlaze]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Rok @ May 11 2006, 08:04 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Well I'm taking more into account then stopping at airports. I was looking at it as a whole, where many middle eastern people are looked down upon in the U.S. and automatically viewed as terrorists. You can look at it as protecting your country but being viewed as a terroritst just for the way you look is hard to digest and not easy for many people to accept like you would. I definately wouldn't.</div>That's not racial profiling, that's just evidence of the negative connotations that many Americans associate with middle eastern people after 9/11.

 

[Blaze]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (pjcolpitts @ May 11 2006, 07:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>No, I'm not going to be a hyprocrite on this. If i was a Muslim i wouldnt be mad or anything. Lets say Americans were known terrorists in Iran lets say. They would do the same exact thing. Would i get offended that they were trying to protect thier country and people? No, i am just one man. If it takes me 20 extra minutes to get on a plane, it doesnt matter to me, as long as it helps protect national security. I know what your saying though, plenty of people would get offended by something like that, but tough for them i guess.</div>But I am a muslim and I am mad.

 

[WELCOMEtotheJUNGLE]

JustBlaze everytime I see your post i have to scroll back and stare an extra 3 or 4 seconds

 

[pjcolpitts?]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (AirBlaze @ May 11 2006, 07:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>But I am a muslim and I am mad.</div>Well i guess being Muslim is the new black. sorry.

 

[regularguy]

racial profiling really isn't the way to go.. i mean look at that d00d that blew the sh*t out of that building in okalahoma.. white boy. hahahait sucks for a couple of guys who believe in a certain thing has to bomb a certain few buildings and now it ruins it for the whole race. i mean it's not fair but you know life isn't.when you racially profile people it's not right. of course. it would make sense. sure, but is it right? is it good to accuse them of something they didn't do or have even thought of doing? no. it only makes a LITTLE sense to do it because a CERTAIN few people have done it now we think they're all after us.it sucks what they already have done in the US.. japanese concentration camps during WWII.. out of 125,000 only around 50 were spies. not even that many.life isn't fair. and people think certain things. you can't change it and most of the time you can't do anything about it. sometimes when you do things it won't be 100% correct but it'll benefit more than hurt. and sometimes it backfires in your face.

 

[JustBlaze]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (regularguy @ May 12 2006, 02:33 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>racial profiling really isn't the way to go.. i mean look at that d00d that blew the sh*t out of that building in okalahoma.. white boy. hahaha</div>No one's saying that every criminal is a minority, of course not. Serial killers and mass murderer such as Timothy McVeigh as you mentioned are usually white. I'm talking about situations where the majority of the time a crime is bein commited by people of a particular race.

 

[Blaze]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (pjcolpitts @ May 12 2006, 01:48 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Well i guess being Muslim is the new black. sorry.</div>Yeah, I've been beggining to notice