Profiling, we all do it
We all make decisions based on observations and we do it all the time. And we can’t turn it off. Nor should we.
Toy poodle with red ribbon: Not a threat.
Rottweiler with a chain around his neck big enough to pull a car: Better watch out.
Four elderly women in a semi-dark parking structure: No problem.
Four young men wearing studded leather jackets and spiked hair in same parking structure: Eyes wide open, find keys.
I’m not an alarmist, but a realist. I know Rottweilers do more damage than poodles and I’ve never even heard of a gang of maruading grandmothers.
So the outrage over racial profiling after 9-11 fascinated me. We all knew all the hijackers were young men of Middle East descent. No blond women, no Asian grandpas. So why wouldn’t we pay more attention to people who seem to fit the description? Isn’t that the idea behind army uniforms? The ability to quickly discern ours from theirs?
It seemed after 9-11 we had gone too far the other way decades after one of our nation’s great embarrassments: the internment of Japanese-Americans after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
But taking special precautions with people who fit the profile of a jihadist always seemed to make sense. I don’t mean assuming they are guilty. I mean watching carefully (see Rottweiler above).
Now comes a survey that shows most Americans agree with me:
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 59% of adults say factors such as race, ethnicity and overall appearance should be used to determine which boarding passengers to search at airports.
The ACLU vehemently disagrees, pointing to a disproportionate number of people of color who are targeted for investigation and prosecution. But I don’t have a problem with that. Proportion has nothing to do with it. If black people commit crimes they should be charged, if white people commit crimes, they should be charged.
I do have a big problem with unfairly charging people with a crime just because they are black, or some other color. In fact few things upset me more than those in power going outside the scope and intent of the law, no matter the reason. I think this is the basis of the ACLU stance.
But profiling at airports? Gotta do it.
