Racial profiling

Rhisiart · #1 August 14th, 2006, 07:24 PM

British police, together with the CIA, and more importantly Pakistani Intelligence, have allegedly discovered a plot to blow up 12 US aircraft leaving Britain for the US, with a potential loss of life of 3,000 people.

The previous Head of the London Metropolitan Police says that international airports should concentrate on profiling potential terrorists, rather than imposing excessive screening on all flight passengers.

Some say this will lead to racist discrimination, as most Brits recognise that this de facto implies that young Muslim men should undergo extra scrutiny as opposed to white men.

Should young Muslim men accept this discrimination, given that their brethren are at Holy War with the infidels in the West, or should they complain that their rights are being denied?

Qion · #2 August 14th, 2006, 08:07 PM

I don't see how it's discrimination if that method of categorizing potential mortal threats works. I can't stop myself from being byast, but when I picture myself in their shoes, I believe I would just accept the fact that some people it up for the rest of us. This topic has been discussed so many times... I've just come to the conclusion that a line needs to be drawn between "fairness" and "logic".

adambyte · #3 August 14th, 2006, 11:25 PM

I have to admit, it first glance, it seems like a good idea.... if... only "dark" people bomb stuff, then, let's concentrate at looking at dark people, eh? Saves time, right? And although it may make snese at first.... I can only help but think that eventually the "dark" people will just find the whitey-mc-bombers, and put pressure on THEM to do the dirty work...

So... it may work for in the short-term, but... in the end, it might not matter.

Well, it's just a hypothesis. I could be completely wrong. Who knows?

Cat · #4 August 15th, 2006, 06:17 AM

You reap what you sow. If you treat them like criminals, they will become criminals. Mistrusted, shunned, oppressed, what alternative do you give them? The quality of a free democracy is measured by the way it treats its minorities, otherwise it is just a tyranny of the majority. Racial/religious profiling = racism. It will not "lead" to it, it alraedy is officially sanctioned apartheid. They are different, they are dangerous. Free democracies are inherently vulnerable: accept it or become totalitarian. There is no way to avoid some level of terrorism or criminality, not even by becoming a police state. We should rather embrace and extend, not just with mere words, but with goods and deeds, not as colonies, but as friends. What is so difficult about that? Each billion Euros, Dollars or Pounds spent on security could have gone to social programs, education, help for the poor and desperate, not just at home, but worldwide: this would save more lives, again at home and worldwide, than bolstering police and military. A bullet is an expense, a loaf of bread or a book an investment. What hope, what help have we brought to Afghanistan, to Iraq, to Lebanon? More people have died on both sides as effect of the war than have died before as cause of the war. At both sides instincts take precedence over reason and we strike out in anger at each other. Then we hold all responsible for the actions of single individuals, like a vengeful god persecuting the guilty across generations. Racial profiling is assuming guilt instead of assuming innocence. That is where democracy ends. When we are not anymore all equal before the law, we do not have a free country aymore, we have civil war fought with policies, laws, oppression, segregation and deportation. Will there be a final solution?

Qion · #5 August 15th, 2006, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cat

You reap what you sow. If you treat them like criminals, they will become criminals. Mistrusted, shunned, oppressed, what alternative do you give them? The quality of a free democracy is measured by the way it treats its minorities, otherwise it is just a tyranny of the majority. Racial/religious profiling = racism. It will not "lead" to it, it alraedy is officially sanctioned apartheid. They are different, they are dangerous. Free democracies are inherently vulnerable: accept it or become totalitarian. There is no way to avoid some level of terrorism or criminality, not even by becoming a police state. We should rather embrace and extend, not just with mere words, but with goods and deeds, not as colonies, but as friends. What is so difficult about that? Each billion Euros, Dollars or Pounds spent on security could have gone to social programs, education, help for the poor and desperate, not just at home, but worldwide: this would save more lives, again at home and worldwide, than bolstering police and military. A bullet is an expense, a loaf of bread or a book an investment. What hope, what help have we brought to Afghanistan, to Iraq, to Lebanon? More people have died on both sides as effect of the war than have died before as cause of the war. At both sides instincts take precedence over reason and we strike out in anger at each other. Then we hold all responsible for the actions of single individuals, like a vengeful god persecuting the guilty across generations. Racial profiling is assuming guilt instead of assuming innocence. That is where democracy ends. When we are not anymore all equal before the law, we do not have a free country aymore, we have civil war fought with policies, laws, oppression, segregation and deportation. Will there be a final solution?

I agree to some point that as racial profiling or religious profiling proliferates, so will racism. However, I still go back on my point that if a group or country is acting in a way that is causing mortal injuries to other countries or groups, people from that country should be more susceptible to being questioned. Yea, I know that sounds like I'm extrapolating the acts of individuals to a national level, but for this particular situation it's not so unruly. People of a certain group are undeniably acting in a way that is threatening to certain other groups. Treat them like criminals, and they'll become criminals? I guess, but don't we all go through random searches at airports anymore? My girlfriend was born in LA, she looks Mexican as do some of her aquaintences, and they could just as easily be sent down to the police station for looking Mexican as a dark-skinned person from the Middle East could be checked at an airport. Some of these things we just have to own up to and deal with as far as I'm concerned.

**fryke** · #6 August 15th, 2006, 12:55 PM

Is this really a honest question? (Replying to the first post...) Of course you have to screen everyone the same way. I don't understand how people start to throw every inch of their humanity over board only because "the other side" does. I thought this was taught in kindergarden.

adambyte · #7 August 16th, 2006, 12:42 AM

Hate breeds more hate. Cat, as wonderful and idealistic as your ideas are, I'm afraid that many many people are too selfish to even BEGIN to address them.

Qion · #8 August 16th, 2006, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adambyte

Hate breeds more hate. Cat, as wonderful and idealistic as your ideas are, I'm afraid that many many people are too selfish to even BEGIN to address them.

I refrained from calling them idealistic, but I agree with you. How something should be is usually not how it is or could be. Government, politics, and people have been f**ked up for milleniums.