Dixie - In Memoriam
New member
I know the PC crowd will answer YES! And then they will go on and on about what amounts to prejudiced stereotyping and discrimination. I admit that being prejudiced, forming stereotypes, and discriminating because of them, is inappropriate and bad, no argument there. But is "profiling" by law enforcement really a bad thing? Think about it for a moment, isn't that exactly how they are able to do their job? If I am robbed and mugged by a green man with a red dot on his forehead, wouldn't it be logical for the police to look for a green man with a red dot on his forehead? Isn't it obvious that particular profile happens to fit the description of the perpetrator? Why would they need to look for a blue man with a yellow dot on his forehead? Doesn't it make sense they would be looking for green men with a red dot?
If babies were being kidnapped, and the only clue police had were eyewitness reports of purple fat women looking in windows of the houses where the babies went missing... wouldn't it be logical for police to question any purple fat women in the vicinity? If they saw a purple fat woman a few blocks away from a kidnapping, carrying a sack with something moving in it, would it be "profiling" for them to stop her and ask some questions? I mean, even if she wasn't breaking any laws or doing anything illegal at the moment, wouldn't the fact that she fits the description and has a bag with something alive in it, be enough justification to warrant their attention?
I get the concerns with police randomly stopping black men in white neighborhoods because they are black, and nothing more. I understand the difference between racist stereotyping and criminal profiling. And I agree, there is sometimes a thin line between the two, and maybe only the officer knows for sure, but isn't it the case that all too often, what they cops are guilty of, is CRIMINAL profiling, or simply looking for the suspect?
If babies were being kidnapped, and the only clue police had were eyewitness reports of purple fat women looking in windows of the houses where the babies went missing... wouldn't it be logical for police to question any purple fat women in the vicinity? If they saw a purple fat woman a few blocks away from a kidnapping, carrying a sack with something moving in it, would it be "profiling" for them to stop her and ask some questions? I mean, even if she wasn't breaking any laws or doing anything illegal at the moment, wouldn't the fact that she fits the description and has a bag with something alive in it, be enough justification to warrant their attention?
I get the concerns with police randomly stopping black men in white neighborhoods because they are black, and nothing more. I understand the difference between racist stereotyping and criminal profiling. And I agree, there is sometimes a thin line between the two, and maybe only the officer knows for sure, but isn't it the case that all too often, what they cops are guilty of, is CRIMINAL profiling, or simply looking for the suspect?
