I wish people like Ms. Freidrich would realize that racial profiling is not something that should be valued and encouraged in this country. I’m not denying that we live in trying times and yes, national security is of the utmost importance. However, it is also important to view our history as a lesson. Our government has singled out a race, nationality or religion as a basis for persecution too many times. Just because we made a mistake in the past, doesn’t mean we should do the same now, or in the future. Nowhere does our judicial system say “guilty until proven innocent”. In fact, it says quite the opposite.
Ms. Freidrich, mentioned that has Swede with blue eyes and blonde hair had something to to do with the WTC attack than that’s who we would racially profile. I tend to disagree because of these blatant facts. Most serial killers our white males over 35. Timothy McVeigh, the man responsible for the Oklahoma City Bombing was white and Christian. Most blue-collar crime is done by white males. So pray tell, where is the racial profiling Ms. Freiderich? The answer may surprise you, it’s nonexistent.
Humans have a tendency to stereotype. We make judgments upon others based on their looks. That said, we also must realize that we cannot arrest anybody based purely on their race. That is simply implausible, and frankly, its racist. This false sense of security we lull ourselves into is what got us into the problem in the first place. If we want stronger security we need to look upon all people with the same degree of scrutiny.
In other terms, stereotyping can be analogous to crying wolf. We focus all of our attention on one ethnicity or race and we keep on accusing them of wrongdoing. However, when we finally do capture somebody that actually committed the crime, how likely is it that this person couldn’t get off on a technicality, such as racial profiling. This magnification lessen our efforts and makes us blind to others that are capable of crimes. Racial profiling is wrong. Don’t let yourself believe that it makes you safer. It doesn’t.
We live in a free nation. We allow KKK members, Communists, and religious extremists of all sorts, protest and let their voices heard. Why should we ostracize one type of person based on their creed, race, or ethnicity? That is not an UM value and it certainly is not an American one.
~ Shree Chaucan