Profiling

[K191145]

Since this Zimmerman/Martin case started I was thinking about the issue of profiling. I think it's in our instinctive nature to profile people, I do it often, sometimes it's about race and sometimes it's not. I am pretty sure that now most of us will profile a group of blacks standing around somewhere as angry and ready to mess with a white person so you and I will probably avoid them in some way, I don't think that's racist or an irrational fear but just being cautious with all the tension going on lately. But, the other day I profiled a group (3) of young white dudes at a Dollar General as possible punks because of their dress and vehicles which is kinda funny because the way I dress can be profiled as redneck by some. When I was in high school I had long hair and wore rock band t-shirts and drove a 72 Duster, one day I was pulled over by a Cheatham Co. deputy for going 4 mph over the limit and I know it was less, he checked my D.L. and even reached in my car and looked in my ash tray and looked around inside my car, i'm sure he was profiling me as a pot head. No ticket, he just wanted to see if I had pot in the car because of the way I looked, and friends of mine were profiled in the same way back then, I didn't like it but now I can understand it a little. I just wish they had a better reason to pull people over. I also saw some scraggly looking dude not long ago walking up the street towards my driveway when I was going to the store, I went down the street a little and turned around and came back home, he was just walking up the street but to me he looked the profile as someone up to no good, he was also white.

I think people who get all bent out of shape when they hear about profiling someone because of the way they look profile to a certain degree themselves, I do believe it's natural and at least to me it's more about someones appearance than their race although i'm avoiding groups of young black males for a while.

Edited July 16, 2013 by K191145

[Caster]

If the biggest majority of a certain type of people didn't act like animals they wouldn't get a blanket assessment as such.

If so many muzzies weren't backward murdering douche bags, maybe they wouldn't be judged as all bad. The same goes for everyone else. Soon many white folk are gun and Bible clinging traditionalists. So, most are viewed the same. I AM one so I'm perfectly fine with being profiled as such. Maybe if most people in the ghetto and government housing had a job, didn't lay up and have 9 kids for social welfare to support and didn't steal or sell crack, we wouldn't view them all as such.

It is what it is. If the world doesn't like that, too damn bad. Edited July 16, 2013 by Caster

[peejman]

Profiling works, period.  Stereotypes exist because they're true more often than not.  It's a perfectly logical and reasonable way to filter a large group of people.  I know we're told "not to judge a book by it's cover", but I don't consider that applicable when dealing with the masses. 

[Caster]

I know we're told "not to judge a book by it's cover", but I don't consider that applicable when dealing with the masses.

A lot of books have the plot synopsis writ on the back cover if one is smart enough to just look.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

There is nothing wrong with profiling. Every human being has something built in to his brain: bias. It's how he chooses to live. He makes choices on that bias. Take it another step. When there is a problem, and that problem is being caused primarily by a certain group, most of the time, you have to choose something before you drag everyone in and question them about their whereabouts. A cop has to rule out groups based on the evidence he has.

 

Are you going to question everyone about an event when some blue person is part of the evidence? If all the grey folks are questioned, it just wastes time and is just a distraction. Take it to terrorism or inner city crime. There is evidence that shows one group of people that causes a high percentage of the crime, but unless there is evidence to dispute it, the cop has to use tools like profiling to get to the criminal. It is what it is.

 

Evil minds say it is racist and unjust. They are looking for a solution that doesn't have a problem. In other words, they are trying to make something out of nothing. Look at the TSA to see evidence of it when they frisk some little girl standing in line with her mother to board an airplane. Total waste of time and poor police work.

 

Orwellian crap is replacing common sense, all too often.

Edited July 16, 2013 by 6.8 AR

[Hershmeister]

Perhaps a better term would be situational awareness. When you notice things that are out of place from the norm, it gets your attention. Cal it whatever you will, but all humans do it - ever have a child loudly ask you "why is that man so fat" or some other publicly embarrassing question? That's because the child noticed something unusual enough to warrant attention.

Of course, noticing unusual behaviors or other things outside the norm of what one expects to see is not a license to be a racist. At the same time it's foolishness to not pay attention.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

But that isn't racism. Racism is a made up word to explain away someone's poor excuse of his own or someone

else's behavior. It's intention is primarily to divide and conquer the masses. Now, if you want to use NAZI Germany

and Hitler's hatred of Jews, I would describe that as pure evil and leave the racism out of that, also. Of course, I

see the racism of the KKK the same way. I just think racism is an overused word that comes from anyone evil.

 

My bias is intact, and always will be. I don't hate anyone until they give me a reason to. The argument of racism,

used along with profiling is bogus, as far as I'm concerned, until it is shown to be used to divide people with some

other motivation, like control. Then, if you want to call it racism, it is only evil.

 

But I don't accept the word racism as it is used. Too opportunistic.

[Guest Emtdaddy1980]

I profile everyday. It would be foolish not to.

[jgradyc]

Everyone profiles... period.

 

The profiling allegedly done in the GZ case was racial profiling, but I submit that it is the total of everything we see that results in profiling.

 

Had GZ seen someone only from the back who was not walking with purpose, looking in windows, cutting across yards, wearing a hoodie, and wearing baggy pants, he would probably have reacted the same way.

 

Profiling is one of those words in the English language that has become "bad," but it really isn't bad unless the profile is based on discrimination based on race, ethnicity, etc.

Edited July 16, 2013 by jgradyc

[Guest 6.8 AR]

And the allegation was proven false by the phone records.

[Chucktshoes]

. Edited July 16, 2013 by Chucktshoes

[BigK]

There's an interesting show on one of the "make you smarter" channels called Brain Games. One of the things they demonstrate uses a series of 100 pictures of random things. They cycle through them rapidly and ask what images stuck in your mind. Hardly anything did.

 

The next time they cycle through about every 10th or 15th pic is a spider or a snake. You "see" them and only them regardless of how fast they cycle the pics. Their explanation is that the brain is awesome at identifying threats. Our brains have "learned" that spiders and snakes are dangerous and it is constantly scanning for them via our subconscious.

 

Similarly, we learn to tell a friendly dog from one that is more likely to bite using visual cues and behavior markers. I see some types of profiling the same way. A guy in a hoodie lurking in a dark alley is way scarier than a guy in a 3-pc suit in that same dark alley.

Edited July 16, 2013 by BigK

[K191145]

I profile everyday. It would be foolish not to.

 

It prevents you from walking down a dark ally with 5 people loitering at the end of it.

[K191145]

 

 

Similarly, we learn to tell a friendly dog from one that is more likely to bite using visual cues and behavior markers. I see some types of profiling the same way. A guy in a hoodie lurking in a dark alley is way scarier than a guy in a 3-pc suit in that same dark alley.

 

I would think there was something wrong with a guy in a 3 piece suit hanging around a dark alley too, I might profile him as a mafia hit man. :)

I have worn a hoodie when it was "COLD" but not for style, i've seen people wearing hoodies when it was 80 degrees outside, it just makes me believe they are trying to hide their face.

[Guest Emtdaddy1980]

It prevents you from walking down a dark ally with 5 people loitering at the end of it.

Exactly

[Just2Honor]

It may be called profiling but it's really common sense.   If blue-eyed, 5'2", blond white women committed the majority of bank robberies wouldn't it be common sense for a bank to be concerned when a blue-eyed, 5'2" blond white women walked in their door?   People need to get over PC quit worrying about hurting somebody's feelings  and use common sense!

[Dennis1209]

You are who I think you are until you prove me wrong. Served me well for 60 years now.

[Guest Bonedaddy]

Right or wrong, profiling is necessary for longevity of life. I hope they all think I'm a redneck, personally.

[Dustbuster]

there is no such thing as profiling. Having enough sense to reasonably believe something isnt right is called making an educated guess or observation

 

its like asking the fat red headed kid in your 8th grade class who farted........no one will fess up, but it will happen again....thats an educated guess.....because u will see it again and this wont be the last of it....<efg>

Edited July 16, 2013 by Dustbuster

[RichardR]

The outlawing of, or at least making a pariah out of anyone who dares employ a bit of common sense is necessary in order to "fundamentally transform" America. into it's new & improved 2.0 version.

No tin foil required, as only someone of Osterich-American ancestry would deny it at this point.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

I'm a geezer with burr haircut and I dress redneck.

 

On the other hand I profile certain rednecks the most. Strange as it may seem, in my younger days I was physically attacked or threatened with physical violence by random redneck strangers, just minding my own business out in public, on several occasions. But I can't at the moment recall ever being accosted or threatened by a black feller. So it is "experienced based" profiling. :) Rednecks have been a better-proven real-world threat in my life.

 

Not that I am especially trusting of random strangers of any stripe. I keep my eyes open about most everybody. Particularly young males. Well, that may be experience-based as well, as I don't recall being accosted by any geezers.

 

I heavily profile men in fancy suits. They want you to give em hard-earned money, so they can "invest" it and pay back later with interest. Seriously untrustworthy. Getting your butt kicked by some random redneck is one thing, but getting stolen blind by some guy in a fancy suit is another thing entirely. The skin heals quicker than the bank account. :) Also all those politicians and preachers in fancy suits.

 

But I try to be cordial to everybody until I'm proved wrong, which so far has worked out purt well.

Edited July 16, 2013 by Lester Weevils

[BigK]

I would think there was something wrong with a guy in a 3 piece suit hanging around a dark alley too, I might profile him as a mafia hit man. :)

 

OMG...that's too funny. All I could think about when I was reading it was this scene in Men In Black where Will Smith shoots little Tiffany instead of the monsters.

 

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRXNNqNfQBs[/media]

Edited July 16, 2013 by BigK

[Guest Emtdaddy1980]

[quote name="Dustbuster" post="1001070" timestamp="1374007re is no such thing as profiling. Having enough sense to reasonably believe something isnt right is called making an educated guess or observation

its like asking the fat red headed kid in your 8th grade class who farted........no one will fess up, but it will happen again....thats an educated guess.....because u will see it again and this wont be the last of it....<efg>[/quote]



I laughed so hard when I read this THAT I FARTED, and then I blamed it on the baby with reddish hair.

[Guest ThePunisher]

I would think there was something wrong with a guy in a 3 piece suit hanging around a dark alley too, I might profile him as a mafia hit man. :)
I have worn a hoodie when it was "COLD" but not for style, i've seen people wearing hoodies when it was 80 degrees outside, it just makes me believe they are trying to hide their face.

I suspect in the very near future, lots of people will be wearing hoodies to keep the government knowing their every step.

[K191145]

I suspect in the very near future, lots of people will be wearing hoodies to keep the government knowing their every step.

I have several ski masks I might start wearing, wonder if Walmart customers would profile me.