I don't see profiling as being all that bad and have a couple examples I have used over the years that justify it to me. One is from my younger dumber days when I was getting high all the time in college. I took a co-worker home after work and was taking main roads around the edge of the city to avoid majority of red lights when my truck broke down. Instead of walking the route I intended to take I took the direct route and cut through a very ritzy part of town. I intentionally left anything illegal in my truck because I expected to be stopped if a cop saw me walking that area at 2am (dressed all in black with extremely long hair) because I obviously didn't fit the profile of someone living in that area.
The other example I share is about a neighborhood near where I work. It's a 100% black area. It's my belief that if a cop sees a white guy there after dark that they should expect to get pulled over because they are either involved in something they shouldn't be or they are lost and in danger. As with my other example, kinda obvious that they don't fit the profile of who lives there. Granted they could be just visiting a friend and all but must of the people I know that live there will honestly tell you to not be there after dark if you don't live there because it's an extremely rough place
I don't see profiling as being all that bad and have a couple examples I have used over the years that justify it to me. One is from my younger dumber days when I was getting high all the time in college. I took a co-worker home after work and was taking main roads around the edge of the city to avoid majority of red lights when my truck broke down. Instead of walking the route I intended to take I took the direct route and cut through a very ritzy part of town. I intentionally left anything illegal in my truck because I expected to be stopped if a cop saw me walking that area at 2am (dressed all in black with extremely long hair) because I obviously didn't fit the profile of someone living in that area.
ReplyDeleteThe other example I share is about a neighborhood near where I work. It's a 100% black area. It's my belief that if a cop sees a white guy there after dark that they should expect to get pulled over because they are either involved in something they shouldn't be or they are lost and in danger. As with my other example, kinda obvious that they don't fit the profile of who lives there. Granted they could be just visiting a friend and all but must of the people I know that live there will honestly tell you to not be there after dark if you don't live there because it's an extremely rough place
If you see a tiger on the loose, it is unwise to approach it while calling out "Nice kitty..."
ReplyDeleteProfiles and stereotypes exist because they serve a useful purpose and many are more likely accurate than not.