Racism, Profiling, and Stereotyping

I think I will tackle a subject everyone steers clear of. Let's talk about racism, profiling, and stereotyping. My goodness, where to begin. These are good subjects, and sure to start an argument when discussed in a group. I mean any group too, not just some bigot accidentally seated with a bunch of liberals at dinner. I myself am not racist. I am not bigoted against anybody in particular. That disclaimer will of course prove to half my audience that I am. There is no defense against it, so I will get it done with early. That out of the way, I will admit to disliking a lot of people of varying persuasions. Not because they are one thing or another, but because they behave unacceptably based on commonly accepted standards of behavior in civilized society.

I have no patience with rude people. Rudeness covers a wide variety of societies ills. From robbing banks, shooting guns around other people's homes, or leaving your stupid hat on in a restaurant. I am also not fond of those less than intelligent souls who ride around with one of those decals showing a little boy urinating on a Ford, or Chevy Logo. Right up there with that group are the people with more speaker than car, if you know what I mean. You might say that I am prejudiced against all of the above, and many more that you might agree with. Unless of course you are one of those undesirables. It is my right to be judgmental. You should be too. We need more judgment, and a less acceptance of all the activities we have been told to live with, in order to preserve somebody's right to be a pain. We have been conditioned to look at bad behavior as normal so as not to offend anyone. Let's preserve the bums self esteem at any cost. We are instructed to look the other way, or be labeled as close minded and judgmental, racist, and homophobic. Heaven forbid, that you should actually tell someone that what they are doing is wrong!
Before moving on, let's get some definitions straight. There are only three races. Caucasian, Negro, and Mongoloid. Some experts claim Eskimo as a fourth race, but most agree it is a subset of Mongoloid. There is no English , German, or American Race. Those are nationalities, not races. Dual nationality is legitimate if you were born in England, and later moved here to become an American Citizen, while maintaining your British Citizenship. Then you could honestly claim to be English-American. But, if you were born here, you are an American. You have no more claim to being English slash something than I do. Likewise, being black does not automatically make you African. Somebody in your family may have been at one time, but you aren't, unless you moved here from Kenya. So if a black person wanted to correctly identify themselves by nationality and race, the correct term would have to be American-Negro, not African - American. Today people act as if Negro is a bad word. It isn't. It is simply the correct biological term for one of the three major races of the world. You can't change that by pretending the correct term does not exist. Or because people don't like the sound of it, because it reminds them of another word frequently used as a slur.

A major misconception about racism in general, is that it is a "Southern Thing". Not so. It's not a white thing either. Racism exist equally and perhaps more aggressively in the black community, but for some reason it is not news when a black leader says something outrageous. You have to be non black to win the racism badge. That seems to be the main reason outrageous behavior in many black communities is ignored. There are people who claim that a black man can't be a racist. The logic escapes me, but some people actually think that way.

The proof is all around us. Black organizations think it is OK to cater only to blacks. What would happen if I tried to put a network on cable and called it "White Entertainment Television"? Why just suggesting such a thing will win a racism badge. Yet, no one thinks that BET is guilty of discrimination. Why not? How many adds featuring "whitey" do you see in Ebony Magazine?

A couple years ago in our city, a police officer was shot five times. Let that sink in a second. Five times is what I said. Somehow he managed to return fire, and killed the young hoodlum responsible. What do you suppose the comments were from the community? Some of course said it was racial. They talked as if the officer got out of bed that morning intent on just shooting a black kid. Some questioned why he didn't just shoot the kid in the leg, as if the cop was wrong for using deadly force. He was shot five times remember. Not one member of that neighborhood stood up and said the young man was wrong, and should not have under any circumstances shot at a police officer. Instead a group of losers set fire to another police car. Unbelievable ! Why are the civic leaders, pastors, and church deacons silent? Or worse, seen defending the punk as if someone else caused his problems. No one wants to stand up and say that it is unacceptable for fear of being labeled an Uncle Tom. Ridiculous. When a group of people represents only 13 percent of the entire population, yet commits 48% of the violent crime, it is time to stop crying racism and look into the behavior of the group. Pointing out bad behavior is not racist, and it is time to start demanding higher standards from the black community. I think we don't speak up, only to avoid being labeled as a bigot.
I am also tired of the cry that slavery and society caused these brats to break the law. For 40 years we have seen to it that every child in this country has a free education provided for them . We provide free rides to and from school, and even provide free breakfast and lunch because some parents are too sorry to get up and fix meals for their children. Now I understand we even provide meals at some schools in the summer. My god, the parents should be hauled of to jail and the kids given to someone who would accept the responsibility to feed and discipline them. The problems of 200 years ago have long since been left behind. It is time to quit using them has an excuse for not accepting responsibility for your own performance. The tools for success have been provided free of charge. If people chose not to use them it is their own fault, not some ancient ancestor, and certainly not mine.
I was born and raised in the north, and I have lived in the south all of my adult life. I can tell you that neither location has a lock on racism. After witnessing black and white behavior in both places, I can affirm unequivocally that the people in the south actually mingle more, and are more comfortable with each other, than our northern cousins. Perhaps it is due to the length of time the races have been together in the south that accounts for this. Even though a large portion of that time was during a slave culture, it is still time that was spent on common ground, developing an understanding of each other. Many black and white families have known each other for several generations in the south. This familiarity is lost in the big cities of the north.

Some of the blacks in the south never moved far from the farms their ancestors worked as slaves. Some even maintained contact with the descendants of slave owners, or with other whites who bought farms in the area. This contact was maintained through the trading of cows, hay, horses, mules, chickens and farm implements of all kinds. These things are still bought and bartered for between the races due to necessity, which has resulted in many of these people becoming friendly with each other over the years.

My father in law lives in rural Alabama and farms a couple hundred acres. He has many black neighbors and acquaintances that he sees regularly. He is 83 years old, and knows everybody far and wide, and they know him. If someone needs to borrow a set of discs, or buy a bale of hay, or get some help with a sick cow, they will call on each other with no regard to race. The only deciding factor is who has the hay for sale, or who can help with the cow. I don't mean to imply that they regularly socialize, but they do communicate and help one another, and yes even socialize on occasion. Usually a church outing of some kind, but that still counts. This commonality of purpose, and sharing of old home places does not exist in the north. You rarely here someone in Boston ask, "How's your momma n em?"
One of the interesting things about racism that is common to all races is stereotyping. This is the blanket assignment of behaviors to a race, with the understanding that they all take part in that behavior. It's just the way it is as they say. White country boys like racing, rasslin, trucks with big tires, and beer. Stereotyping? Yes, but true.

The really curious thing about stereotyping is that for an activity to become so widely known that it can be classified as stereotypical behavior, it must have more than a little truth to it. If not, no one would know about it, and it could not become a stereotype for the group in question. Most groups fight any image of stereotyping, proclaiming loudly to the world in general the unfairness of it all. Me thinks they doth protest to much. It has been my experience that the German people do indeed like beer and sausages. Blacks really do like fried food and watermelon. Well, actually so do I. Also, there really are a lot of red headed Irish girls named Mary Kate with fathers who drink too much. Why these images have become a bad thing, I can't imagine. Somehow over time, certain customs and traits have taken on an undesirable character of their own. There is no merit to it, but there it is. Usually the undesirable nature of the stereotype is more perception than anything else. Some folks are so sensitive that they deliberately avoid being associated with the trait or custom that made their group famous. I have heard a black co-worker say that he was literally embarrassed to go in a store and actually buy a watermelon. The ordeal of putting a big green melon on the counter for all to see would just be too much to endure. So rather than enjoy a good summer-time treat, he avoids any connection with it. What a shame.

Another common complaint of several groups is racial profiling. This is a form of stereotyping where again, certain behaviors are attributed to different nationalities, races, or age groups, usually by law enforcement personnel. The ironic part is, like any stereotype, it is based on past experience learned over many years. In other words, there is more than a little truth to the profile.
If Hispanic male youths in an area consistently commit 95% of the crime in the area, it would not be unusual for a police officer to suspect any young Hispanic males out late riding around town as potential law breakers. I can tell you from my own experience that four young hoodlums riding around after midnight are up to no good. Or at the very least, they are putting themselves in harms way. I would have grave concerns about any officer of the law who could not spot trouble looking for a place to happen. I am aware that on occasion this will result in an innocent person being pulled over. When I was young and out at two in the morning, I was pulled over several times myself. So what? I am 62 now, and have finally learned not to be out riding around at two in the morning. No good can come of it.

I would feel the same way about my son, if he regularly came home after the hour I specified for him to be here. I would also suspect that the people he hung around with were in the habit of ignoring parental direction, and therefore not suitable company.

What is so strange about that. It is profiling at its best. Would that make it true of all his friends? No it wouldn't, but it would be in a parents best interest to look into it, and see what was going on. Much like the police officer who stops someone because in his experience they fit the overall "profile" of someone who is likely up to mischief. I would question his skill and common sense if he didn't . Profiling, is just experience put to use. A parent who doesn't take the time to do a little profiling will leave the door open for really big trouble to find the way in. An officer who doesn't use profiling will likely be killed while ignoring his best instincts.

The same goes for drug dealers, or anyone else acting in a way that verifies and confirms stereotypical behavior related to the commission of certain crimes. I guarantee you this. When I see an older chevy with a fancy metallic paint job and bright shiny custom chrome wheels, and dark tinted windows, being driven around town late at night with several young men in it, I think drugs. Don't lie, you do too. Or at the very least, some kind of trouble looking for a place to happen. The sad fact is I have a better than even chance of being absolutely right. Did I always think like that about certain vehicle tell tale signs? No, of course not. I had to learn that relationship over the years by watching the news, observing the neighborhood, and actually seeing the same things happen over and over again. After a while, you begin to relate one set of facts to another, and a picture develops. Certain types really do cause all the trouble, and I don't mean racial types, just types. The people you instinctively move away from when you see them in a public place. They look like trouble, and for a good reason. They are trouble! When you get that feeling, you are experiencing an ancient instinct left over from our earliest time on earth. The animal in you still has the self preservation instinct, and the hairs on the back of your neck stiffen, your heart beats faster, and you know you should move away. Being able to recognize profiles has saved lives down through the ages.

Isn't it strange that the guilty are the ones who scream the loudest about stereo types and profiling. It is like saying, "Don't suspect me of anything because I am in the bank with a mask on, it isn't fair. You are only picking on me because all the other bank robbers you have seen wore masks too. I am being singled out unjustly, and you should leave me alone until I actually shoot the teller, and have had sufficient time to make an escape."

Exaggerated a little, but not too far off the mark. Some of the lawyers for our criminal types would have you believe that all their clients are innocent travelers who were stopped for no reason by the mean old police. They never tell you that the officers know these people by name, and have arrested them for numerous violations in the past. They parade through the revolving door of justice and are soon back out on the cops beat again. Of course they are suspect, and soon all their friends are too by association. How is a cop not to develop a profile when the same types keep showing up all the time.

What's the point of all this. I don't know really, just an essay on why we all think the way we do, and a belief that maybe it isn't exactly wrong to do a little profiling now and then. Who knows, you might just find a bad dude hiding behind those big speakers in the trunk. Remember, nothing good happens after midnight. Good little boys and girls are at home. Why aren't you?