Is State Racial Profiling Fair?

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Racial profiling is move applied by law enforcemen...

Racial profiling is move applied by law enforcement agencies that involves discriminately associating a particular category people with criminal activities due to their social distinctions based on their ethnicity and race. It is imbedded in the procedure applied by the police within government institutions in carrying out routine checks (Hellman, 23). Racial profiling is used by law enforcers deployed to track down criminal activities on roads, airports, organizations among other. For instance, when carrying out checks the police are keener in scrutinizing people from African and Latino origins due to the stereotypical perception that paints them as criminal suspects. Unfortunately, many from these marginalized social groups have suffered unlawful discrimination, and incarcerations and deaths as a result.

I argue based on a social perspective and condemn all acts of racial profiling by the state. That is a creation of stereotypes meant to breed hatred, social stratification, and contempt among members of the society. It is simply unlawful.

Racial profiling is illusive and morally distressing to both individuals and groups (Hellman, 56). Furthermore, it is an extension of historical ills such as slavery, oppression and the ideology of white supremacy. Racial profiling is a selfish move in the quest for absolute power propagated through oppression, usury, and corruption. Unfortunately, the plight is selective, targeting the Blacks, Hispania’s, Asians, and Caribbean people who are considered as lesser races. These groups face discrimination when it comes to assessing of social amenities, political positions, and economic positions equitably.

There is no better side to this social injustice, which is a double lose situation for both the victim and the propagator. For the victims, it inculcates the vice of hatred and thirst for revenge resulting from being shunned and isolated by the masses. The propagator, on the other hand, taps into the vice of corruption and is subject to a selfishness curse that will trickle down to his generations. In support, Goffman writings state, “… Racial profiling results in victimization, and misguided attitudes on personal and professional abilities of others, it limits the thinker’s thoughts to fixed discriminative judgement”(Hellman, 27).  Thus, the concept is retarded and illogical.

Data collection and surveys are among the primary methods used to classify and appreciate the existing social differences among individuals in the society. They are indeed useful in state developmental agendas such as budgeting, improving health, carrying out analysis on births, deaths, immigration among others. Nonetheless, data collection may be subject to bias, and manipulation from the media, corrupt individuals, and may be used to orchestrate the ills of racial profiling (Hellman, 163). Hellman emphasizes on the Equal Protection Clause that serves to protect the society against such misguided and discriminative classification of people (178).  Discriminative classification rather racial profiling has only caused our society pain, agony, stigmatization of its members and division. A stand against racial profiling is a stand for unity and equity.

I conclude by stressing by displeasure against racial profiling by the state as supported by Hellman’s through writings. I deem it an injustice which goes against our constitution and the human rights that require equal and fair treatment of all citizens regardless of race. It is a barbaric, unethical, stereotypical, and selfish thought that should be banished from the democratic society. Instead, we should embrace equity through fair treatment of all individuals despite social differences.