Racial Profiling: Reasons and Solutions

He walked down the street, looking at the surroundings of the beautiful city that he was in. On this cold day in Chicago, he wore some baggy pants and a hoodie to cover up from blistering cold winds that made his body shiver. As he walked down the street, he caught a few glimpses of people looking at him. A white lady, maybe around her 20s, walked passed him, and he could see her hands squeeze tightly onto the Channel bag that she was holding. Suddenly, as if a pretty girl walked into a room, everyone who he walked passed started acting different. The car door locking, the sudden motion of a man keeping his phone in their pocket, and the occasional police officer precariously putting their coffee down after making eye contact with him. Everything in the city now seemed dull and pessimistic to, like the rancorous emotions he felt towards everyone in the city who just discriminated him.

When you meet a person, you immediately to start to form an impression of them in your mind. This first impression lasts for a long time, and it does not usually easily succumb to change. It just so happens that the first impression of someone that you make is based off appearance. This frothy way of forming impressions based on looks can be deceiving and beguiling. A big part of what in influences these thoughts, positive or negative, is the media. The impressions that is posted on the news, and on social platforms change how we might feel about certain types of people. As a community, we are all in the movement to stop racial profiling, and to stop certain stereotypes about other people, but how can we actually do that?

Racial profiling is a sad yet common phenomenon that happens in daily life. This unfortunate event happens on a daily basis. A former black NFL wide receiver Nate Burleson, mentioned in his podcast that he has had experience with racial profiling, and how he was treated for being a black person. “You are very well spoken” was one of the comments that he was told when he met with a member of the public during an event. Now, many might take this for a compliment, but not Nate. Nate, being black football player, felt offended by these comments. He felt that this person created a stereotype for him, supposing that he was a ‘common black person’, and felt surprised by his formal manner that Nate presented.

Another example of racial profiling is the amount of times that black people have been pulled over. Based on a report by the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, 46% of drivers and bikers in Chicago who were stopped were black, even though black people only make up 32% of Chicago’s population. This might suggest that the black people from Chicago might be targeted more, intentionally or unintentionally, by the mainly white police force that can be found in Chicago. In the same report, it is said that 3 out of 4 searches on the drivers or bikers, white people who were pulled over were more likely to be carrying a contraband item compared to black people. So why has the Chicago Police Force have numbers as high as 46% for the pull over rate for black people, even though white people have been proven to have a higher chance of having illicit items in their car? This issue about racial profiling when driving has become such a large issue, even the President of the United States, Barack Obama has addressed this. He said that he himself has been pulled over for no particular reason in Chicago, before he became the president.

But why do people profile black people? Some people feel threatened by black people they see, sometimes locking their car doors, or people holding onto their bags tighter. Based on a survey done by David L Goetsch, a retired college Vice President and professor of business and political science, most white people, both male and female, do not feel threatened by all black people, but only certain black people. A black man with baggy pants, a hoodie, tattoos and a strong attitude seemed to be factors that made these people feel threatened or uneasy. Therefore, it wasn’t their skin colour that made them feel threatened, it was their attire.

So why do people still associate badly with black people? This due to the media, and its effects on us. Mainstream media that says racial profiling is a branch of racism is complicit in that people of a certain demeanor are criminals. It is unfortunately true that the media, either intentionally or unintentionally, portray and report stereotypes about black people. With the average American using the television for about 5 hours daily and 75% of Americans believing what they see on the television, these numbers might be the reason why racial profiling has escalated into such a large problem.

But how can we stop this behaviour of racial profiling? The first step should be addressing the issue, and letting the people who are being discriminated against that actions will be taken. The next step that could be taken is reducing the publicity of black people doing wrong things, but increasing publicity of black people doing good things. In a paper written by Professor Jonah Berger from the Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania, he explains about bad publicity and its impacts. “When a rumor circulated that McDonald’s used worm meat in its hamburgers, sales decreased by more than 25%.” This offers evidence of how all the negative publicity can harm how people view black people. Reducing the amount of coverage on these events could reduce the stereotypes about black people, and how people view them. We should also have a positive and open mindset towards black people, or anyone who is being discriminated. Instead of picking on the wrongs they did, and saying something like,“Watch where you’re going!”, you could highlight what they did well, and pay them a compliment, like, “Thanks for using your turn signals when you changed lanes”. Simple words like this can make a whole world of difference, and will help to break down the walls of racial profiling.




Sources:

"Analysis: Major Racial Disparities In Chicago, Illinois Police Traffic Stops."Analysis: Major Racial Disparities In Chicago, Illinois Police Traffic Stops. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.

Lafraniere, Sharon, and Andrew W. Lehren. "The Disproportionate Risks of Driving While Black." The New York Times. The New York Times, 24 Oct. 2015. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.

Lavender, Paige. "Obama Talks About His Own Experience With Racial Profiling." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2015

"Mr. President Could There Be Other Reasons for Racial Profiling? - Patriot Update." Patriot Update. N.p., 31 July 2013. Web. 24 Nov. 2015..

Ashkenas, Jeremy, and Haeyoun Park. "The Race Gap in America’s Police Departments." The New York Times. The New York Times, 02 Sept. 2014. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.

Dr. Mirko Janc (Tech Typeset) 427 1999 Feb 15 15:33:29. Positive Effects of Negative Publicity (n.d.): n. pag. Jonahberger. Jonah Berger. Web.