Discrimination or sensible profiling?

[sp1814]

There are many people calling for Muslims and blacks to be targetted for searches because of their ethnicity (recently highlighted in an article on the Daily Mail - "My White Middle-Aged Wife Doesn't Look Like A Terrorist').

Whatever the rights or wrongs with that - should BA treat all men like potential paedophiles?

http://www.dailymail....en-like-perverts.html

Are the comments from the Mail readership on the link fair, or are they being a bit hypocritical?

[anotheoldgit]

/// What we, though, cannot afford to do is to stereotype people for, after all, what does a terrorist really look like? If we knew that, we wouldn't have a problem, would we? ///

Stereotyping is a very useful time saving activity when reducing the number of persons likely to commit or to have committed a crime.

For example if a White Irishman has been witnessed hanging around outside a bar, that was later destroyed by a bomb, it would in the early stages of the investigation be pointless looking for a Black Nigerian female.

[Seadragon]

Ahms, I think Oldgit has shown his connection well. The question has he states can connect to terrorists not only from the title but the first paragraph. In fact the word 'terrorist' is used so potentially the question is broad.

And whether you think profiling works or not, it is seen as justifiable in a civilised democracy as the criminal profiler Paul Britton showed. (The Jigsaw Man) But then, in other areas such as stopping a black youth in a car is not considered sensible profiling, that could be construed as simply an abuse of power?

To profile potential terrorists is controversial however as your link demonstrates by the shoe-bomber being white, then the black Christmas day bomber and the 9/11 Asian ones. The only connection is Islamic Fundamentalists and the only way those are profiled is by their prior activities - One way tickets, transferring funds etc.

[ludwig]

It's an interesting question. I don't know whether sexual abuse of minors perpetrated by males on aeroplanes is a common problem or not. BA probably have some evidence that it is, in which case it sounds like a sensible precaution.
What is wrong about the incident is that they told the man to move away from his wife. Why didn't they move the kid? No wonder BA are in the sh1t really. I wish him well in his court case.

[Seadragon]

No Ahms I think you're missing the point. Firstly I'm not in favour either way. I just said that profiling is being used in other areas, some may argue 'successfully'?. In relation to terrorism it is controversial because how do you profile as my post suggests. Not all Islamist fundamentalists wear beards or are of the same skin colour. So I don't understand why you use that example in your above post of 'White C of E' etc.