In the history of humankind, it can be argued that racism is a relatively new term, created in the modern age when man discovered science. Using man’s abilities to understand the natural world he began to establish theories about species and how to classify and segregate living organisms. One of the most controversial ideas was related to race. According to both famous and non-famous people alike there are people destined to rule the world so to speak. They are the masters while others can be considered as inferior species. The concept of race was used to differentiate people through their physical characteristics. The negative implication of the analysis of physical characteristics led to racism. These negative attitudes include loathing and extreme detestation towards another human being. Thus, racial profiling in criminology must never be used.
One way to understand the origin and implications of racism can be achieved by analyzing standard definitions of concept related to the subject matter. Another helpful strategy is the analysis of analogies such as the way that a biologist can classify different types of animals and the way an art collector discriminates between different works of art, meaning it is highly subjective. Thus, before going any further it is imperative to look into a scholarly definition of the term racism. According to Webster’s II New College Dictionary here is the definition of the word racism: “The notion that one’s own ethnic stock is superior” (Webster, p.912). There is nothing scientific to it because it is a highly biased undertaking.
A lengthier definition comes from the Encyclopedia Britannica online and according to this site, it is also known as racialism:
any action, practice, or belief that reflects the racial worldview – the ideology that humans are divided into separate and exclusive biological entities called ‘races’, that there is a causal link between inherited physical traits and traits of personality, intellect, morality, and other cultural behavioral features, and that some races are innately superior to others (Smedley, p.1).
An overview of the definitions provided by two sources one can deduce that racism is a mindset, a belief system governed by the idea that humans were not created equal and can never be treated equal. There are groups of people that must be considered superior to others based on mere opinion alone. There is no scientific basis for this claim. It is convenient for others to simply say that “humans are divided into separate and exclusive biological entities called races” and thus human beings can be classified in the same way that a biologist can classify different types of animals (Smedley, p.1). However, there is no proof that can substantiate that claim
Another major consideration is the fact that this classification of human beings can only be made possible if the basis for classification is on physical characteristics. Consider for instance that the most common method of classification does not go beyond the color of the person’s skin or the shape of his nose. Others pretend to have a scientific approach by establishing the theory that racism is a byproduct of observing the behavioral tendencies of a group of people such as the propensity of some groups of people to violate laws of the land:
Almost everything we read and hear about young Black males focuses on the problems of crime, violence, drugs, teenage pregnancy, and poor academic achievement […] Millions of Americans daily see the faces of these young men on television and in newspapers, and to many these faces look angry or hopeless, communicating danger and intimidation (Hrabowski, p.204).
By looking at the physical characteristics and the religious as well as cultural differences one can easily ascertain that there are major differences in each group of people. But the classification must only be limited to ethnic and religious differences not race. A study of history can easily reveal the folly of classifying people, in ancient times there used to be a derogatory term that a rich and powerful civilization used to describe others. They call those who “cannot attain their level of sophistication as barbaric and they call citizens of neighboring countries whom they consider inferior to them as barbarians” (Smedley, p.1). But today the same theory cannot be proven scientifically speaking.
The way human beings are classified degrades their innate value as people. In other words, through the biased perspective of others, they are reduced to animals, in the same way that a biologist looks at the natural world. A scientist classifies animals and plants based on their physical characteristics but this is achieved through a rigorous scientific method that goes beyond the external characteristic of the flora and fauna. It must also be considered that slight difference does not force scientists to classify a red-colored butterfly as different from a yellow butterfly. These insects belong to the same family. It is therefore a dumbfounding experience to see humans classify other human beings as vastly different from them.
There are significant implications, “In North and apartheid South Africa, racism dictated that different ‘races’ should be segregated from one another, that they should have their own distinct communities and develop their own institution such as churches, schools, and hospitals, and that it was unnatural for members of two ‘separate races’ to intermarry” (Smedley, p.1) This gave rise to the aforementioned definition of race that others believe in the innate superiority of their race and as a result one group became the master of another. Racism led to grave abuses in authority and many people suffered as a result of oppression.
Racism is the main reason why there used to be apartheid in South Africa and segregation in the United States. In this perspective a classification scheme was developed not to judge animals but human beings. The classification scheme was not created to identify and appreciate the differences establish a wedge of separation. There was no clear basis for pigeonholing or stereotyping human beings into different classes or sub-species. Nevertheless, the system was perpetuated it benefited one group over others. The best example is slavery in America in the 17th century.
Although it is important to discover the error of racism in the time of the African American slaves, the same sociological problem resurfaced when it comes to the problem of terrorism and high-crime rates in the United States. The most problematic issue is the perception that Arabs and Muslims are behind all of the major attacks within the U.S. mainland. These new breed of terrorists are what security experts described as “an evolving threat” and many are in agreement that:
The modern domestic terrorist threat has adopted advanced organizational and operational techniques that make it increasingly insidious…terrorists from various groups have demonstrated an ability to work by themselves or in small groups… they can operate as ‘leaderless resistance,’ operating from general instructions or directive, perhaps spread via Web sites. Such small cells are difficult to detect and stop (Carafano & Sauter, p. 129-130).
The difficulty in apprehending these terrorists led to the idea of using more aggressive strategies. One of the ideas suggested is the use of racial profiling. In this manner law enforcement agencies can easily monitor the activities of particular groups of people. But based on the preceding discussion, racial profiling must not be considered as a legitimate part of the strategy used to capture criminals. According to legal minds of this country:
Racial profiling sends the dehumanizing message to our citizens that they are judged by the color of their skin and harms the criminal justice system by eviscerating the trust that is necessary if law enforcement is to effectively protect our communities (Muffler, p.41).
It is easy to understand the desperation felt by law enforcement agencies, especially when it comes to the use of guerrilla tactics by terror groups. There is also a level of frustration felt by the fact that there are observable characteristics of criminals. For instance it does not require a scientist to realize that prisons are filled with many African Americans and Latinos. There is disproportionate number of criminals based on the color of their skin. However, history has proven that this method of classification is not only morally wrong but without scientific basis.
Racial profiling must not become a part of law enforcement in this country. The abuses committed in the past are enough proof that racism should not be used. But a higher level of analysis would reveal that racism and racial profiling is morally wrong. There is no need to elaborate the fact that laws were created to protect the innocent and therefore no one can automatically presume guilt unless there is evidence to show that a person is guilty of a crime. Racial profiling is racism at its worst it must not be tolerated or even considered in the discussion of eradicating crime and preventing terror attacks.
Works Cited
Carafano, John and Michael Sauter. Homeland Security. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2005, Print.
Hrabowski, Freeman. Beating the Odds: Raising Academically Successful African American Males. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. Print.
Muffler, Steven. Racial Profiling. New York: Nova Science, 2006.
“Racism.” Webster’s II New College Dictionary. 2001. Web.