Let's end racial profiling

Racial profiling is the use of race or ethnicity as grounds for suspecting someone of having committed an offense, and it is a huge problem in America. People of color being grouped together under a derogatory stereotype because of the actions of a few is shameful, outdated, and based on falsehoods. People of color are perpetuated as dangerous and disrespectful while white people are thought to be victims. While some people disagree that falsehoods are used against people of color, there is evidence that shows otherwise. Our society has turned people of color into these dangerous monsters who victimize white people when they should be judging people--if they judge at all--based off their individual behavior and not the color of someone's skin.

To start I will point out that people of color are portrayed in the media as criminals, or something is dug up about them to make them seem like bad people even if what they did to be talked about wasn't a crime. When people of color commit a crime the media finds a way to throw them under a stereotype. For example, Sandra Bland, an African-American woman who was pulled over by a Texas state trooper, was remodeled as an angry black woman who was disrespecting authorities. Articles written about her used her mugshot instead of a school picture or a selfie she took herself, further skewing the public’s perception of her. The words used to describe people of color in the media also make them come across as the problem or as the threat; as an example the article shared on The Washington Post calls out Bill O'Reilly, a Fox News reporter, for this accusatory statement regarding Trayvon Martin: “ And that way is how “gangstas” look. And, therefore, he got attention. And the reason that culture has risen is because there are a lot of gangs. And they're violent and dress a certain way… He didn't do anything wrong, Trayvon Martin, but because he looked a certain way, he lost his life.” Basically, O’Reilly blamed Trayvon Martin's death on the mere fact that he was wearing a hoodie on a rainy night instead the man who pulled the trigger due to his own ignorant fear of young black boys. People of color are perceived as a threat in the media which in turn doesn't allow them to be victims or successful when written about in the media; people of color are not allowed to make mistakes in America and if they do it's blamed on being “a thug”, “a terrorist”, or “an immigrant”.

Minorities’ lives are affected by the way the media and the world present them. When it comes to getting jobs, getting on a plane, or even simply being pulled over, a person of color will have less of a chance getting through the situation smoothly, simply because of the heavy weight placed on their shoulders by society. Although racial profiling is illegal because it violates the 14th amendment, which asserts that Americans are subject to “equal protection” under the law, excuses are made to work around that. For example, Kimberly Houzah was kicked out of a Victoria's Secret store after another black woman was caught shoplifting. She told reporters that none of the white shoppers were asked to leave and that she was not given any reason as to why she had to leave, but it was easy to infer or feel that her race had something to do with it. . While the store did apologize and the manager who asked the black women to leave was fired, this just goes to show that in today's society people of color are still judged based on the color of their skin and other unchangeable differences rather than their own actions. Devah Pager, who analyzes racial elements in the job industry, says, “When people think of black men they think of criminals. It affects the way black men are treated in the labor market. In fact, black testers in our study were likely to be asked up front if they have a criminal record, while whites were rarely asked….” Based off this, one can conclude that racial profiling does indeed affect a person of color’s chances when it comes to doing simple things a white person wouldn't be questioned about.

The phrase “The former Stanford University swimmer bowed his head as he rushed past a crowd of reporters” was written in an article about Brock Turner, a man who was put behind bars for 3 months after raping an unconscious woman, so why should we label him as an ex-swimmer when he is no longer that ? Why did the judge choose to give him three months while a black man is jailed for years for a nonviolent offense? The answer is because he's white. As a white person, Brock turner is stereotypically the one losing the battle, the one whose future is at risk, the one whose life will be forever changed; the victim. Statistics from Devah Pager’s test shows that white people with a criminal record are more likely to be picked over an innocent black man. The media tends to victimize white people instead of holding them accountable for their actions which doesn't affect their lives when it comes to jobs, plane rides, or being pulled over. While racial profiling can affect anyone, it doesn't affect white people on the same level as a person of color.

Some people choose to believe that people of color's lives aren't affected by the racial profiling the media or claim that racism is a thing in the past completely. While it'd be nice to believe that, there's evidence that shows that is not the case. For example, the Muslim ban was just recently put into place because citizens in America want to put an end to terrorism, so they choose to group together all Muslims in order to decrease the chances of there being an attack. This shows that there is a terrorist stereotype placed on Muslims because of 9/11 and it affects their lives because they are not allowed to travel from the 7 countries now banned. It also helps to further my point that racism and racial profiling are still alive and people of color are experiencing it everyday.

Finally, it may be concluded that in the media, the job industry and everyday life people of color suffer the effects of racial profiling and as America, where all men are created equally, we should not judge based off of one's skin color. People of color should not be portrayed as dangerous criminals and white people should not be victimized either.