Profiling

Please pause a moment, reflect back, and take
the following multiple choice test. (The events are actual events from
past history. They actually happened! Do you remember?)

1. In 1972 at the Munich Olympics, athletes were kidnapped and
massacred by:
A. Olga Corbutt
B. Sitting Bull
C. Arnold Schwartzeneger
D. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

2. In 1979, the U.S. Embassy in Iran was taken over by:
A. Lost Norwegians
B. Elvis
C. A tour bus full of 80-year-old women
D. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40.

3. During the 1980's a number of Americans were kidnapped in Lebanon
by:
A. John Dillinger
B. The King of Sweden
C. The Boy Scouts
D. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

4. In 1983, the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut was blown up by:
A. A pizza delivery boy
B. Pee Wee Herman
C. Kylie Minoque
D. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

5. In 1985 the cruise ship Achille Lauro was hijacked and a 70 year
old American passenger was murdered and thrown overboard in his
wheelchair by:
A. The Smurfs
B. Davy Jones & The Monkees
C. The Little Mermaid
D. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

6. In 1985 TWA flight 847 was hijacked at Athens, and a U.S. Navy
diver trying to rescue passengers was murdered by:
A. Captain Kid
B. Charles Lindberg
C. Mother Teresa
D. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

7. In 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 was bombed by:
A. Scooby Doo
B. The Tooth Fairy
C. Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid
D. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

8. In 1993 the World Trade Center was bombed the first time by:
A. Meatloaf
B. Grandma Moses
C. Michael Jordan
D. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

9. In 1998, the U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed by:
A. Tarzan
B. Hillary Clinton (to distract attention from Wild Bill' s women
problems)
C. The World Wrestling Federation
D. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

10. On 11 September 2001 four airliners were hijacked; two were used
as missiles to take out the World Trade Centres and of the remaining
two, one crashed into the US Pentagon and the other was diverted to
a crash by the passengers. Thousands of people were killed by:
A. Bugs Bunny, Wiley E. Coyote, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd
B. The Supreme Court of Florida
C. Mr. Bean
D. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

11. In 2002 the United States fought a war in Afghanistan against:
A. Lawrence of Arabia
B. The Lutheran Church
C. The NFL
D. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

12. In 2002 reporter Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and murdered by:
A. Bonny and Clyde
B. Ned Kelly
C. Billy Graham
D. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

13. In 2002 the Sari Nightclub in Kuta Beach, Bali, was blown up
killing 189 young mainly Australian tourists by:
A. The "Bundy" Polar Bear
B. Ho Chi Minh
C. Paul Keating
D. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

14. In July 2004, three London Underground trains and one London Bus
were suicide bombed by:
A. The Spice girls
B. The Beatles
C. The Four Tops
D. 4 'British' Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17
and 40


Nope, .........I really don't see a pattern here to justify
profiling, do you? So, to ensure democratic western Christian
civilisation never offends anyone - particularly fanatics intent on
killing us - airport security screeners will no longer be allowed to
profile (or target)certain people. They must only conduct random
searches of 80-year-old women, people in wheelchairs, little kids,
Airline pilots with proper identification, Secret Service agents who
are members of the U.S.President's security detail, 85-year old
World War II veterans with metal hips, and Boy Scout groups. They
must never "target" a turbanwearing 17 to 40 year old male who
appears to have a suspicious package tied around his body. This
would be unjustified discrimination!

Ok, I see your point.

Over the last hundred years, many atrociites have been commited. Which of these ethnic groups is 100% innocent?

1) White European
2) White US
3) Black
4) Asian
5) Oriental
6) None of the above: if you look hard enough you will find that anyone is capable of an atrocity, it depends more on people than on nationality or ethnic grouping.


The trouble with profiling, even when it has some basis in "fact" (the fact that Muslim's are a religious group and not a race, and therefore can't be racially profiled, and that they don't wear turbans (that's sikhs) is beside the point) makes it very easy for an ethnic group to feel discriminated against (after all, they are!) and therefore causes law-abiding people to feel victimised, creating more animosity from this ethnic group and consequently more potential terrorists. At the very least, profiling provides more fuel for extremists to say "look at the racism of the West".

How would you feel if, during the times when the UK was being bombed by the IRA, all white people flying into or out of another country were being searched? Wouldn't make sense, would it?

Originally Posted by Pigbunk

Ok, I see your point.

Over the last hundred years, many atrociites have been commited. Which of these ethnic groups is 100% innocent?

1) White European
2) White US
3) Black
4) Asian
5) Oriental
6) None of the above: if you look hard enough you will find that anyone is capable of an atrocity, it depends more on people than on nationality or ethnic grouping.


The trouble with profiling, even when it has some basis in "fact" (the fact that Muslim's are a religious group and not a race, and therefore can't be racially profiled, and that they don't wear turbans (that's sikhs) is beside the point) makes it very easy for an ethnic group to feel discriminated against (after all, they are!) and therefore causes law-abiding people to feel victimised, creating more animosity from this ethnic group and consequently more potential terrorists. At the very least, profiling provides more fuel for extremists to say "look at the racism of the West".

How would you feel if, during the times when the UK was being bombed by the IRA, all white people flying into or out of another country were being searched? Wouldn't make sense, would it?

It was meant tounge in cheek and not too offend...a bit of light heartedness

[Stu]

Originally Posted by Pigbunk

How would you feel if, during the times when the UK was being bombed by the IRA, all white people flying into or out of another country were being searched? Wouldn't make sense, would it?

Ask a white male with an Irish accent how they were treated - Am I wrong?

Originally Posted by Pigbunk

How would you feel if, during the times when the UK was being bombed by the IRA, all white people flying into or out of another country were being searched? Wouldn't make sense, would it?

Just to play the devil's whatsit... I honestly wouldn't mind that happening. I have to fly overseas quite a lot with work, and granted the security measures of late would be a serious pain in the a**e, but it's only a delay. Work are also in the middle of getting some of our clients to sign world wide licences, which would mean even more time spent overseas.

If I was ever in the situation (however rare it might be) that a group of passengers made the airline take the decision to refuse me entry to a plane, my response would be "OK, well, you have a choice, I don't mind every single possession of mine - including my clothes - being searched thoroughly if it means I get THAT plane - however delayed that be, or you can find me another plane to my destination, and the airline can incurr my business expenses, you choose." (when I'm overseas, we get paid an hourly rate, 24hours a day from when we arrive at the airport to go there, until when we arrive back in a UK airport - all checked by the airline times)

But the above paragraph really belongs in another thread.. I tend to get carried away, apologies.

[Viney]

I got mostly a's and b's is that correct?

Originally Posted by cuffy

It was meant tounge in cheek and not too offend...a bit of light heartedness

Fair enough, I'm just a little over sensitive at the moment due to the paranoia in the press, and the danger I perceive in comments such as this. What you wrote could easily be misread as racism, and I apologise if that is what I have done.

Can we still be friends?

(Anyway, why should it bother you? Hannibal ain't getting you on no plane, fool?)

Originally Posted by Viney

I got mostly a's and b's is that correct?

I think the mainstream Smurfs have largley dis-armed, but there are still one or two fundamentalist Smurf terror cells still operating.

Originally Posted by Pigbunk

Can we still be friends?

Have to think about that.....oh go on then
I do see where your coming from and how it could be percieved as racist, and i also apologise if any offence was caused.

Hmm, I got this in an email from an aquaintence who claims not to be racist, but I know for a fact that she is. She forwards me loads of stuff, specifically jokes that sublty make fun of black people. I know this isn't about blacks, but I think it's dangerous sort of joke.

Most reasonable people will be offended if you stand on speakers corner and shout "Kill the Muslims"... but a lot of people might laugh at this email. Reading between the lines though, the email is definitely anti Muslim.

I must confess it made me chuckle... but it's like sexist jokes. Even though I might laugh (I mean if it's well told with a good punchline, it's hard not too), I will speak out when "the lads" are being inappropriate in the company of ladies. If there are no ladies I usually leave the conversation. I digress.

I think we need to balance political correctness gone mad and freedom of speech with being more aware and critical about what we allow in our mind-space


PS: Cuffy - I'm really not having a go here. I don't think your intention was racist and you've already apologised to those you've potentially offended