In a letter to the editor published Thursday, the concept of racial profiling is mentioned in conjunction with the evilness of the Republican Party and its opposition to affirmative action. While I realize I won’t make many friends with this argument, I have no problem with racial profiling. Is it ideal? Absolutely not. In an ideal world, every single person would be treated the same in every situation. However, that is simply unrealistic; thus, I believe racial profiling to be a necessary evil.
Whether it be in airport security lines profiling Arabs as terrorists or on the U.S.-Mexico border profiling Latinos as illegal immigrants, I personally believe it to be necessary. Is it fair? No. But it’s also not fair that innocent people died on Sept. 11, 2001, and it’s not fair that I have to pay taxes to support programs that benefit illegal immigrants. Again, I’m not arguing that racial profiling is right, but I believe it’s necessary. It is inefficient and impractical not to racially profile; this country’s lack of patience and money requires profiling.
Think racial profiling is never acceptable? The last time you were walking through Turlington Plaza, how many times did a specific organization avoid giving you a flier because you didn’t meet their normal group member characteristics? As a white male, after three years here, I can no longer count the number of times that an ethnic fraternity or specific student union has obviously retracted their outstretched hands holding fliers as I walk by. Why? Because they are racially profiling. It is not wise in terms of paper cost and time to hand me a flier for the next Black Student Union event. Before any specific group freaks out about racial profiling on a national level, realize how often those same groups do the same thing for the same reasons here at UF.
Editor's note: This letter refers to this previous letter.
