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Is this racist?

Does racism occur in this video?

  • Total voters
    33
Captain America said:
Symantics. We all get the point of the video, edited or not. I don't think anyone would argue with, a black person cutting a bike lock, would arouse more suspicion than the white guy.

The question is, is it racist? I think it is definitely a profiling based on learned behaviors, awareness and experience. It has also been justified with overwhelming statistics.

But is it racist? I honestly don't know. It's not racist to me. It's just common sense. But to the next guy, that common sense might be considered racist. I dunno.
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If the assumption is that the "white kid must be alright in spite of giving off every conceivable signal that he's doing something sketchy" then that goes beyond simple profiling. To put it more simply, it's not "profiling" if he's demonstrably breaking the law.
 
Dr. Chuckles said:
lol @ calling this a study. Look, I'm not arguing racism doesn't exist, or even that none of these people are racist. I am saying drawing any type of conclusion from this is foolish. Because you are comparing the reaction of two separate individuals under two distinct circumstances. Not to mention the issues with selective editing



then post something academic oriented with actual merit. Not some bozo segment from trashtv.com
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I'm not operating on the assumption that the video is legit. In fact I'd be shocked if it was. I'm treating it as a discussion piece, as in, "given that the scenario is true, is the behavior demonstrated by the witnesses racist?" That's all.

As for the studies, hold on. From my searches I'm getting study after study with abstracts that support what I'm saying but want me to purchase the full paper.
 
sawyerloggingon said:
This is a set up video. The white kid looked like he would be riding a bike and must have lost his key or something not to mention that you just don't expect a thief to be that obvious. They dressed the black kid like a hood and made it look like he would never actually ride a bike.
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they were dressed the same way!

Pretty funny how, even though the video even says that they're dressed the same, you came away thinking the black kid looked like a hood
 
MaggieD said:
Not when crime statistics support the profile, Boo. When we start denying reality in the guise of political correctness, who's being stupid?
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I think you should take another look at the video. This time, pay attention to what the psychologist says. The issue isn't profiling

The video shows a white guy sawing away at a chained up bike. People ask him if it's his bike, and he says no. The people show no concern.

I'd say that any person obviously trying to take a bike that they admit they don't own fits a certain "profile" - the profile of a thief. Yet most of the people did nothing.

There's more to this than profiling.
 
Cardinal said:
If the assumption is that the "white kid must be alright in spite of giving off every conceivable signal that he's doing something sketchy" then that goes beyond simple profiling. To put it more simply, it's not "profiling" if he's demonstrably breaking the law.
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Exactly!

And the psychologist explicitly explained what was going on. It had nothing to do with profiling, or FBI stats. Even with a clear explanation, people are grasping for an explanation for why it wasn't racist, when the right answer is explained on the video
 
Speaking of crime. Most serial killers are white, most kidnappers are white, and most men who go on shooting sprees are white. However, you never hear them described names such as thugs, and nobody ever focus's on their skin color. Why is that?
 
herenow1 said:
Speaking of crime. Most serial killers are white, most kidnappers are white, and most men who go on shooting sprees are white. However, you never hear them described names such as thugs, and nobody ever focus's on their skin color. Why is that?
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When I think of "thugs," in my mind's eye, it's always a white guy, with a crooked nose, wearing a Fedora hat.

Hey, White people are no strangers to crime. I don't think anyone is suggesting that. The topic, as I understand it to be, is all a matter of ratio. When 13% of the population does 50% of the crime, any odds maker would put the odds on the black kid stealing the bike over the white kid. Simple common sense.

I'm sure there are plenty white kids stealing bikes and committing serial murders. No doubt. But the crime stats are highly disproportional in regards to black vs. white in crimes committed.

And for some reason, it's racist to point out these facts? I don't see how this problem will ever be addressed if people refuse to acknowledge it. The numbers don't lie.
 
Captain America said:
When I think of "thugs," in my mind's eye, it's always a white guy, with a crooked nose, wearing a Fedora hat.

Hey, White people are no strangers to crime. I don't think anyone is suggesting that. The topic, as I understand it to be, is all a matter of ratio. When 13% of the population does 50% of the crime, any odds maker would put the odds on the black kid stealing the bike over the white kid. Simple common sense.

I'm sure there are plenty white kids stealing bikes and committing serial murders. No doubt. But the crime stats are highly disproportional in regards to black vs. white in crimes committed.

And for some reason, it's racist to point out these facts? I don't see how this problem will ever be addressed if people refuse to acknowledge it. The numbers don't lie.
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13% of the population doesn't commit 50% of the crimes.

The video goes a long way towards showing why black people are more likely to be reported for committing crimes.
 
herenow1 said:
Speaking of crime. Most serial killers are white, most kidnappers are white, and most men who go on shooting sprees are white.
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Actually, from my understanding, the appearance that most serial killers are white is more a function of demographics (exacerbated by media and policing habits), and believe the same is true with child molestation.

<<<Contrary to popular belief, serial killers span all racial groups. There are white, African-American, Hispanic, and Asian serial killers. The racial diversification of serial killers generally mirrors that of the overall U.S. population.>>>

FBI — Serial Murder
 
Dr. Chuckles said:
Actually, from my understanding, the appearance that most serial killers are white is more a function of demographics (exacerbated by media and policing habits), and believe the same is true with child molestation.

<<<Contrary to popular belief, serial killers span all racial groups. There are white, African-American, Hispanic, and Asian serial killers. The racial diversification of serial killers generally mirrors that of the overall U.S. population.>>>

FBI — Serial Murder
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Well, at least Jeffery Dahmer wasn't a racist. He ate blacks, whites, hispanics, laotians... He did not discriminate.
 
Boo Radley said:
I am curious as to the difference. Profiling base on actions (someone breaking a lock), maybe even clothing, might make some sense, but race? Isn't that really racist to base it on race?
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The problem with her statement is that it holds people accountable for results only without any consideration for the circumstances that create those stats. It's kind of an implied moral superiority. It says this is the sum of who you are. It is a short cut to help justify bigotry.
 
MaggieD said:
Not when crime statistics support the profile, Boo. When we start denying reality in the guise of political correctness, who's being stupid?
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That is a rather edited or selective version of reality.
 
Captain America said:
Remember Maggie, truth or not, it's racist these days to discuss the reality of the situation. That's where society has come to.

I was always taught the first thing one has to do to correct their mistake was to acknowledge the mistake. Those who prefer to stick their heads in the sand only make it worse, not better.
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The problem isn't the discussion of reality it is that you want everyone to adopt your version of it.
 
ReformCollege said:
Its hard to say. The first guy almost had the cops called on him by the pastor, but he may have not wanted to upset his kids on their family outing. Maybe the guy who confronted the black male would have done the same to the white male. Maybe the guy who decided not to confront the white male wouldn't have done so to the black male.

Either way, this isn't exactly a variable controlled exercise.
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And of course the most obvious and relevant variable is the size of the "perp". Not their race. Even some of the women dwarfed the black kid who is merely a skinny 5'4", if that. He's not intimidating in the least to the adults. The white guy was much larger and more intimidating than the black kid so it just seems natural that people would be less likely to risk a confrontation with him.

It's that whole self-preservation instinct.
 
Cardinal said:
So basically what you're saying is that statistics and profiling mean that a white person acting extremely suspiciously must not be doing anything wrong. Am I hearing you correctly?
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Cardinal said:
If the assumption is that the "white kid must be alright in spite of giving off every conceivable signal that he's doing something sketchy" then that goes beyond simple profiling. To put it more simply, it's not "profiling" if he's demonstrably breaking the law.
Click to expand...

herenow1 said:
Speaking of crime. Most serial killers are white, most kidnappers are white, and most men who go on shooting sprees are white. However, you never hear them described names such as thugs, and nobody ever focus's on their skin color. Why is that?
Click to expand...

opendebate said:
The problem with her statement is that it holds people accountable for results only without any consideration for the circumstances that create those stats. It's kind of an implied moral superiority. It says this is the sum of who you are. It is a short cut to help justify bigotry.
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Muhammed said:
And of course the most obvious and relevant variable is the size of the "perp". Not their race. Even some of the women dwarfed the black kid who is merely a skinny 5'4", if that. He's not intimidating in the least to the adults. The white guy was much larger and more intimidating than the black kid so it just seems natural that people would be less likely to risk a confrontation with him.

It's that whole self-preservation instinct.
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At approximately 12 minutes, the psychologist himself gives the reason. Roughly paraphrased: "This kind of situation goes on all the time. You associate blacks with crime, and whites with being good." That is NOT racism. Even the two black women early on say, "Whites don't usually run around with burglary tools." That is NOT racism. Call it stereotyping...call it profiling. But. It is not racism.

I'll go on to say that the white guy had, probably, 30+ pounds on the black kid. That makes a significant difference in one's likelihood to confront a thief. It was quite apparent that many of the people passing the white kid thought he was stealing the bike. The question then becomes, "Why didn't more people confront him?" That is the real difference in the video. Why didn't more people confront him? NOT why did people think he wasn't stealing the bike.
 
MaggieD said:
Race.

Profiling based on race doesn't = racism. The stats are indisputable.
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Racial profiling is not racism, it is just stupid and supported by people who do not understand how to use statistics or how profiling works.
 
MaggieD said:
At approximately 12 minutes, the psychologist himself gives the reason. Roughly paraphrased: "This kind of situation goes on all the time. You associate blacks with crime, and whites with being good." That is NOT racism. Even the two black women early on say, "Whites don't usually run around with burglary tools." That is NOT racism. Call it stereotyping...call it profiling. But. It is not racism.
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Do you realize you are trying to justify people thinking stupid, inaccurate things as somehow being ok because it is "profiling"? Just because something is not racism does not mean it is good.
 
Redress said:
Do you realize you are trying to justify people thinking stupid, inaccurate things as somehow being ok because it is "profiling"? Just because something is not racism does not mean it is good.
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Do you realize the OP is asking whether or not the video exhibits racism, and I answered that question? Why don't you address your post to those that don't understand that. They OP didn't ask, "Is this good?" It asked, "Is this racism?"
 
Boo Radley said:
Doesn't it? You act against someone based on race, isn't that really racism?
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Again I must comment that the lack of understanding about what 'racism' is, is utterly amazing. No wonder it's thrown around so much, as so few actually have a clue what it is.
 
opendebate said:
The problem isn't the discussion of reality it is that you want everyone to adopt your version of it.
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Well, the way I see it, 2+2=4. I'm a simple man and facts to me, well, are simply facts. If you have a way of making 2+2=5, more power to you.

But I'm stuck here in the real world.
 
Arbo said:
Again I must comment that the lack of understanding about what 'racism' is, is utterly amazing. No wonder it's thrown around so much, as so few actually have a clue what it is.
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Well, I'm pretty sure I know what racism is, and if it leads to more of a minority being arrested and less whites, I think that would fit any definition. And what we saw could very well lead to that type of injustice.
 
Captain America said:
Well, the way I see it, 2+2=4. I'm a simple man and facts to me, well, are simply facts. If you have a way of making 2+2=5, more power to you.

But I'm stuck here in the real world.
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Only this stuff really isn't math, is it? ;)
 
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