Victor Bremson's Reflections
Saturday, January 22, 2005
THE CASE AGAINST PROFILING
There is a email floating around the web that supports the idea of profiling Arab men between 18-27 because of their history of causing many recent violent crimes against innocent civilians. The email suggests that not profiling these men is stupid and places the rest of us at danger. The memo makes some points and I can certainly be accepting of the emotions and logic behind it. I understand the feeling of fear. However I would like to suggest that we can do better.
Martin Niemoller (1892-1984) wrote the following famous piece about the holocaust. “In Germany they came first for the Communists and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me--and by that time no one was left to speak up.”
Consider a possible rewrite of this that might sound something like---In the United States they came first for the young Arab Men and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t one. Then they came for the rest of the Arabs and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t one. Then they came for all the Muslims and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t one. Then they came for anyone who spoke out against the governments actions in Iraq…read a book critical of the US…etc…
Profiling is a terrible thing. It is a form of oppression. It should be considered a tool of last resort and even then it creates a dangerous precedent. The history of oppression is that it usually leads to more oppression not less. It labels people as ‘terrorists’ because of their ethnic background, ‘drug pushers’ because of their skin color, ‘stupid because’ of the color of their hair and ‘greedy’ because of their religion. Justified oppression can also lead to torture of political prisoners, putting people in prison without due process and political censorship.
It allows people to think that they can be safe if only certain segments of the population were better controlled. It is a short-term solution that can lead to long-term oppression as we sacrifice our civil rights as citizens for some possible short-term relief from fear.
There is no way to tell who the next terrorist will be. Extremists will always fool the defenders who think this way. They will recruit others to do their work and use the profiling as part of the justification. It is like thinking that we can build a hundred billion dollar shield that will protect us from nuclear terror. It is not an effective use of resources. It won’t work against smart people and unfortunately terrorists are smart people. We need to be even smarter.
I fly more than most people who will read this essay. I don’t like having to get to the airport early or spend boring time in long lines being searched but I believe that the strength of our great country must come from being one with all of its citizens. The moment we start selecting out the bad ones from the good ones we are no longer a great people. We have just become small and frightened.
This country has great wisdom and understanding about the human condition. We can do much better than profiling by using our gifts to build a stronger more united country and a safer world.
Count me in to help.
Victor Bremson
January 22, 2005
Martin Niemoller (1892-1984) wrote the following famous piece about the holocaust. “In Germany they came first for the Communists and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me--and by that time no one was left to speak up.”
Consider a possible rewrite of this that might sound something like---In the United States they came first for the young Arab Men and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t one. Then they came for the rest of the Arabs and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t one. Then they came for all the Muslims and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t one. Then they came for anyone who spoke out against the governments actions in Iraq…read a book critical of the US…etc…
Profiling is a terrible thing. It is a form of oppression. It should be considered a tool of last resort and even then it creates a dangerous precedent. The history of oppression is that it usually leads to more oppression not less. It labels people as ‘terrorists’ because of their ethnic background, ‘drug pushers’ because of their skin color, ‘stupid because’ of the color of their hair and ‘greedy’ because of their religion. Justified oppression can also lead to torture of political prisoners, putting people in prison without due process and political censorship.
It allows people to think that they can be safe if only certain segments of the population were better controlled. It is a short-term solution that can lead to long-term oppression as we sacrifice our civil rights as citizens for some possible short-term relief from fear.
There is no way to tell who the next terrorist will be. Extremists will always fool the defenders who think this way. They will recruit others to do their work and use the profiling as part of the justification. It is like thinking that we can build a hundred billion dollar shield that will protect us from nuclear terror. It is not an effective use of resources. It won’t work against smart people and unfortunately terrorists are smart people. We need to be even smarter.
I fly more than most people who will read this essay. I don’t like having to get to the airport early or spend boring time in long lines being searched but I believe that the strength of our great country must come from being one with all of its citizens. The moment we start selecting out the bad ones from the good ones we are no longer a great people. We have just become small and frightened.
This country has great wisdom and understanding about the human condition. We can do much better than profiling by using our gifts to build a stronger more united country and a safer world.
Count me in to help.
Victor Bremson
January 22, 2005
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