4. RACIAL PROFILING/DISCRIMINATION - Is racial profiling a problem in Texas? Explain. (Is racial profiling a problem in Europe/Austria?) Have you ever been a victim of racial profiling? Have you ever been a victim of discrimination? Have you ever been the one doing the discrimination? Explain.
Racial Profiling/Discrimination- I would say racial profiling is somewhat a problem in Texas especially when you get to the smaller towns and out in the country (The Good Ole Boys/Redneck parts of town). I lost a job (discriminated against) because I was gay. And when I reported it they said there were no other records of it happening before, so they couldn't do anything about it.
JAMES W
I'm sure there is some amount of racial profiling in Texas and around the nation as well. I do not think it is as bad as it use to be. I myself have never been a victim of profiling or discrimination.
Renee R
I haven't ever been a victim of racial profiling, but I have heard of it being done by those who feel they have experienced it. I am in law enforcement and have asked this of other officers who have many years of service on them. One of my friends who is a Homicide Det in the South, near Houston, and works in an area that is about 70% black and high crime rates. He says that if he is in an area that black people live and witnesses a white person in the area and they appear to be better off and out of place, his experience has been they are there for dope or sex. He said the same of a black person in a white area of town. If they are out of place, he will stop them and inquire why they are in the area. Most of the stops have paid off. The reason he continues to do this is because he has had a high success rate of arrest or tickets due to illegal activity.
He doesn't consider it profiling when they are clearly out of place and doesn't just stop black people. It would be the same thing if a person was at the playground and no children were with them, they were male, and appeared to be out of place. He would stop and inquire of them too. This might uncover a predator.
I think there is some profiling we all do to some degree. It has got a bad name due to some abuse of power. There are some who do profiling for their own self motives and it is hard to control those people in power, but for those who don't abuse it and use it to protect society it is a good thing. From the perspective of law enforcement, if someone was allowed to go in a community and they didn't belong and committed a crime the police would get the blame for letting it happen and at the same time if they stop someone the first thing that person will do is cry "racial profiling". It is often a very thankless job and they are damned either way.
Unless a person has been in a situation of their life on the line and swearing to protect others, it is very easy to judge motives and actions. When you are in law enforcement, it is a lonely, judgmental world, and often every move made isn't explained to the lay person and if it was it wouldn't be understood. There are things that go on behind the scenes and it seems like an old cliche, but sometimes you just have to trust the ones you expect to protect you and not question what they do and why. I am not saying all the officers are honest and do the right thing, but when they do, give them credit for it. The profiling done at times are due to suspicious behavior and if you are innocent then you shouldn't be offended that they are only doing their jobs.
Karen P
Racial profiling and discrimination are a huge problem in Texas and in the country overall. True, we have made a lot of progress as a nation, but not as much as some people would have you think. Minorities are still targeted unfairly by police and other authorities. Most people in Texas are against affirmative action, and many white people complain of what they call “reverse discrimination.” Women and minorities still earn, on average, less pay for the same jobs as whites.
Being a very light-skinned Latino, I probably don’t see as much discrimination as many others do. But, I can recall one experience that shocked me, because I was not expecting it. I had applied for a job at an elementary school to teach soccer to kids that were in the after-school program. They were looking for a male coach for the boys. A friend of mine worked with the girls and recommended me for the job. I applied, interviewed and was told by the vice-principal that I had the job. I just had to get a permit, etc. She said she would call me the next day with instructions. She didn’t call for two days, so I called her. She became very quiet and told me she felt really bad, and that she could get into trouble for telling me this. She them proceeded to tell me that the principal of the school said I was “not the right race” for this job and that these parents would not want some “Mexican” guy looking after their children. This was a private school with very wealthy, white students. I was totally shocked and honestly, my feelings were hurt. I was young (25) and this made me feel somehow ashamed of what I was. I felt like I was not good enough. The ironic thing is that I was brought up in a similar fashion to these kids. My parents are very well off and I had a privileged childhood in private school, a new BMW in high school, etc. All my friends were/are white and I had never, to that point, seen being Latino as a disadvantage. That experience really woke me up. It made me realize that if a wealthy, light-skinned Latino is discriminated against, then it must be much worse for others. And it is - much worse. My ex-girlfriend is black and I recall everything she would go through just to rent an apartment in certain parts of town.
Mark E
I believe it occurs. It happens to black males way more than it happens to black females. I have five brothers. It hasn't happened to all of them, but it has happened to three of them. Basically they were pulled over for no reason at all. Even after asking why they were pulled over, they were told well one of your tail lights is out. But that is the only time the police mentioned the tail light was out - after they asked why they were pulled over. If that was the real reason they should have mentioned that earlier. They were asked questions like who's car is this, and why are you in this neighborhood - questions that were totally inappropriate. When Stephen was pulled over he was going to the school that he worked at. Even after he explained that he was a teacher in a school in the neighborhood, he was told he should stay near the school where he works. He was out to get lunch or something. People have preconceived notions about ethnicities. It is built up in their minds. Racism is on an individual level. I don't think all white people are racists, and I don't think all black people are racist. But they have been socialized to believe certain things about different races.
Jennifer R
COMMENTS FROM STUDENTS IN AUSTRIA
Austria doesn’t face the problem with black people, but during the second world war Germany and unfortunately Austria tried to get rid of the Jews. The roles of the man and woman differ considerably too. Women are supposed to stay at home and take care of the children; men in contrast are confronted with the labor force.
The subject matter of racism..The problem exists between Austrian and Jewish people. Here the thesis is that Austrian or lets say European people, since this is a matter that tangents other countries of Europe as well, develop rage against the Jewish because they are known as well working business people. Actually racism seemed to have developed through jealousy. In the USA, the white look at blacks as if they were something worse because of their skin color and therefore suppress them. So we can conclude that it wasn’t jealousy that forced the separation. Drawing an overall conclusion we can hold that the societies in the USA and in Austria don’t differ a lot from each other.