Racial Profiling - The Right Accelerator?
By: Hans Bool
Racial profiling is of present interest because of the increasing demand for security around the world. (Racial) Profiling is practiced especially at airports at the moment, or at least that is where the critique is.
Profiling is a method that is used to characterize and to assess the risk of someone based on the specification of a general model or “profile”. Originally used as a psychological instrument to determine some main characteristics of someone.
Is this useful, and when? It is useful for example for elaborating a diagnosis. Previously you have learned much about a certain disease and you want to find out if a patient is suffering such illness. “Borderline Personality Disorder(BP): A Profile, (http://mikeyaadopt.org/border2.htm)” is an example. The profile shows an in depth characteristic of the disease which helps the diagnoses of patients.
The advantage of profiling is that you can systemize your work. You setup a profile once and you only need to compare whether someone fits this sketch.
It is a fast way of assessing complex situations. By using a profile you show to have done your homework and all that knowledge is available for accurate action; it facilitates the diagnosis of a patient.
Profiling is based on a concept of categorizing. It is the same method that Linnaeus used to make an inventory of living organisms; by defining characteristics, classifying and grouping.
The main point against profiling is that the knowledge base could be wrong. You first have to characterize what you encounter, you build up knowledge and — this is important - - all new examples you come across in life are related to the existing stock of knowledge. But a new accidental case could very much be that this new sample you have found is really new and does not fit in the profile box you had in mind.
Profiling may speed up things, but it increases also the exceptions. Errors are easily made. And the by-product of using it — social unrest – could become more of a problem than the original cause by stigmatizing people.
You should not set aside the critique on racial profiling. Profiling should not interfere with our personal lives. It should be practice of investigate work and not reach the surface of (or interfere with) our society. Using it would mean going back to the Middle Ages; First you are condemned after which you have to prove “worthy.”
© 2006 Hans Bool
Hans Bool is the founder of Astor White a traditional management consulting company that offers online management tools. Have a look at some of our free management tools