Political Incorrectness....

[AlFrankenFan]

Let me first start off by saying my step-father is a Republican veteran of the first Gulf War supporting Kerry. My mother is a registered Democrat and also a Kerry supporter. The following is just well...I don't even know how to put it.

My mother recently met a lady at her workout club who told her the following. She says she lives next door to an apartment in which six Arab men live. Sometimes she sees them in the local Target where they disband and meet up with each other, never buying anything. So my mom, who can sometimes get a little paranoid (when it thundered here earlier this month she thought we were being bombed...another victim of Bush Administration paranoia...) told my step-dad, who wrote to the Department of Homeland Security.

I've always hated the way political correctness has always stated that every one is equally likely to be a terrorist, white or black, young or old. But when you see/hear about something like this, it feels like we're stereotyping. So I don't know.

:shrug:

[MichiganVote]

1. Ethnic profiling. Gee, used to happen to the Irish, blacks, jews...

[AlFrankenFan]

3. Two of those which I am...Irish and Jewish n/t

[MichiganVote]

5. Should have said it still happens to these and other groups

[HEIL PRESIDENT GOD]

25. If it wasn't for ethnic profiling

The Bush family would have been indicted under RICO thirty years ago!

[JVS]

2. Is this a terrorist cell or a shoplifting ring?

[Hatalles]

4. Sounds a lot like the Freeper calling the FBI...

... about the Arab with a camcorder at some supermarket in the middle of nowhere in Texas.

You are stereotyping. It's that Bush Administration paranoia you just quoted. A lot of innocent activities from taking daily early-morning walks to having an ICEE at the local Target every Saturday night can be misconstrued as "suspcious behavior" when you're an Muslim American in the US today.

[Kanary]

6. I suggest your family watch the video on LinkTV about Americans

of middle eastern decent who live in the US, and what their lives have become.

It would make you ashamed.

Yet, we want to think of ourselves as so "advanced".

I hope you watch it.

Kanary

[Fear]

7. don't be to deceived though, the culture and religion is very

different, especially when you see the works of what goes on in there, that really doesn't make you very happy either. (as well of muslim ppl living in Europe or the US), the religion does not adapt well to the standards we have (our Christianity / Catholics have been steadily growing with us - a little behind, but trying to keep up)

[Kanary]

8. THen hang on to your prejudices.... it's up to you.

:eyes:

[Fear]

13. I will, and you better start searching some more on the islam. I've seen

it from up close in many different occasions and settings, nobody can deny the fact that the religion as it is now 'globally' is a 'nice' religion. The religion goes back to how the catholic church was in the middle ages (for example when it's about women's rights etc. etc.) / there is a lot of growing to do there.

Just because we went into a stupid war doesn't make the other side *holier* then holy all of a sudden.

[Kanary]

15. And you better start studying up on "ethnic profiling"

*BEFORE* you get on the wrong side of the stick.

Employing the same "if you're not with us you're against us" shit as the RW is reprehensible.

Sneering at me that I don't know anything about a religion, when the issue was ATTACKING INNOCENT PEOPLE, is the same kind of jingoism the RW promotes.

I come from a small town where a Chinese man was arrested on charges of "espionage" even though he did absolutely nothing, except be Chinese. Advocating the same towards those of Middle-eastern decent is Anti-American. And so is accusing me of not knowing anything about a religion, when I'm saying that targeting innocent people is shameful and Anti-American.

After all, we DO still have a Constitution, no thanks to people who are blinded by fear.

Kanary

[Fear]

30. alrighty

[SemiCharmedQuark]

24. That is total bullshit: Fundies aren't Catholic

I'd like to point out that the people trying to bring about the rapture aren't "catholics" or muslims. Please you really can't be serious with this kind of thought.

[meow2u3]

37. Some fundies ARE Catholic

Ever heard of Opus Dei? They're that shadowy fundie movement within the Catholic Church.

A good site about the truth of Opus Dei: Opus Dei Awareness Network

[SemiCharmedQuark]

38. There are extremists in all groups

This poster is acting as though we all need to conform to the good Protestant view. Fundies are a huge problem and the fundies that are the MAIN problem are protestant, not Catholic.

[m berst]

35. please reconsider your argument

"I've seen it from up close" It? These are human beings you are talking about here, not laboratory rats, and you are judging millions of people without any supporting evidence whatsoever.

"Just because we went into a stupid war doesn't make the other side *holier* then holy all of a sudden."

The other side? Holier than holy? What is the "other side" exactly? The other side in my mind is represented by judgemental and racist attitudes, not by people of a certain religion or ethnicity. The war is wrong precisely BECAUSE Arabs and Moslems are not the "other side" and if we leave that out, we are being hypocritical in saying that we oppose the war. Perhaps you are in favor of the war, and merely dispute the way that it is being waged.

[Hatalles]

10. Oh, brother...

:eyes:

[Bridget Burke]

17. So, Catholics are almost up to "the standards we have"?

Who the hell is "we"? Where are you coming from?

Obviously, English is not your first language. Keep working at it--I know many people who've come late to the language & they've all learned decent usage.

[m berst]

23. deceived?

"don't be to deceived though, the culture and religion is very different, especially when you see the works of what goes on in there, that really doesn't make you very happy either."

Deceived by what? "All men are created equal?" Different than what? What does the "works of what goes on in there" mean? What about people of the Moslem faith or Arab ethnicity are we supposed to be unhappy about?

"the religion does not adapt well to the standards we have (our Christianity / Catholics have been steadily growing with us - a little behind, but trying to keep up)"

You seem to have things backwards here. "Our standards" don't require people to adapt to our supposed culture, quite the contrary. The United States is founded on the principle of universal truths and inherent rights. To expect others to adapt to some standard of yours is to violate these universal principles.

My direct experience with hundreds of Arab-Amercian friends and acquaintances in Detroit - home to some 400,000 Arab-Americans by the way - informs me that they have a much better grasp of the principles of the United States than you are displaying with your post.

[greblc]

9. Odd behavior is odd behavior it should be noted...

Being aware is not a crime. Get to know who your neighbors are. Talk to them.
I would guess "the lady" hadn't taken the the time to introduce herself to the 6
gentlemen. Usually there is an explanation for odd situations. People don't take time to talk with each other and often assume the worst.

[walldude]

11. Lol I'm sure Target is really on the

Terrorists most wanted list :eyes: You know after Ann Coulter was attacked by Terrorists :eyes: they had to add Moe Larry and Curly to the terrorist watch list too.

[welshTerrier2]

12. oops ... never mind ...

n/t ...

[Insider]

14. after OKC bombing

ahhh, what's the use. nevermind. :eyes:

[Kanary]

16. What's the use, indeed. Rationality seems to fly out the window.......

:crazy:

[UdoKier]

18. An arab is probably somewhat more likely than others to be a terrorist...

BUT, if the person is a terrorist, he is unlikely to fit the stereotypes many scared Americans expect. He won't be wearing a "rag" on his head, or a turban. He'll very likely be clean-shaven and in a polo shirt. He may have spent enough time in a US university to be charming and seem pretty "Americanized. And even if you do spot the next Atta, while you're calling homeland security, the next right-wing nutjob McVeigh may be right next door to you working on his fertilizer bomb to punish America for voting for the evil liberal Kerry.

Better to look at odd behavior more than ethnicity. A lot of mediterranean folks could pass for arabs, too, and vice-versa.

Since 9-11, I've yet to seee ANYONE where I thought "Ohh, he looks like a terrorist." I just CAN'T get myself into that mindset.

[m berst]

19. not political incorrectness

The targeting of people for suspicion or mistreatment based on their ethnicity or physical appearance is dangerous and wrong. To call the rejection of this "political correctness" is to swallow the Limbaugh hate propaganda hook, line, and sinker.

Why do we not suspect everyone who looks like McVeigh? You know.... white people? We don't do that because it would be ridiculous and ineffective. Applying a different standard to people who "look Middle eastern" is racism, pure and simple. Racism cripples law enforcement, it doesn't aid it. Indulging and encouraging racial hatred does not make us safer, quite the opposite, it weakens us and puts us at more risk.

The eventual outcome of this thinking is an ever-increasing level of fear and suspicion until everyone is a snitch and everyone is a suspect. In that environment of suspicion and hostility, the real criminals have a field day, and they typically gravitate to positions of power and authority. The men in uniform and high office will promise you to get "them" and thereby make you safer. It all starts with the mindset that there is a "them" that we should fear and that "they" are identifiable by ethnicity or physical appearance.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

34. great post! i am glad you pointed out that this is racism

not being politically correct!

[dpt223]

20. stereotyping

Are you white?

If so, then ask your mom if she plans on enslaving, oppressing, and forcing christianity on anyone.

Stereotypes only serve to produce hate and divide people.

[Logansquare]

21. Oh, for chrissakes. Now Arabs can't window shop? n/t

[ProfessorGAC]

28. Apparently, Not!

That'll teach 'em. Looking at things they MIGHT want to buy, and shopping for the best price. What do these foreigners think they are? Americans, or something?

From now on, they should just report every single one of their movements to the police before they leave the house. Then, the lady, and this guy's parents, will feel safe!

Can't be too safe, can we?
The Professor

[SemiCharmedQuark]

22. Bottom line: If they were white whould she have called?

Probably not.

[SmokingJacket]

26. Maybe they like the soft pretzels???

Sheesh, last time I looked "odd behavior" was perfectly legal.

I don't want to live in a country where Middle Eastern-looking people are afraid to get together in groups because someone might sic the Department of Homeland "Security" on them.

Not only is "ethnic-profiling" WRONG and oppressive, but it's ineffective and creates a climate of paranoia and divisiveness. Dang, if my government were hounding me because of my ethnicity, it wouldn't be long before I started to hate them for real.

[HEIL PRESIDENT GOD]

27. Arabs hell...

They are probably Pakistani or Sikh. People ignorant enough to think their local Target is a "target" probably wouldn't know an Arab if one bit them in the ass. She probably sees real Arabs and sneers, thinking "Jew"....

[Southpaw Bookworm]

29. What's really ironic

Is that if these folks are indeed Arabic (as opposed to Sikh or any other less-than-pale ethnicity that good 'Muricans tend to lump together under Middle Eastern), they probably are in the U.S. FLEEING exactly this sort of "rat out your neighbors," "guilty without a trial" shit that was going on in their home nations.

The U.S. blew a HUGE opportunity for intelligence when it began tanking in any Muslim in the days after 9-11. Most of those people were immigrants who had escaped the regimes of the Taliban, or Saddam, and would have been glad to provide any assistance. But after being incarcerated without even being told why, unable to even contact their families or a lawyer, and harassed by the authorities, they were shown that the U.S. isn't that far from Saddam's torture chambers as it lets on.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

31. umm how can you tell they are arabic?

[Bridget Burke]

32. They had brown skin, dark hair & used lots of Arabic-sounding words...

Like "Hola" & "Ojala".

[Cat Atomic]

33. Your mom understands that "Target" is just the name of the store, right?

Target: Target

This terrorist paranoia would be funny if it didn't hurt so many people.

[skygazer]

36. It is stereotyping

If you saw a group of middle class white men who you heard (not saw) about going into a Target occasionally, splitting up then leaving together, would you report it to Homeland Security? Would it even occur to you to worry about it? My guess is probably not.

The only real suspicion I think one could have here is that the woman at the gym is either paranoid or exagerrating. Either way, it's up to her to report something suspicious, not someone who only heard about it secondhand.

If I saw something of the sort, I might suspect shoplifting but more likely I would suspect that they were pricing things, window shopping, or just killing time.

And yes, it is just as likely that a white or black or young or old person may be the "terrorist" in our midst - McVeigh and those who bomb abortion clinics are ample evidence of that. That's not "political correctness" - it's just fact. It's the insistence of the "us against them" Bush administration mentality that makes people think that only brown Muslims can be terrorists.

[billyskank]

39. Those foreigners are all gonna be hassled now.

Hope they don't get it too bad.