Do We Understand?

This week in American Studies, I was challenged by a fellow classmate to explain my views on racial profiling.  In some circumstances, like at the airport, certain people groups, recently people who look Arabic, are put through more severe security than other citizens.  I believe that this is justified in some cases, especially when it may help catch a terrorist.  However, my classmate disagreed.  They claimed that I would never understand racial profiling because I am not a minority, and have never experienced the hardship of having a different skin color or being discriminated or profiled.  I replied that if I had to be searched a little more at the airport for the sake of national security, I would.  This classmate did not think so.

The truth is that I did not know the whole story.  According to my parents, my ancestors experienced a lot of racial profiling, for at least 20 years.  When my grandmother emigrated to the United States in 1958, she and her fellow German immigrants  were profiled as Nazis for years.  Anyone with a German accent, style of dress or habit was profiled and discriminated against.  The sad thing is that it only took one crazy leader to cause generations of hardship for many races.

Another more recent example is Reverend Terry Jones with his Koran burning scheme.  He caused a bad light to be shone on Christians.  I am a Christian, and this frustratingly was shone on me while he was in the news.  Our school is fairly tolerant in my eyes, and I did not experience any extreme hardship or abuse because of claiming the same religion as this radical, but I definitely got "the look" when the subject of Reverend Jones came up, as people watched to see if I would back him up.

Now, another leader has incited his followers to kill.  We aren't sure who is working for him.  He's a few fries short of a Happy Meal, and we've been tightening security because of the threat.  Do all of the Arabs who travel through an airport deserve to be searched more than others?  Probably not.  But when just 19 radicals killed about 3000 people in one day, I believe that a little extra searching is called for when dealing with those who are from the same area as the perpetrators.  Do I understand what this is like for those who are searched?  No.  Will I?  Maybe not.  But I certainly have had a taste.  Each generation will have their group who is discriminated against.  That's the way things are with humanity.  But I will contend that those who have the most likelihood of being terrorists should be searched a little more, and hopefully that will save the United States a few thousand more lives.

The Vietnam Protests

In American Studies, the Vietnam War group presented most recently.  According to their presentation, large numbers of college students protested the war on their college campus, and many of the protesters were harassed for doing so.  In addition, some of the protests became a little rowdy, and the protesters started throwing rocks, goading troops to action and becoming violent.  The police beat many protesters in the video that we saw on Friday, at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.  Another form of protest was the burning of draft cards, which is illegal according to the Selective Service Act.  People who burned their draft cards were sentenced to a term in jail and a fine.  I sensed from the presenters and from the atmosphere in the room that the protesters should not have been beaten or sent to jail.  I think there is a problem with that thinking.

While I certainly don't condone the use of violence to quell protests, I also do not believe that a protest should be allowed to occur where the protesters become riotous.  It is a terrible tragedy that young people lost their lives while protesting, I think everyone can agree, but the government does not allow violent protests.  The first amendment says that Congress shall make no law prohibiting, "the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."  Please note the word peaceably.  The protests, wherever they became violent, destructive, or hateful were illegal.  It is sad that the protesters were injured or killed, but they were breaking the law.

The draft card burners also broke the law.  In my opinion, it is ridiculous to break the law and not expect to go to jail.  For example, every time the speedometer says that I am going over the speed limit, I expect a cop to show up any minute and pull me over for breaking the established traffic laws.  Possibly a better example is that of Martin Luther King Jr.  He led peaceful marches and protests all over the southern United States, and was put in jail many times.  He expected it.  When he broke laws and went to jail, he knew that he was making a statement by going to jail peacefully.  His actions spoke louder than any appeal could have.  While the draft protesters wanted to make a statement by burning their cards, they still broke the law, and that deserves jail, according to the same law.

While I do not advocate our government to place undue restrictions on our civil liberties and not allow the citizens to protest, I also do not believe that justice's hand should be stayed from law breakers.  The tragedies that occurred are sad, and I do not think that any of the violence on the part of the national guard or police was warranted.  However, when one breaks the law, one should expect to have a punishment.