In Praise of Racial Profiling

The drumbeat against so-called "racial profiling" can be intense, especially when those allegedly profiled are minorities.  We are told a priori assumptions about people based on race (and sometimes gender) robs them of their dignity, their humanity and places them in an unfair position when confronted by the powerful.

So, is racial profiling always wrong?  Are there ever instances when a decision or course of action or policy should be made based on the color of one's skin?

"[W]e are increasingly told...race and biology...have nothing to do with each other."

Really?  Well read what a physician has to say about the matter in an article in the New York Times from 2002 - "I Am a Racially Profiling Doctor."  She makes a pretty interesting case - one made in the best interest of the individual, not against them.

So, ask yourself: If biology is affected by race, can other parts of a human be similarly affected?  Is a priori recognition of racial differences always detrimental to the individual or a group? 

Next time you hear the Reverend Al or others speaking about the "unfairness" of racial profiling, cut it off with reasoning instead of hysteria.