-By Kevin Roeten
The morning of 2/3/11, Good Morning America (GMA) ran a “profiling” piece from John Quinones, a seven-time Emmy Awards winner with “Primetime Live” and “20/20” work. He attempted to demonstrate firsthand profiling cases in Arizona against illegal Mexicans. He thought his case was made when he was fingered himself for portraying an illegal alien in an Arizona bar. His credentials quickly discredited any ‘illegal’ possibilities however, but ABC ran with the story.
Actually, ‘profiling’ is used everywhere. On a Muslim flying on a jet, a mussed customer entering a store, anyone entering a federal building, a man trying to enter a woman’s bathroom, an intoxicated car driver who gets stopped, or a job applicant–all are profiled—with proper intentions. Racial dislikes are many times inferred, even though race usually has nothing to do with it.
The act of ‘profiling’ is directly due to people fitting the profile description that possibly commit a crime, and possibly put others in mortal danger. ‘Profiling’ is a known method for discerning a culprit more quickly than is normally accomplished. Anyone who is in law enforcement knows this, and must use it in their duties. The World Book Dictionary’s definition of ‘profiling’ gives “a diagram showing a person’s abilities or traits.” Unfortunately, the media always seem to attach a racial connotation to ‘profiling’.
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Political Leanings from Good Morning America”