Racist or common sense?

[FlyingJesus]

Common sense would actually allow one to note that the chances of being randomly assaulted in the street by anyone are ridiculously low (especially if you're a woman) unless you're in a high-crime area, in which case race still doesn't really come into it. In terms of shoplifting and such this is also true, there are high-crime areas and a very tiny number of people who are otherwise likely to commit these thefts

Racial profiling only serves to minimalise awareness of crime as a general problem, and to worsen the situation for those who are victims of the profiling while potentially letting a large percentage of people get away with the crimes unpunished because they weren't similarly checked or suspected, which then of course skews the figures even further than they already are

It is STATISTICALLY correct that the majority (meaning 51%+) of convicted thieves are black

Whoops

[GommeInc]

It's not common sense, it's just racist. Also, IF statistically there are more black thieves out there, were they rightly convicted? This idea that we perceive all black people as thieves may just persecute them more when defending themselves. What about white thieves, are they rightly convicted or simply just warned, therefore not properly put through the criminal system? It would help if there was secondary statistics to back up the primary, to see what happens when giving a criminal conviction. Many black thieves may be found guilty and not warned, while white ones are simply just warned and only really found guilty if their actions persist.

If it was common sense, then the majority of people should have this idea in the back of their heads that all black men and women are thieves. As it's an unfounded belief, it's not common sense. Just misguided idea which is more damaging to a community than helpful. Quite a selfish belief really.

[lawrawrrr]

Whoops

I think you'll find that's just UK figures

[FlyingJesus]

I think you'll find that's just UK figures

49% in the US with a substantially higher non-white population (65.5% "white" in the US as compared to 90.94% "white" in the UK), still nothing like a majority in the Western world. Also I'm not sure if you've noticed but we live in the UK, which is why such figures are rather important in a discussion like this. Either way, the fact remains that you clearly did no research whatsoever before outright stating that the majority of criminals are black, also suggesting in your previous post that the likelihood of white people getting away with crime is not an issue when it's actually one of the biggest (other than sex discrimination) problems of the courts worldwide

[dirrty]

it's not racist unless you're saying all black people steal.

It is STATISTICALLY correct that the majority (meaning 51%+) of convicted thieves are black, therefore saying that more black people steal is correct. Unless you want to argue that more white people get away with it?

It's like saying most Christians are white. Which isn't racist, it's stating a fact.

more black people steal than white people? considering population differences are INCREDIBLY different, and any samples/therefore findings wouldn't exactly be valid due to the fact that many variables (such as socio-economic positions, environment, location, amount within & different populations, etc. vary) aren't even comparable. therefore, your 'STATISTICALLY CORRECT' argument is invalid as the majority of people don't base their discriminative practices on 'statistics', but rather who society has told them are instant criminals (mainly through the media, and through the fact that many agencies within society socialise use to believe that black ethnic minorities are perceived automatically as criminals).

and coming from someone whose been on the receiving end of it, yes it is racist.

[karter]

Considering the fact that many black people have lower living standards and social positions than the white people, it is obvious why people think that. Take a hypothetical situation where white people are mostly poor and blacks are not, why wouldnt the whites be subjected to the same experience?

[Kardan]

It some areas it may be true that there are more black thieves than white thieves, but to assume that all black people steal is racist.

From my personal experience the people that shoplift in my area are the white chavvy teenagers that need cash to buy cigarettes, I guess this means that all white people are thieves then.

[Ardemax]

It is STATISTICALLY correct that the majority (meaning 51%+) of convicted thieves are black, therefore saying that more black people steal is correct.

This has been pointed out but that is far from the truth, even in America. If you watch sxephil on YouTube he mentioned it in his last video that black people are convicted for crimes a lot more than white people, you're right, but that doesn't mean white people don't do those crimes - they're just never convicted. Racism is still a big thing in the States and even in the UK, it seems.

[-:Undertaker:-]

The fact is that crime is much higher with areas of people who are of different colour - that's just a fact. However, racism would come into it if you claimed that being black (or yellow for example in relation to fraud) meant that you committed crime when it doesn't.

The issue is, and i've said it time and time again, cultural differences. The fact that we allowed multiculturalism to exist by allowing such large numbers of people from cultural groups into this country means that people do not integrate and will most likely retain habits which are common in their country but which are alien to a law ruled society like our own. It is to do with culture, not race - the racial element is simply a correlation.

As for profiling, i'm against it because I don't believe the Police have a right to stop anybody on the street if there is no genuine suspected criminal activity - but what private shops do is up to them. In regards to the Police and the state in general, it should treat everybody equally and not more negatively or positively due to the colour of their skin.

[Catchy]

I can't even read half this thread, that's how ridiculous it is.