Racial Profiling is Necessary Essay -- Race Racism Prejudice Essays

In order to understand racial profiling, it must first be correctly defined. Although different authors use different criteria for the term racial profiling, Merriam-Webster’s definition for the word racial is â€Å"of, relating to, or based on a race (Merriam-Webster, 2006; p.855).† The definition the dictionary puts forth for profiling is â€Å"the act of suspecting or targeting a person solely on the basis of observed characteristics or behavior (Merriam-Webster, 2006; p.830).† Based on these definitions, racial profiling could be defined for criminal justice purposes as targeting a person based solely on the characteristic of race. Most people, law enforcement officers included, would consider racial profiling based on this definition as ethically wrong. However, a case must be made for the use of profiling based on race in some circumstances. Critics claim that racial profiling has no place within the justice system because it targets minorities who are not necessarily doing anything illegal. They argue that the evidence that shows that racial profiling as a successful tool in the law enforcement arsenal is skewed, and that those targeted are actually less likely to perform illegal acts than others who are not targeted, because those who are not are less likely to get caught, while those who are targeted are much more likely to be caught in an illegal act, so they will perform less illegal activity. The evidence supporting racial profiling states that this argument is invalid because many illegal acts are cited as being done by minorities, specifically in terms of gang activity. Many people feel that racial profiling is ethically sound because in order to obtain a suspect, an officer must be looking for a person with certain chara... ...rian’s perspective and he believed that any profiling based on race is wrong (Fredrickson, 2002; p.166). Conclusion Based on these authors, as well as others, it can be effectively argued that racial profiling is not, in and of itself, an unethical practice. However, it must be used in a precise manner in order to be morally sound. This method includes using it as a tool in the investigative process and not before it has been determined that a crime has been committed. It must also be used in a specific way: to describe an individual suspect and not a group of people who are suspected of possibly committing one crime or another. The witness’s background and bias must be taken into account, and racial profiling must be done equally and without favor to one racial group. After these steps are taken into account, racial profiling cannot be considered unethical.

Insights That Travels Trough Time Essay

The dramatic effect of a masterpiece always depends on the one who views it. John Berger argues about perception and that only few own and experience the proficiency in terms of visual images that shape the cultural memory of a society. Berger opens out and focuses on the power of images (Parks, 2009). He looked up to how others should consider and understand how a certain image could produce â€Å"a new language of images†. Perhaps, he wanted to make each and every artist takes advantage of using his or her works to represent or reflect the ethos that exists in a society. For him the art itself speaks up a rich testimony about the culture and other occurrence in the history. Also Berger establish the notion that those who were unattached from their past, has unbound role and can freely act as an individual or a group. Herewith, it could be assumed that experiences affect how we accept or perceived something or how we or what we believe as true. Further, according to Berger â€Å"The relation between what we see and what we know is never settled†. The truth could be assumed to still rest in the eyes of the viewer. Berger insists to how we people should respond and take importance of what we see. With this, we should learn to read and know what lies behind it. Every image is an instrument that leads us to different region and period (Wong, 2009). If we just learn how to read and decipher the knowledge it offers, then we could freely purchase the vision that the most ignores References: 1. Parks S,. (2009)Studying Culture/Controlling Images. , Retrieve: April 14, 2009 http//www. temple. edu/isllc/sparks 2. Wong M. , (2009)Just in Time :Anamorphosis as a Strategic Survival Visual Tactics. , http://www. para-site. org. hk/_pre/96_txt4. html

Book Review Marie Winns The Plug-In Drug - 705 Words

Book review: The Plug-In Drug by Marie Winn The Plug-In Drug by Marie Winn was written long before the Internet became a ubiquitous part of the life of every young child and teen. However, its message is just as important today as it was when Winn wrote her seminal text. Winns thesis is that television is uniquely detrimental to the intellectual and creative development of children, creating a generation of passive watchers rather than active doers. She links the dependence upon television as a mode of entertainment to everything from declining SAT scores to a decline in the ability of families to connect with one another. Television enables families to avoid talking during difficult times and families sit around the television like a fireside. Encouraging children to watch television is so easy and pleasant when compared to the disagreeable strategies of the distant past (Winn 151). According to Winn, television is not bad because programs are violent or have no redeeming educational value (although this is frequently the case). The danger is that watching television is addictive as a form of passive entertainment, and crowds out other, more challenging ways for children to have fun. Instead of reading, children watch TV. Instead of playing outside, children watch TV (and do harm to their health by eating high-fat, high-calorie snack foods). Instead of connecting meaningfully with family and friends, they stare at a screen. And, of course, schoolwork often