Is there a better term?

[Rick Kennerly]

><))));>Is there a more useful term for racial profiling?
><))));>

Well, every term is useful in it's own way, depending on the intent of the
speaker.  And WEB DeBois warns of the dangers of getting into divisive
fights over changing terms--he sites nigger, black, colored, etc--while
avoiding changing the associated underlying behavior that is the real
problem.  According to WEBD the danger is to the people who are fighting to
change the term, of their being seduced into believing they are actually
changing something important while expending vast amounts of energy and
political capital in the process.

I'm not going to enter the racial profiling debate other than to note that
it's use has spilled over from it's origins describing police street
activity in a, mostly, white/black racial context and is now being used in
several arenas dealing with all people of color, particularly those of
middle eastern heritage, entering the country, especially at airports.  The
constant in this use is the police powers of the government against xxx
group.  In these uses profiling is pretty much synonymous with stereotyping
but with, from the police perspective, an added scientific or
pseudoscientific base.

Personally, I think profiling is a pretty useful all round term that is not
too pejorative.

The FBI profiles serial murderers (think Silence of the Lambs and most of
the Kay Scarpetta stories) & bank robbers.  But universities have a cross
sectional profile of their student body--both actual and ideal as do
admissions committees and businesses have profiles of their client base.
Marketers profile the population and pitch us.  Medicos match patients
against different disease profiles.

rhk