I think probably the most effective way to solve the problem would be to make people better aware of what makes you appear threatening and non-threatening in a confrontation.
Unfortunately in America, what makes you seem threatening is based on the color of your skin.
I am an African American living in a predominantly White county in the south that was made famous 30 years ago nationally for being anti-minority.
While, the county has changed somewhat because of an influx of younger people to the burbs, I still worry when my son starts driving because he is a big tall dude even though he would never hurt a fly, has lived in the burbs all of his life, and his friendship circle is like the cast of a WB show.
I don't see the point in ignoring race, or any other physical traits. It's almost as if when it comes to survival some people would rather be dead than being seen as a bigot or racist.
When the details of the situation you are in start to fit the common parameters of stories you hear that's when you need to be on high alert.
For instance, I doubt most people will think twice if they pass a woman in an alley, no matter how she's dressed. Females mugging and killing people just isn't a thing you hear about all that often. So you take your chances.
Likewise a man of any race wearing a suit is probably not going to be perceived as any kind of threat either.
Could these people be threats? Of course, but statistically it is unlikely.
Likewise, if you are somewhere where a member of a race has never killed anybody, you probably would feel at ease around those people. Or maybe it's an area where crime is low in general all around, then perhaps you walk in peace and freely ignore everyone as a threat.
It has nothing to do with being a bigot or a racist, it's all about being aware of past patterns that have led to people's deaths and avoiding them.
That’s the thing though, the percentage of a random person of any demographic attacking you is like <<< 0.1% (or something), maybe comparable to your chance of dying in a car crash. Yet people cling to stereotypes and don’t wear seatbelts. If people are afraid of a person of certain race approaching them they should be afraid of many other improbable scenarios.
I experience both of these things when I was younger. Not so much anymore.
people avoiding you on the street
As I related above, I've had moms keep their little girls away from me. Is the perceived potential danger from a middle-aged guy much different from that of a black guy?
explicit discrimination from landlords
Funny you should mention that. As it happens, my wife is Asian. I know for a fact that in at least two rental situations, we were given preferential treatment because of that. It cuts both ways.
Again, as long as people keep pointing fingers at me and telling me I'm a racist, I will grow increasingly inured, and even angry. I think that in the end, you start to have the opposite of the effect you'd like.
There are a lot of ideas here sparking with (at least) border-line racism (against racist, but it's racism nevertheless).
But what you say stands out, because there is an easy solution that's not tainted by racism: These people are threatening other people. They form an organization to promote this. We as a society have a tool against that: Law.
If you look at FBI data it’s not a widespread problem. But I guess instilling fear and then offering comfort sells. I see the “stop hate” in places where there is the least likelihood people would be attacked, you know richer suburban areas with very little crime…
The premise of this question is false. I object to the harassment of anyone, regardless of the color of their skin. Who would object to preventing the harassment of people with white skin, and why?
There's a massive and historic problem of white-skinned people being harassed (and much worse) by black-skinned people. The evidence is overwhelming. Therefore, we need to put great effort into solving it.
The idea that there is a competition between races is not only absurd but well-established to be highly damaging; the results are very bad for everyone. Stopping the harassment of white-skinned people helps everyone.
I guess it similar for people of color. They know that they may be seen as a threat and thus they normally act accordingly. Otherwise people may call the police.
I'm part of a different targeted-minority. The only times I felt it weighing on me more than as a nuisance, was when I actually had something to hide. Which shouldn't have a bearing on whether or not the police should target me or not, as long as they behave and I as a citizen don't escalate.
Strangely enough, our "not" being a minority doesn't seem to stop people shooting up our community centers or pushing us onto train tracks so much as make it excusable.
A minority male between 14 and 40 is more likely to mug someone than a 70 year old caucasian woman; that's not something made up by racist conservatives. But if there's such a thing as rights, they must apply even to higher-threat demographics.
One interesting exercise is thinking about base rates of mugging, and likelihood ratios for mugging, and discerning your own personal "4th amendment suspension" breaking point for each percentage.
The premise of this question is false. I object to the harassment of anyone, regardless of the color of their skin. Who would object to preventing the harassment of people with black skin, and why?
There's a massive and historic problem of black-skinned people being harassed (and much worse) by police and civilians. The evidence is overwhelming. Therefore, we need to put great effort into solving it.
The idea that there is a competition between races is not only absurd but well-established to be highly damaging; the results are very bad for everyone. Stopping the harassment of black-skinned people helps everyone. If there's a competition, it's the hateful vs. the great majority who are civilized, regardless of skin color (or religion or sexual preference or country of origin or anything else). I'm on the side of the civilized. If we built a wall to keep out the hateful, think how many problems would simply disappear.
This a million times. But, the reason is clear: my demographic is terrified of being a minority. The fear of this is being stoked by Fox News and other similar media outlets. Especially in the US, the fear of reprisals from past bad deeds (slavery and Jim Crow laws) are the immediate reasons.
Lol, one day I was riding my bicycle home, and had to pass through a very poor part of town in which I am a racial minority. My bike got a flat just that moment. Someone took notice of my weakness that I had to stop and fix the flat and that I was obviously not from the neighborhood. They put a gun to my head.
That disabused me of any notion I am never a target.
Wow, nice try at painting me as bigoted, or whatever. Cheap rhetoric is cheap.
Would you call it confrontational for a KKK member to move into a black neighborhood and fly Ol' Dixie? Because that's perfectly parallel to your proposed scenario, and that's what you're arguing for.
Just because the people we're talking about are members of a protected class doesn't change the logic of the situation.
Unfortunately in America, what makes you seem threatening is based on the color of your skin.
I am an African American living in a predominantly White county in the south that was made famous 30 years ago nationally for being anti-minority.
While, the county has changed somewhat because of an influx of younger people to the burbs, I still worry when my son starts driving because he is a big tall dude even though he would never hurt a fly, has lived in the burbs all of his life, and his friendship circle is like the cast of a WB show.
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