Most Americans take it for granted that some degree of profiling makes sense. For example, when looking at a group of airline passengers to assess the risk that they’re going to hijack or blow up a plane, it makes sense to spend more time examining the young Arab man with the “Allah Akhbar” T-shirt than the tiny 95-year old Korean grandmother in a wheelchair.
Amazingly (to me, at least), not everyone agrees with this. Some people believe that by spending more time examining that young Arab man we are perpetuating a cultural stereotype, and sending a message of intolerance. Well, actually, I’m ok with that — I am a very tolerant man, but I am very intolerant of terrorists and the societies and cultures that produce them.
So, with all that in mind, here’s a hint for the Department of Homeland Security — some blatant profiling that they can use to help efficiently detect terrorists in the airport:
