Profiling

We used to call lumping people together stereotyping. Now we call it profiling.

What you may not realize is that you do this all the time. Every time you meet someone, you have a preconception of them based on their looks.

It is a self-preservation mechanism. If I am walking alone and I see an older woman, chances are, I won't be nervous. If I see an unkept man approaching, I may get nervous. I just profiled both of them.

Is every unkept man going to attack me? No, but I may still get nervous. Is every Middle Eastern man going to be terrorist? No.

Am I nervous around Middle Eastern men? No, because most all of them are decent human beings. Would I have been nervous seeing Middle Eastern men on a plane directly after 9/11? I can't really say. I don't recall having a special fear of them and I hope I wouldn't but considering I was afraid of everything at that point in time, it's very possible.

I work with a Middle Eastern man who is from Yemen and who is also Muslim. Everyone thinks he's the greatest guy. He has a great personality and he's so much fun. Just thought I'd throw that in.