Profiling was the topic du jour on Sunday night’s edition of The Carmichael Show, on an episode titled ‘New Neighbors.’ When spying, from the front room window, on the new neighbors moving in across the street, they see the new neighbors are Muslim. They later learn that they’re from New York and recently lived in Pakistan.
Which of course, according to The Carmichaels, means nothing. Or, it means everything. Anyway, that’s the debate.
Maxine: You guys can’t assume the worst. You know, profiling has consequences. If you treat someone like a criminal, they are more likely to become one. You know, the only time I ever thought about stealing was when I was followed around a store by a security guard. What? I've been followed before. Don't think that's so unbelievable. What? I dressed differently back then. Okay, fine. I was with Nekeisha.
Jerrod: Okay. That makes sense. That makes complete sense.
Cynthia: I was gonna say, things are really bad if somebody's following around Maxine.
Maxine: The point is, it was really hurtful. And, you know, I don't want to live in a society where just any crazy person can accuse their neighbor of anything.
Joe: Well, the police couldn't stop that San Bernardino attack. But you know who could? A neighbor who noticed that couple acting strangely and receiving too many packages. But he didn't want to say anything, 'cause he didn't want people to think he was crazy.
That bit about profiling making you more likely to commit an actual crime might be the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. The Chicago Police Department literally banned racial profiling over a year ago. The result? Chicago, one quarter of the way through 2016, is off to its bloodiest first quarter of a year in two decades, and is on pace for 500 murders.
That part about the San Bernardino shooting, was a scimitar to the knees of any argument against profiling. A completely true case, where a neighbor’s desire to not be made to look “hateful” or “insensitive,” literally cost people their lives.