Joshua Garza

@01260864

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First Impressions: A Qualitative Approach to Race and Ethnic Relations

Abstract: It can be said that we are not products of our circumstances, but instead
outcomes of the decisions we make. Our decision making skills come from a multitude of things.
Most prominently, our instincts can mold our paths and inhibit us to make decisions sometimes
against logical reasoning. A prime example would be the existence of stereotypes and the ability
to allow special circumstances to occur when these primal reactions are present. What follows is
a qualitative representation of gathered statements, facts and, theories as to how profiling, by
ethnicity or race, can adversely affect an individual or even an entire culture. This qualitative
report uses interviews and small groups to ascertain the results. The Articles and journals used
here are presented in a non-bias manner and should be viewed as objectively as possible initially.
The reasoning behind ones most instinctual decisions are examined and dissected both
physically and philosophically, to assist in the explanation of human natures need to overlook
logic at the most in-opportune times.
It is clear that in most cases, how an individual can relate to another person can be based
on the first few moments they met. This initial assessment of an individual can dictate whether or
not you continue conversing with an individual, or leave and never meet this person again. The
results of either choice can end on both sides of the spectrum, with a great new encounter or
horrible ending. It is our ability to reason that dictates mans presence on the planet. However,
sometimes man is found at the short end of the stick due to instincts we dont entirely
understand. It is time to justify our motives behind making major life decisions and allowing
them to be skewed by personal bias. To first understand the situation at hands we will examine
examples of bias and unlawful acts being committed by law enforcement officials. This
combined with the following testament from interviews and a brief look into the anatomy of our

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bias and decisions making circuits, will allow us to unravel the reasoning to some peoples
madness, and others content. Before we get to that it would be beneficial to outline the actions
performed by this faction and the importance of the data collected.
As expected there was plenty of material scattered through the internet and in journals
around campus. Recent stories like Ferguson, and older events like Rodney King have gathered
enough attention to write this report by itself. What was necessary to fully highlight the personal
aspect of this topic was detailed statements of observed actions by other persons. For this reason
four individuals were interviewed and asked questions privately and five others were recorded
during a group session. These questions were probing, however not intended to cause any mental
or psychological strain on the interviewee. They were asked to give their opinions on articles that
will be used in this study as well. In brief, the testament collected from the volunteers proved to
highlight different mindsets and reasoning for actions witnessed and carried out. Before we
analyze what was said, lets take an objective look at the wild world around us and some notions
presently taking place.
Before one can accurately examine and judge the actions taking place in the U.S. one
should first come to an understanding of what profiling is and how it is used. Websters
Dictionary: online defines profiling as the act or process of learning information about someone
based on what is already known

and the act or practice of regarding particular people as

more likely to commit crimes because of their appearance, race, ethnicity etc. (Webster 2015).
This definition very basically defines the actions encompassed within profiling and also
highlights some issues with the act. Interpreting ones actions and reacting accordingly is
something many will applaud or encourage, when it works out well. The issue arises when
government officials start to take race and ethnicity into account when deciding who to

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investigate or pursue for legal matters. Across various jurisdictions, from New Jersey,
Maryland, Missouri, Michigan, and San Diego, officers appear to be disproportionately targeting
drivers of color for official post-stop activities such as field interrogations, searches, and
sanctions in the form of citations. (Chong 2011.) There have been many reports of these actions
taking place around the country by people of all occupations and positions of power.
Many reports from across the country highlight the effects of profiling and its positive
and negative effects. For example, a man from a foreign country may receive news that a dearly
loved relative is in the hospital for health issues. This man takes public transportation to the
airport, because he is from abroad and does not yet have his own transportation. He packs light
because he is in a rush, and makes all his purchases with cash for the same reason. This man may
have all the right reasons and his actions may seem inconsequential to you and me, however an
officer can view his actions and have enough reason to stop and perform a random search on this
individual. This is a scene observed too often at many airports across the nation, alienating and
separating many people from that which they dont understand. This kind of alienation is caused
by what the government considers good logic. It just makes sense to observe an individuals
actions and take action to make sure they are not harming us or our way of life. This concept,
however, can be taken too far and in many cases results with the alienation of an individual or
sometimes even an entire culture or race. A prevalent example would be the amount of racism or
effectiveness of profiling in areas of elevated bias. Historically speaking, America has had a long
and hefty battle with human rights for different races and genders. The outcome of most revolts
being an increase in rights delegated towards these people but only a very slight change in living
after these rights were granted. A less common example of that is Mr. Wilkins case against the
state of Michigan. This man claims he was wrongly searched and shown many injustices based

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of the police officers profile which included, if not heavily relied on, the fact that Wilkins was an
African American. Wilkins lawyers uncovered a memo stating that drug couriers were likely to
be black males and females. (Hudson 2011). The following illustration from police records
shows the likeliness of people getting pulled over based on race. (See last page of report for
illustration A.) This display of prejudice however is not the worst, I would later discover. There
have been very recent reports of police shooting down people who fit similar profiles and are not
prosecuted because they were simply responding to a clear and evident threat. The need for those
cases to be cleared up is apparent. Also, many other minor disturbances happen elsewhere
usually involving children or patrons in serve areas like restaurants and gas stations. These were
the stories I received when interviewing different individuals, and the effects they had on those
present.
As previously stated, interviews were performed on a select amount of people from the
immediate University area to give their stories of profiling, first impressions, and the reasoning
behind it. One Individual swears his race and ethnicity has defined everything from what he
should like, to what his nickname should be. This individual is a Texas born and Houston raised
American citizen. He is white and has spent 7+ years in Canada these two facts, he says, have
opened and closed many doors in his life time. We will refer to this man as Canada because that
is what he goes by here in the greater San Antonio area. Canada has his fair share of interests and
hobbies most of which would immediately imply his nerdy or geeky side. His addiction to art,
anime, less mainstream music and other outlets both define and confine him in some instances.
He reports being berated on occasion for being white in areas where that is not the dominant race
or ethnicity. He also says he has been let off of a few legal altercations simply because he was
white. Canadas testament supports the notion that society can be just as judging or profile a

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person just as quickly as the next corrupt official. When asked about his ability to accurately
judge a book by its cover he admits to have being bias himself. Stating that he once totally
wrote off an individual waiting to be interviewed for the same job as him just because their hair
was untamed, the clothes were sloppy, he was black and he was late to the interview. He later
found out that this individual worked for the company he was applying for and was essentially
there to keep tally on the applicants for that position. Had Canada made some sort of remark or
shown any distain towards that individual he realizes that maybe he would not have been able to
work for the company like some of the other applicants in the room at the time. On the other side
of the spectrum are Rolph and Liliths experiences with profiling and initial assessments of the
people around them.
Like every coin, there are two sides and then there are the fuzzy circular surroundings,
well-rounded and in the middle of two extremes. An example of that well rounded or median of
two extremes to profiling is the way Rolph meets people. He believes race should not really
carry heavy meaning when analyzing another individual. Stating that it is all about what the
household was like when they were raised. The only way one can be racist or have their
misconceptions about people is if they were brought up in a house where such concepts were
propagated and enforced. Being a Mexican in the San Antonio area though he admits to being
profiled a lot. Strangers might approach him and speak in slow English when asking for
assistance although he is very fluent in English. He has been stopped for random searches at
check points and believes that it was because he was Mexican and his accent tipped off the
authorities at the station. So he recognizes what is out there but does not incorporate such
methods in his own analysis of the people around him. Another example of this well-rounded
portion of the population is viewed from the eyes of a Mexican woman named Lilith. Lilith was

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raised in Oklahoma for most of her life and because of that says she has experienced
discrimination from one of the most innocent seeming of sources. Although I cannot account for
this girls behavior when she was smaller, she sates she was constantly targeted by a white teacher
upstate and claims it was nothing more than singling out the only Mexican in the room. Lilith
states she was constantly pinched, or punished in some state or form to be made as an example to
the classroom what would happen if you stood out of line. There was no escape for her in this
year of school and was forced to deal with being singled out for things she didnt do for being a
race she didnt choose. Even after this persecution though, she claims race is more of a cultured
statement than something to be viewed as a defining aspect of an individuals intent or plans.
When asked what it is she observes when meeting a person for the first time, she replied with a
list of factors, the last of which was race. So before we get into why these feelings of uneasiness
exist and why some responses to certain people are more extreme than others, we must first
finish examining the spectrum and no observe an individual with obvious prejudice.
We will refer to this interviewee as Landy and will serve to demonstrate the importance
of profiling and an example of an individual who is almost too aware of the differences between
him and others. First of all it may help to clarify that he sates the importance stressed in his
household to stick to his kind (black persons) or to at the very least stay away from white folk.
He says his mother, the prevailing parent figure while growing up, emphasized a certain bias and
distain towards people of lighter skin color. He has been the one store owners keep an eye on and
give special attention to because he believes the store owners cant trust the colored youth like
him. Hotel owners have blatantly asked him what business he has there, and that they do not
tolerate solicitors, when all he was trying to do was check into the room he purchased for a
vacation. Landy states he believes that all people should be aware of certain stereotypes or

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notions that come along with different races, for fear of offending another individual at the least.
Landy sees racism and stereotypes and instead of wanting to obliterate their existence says we
need to accept and or acknowledge their prevalence. Claiming that such stereotypes are usually
over exaggerations of observed actions, and should not be ignored but instead integrated into
how you approach an individual. Of course he does not intend to approach people with bias
intentions but instead build off or test the individual to see how true they stick to these
observations. He basically sees the persecution he is faced with and provides a mellower version
of his observations into his interactions with others. This is the other side of the ethical coin
constantly flipped in the air and used to decide whether or not our actions will reflect logic or
bias. To better understand where such actions come from we must first examine the physiology
of the main thought processing organ, our brain. Then we must dive into the psycho-social
aspects we and others exert on each other instinctually.
The brain is a confounding organ filled with regions that control different functions of the
body and how we function as a body in a social setting. It can be said that most frustration with
other races originate from one basic feeling, do I like that person or not? What decides whether
or not we like another Individual? Studies show it is our brains ability to decipher whether or not
the other person and you are similar. This Article from a John Hopkins Medical article highlights
the brains reaction to judging an individual in reference to our own likes and dislikes.
"The more you consider the other person like yourself, the more you empathize with them,"
Jenkins explains. "We might be seeing dissimilar others as less human," she suggests. When
second-guessing the opinions and feelings of those unlike ourselves, this brain region does not
get involved, the new research shows. This may mean we are more likely to fall back on
stereotyping (Hopkins 08)

So our ability to define similarities is ultimately what brings to light or like or distaste towards
another person. So if Stereotypes are absurdly generalized observations why is it that they exist?

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Apparently another study suggests that stereotypes are just reactions we are programmed with as
a result of our own culture. Human beings need to define our own self might be the cause for
generalizations to rule our thoughts and expectations of others. Another study suggests that
stereotypes, however, are not edged in stone and can change according to ones own views or
sudden realization of similarities.
Because stereotypes highlight differences between groups, and neglect likely common types,
they are especially inaccurate when groups are similar. In this case, stereotypes consist of
unlikely, extreme types. When stereotypes are inaccurate, they exhibit a form of base rate
neglect. They also imply a form of confirmation bias in light of new information: beliefs overreact to information that confirms the stereotype and ignore information that contradicts it.
However, stereotypes can change or rather, be replaced if new information changes the
groups most distinctive trait (Bordalo 14)

In hindsight it would appear that stereotypes are really the most efficient at further separating
members of this world. Furthermore some believe this notion was created from our most basic of
human instincts. The human need or ability to assess a threat and choose whether to fight or flee
the scene very much affects our actions. If a white police officer approaches a black male and
they are both weary of the other race it will not be very hard to predict tension in the interaction
that will follow. So can we really blame ourselves as human beings for being cautious?
This is the problem that plights America whenever there are reports of race influencing
decisions made by officials in power. It has been proven that sometimes a police officers or
agents profiling can help avoid countless other accidents or tragedies but they also cause so
many others. The problem of the idea of racial profiling becomes especially acute in the light of
the problematic nature of the very concept of race. The difficulties surrounding the concept of
race include the genetic arbitrariness objection, the incompleteness objection, and the
insignificance objection. (Corlett 08). What Corlett and others are trying to say is that profiling
is something that just has too many flaws to still be used in the American justice system. The

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loop holes and ability to allow individuals to act out their aggression for another group is to clear
and present. Three issues are commonly conflated in the discussion of racial profiling. The first
is the use of race as an information carrier for investigative purposes; the second is police abuse;
and the third is the disproportionate use of race in profiling. (Risse 04). So why does a system
like this still exist? We allow it to!
The purpose for this examination was to understand why such things like stereotypes,
racial profiling exist and how they are perpetuated through generations of so called change.
Through examination of our basic physiology we see that there is even a portion of the brain
dedicated to sorting out similarities between people. This allows for us to see whether or not we
like an individual and can dictate whether or not we got to deepen a relationship with said
person. This is perpetuated by our animal Fight or Flight instincts which will give us the drive
to either avoid a situation or engage it. From there we almost instantly decide whether or not the
outcome of this interactions are going to be positive or negative. In summation, it is basic nature
to provide ourselves with conclusions about things we do not fully understand with what little bit
of information we do have access to. The next pressing question is, are these preconceived
notions of people helpful or hurtful towards our existence on this planet?
The answer requires one to dive past the action of human groups and deeper into the
meaning of being an individual and the pre-dispositions one brings with themselves. We
observed a full spectrum of individuals who take different aspects of life into consideration when
initially assessing an individual. People like Canada realize there are certain social confines
established and respects them. He does not see the need to propagate them or make them out to
be a bigger statement than already are. He is not blind to what is going on around him however is
very rarely ever in the situation to change events happening around him. The well-rounded side

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of Rolph and Lilith demonstrate what will hopefully grow to be a better part of the population.
These individuals hardly seemed pressed to emphasize ones race or ethnicity in any meeting
between another individual. In fact race was only ever a significant part of the puzzle if the
individual in contact decided to make it apparent. The other side of the spectrum was Landy, and
his inability to look past race or ethnicity when interacting with another person. He felt a
brotherly bond with other African Americans and a natural distaste towards certain other races
just because that was how he was brought up. It is important to remember the social differences
each member experiences and how that may affect many individuals outlook. Maybe the ability
to overlook subtle differences came from Canadas upbringing and the super mixed ethnicities he
dealt with in Toronto while he resided there? Perhaps the strong family morals put into a
traditional Mexican house hold are what allow Rolph and Lilith to overlook major social
differences between people and try to absorb as much as possible when meeting a new person. It
is possible that Landys household and city environment is what causes him to cling to the
obvious differences in people like race and ethnicity.
What is certain is that racial profiling, stereotypes and social constraints are ruining what
could be a numerous great interactions with other members of the human race. These things exist
to help protect us and because we feel the need to separate ourselves from others and define our
own self. It is also obvious that sometimes when we focus on the differences between ourselves
it becomes too easy to become distant and separate from the surrounding world. We should build
strengths from our differences and not seek to change that which we do not personally support. If
we are products of our own decisions then let us decide to affect our circumstances and morph
this world into a better one regardless of ethnicity or race.

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Images
Illustration A.

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Works Cited
Angelo Corlett J. Profiling Color The Journal of Ethics Vol. 15, No. 1/2, Racial Profiling
March June 2011, pp. 21-32 Published by: Springer
Bordalo, Pedro. Gennaioli, Nicola. Shleifer, Andrei. Stereotypes, NBER working paper No.
20106, Cambridge. May.2014
Chong Ho Shon, Phillip, Profiling, Police and Law Enforcment, Chambliss, William J.,
Sage 2011
Hopkin, Michael. How We Judge the Thoughts of others, 17 Mar 2008. Macmillan
Publishers Limited. Nature Publishing Group .2015.
Hudson, David L., Point Counter Point, Racial profiling, Info base publishing, 01 Dec,
2010,
Mathias Risse and Richard Zeckhauser Racial Profiling Philosophy & Public Affairs Vol.
32, No. 2 (Spring, 2004) , pp. 131-170 Published by: Wiley
Merriam-Webster, Online Dictionary, 2015, Merriam-Webster Incorporated