Why is race indicated on criminal related posts?

[Elsie Pea]

I would just be more surprised to hear that the White guy killed an entire family of another race.

Why? Serial and mass murderers in America are actually statistically and proportionally more likely to be committed by whites than blacks. That's a fact. Because of that pesky fact, I would actually find it more surprising to read of a serial or mass killing committed by a black person than a white person, because that would be contrary to statistical probability.

You may want to pay closer attention. I said "another race." But, since you are hostile and want to argue, I will concede that you're right about everything and I'm wrong.

[03Lightningrocks]

Dude, you aren't the first to notice that trend and it's not a new trend. Minorities have complained of that issue for decades but, the majority tends to dismiss it as a “fig Newton” of our imagination. It is part of basic human logic to recognize patterns and the report of, or failure to report, race with respect to crimes is a recognizable pattern to anyone who chooses to pay attention. That’s not necessarily good or bad.

What is bad is when we don’t take that sort of thing into account and recognize that it can create subconscious bias. Nearly all of us have a pre-conceived image of a person connected with certain terms based on life experience and the images to which we’ve been subjected during our lifetimes. That image may include gender and race. As an example, what pops into your mind for the following terms:
Cop
Gangbanger
Priest
Pedophile
Pharmacist
Dealer
Doctor
Rapist
Lawyer
Robber
Judge
Criminal
Singer
Serial Killer
Supremacists

No need to post what come to mind here, it is just something to think about. But with respect to the original topic, I will say my observations are in line with those of the original post and I would agree that, at least to me, it seems race is reported more often when minorities commit crimes.

It is a fact that each and every item in your list is dominated by certain groups based on race. There is no getting around it. For instance when I read pedophile my first thought was white male authority figure. Not female...not black. This is due to the FACT that most of the pedophile crimes I read about are commited by white guys in positions of authority and trust. Making it politicly incorrect to mention the ethnic group/race a criminal belongs to is NOT going to change the fact that certain groups are responsible for certain types of crimes.

Why would mentioning the race or sex of a criminal make anyone uncomfortable? Fighting some internal demons maybe???? This would be the most likely reason for the discomfort. Maybe trying to convince yourself your not racist by publicly stating your not a racist? If your really concerned with the general image of the ethnic group mentioned in a crime, maybe you could do something to change the situation that is causing this particular group to commit a particular crime. IMHO...living in denial is not going to change the facts. Making the rest of us live in denial is not going to change the facts either. But it could put us in jeopordy of becoming the victim of a crime.

As the old saying goes. If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck....chances are...your dealing with a duck.

[anygunanywhere]

If you really think about it and suspend all emotiion for a bit, the actual politically correct goal of "diveristy" is to enhance, magnify, and emphasize the differences between races, religions, and cultures under the banner of "inclusiveness" unless you are white and Christian.

Being overly sensitive because an article mentions race is as petty and senseless as not mentioning race for fear of offending someone.

The ones that push diversity go so far as to completely miss Dr. King's message in his "Dream" speech where he longs for the day when men will be judged by their character and not by the color of their skin.

I have never understood that.

Anygunanywhere

[The Annoyed Man]

I would just be more surprised to hear that the White guy killed an entire family of another race.

Why? Serial and mass murderers in America are actually statistically and proportionally more likely to be committed by whites than blacks. That's a fact. Because of that pesky fact, I would actually find it more surprising to read of a serial or mass killing committed by a black person than a white person, because that would be contrary to statistical probability.

You may want to pay closer attention. I said "another race." But, since you are hostile and want to argue, I will concede that you're right about everything and I'm wrong.

Why? Simply because I said what I said? That wasn't directed at you. I was just explaining why I would not have interpreted things the same way as you, or am I not allowed to express that? By the way, you started in on me, not the other way around, and you think I am hostile and want to argue? I'm sorry you're offended, but this is a discussion board.

Which part exactly of this excerpt from my previous post did you think was directed at you?

So, how do I see that being applied in terms of this discussion? Well, I think it is perfectly legitimate, for instance, if a Member A posts about an "interview" he/she had, and mentions that the "interviewer" was of a different race or gender than Member A is. The reason it is acceptable information is that it helps Member A to draw a picture of exactly what was going down. Maybe there was some racial tension involved. If so, then that is relevant information. However, if Member B steps in and says "well, that's just typical of purple people," then Member B deserves to get slapped down for making a bigoted remark. So, it's not really the information that is at fault. It's what the viewer does with that information that can be a problem if it is not appropriate.

In other cases, maybe Member A really is a bigot him/herself, and that bigotry will become apparent in their opening post. But I don't think that the inclusion of racial and or gender descriptions is what makes them a bigot. Rather, it is the way in which the information is included that telegraphs Member A's real heart.

As you can see, I didn't call anybody in particular a bigot, and I honestly don't know where you got the idea that this was directed at you.

[G.C.Montgomery]

It is a fact that each and every item in your list is dominated by certain groups based on race. There is no getting around it. For instance when I read pedophile my first thought was white male authority figure. Not female...not black. This is due to the FACT that most of the pedophile crimes I read about are commited by white guys in positions of authority and trust. Making it politicly incorrect to mention the ethnic group/race a criminal belongs to is NOT going to change the fact that certain groups are responsible for certain types of crimes.

Why would mentioning the race or sex of a criminal make anyone uncomfortable? Fighting some internal demons maybe???? This would be the most likely reason for the discomfort. Maybe trying to convince yourself your not racist by publicly stating your not a racist? If your really concerned with the general image of the ethnic group mentioned in a crime, maybe you could do something to change the situation that is causing this particular group to commit a particular crime. IMHO...living in denial is not going to change the facts. Making the rest of us live in denial is not going to change the facts either. But it could put us in jeopordy of becoming the victim of a crime.

As the old saying goes. If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck....chances are...your dealing with a duck.

That old saying is true but I think something is being missed in this discussion because a lot of people are automatically put off by discussions of race or racism. Racism itself is a hot potato in modern society that no one wants in their lap. People get defensive in most discussions about it and the original issues get clouded. And we are all bringing some personal issues to this discussion…Hence the complaint by some that in America, white Christians are being persecuted by the Politically Correct. I personally think that’s just as big a load of toro caca as saying “The Man is keeping ‘tha brothas’ down” particularly when the majority of people in this country are still white and Christian.

I agree mentioning the race or sex of a criminal shouldn't make anyone uncomfortable. But I don't think the point of this thread was to say it was wrong to do so. The OP asked if anyone else has noticed that race is sometimes left out of news reports and even some posts on this forum when similar crimes are committed by whites. That’s not the same as saying it is wrong to include race. It’s simply asking the question if anyone else has observed a pattern in which ethnicity/race, more often than not, is omitted when the crimes are committed by whites. As I’ve said, this is not a new pattern and not a new complaint. But it is something that has been repeatedly dismissed as a figment our imaginations by the majority of people

Now if the purpose of including race/gender information is just to perpetuate the idea that said crime should automatically be associated with a particular gender or ethnic group then we should all take issue with that. Others may disagree but, I reject the idea that one’s ethnicity, gender or nationality makes that person more likely to commit a particular type of crime. I also take issue with the exclusion of that information ONLY when the crime involves one particular race or ethnicity.

I’m not the most eloquent writer in the world but, I’m still going to struggle through trying to make a point. So bear with me a little longer. Let me try to paint a hypothetical world in which one-hundred people posted storied of 100 crimes committed by males. In that world, we know the majority males in the population are mammalian males and another third of the males are reptilian.

Now, let’s go back to the stories of those 100 crimes committed by males. 88 of the stories don’t mention whether or not the male was mammalian or reptilian. But twelve stories do. In all seriousness, which stories do you think would stick out in the minds of that population? The 88 usual stories of crimes committed by males or the 12 odd-balls committed by reptilian males? I may be wrong but I think the odd-balls are going stick out and might be what we think of first when we hear of a crime similar to those mentioned in the original 100 stories. It’s this theory that is behind the question of whether or not race is wrongly omitted from some reports and not others.

[Keith B]

It is a fact that each and every item in your list is dominated by certain groups based on race. There is no getting around it. For instance when I read pedophile my first thought was white male authority figure. Not female...not black. This is due to the FACT that most of the pedophile crimes I read about are commited by white guys in positions of authority and trust. Making it politicly incorrect to mention the ethnic group/race a criminal belongs to is NOT going to change the fact that certain groups are responsible for certain types of crimes.

Why would mentioning the race or sex of a criminal make anyone uncomfortable? Fighting some internal demons maybe???? This would be the most likely reason for the discomfort. Maybe trying to convince yourself your not racist by publicly stating your not a racist? If your really concerned with the general image of the ethnic group mentioned in a crime, maybe you could do something to change the situation that is causing this particular group to commit a particular crime. IMHO...living in denial is not going to change the facts. Making the rest of us live in denial is not going to change the facts either. But it could put us in jeopordy of becoming the victim of a crime.

As the old saying goes. If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck....chances are...your dealing with a duck.

That old saying is true but I think something is being missed in this discussion because a lot of people are automatically put off by discussions of race or racism. Racism itself is a hot potato in modern society that no one wants in their lap. People get defensive in most discussions about it and the original issues get clouded. And we are all bringing some personal issues to this discussion…Hence the complaint by some that in America, white Christians are being persecuted by the Politically Correct. I personally think that’s just as big a load of toro caca as saying “The Man is keeping ‘tha brothas’ down” particularly when the majority of people in this country are still white and Christian.

I agree mentioning the race or sex of a criminal shouldn't make anyone uncomfortable. But I don't think the point of this thread was to say it was wrong to do so. The OP asked if anyone else has noticed that race is sometimes left out of news reports and even some posts on this forum when similar crimes are committed by whites. That’s not the same as saying it is wrong to include race. It’s simply asking the question if anyone else has observed a pattern in which ethnicity/race, more often than not, is omitted when the crimes are committed by whites. As I’ve said, this is not a new pattern and not a new complaint. But it is something that has been repeatedly dismissed as a figment our imaginations by the majority of people

Now if the purpose of including race/gender information is just to perpetuate the idea that said crime should automatically be associated with a particular gender or ethnic group then we should all take issue with that. Others may disagree but, I reject the idea that one’s ethnicity, gender or nationality makes that person more likely to commit a particular type of crime. I also take issue with the exclusion of that information ONLY when the crime involves one particular race or ethnicity.

I’m not the most eloquent writer in the world but, I’m still going to struggle through trying to make a point. So bear with me a little longer. Let me try to paint a hypothetical world in which one-hundred people posted storied of 100 crimes committed by males. In that world, we know the majority males in the population are mammalian males and another third of the males are reptilian.

Now, let’s go back to the stories of those 100 crimes committed by males. 88 of the stories don’t mention whether or not the male was mammalian or reptilian. But twelve stories do. In all seriousness, which stories do you think would stick out in the minds of that population? The 88 usual stories of crimes committed by males or the 12 odd-balls committed by reptilian males? I may be wrong but I think the odd-balls are going stick out and might be what we think of first when we hear of a crime similar to those mentioned in the original 100 stories. It’s this theory that is behind the question of whether or not race is wrongly omitted from some reports and not others.

You may not think you are the most eloquent writter G.C., but I think you just did a wonderful job of putting this whole thing in perspective.

Thanks!

[Photoman]

I've been a member for a short time, but have read a TON of threads, and I noticed a disturbing trend. I have read many postings that discuss a news event, or situation that occurred to the post, and the race is always pointed out of the attackers. Etc.

1. You've only been here a short time and yet you notice a trend? Is that possible?

2. If race is a part of the information given, does that make the reporter a racist?

3. Does complaining about racism indicate that the complainer is racist?

[bdickens]

I wonder about those who find it so offensive that a "suspect's" race is mentioned in a crime report. Myself, I'm more offended by the crime.

[anygunanywhere]

Some people just look for ways to be offended.

Anygunanywhere

[03Lightningrocks]

Some people just look for ways to be offended.

Anygunanywhere

Yep...I agree. As a matter of fact, I believe that is what I was put on this earth for. To provide these folks with the satisfaction of finding what they look so hard for. It is a huge responsibility, but I am up to the task.

[hankintexas]

I noticed a disturbing trend. I have read many postings that discuss a news event, or situation that occurred to the post, and the race is always pointed out of the attackers.

What other adjectives would you have one use to describe a criminal???

"A human person robbed the bank at 5th & Main Street today"

Like, duh! What did the person look like???
Was he white, black, brown, yellow...that's part of a person's description.

Sorry, but you can't get around that.

Read the newspaper, it is rarely ever mentioned. When you dig deeper you do find a trend in certain areas of town, not being racist, simple facts. Reporters go out of their way to not mention race and especially ignore it if they are illegals.

And, that's part of the problem...ignoring the facts just cause it might hurt someone's feelings.

It is a rare when you can say, "Well officer, He had an eye patch....a peg leg, and a parrot on his shoulder....." Would the media tell us to be on the look out for a bird lover? They would hate to hurt a BG's feelings by calling him half blind and disabled.