Some thoughts about bike theft...

In our society today we would all hope to think that racial and gender biases have been eradicated, yet every day we are bombarded with the fact that this hope just isn’t justified. In this simple experiment conducted by ABC we can see, very clearly, the distasteful effects of racial profiling and gender bias. In the experiment we watch three seemingly similar people attempt to steal a bike that they all admit is not their own.

This experiment involves an African American male, a Caucasian male and a Caucasian female. When the Caucasian male attempts to steal the bike he elicits a few inquiries as to what he is doing but no one stops to call the police or even attempts to hinder his progress in any way. Then an African American male of the same age range is put into the position and within minutes he is surrounded by people, someone calls the police and they even take his tools away from him. Lastly, a Caucasian female is put into the situation and makes clear what she is doing and someone actually helps her steal the bike. Although I liked the experiment I felt that it would have benefitted from people of other races such as Asian and with a girl of a different race like Asian or African American attempting to steal the bike. I would have also liked to see the experiment done in a more urban environment or a more diversely populated park.

As a female of mixed heritage I am astounded by the audacity of the people in this video, but I am also curious to know if I am any different. Would I, a mixed race female from a less than affluent neighborhood, look twice at a white person stealing a bike in the middle of a park filled with people?  Would I as a Court Stenography student, someone who has to hear words objectively and pass no judgment while writing them, be able to see past the amount of melanin in a person’s skin to realize that crime has no color? I have no idea, although I would very much like to think so.

As a human being this video saddens me because it is simply further proof that injustice, bias and inequality exist and run rampant through our society like an incurable disease. We must strive for complete objectivity and treat any bias against someone as the affliction it is. Otherwise, how are we to trust witnesses, judges, lawyers or police officers to regard us all with the same respect and dignity? Or, more importantly, how are we to trust anyone at all?