Few recent things inspired this post. The first one is the V for Vangibath story and the next was an episode in "Boston Legal" about a black man enquired because he was in a white neighborhood and the subsequent lengthy discussion with my friend gradus desicus.

Though the situation of brookentooth's friend is worse I have been in a somehwat similar situation. The place is Orlando airport. Being the usual grad student self I didn't bother to shave and was pulled out of the regular line and sent in a much shorter one. Poor me ! I didn't get the plot and was as usual happy seeing the shorter line without the screaming kids. It turned out to be a special line for suspects and I was frisked and my baggage was thoroughly searched.

When I left that line, I was curious to know whether the hair growth in my face or my color had anything to do with the previliege. There weren't any cruel intentions like suing. I just had my plans for the shorter line in my subsequent trips. The officer didn't understand my plans though. He didn't give a direct yes/no but he pointed to a white old man who didn't have a beard but was still being searched. So the plan for the shorter line was trashed.

The "Boston legal" case was similar to these except the race was different. Apart from these Driving while Black (DWB) cases seem to be a common thing here. The broader question that remains unanswered "Can we allow special forces to do racial profiling in some form ?". Though it helps having shorter lines and avoid screaming kids with Disney bags not everyone will like shorter lines. What if someone feels hurt ? Is the law still valid ? Can it hurt someone's feelings to protect the rest ? It appears it can because the law is for greater good. The term greater is ill-defined, in a broad sense can be majority but in the narrow mind can be the a single family (as it happened in recent Office of Profit issue back in India).

To me discrimination in any form cannot be allowed. Even if it helps the majority feel secure if it hurts the feeling of one innocent person then the law is not just. It ought to be just, right ? Well, what if it helps the minority like the profiling of the number of muslims in the indian army. Is it just ? My take : No, it isn't. By doing this the common law is starting to encourage discrimination which is amoral. Can legal experts curtail this before the disease spreads ? Time will answer.