The reason that racial profiling exists is because there are indeed crimes that certain races are more likely to commit than other races. Like, if you hear that there’s a criminal out there snatching gold chains or selling crack, you might be right to assume the culprit is Black.
Similarly, if you hear that there’s a criminal out there committing serial murders, starting maniacal religious cults, shooting professorial colleagues or flying single-engine airplanes into IRS buildings, a white suspect might be more likely.
Why the former listed crimes are seemingly treated more seriously than the latter mentioned crimes is anybody’s guess. But the tendencies exist more likely as a product of economic circumstances than because of any inherent biological differences between Black people and white people.
Everything else being equal however and you might expect that suicide rates between Blacks and whites would parallel if not, considering finances again and the general belief that Blacks in America have it so much tougher than whites and everyone else, believing that Blacks would be most likely to kill ourselves. Two very recent headline grabbing suicides argue otherwise however.
Last week, 17 year-old Alexis Pilkington, a white Long Island high school student who had suffered depression, decided to end it all due to relentless abuse from cyber-bullies.
A couple of days ago, 15 year-old Phoebe Prince, a recent immigrant to Massachusetts from Ireland, hung herself in her stairwell after being tormented as the “new girl” by bullies.
Now, these are both horribly tragic deaths.
Still, the fact that as recently as 2005, whites outpaced Blacks in rate of suicide 12.3% to 5.1%, makes it at least reasonable to wonder if Blacks are simply equipped with more emotional fortitude than whites.
Or maybe it’s just the times and the fact that people all along the color spectrum have grown softer.
For some reason, the brave boys and girls that integrated Little Rock Central High School back in 1957 came to mind.
Those 9 kids were spit on and continually pelted with rocks and other objects despite the “protection” of the National Guard!
Today’s e-thug wouldn’t have stood a chance against them.
