When Should People Be Afraid of Other People?

Juan Williams was fired by NPR the other day, because he dared to say on air that when a person in Muslim garb got onto an airplane with him, he was afraid.

As far as I'm concerned - and probably as far as 90% of the rest of the country is concerned, although perhaps 80% of them won't admit it - he's only making sense.

The 9/11 bombers proved that our airplane security sucked. I certainly feel no safer today than I did back then. If someone in Muslim garb got on the same plane as me, I'd feel a bit nervous. I wouldn't act on it, merely close my eyes and say, "Well, I've had a good life, so que sera, sera" but I certainly would be aware of it.

Is this a "bigoted" feeling? Irrational? Of course not. Sure, there have been blond-haired, blue eyed terrorists and psycho killers. (Timothy McVeigh is the one that everybody brings up.) But 90% of all terrorists have been Muslim. Therefore, it is only common sense to be a bit wary of Muslims. If innocent Muslims feel a bit stressed out by this suspicion of them...don't blame the US! Blame the radical Muslims/terrorists who have caused it all, not to mention their own Koran.

But what about other people that we should be afraid of?

A white woman walking down the street sees a bunch of young black guys milling on the street ahead of her. Is she racist if she crosses to the other side of the street, or if she turns and walks in the other direction?

Not necessarily. If you check crime statistics, crimes committed by blacks are more prevalent than those by whites. In addition, all you have to do is read the papers to know that many blacks dislike white people. So, it's only common sense that she turn and walk in the other direction. (Crossing the street does nothing. If they contemplate evil, they'll only follow her.)

THat is not to say that the opposite does not hold true. If a black woman walking down the street sees a bunch of white guys in front of her, and she crossed the street or turns and walks in the other direction, is she racist? Not necessarily.

Since there are racists of every color, not to mention violent thugs of every color, she may well feel that as a black woman walking past a bunch of white guys (all depends on their age, income level, etc., as with the example of white woman/black crowd, above) would not be a safe thing to do.

Sometimes, citing these things as evidence of racism are just comparing apples and oranges.

There's a video on youtube of a black guy dressed in a business suit getting into an elevator and the single white woman within moves into a corner and puts both hands on her purse. Oh, so racist!

In real life, of ocurse, women of all colors are warned not to stay alone in an elevator with a man, of any color.

(And considering that violent crimes by women are rising, I'd think a single man, or woman, riding alone in an elevator into which a gang of young girls or tattooed women enter, would be dangerous as well.)

The streets aren't safe for anybody, really, regardless of their color. A tragedy that American society should address.