Maggie's Farm

As usual, Meta, we're in agreement ... You are so right about prejudice. Prejudice is nature's way of telling you that something is wrong in your world. The crucial thing is what you do after you detect a threat. The past few years,while all this political correctness fuss about "not profiling," that police and airport security people are not supposed to do, I've been thinking about this, and I have been waiting for someone to say "just a minute here, are you crazy?"

Telling folks not to be prejudiced, and law enforcement officers not to profile strangers, is like telling them not to breathe. Assessing the stranger in terms of threat is hardwired not only in humans but in most all warm-blooded animals, like the wolves mentioned above. If you want to survive in a dog-eat-dog world, you need to use your cautionary, 'profiling' skills when strangers approach you, and ask yourself questions like 'is he/she young or old, smiling or snarling, armed or unarmed, happy or having a really bad day?' That's common sense, and you don't survive long without it, whether you're a bunny rabbit or a wolf or a little old lady being approached by a gang of thugs.

But somehow, it has become politically incorrect to protect yourself by assessing threats. We should all trust each other, the theme is. I'm not advocating a violent response the minute one suspects a threat, but I am saying that idealism and loving your neighbor can sometimes get you killed.

It does devolve on us, however, to be careful and responsible in how we respond if we do discern a threat to us. Quietly calling the authorities is my particular choice, since I am neither a Ninja or married to one, and I do have a cellphone. If the threat is quite close, screaming is good. And running as fast as one's arthritic little legs can manage is another.

But above all, I don't feel guilty about spotting a menace and responding. That's not prejudice, that's self-preservation.

Marianne