Commentary: In the Wake of Potential Thievery on Wall Street, Should We Be Profiling Rich White Men?

By: Gregory Kane

Maybe this racial profiling stuff isn’t a bad idea. Maybe we should take another look at it.

And let’s get it right this time. Let’s get more races in the racial profiling mix. Or, as the old joke goes, let’s make sure everybody gets a turn in the barrel.

For the past week, we’ve all heard the news about the greatest financial crisis to hit Wall Street in nearly 80 years. The economy is in near meltdown. Congress will have to pass legislation to bail out several industries and businesses faced with ruin. And who’s responsible?

Rich white guys, according to a journalism colleague of mine, who’s a middle-aged, conservative white guy himself. But he’s not rich; in fact, one of his pet peeves is the stuff that rich white guys get away with. He’s the one who wants to expand the racial profiling pool.

“If police see four white guys in suits in an expensive car,” he told me, “the cops should stop that car and arrest ‘em. We can be sure they stole something.”

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