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Thread: Politically correct descriptions of perps

  1. #21
    Simpleton Alan's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rogar View Post
    White American might be what I would insist on when we become a minority.
    I've never understood why racial descriptors were necessary for everyday use. American would work for me.
    "Things should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler." ~ Albert Einstein

  2. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alan View Post
    I've never understood why racial descriptors were necessary for everyday use. American would work for me.
    Sometimes when I get that question on forms I fill in "Mongrel".

  3. #23
    Senior Member catherine's Avatar
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    This thread reminds me of an incident I heard about listening to the NJ radio station last spring.. I was able to find a link to it--the radio show question was "Was this couple racist, or was this mail lady overreacting?"

    http://nj1015.com/was-this-couple-ra...eacting-watch/
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  4. #24
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    I like "grade" it's a quality dairy goat of uncertain heritage. The quality part being required for the designation.

    so it's "grade, whatever it most looks like" as in "grade honky". Alternately I might go with "whole grain cracker." As a fairly accurate description.

    when giving a visual description, it would seem to make sense to start with the descriptors that differentiate the most. So, gender if apparent - eliminates about half the people, approximate age and size, eliminates a lot more, and then perhaps skin, hair, and eye color - unlikely to change. However, if we are in a high school for example, where the majority are the race of the descriptee, the red shirt is much more important because it jumps out. Male, red shirt, approx height, hair cut, skin tone.

    although I remember reading an article by a security person who said almost every lost in a crowd child description starts with "(s)he was wearing a red shirt". I always made my kids wear their homeschool shirts in situations like that, and I wore mine, so I'd be able to say "he's wearing this shirt."

  5. #25
    Senior Member Rogar's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alan View Post
    I've never understood why racial descriptors were necessary for everyday use. American would work for me.
    Probably works in a lot of cases, but if you are wishing to describe a person to help identify them or distinguish them in a crowd, physical features are helpful and race is typically a physical feature as much as maybe what a person is wearing or how tall or short they are. In some cases it might be the most obvious and easiest feature to recognize.

  6. #26
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    My reaction to that video is "why do people need to yell at each other?"

    if there was a randomly repeating cast of mail carriers and she was the only one who was both black and female, I can see saying "black mail lady". I have been known to tell my dh "the mail lady was a guy today." As ours is normally one of two women. (The mail lady and the young mail lady) maybe I'm sexist or ageist.

  7. #27
    Senior Member CathyA's Avatar
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    We, here in the melting pot, have to do so many verbal contortions to make everyone appear the same. People come to the U.S. in order to have rights.......to be themselves. Then everybody starts complaining because they are pointed out as different. Then we have to do all sorts of funky things to deny that there are differences. My head is spinning.

  8. #28
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    Years ago, when I was a kid, everybody took some debate (middle school). One of the suggestions was to read a book called, Get your Point across in 30 seconds or less. That was to show kids what a summery should be, and then the arguments to back it up would follow.
    That is also the way the LEO's I know, talk into their radio's and describe suspects. Situation, summary, eyes out.
    Don't expect me to be politically correct, but efficient.

  9. #29
    Senior Member JaneV2.0's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ToomuchStuff View Post
    Years ago, when I was a kid, everybody took some debate (middle school). One of the suggestions was to read a book called, Get your Point across in 30 seconds or less. That was to show kids what a summery should be, and then the arguments to back it up would follow.
    That is also the way the LEO's I know, talk into their radio's and describe suspects. Situation, summary, eyes out.
    Don't expect me to be politically correct, but efficient.
    I listen to police scanners occasionally (Broadcastify.com), and in the locations I listen to the dispatchers and officers provide as full a description as possible, complete with race, height, weight, visible tattoos, mental state (if known), clothing...The more, the better I would presume.

  10. #30
    Senior Member jp1's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JaneV2.0 View Post
    I listen to police scanners occasionally (Broadcastify.com), and in the locations I listen to the dispatchers and officers provide as full a description as possible, complete with race, height, weight, visible tattoos, mental state (if known), clothing...The more, the better I would presume.
    Yes, when discussing suspected perpetrators it would probably not be especially effective to say "two perps, most likely American, are heading north on Main Street."

    But getting back to the side topic, personally I figure it's easiest and politest to just call people whatever they'd like to be called. It doesn't seem like it should really be my place to tell people what they ought to be called.

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