Is it possible that people fault racism or homophobia or sexism for what they see as unfair treatment when none may actually be present? I’m thinking of the recent case of Minnesota representative John Thompson, who was pulled over by police for not having a front license plate (illegal in Minnesota—he also had a suspended license). He decided to interpret the incident as racial profiling and referred to it as “driving while black”. The release of the body cam footage has called into doubt his claim with many saying that there’s no evidence of racism in the recorded encounter.

But how do we know that racism wasn’t a factor? Who should have to prove that it was? Do you think people sometimes see racism/sexism/homophobia where it isn’t? Is it okay to just assume racism was involved even if it can’t be proven? Can doing so be an excuse for bad behavior?

Topics: relationships, law, people, law enforcement, society, racism, race