Racism in the Workplace: How to Handle It Professionally

Summary of the Article 

The article “Racism versus Professionalism: Claims and Counter-claims about Racial Profiling” by Satzewich and Shaffir (2009) discusses different views on the nature of the racial profiling in Canada. The scholars critique the works of other authors on the issue of racial profiling as experienced in Canada and other countries. Besides, the authors of the article critique the qualitative studies that depend on experiences reported by the victims of racial profiling and perceive that it is prevalent and exist in the policing. Evidently, Satzewich and Shaffir (2009) believe that emphasis on the study of racial profiling should be put on the police occupational subculture. 

The argument of the authors in the article is that culture provides a supportive environment for the racism. In essence, the training of the police encourages stereotypes about certain races and cultural groups and this eventually leads to the belief that the color of the skin is a key determinant of the propensity of an individual to conduct a crime. 

The authors stressed that through the process of socialization , the biases based on race become fixed images and ideas that are eventually reinforced as a norm in policing. Satzewich and Shaffir (2009) present independent research data by examining the Hamilton police officers to determine how the demand of the policing in society with various racial groups influences the police subculture. In the study, Satzewich and Shaffir (2009) demonstrated that the police subculture has evolved into three discourses that reflect racial profiling. The three discourses include the discourse of multiculturalism, blaming the victim and intolerance of intolerance. 

The connection of the Article to the Research Topic 

The article by Satzewich and Shaffir (2009) has a direct connection to the research topic which is the racial profiling. The article indicates the divergent views regarding the factors that contribute to racial profiling in Canada. Similarly, the research topic is concerned with the causes and impacts of the racial profiling in Canada. The common notion between the article and the research topic is the need to come up with practical measures that can help address racial profiling in the society. Notably, the racial profiling is seen to be supported by the police subculture which originates from the training of the police. The research topic on racial profiling investigates how the police subculture facilitates racial profiling and attempts to come up with effective ways to address the issue. The article and the research topic focuses on the police departments in a multicultural society and how their perception on individuals based on color, races, and religion contributes to racial profiling. 

Impact on an Ethical Dilemma 

The article gives various opinions on the issue of racial profiling regarding whether it is professionalism or racism. It subjects the police officers to an ethical dilemma when dealing with suspects in a multicultural society. The major ethical dilemma is whether the judgments of racial profiling should be based on the intent or consequences. Ideally, it can prove difficult to determine the intent of racial profiling. It is difficult for a police to accept the intent of racial profiling. This makes it hard to prove to prove cases of racial profiling. Furthermore, the police are subjected to an ethical dilemma when carrying out their routine duties. As a result, their work can be compromised and this can increase the cases of criminal activities in the society. The fear of the police to arrest criminals based on their color, religion, ethics, and races means that they will compromise and fail on their work. 

Reference 

Satzewich, V., & Shaffir, W. (2009). Racism versus professionalism: Claims and counter-claims about racial profiling. Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice , 51 (2), 199-226.