I posted a poll earlier today in which it seems the intellectual might of the 2+2 SMP forum thinks it is ok in certain circumstances to make decisions which discriminate between one or another race on the basis of statistical or probabilistic info.
A poll about prejudice and discrimination
I'm a little surprised by the results of this poll, and while I'm not saying everyone is wrong, I did suggest that it is a slippery slope and we should be cautious.
I present a further poll, which I think is a little farther down the slope
You are about to get on a airline on a flight near Washington DC on Sept 11 2005. There two flights boarding from nearby gates that you may choose from (lets say you were delayed or gave up a seat). You arrive just in time to see the last passengers pass through each gate. They are:
A very surfer-california looking white male aged 25-30
An man of obviously middle eastern descent aged 25-30
Which flight do you choose?
What if you were given some kind of a tip and knew for a fact that one of the men was a suicide bomber intent on hijacking the airplane. Don't get all heroic here either, I am just interested in which you think is more likely the terrorist. For the sake of the question you should assume that you can do nothing to stop it in time, and want to avoid the terrorist.