By Elaine Magliaro
On Wednesday during an in-depth discussion about “why the terrorist attacks in France provided support for the militarization of police in the United States,” Shannon Bream—a member of the FOX News brain trust—pondered aloud how observers could have possibly known that the gunmen who perpetrated “the terrorist attack on French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo were bad guys if they didn’t know what their skin color was.”
Eric Bolling, one of Bream’s co-hosts on the Fox program Outnumbered, said that “militarized police would dissuade ‘bad’ guys from doing the ‘bad thing’ they were thinking about doing.” Kennedy Montgomery, another co-host on the show, said that “sometimes bad guys don’t look like bad guys.”
Montgomery is right. Sometimes evil folks look harmless. On the other hand, there are innocent folks who may look like bad guys to some people.
Bream:
“That’s my question about these guys because if we know they were speaking unaccented French and they had, you know, ski masks on, do we even know what color they were. What the tone of their skin was. I mean what if they didn’t look like typical bad guys?”
Therein, lies the problem: How ARE we supposed to know bad guys when we see them?
Something to ponder: Do we have preconceived ideas about what bad guys look like? Do they have swarthy skin? Are they black? Do they have shaved heads and/or tattoos on their faces? Do they sport beards…long hair…pierced noses? Do they wear three-piece suits and have slicked back hair?
What do you think bad guys look like?
Do you think they look like this?
Or Like this?
Or like this?
Or like this?
Or like this?
Or like this?
Or like this?
Or like this?
Victor White III
Or like this?
Or like this?
Or like any of these three gentlemen from Georgia who were just indicted on domestic terrorism charges?
What DO typical bad guys look like? Inquiring minds want to know!
SOURCES
Fox Host: How Do We Spot ‘Bad Guys’ If We Don’t Know ‘Tone Of Their Skin’? (TPM)
After Paris Attack, Fox Anchor Suggests Skin Color Can Help Identify “Typical Bad Guys” (Media Matters)
Three Georgia Men Charged With Domestic Terrorism (Crooks and Liars)
3 Rome men now face domestic terrorism charge (Rome News-Tribune)
Nicole Plyler Fisk
Gene Howington
FFS Guest Blogger
Joy of Fishes
Chuck Stanley
shortfinals
Terry Welshans
ann li-summers
wordcloud9
Flowers For Socrates 
The same can be said for all illnesses – the features of the observed often tells much regarding the final diagnosis. If the condition features are not recorded & appraised — some skilled
Barrister would have no trouble seeking damages for such failure under the proper circumstances. I’s say that more errors are made from not looking than from not knowing. Sizing up situations & people seem natural to this observer.
Good question. I’d like to see the pictures of the banksters and the hedge fund managers who destroyed the world-wide economy. I expect a huge majority to be pale faced.
What DO “Bad Guys” Look Like?????
I’d suggest one turn quickly and run if this is coming at you
I generally try to avoid the ones carrying Kalashnikovs regardless of color.
And these folks (faux commentators)get paid.But these are the ones in front of the camera,like to see who comes out with their talking points.
“Ravenelle said the individual, according to eyewitness reports, carried “something down the alley just prior to the bombing and returned to his truck empty-handed at the time of explosion.”
The individual, according to Ravenelle, is a balding white male who’s approximately 40 years old.”
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/colorado-springs-bombing-naacp-composite-sketch
They have ears?
And then there’s this guy
WASHINGTON — The F.B.I. and Justice Department prosecutors have recommended bringing felony charges against retired Gen. David H. Petraeus for providing classified information to his former mistress while he was director of the C.I.A., officials said, leaving Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. to decide whether to seek an indictment that could send the pre-eminent military officer of his generation to prison.
The Justice Department investigation stems from an affair Mr. Petraeus had with Paula Broadwell, an Army Reserve officer who was writing his biography, and focuses on whether he gave her access to his C.I.A. email account and other highly classified information. F.B.I. agents discovered classified documents on her computer after Mr. Petraeus resigned from the C.I.A. in 2012 when the affair became public. – NYTimes
Why – by the tone of their skin, of course.
Looky there. The woman is capable of nuance.
blouise
OMG. I thought the Petraeus thing must have happened when I was caught in a time warp – or something – or information lost due to some huge story about Obama and his golfs.or Michelle and her poisonous garden. But no. You weren’t kidding. This just happened.
Face it. The man is ridiculous. Have you EVER seen so many ribbons? Ike must do a 360 every time this guy shows his face.
Harvey,
The Friday news dump. Interesting that the FBI would up the pressure this way. Me smells an Administration tug of war.
blouise
Of course….Friday news dump. I’m betting it goes nowhere.
Harvey,
I think you’re right. The man will end up being the answer to a trivia question.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/10/george-zimmerman-arrested_n_6447808.html Not surprising that George Zimmerman has been arrested again….this time on aggravated assault charges.
Swarthmoremom,
I saw that story this morning. Do you think the man might have a problem?
Yes, Elaine, but he thinks he knows a bad guy when he sees one. He needs only to look in the mirror. Whatt a folk hero the right wing gun nuts have chosen……
and the poster boy for stand your ground laws…..
Leopard … spots
Havey,
I was on to this phony hero a while ago.
” February 9, 2013 ”
To be exact Mike.