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Originally Posted by Iowa_Flames_Fan
Yeah, possible. We should keep in mind that though there is nominal diversity in a place like Cambridge, affluent New England areas tend to be predominantly white, and there's a lot of silent racism in those sorts of communities.
On the other hand, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. may not be famous on CP.... but he is in Cambridge, and in lit-crit circles more generally. I happen not to think he's a particularly great scholar, but that's neither here nor there. It seems weird to me that a neighbor wouldn't recognize him.
And as you said, one look at the guy would seem to confirm that he's not a robber. Well dressed, elderly and walks with a cane. As long as we're profiling, we probably should look at all the details that might be relevant.
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ha ha... you had to get that dig in there eh? you lit nerd!
Didn't West leave Harvard claiming he was effectively profiled by the President for his lack of publishing? Or was that Princeton?
I was earlier trying to get at what you're saying here IFF. Gates would be pretty well known in the area, and I find it hard to believe a cop would just roll up on a guy 'like' him (elderly, distinguished) and suspect he's a thief, particularly in the kind of neighbourhood I presume Gates lives in.
Then again, your point about leading him OUT of the house in handcuffs is a pretty good one. I can't see them leading Stephen Greenblatt out of his manor in shackles. (Bhabha could go either way, depending on how seriously the cops take post-colonialism
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