Profiling isn't illegal unless it's profiling against a protected class, right? It's like how I can't get cheap life insurance because I took antidepressants like seven years ago during a rough patch in my life.

profiling is illegal when the service is necessary to live. in germany for example, it is illegal to deny someone access to things like a phone line, electricity or water. (that is, even if you don't pay your bills, they are not allowed to turn of your service. instead, if they want the money, they have to sue you)

i believe at this point, access to a bank account is also included in this. as things progress, more things will be added to the list. soon (if not already) internet access will be included.

The cop out for "protected classes" is one of the serious failures of the New Left in the US and past generation progressive attempts to wrangle with social issues. It's one of the reasons you have things like clamoring for representation in small dwindling influential places (the meme is "more trans women drone pilots") whilst ignoring systemic issues like how Flint, Michigan still doesn't have drinking water.

I've made this argument before and made Americans (obviously) mad, but this cop out of protected classes allows you to actually discriminate against said classes, you just have to prove there is no malice in your heart, more or less. That is, you did not because they are black or not men, but because of the sanctioned reasons, then it's okay.

Definitely a gigantic failure. Why not offer protection for everyone and treat them the same? Praise your literacy all you want, doesn't matter if the performance and strategies of political representatives are abysmal. And the concept of treating people equally seems to be beyond comprehension.

> Why not offer protection for everyone

That is how protected classes are defined. Everyone is in multiple protected classes.

Huh? How so? I'm pretty sure I'm not in any.

All sexes are protected classes. All races are protected classes. All national origins are protected classes. etc.

Except when you're in the majority, being white and male and a US citizen (in the US) isn't something you ever get discriminated against for. So this "protection" you talk about is pretty useless; if someone wants to discriminate against someone like me, they find some other convenient factor that isn't protected.

They're also likely to do that if you're in the minority.

The problem is the effectiveness of the rules, not that they don't cover everyone.

German electricity and phone companies can definitely cut you off for not paying. Don't know about water, but I imagine it's similar.

What they can't do is deny you a contract in the first place. (Kontrahierungszwang – obligation to contract, concerns the local water company, the biggest local electricity provider and Deutsche Telekom)

i seem to remember a lawsuit some years ago that made cutting off services less straightforward, but you make a good point, the key is that they can't deny you a contract

so I think what you mean is that profiling is immoral if the service is necessary to live, and in Germany (and other progressive parts of the EU) it is also illegal.

I'm pretty sure these banks doing the profiling were in the U.S

That’s not related to profiling.

The bank secrecy act forces you to profile. That’s why Caitlin Long repeatedly pointed out [1] how it is most likely an unconstitutional law and needs to get challenged in court. But it creates a moat around banking and therefore has not been seriously challenged.

[1] https://youtu.be/LQX0trzomxg