As humans, our minds tend to form thoughts based on different aspects about people without having facts to back them up. It is a purely human tendency that is sometimes even uncontrollable. This is also known as profiling. Profiling can be based on many factors, some for example being age, culture, gender and race. Almost anything that can stand out from another makes the perfect stage for profiling. Profiling or any kind of personal judgment in the mind is pure human performance, but said out loud can cause a lot of harm to others. Profiling is extremely harmful outside of personal boundaries. Cotton picking is a great example of profiling. It is a significant story that shows profiling through different aspects. While sometimes profiling others can simply lead to an argument or argument, this story almost leads to ruining someone's life. Profiling has negative side effects for everyone involved, Picking Cotton clearly shows how Ronald Cotton's profiling had a major impact on himself, his family and even the women who profiled him, Jennifer Thompson and Mary Reynolds. (As evident from the tragedy of Ronald Cotton's story, it is imperative that society understands the harmful consequences of profiling a human being based on ---, to avoid unfairly punishing or stereotyping innocent people.) (jennifer and ronald) (Cannino et. at 33). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Profiling is simply a term defined as the recording and analysis of a person's psychological and behavioral characteristics, sometimes this is done individually or by placing people into invisible groups. Picking Cotton is definitely a novel written on the basis of profiling. There is only one avenue where profiling can be used politely. This simply means using common sense in your mind to profile certain people to see if they are true friends or people you really want. When you find yourself in situations where you meet new people and need to quickly assess whether they are safe to be around or spend time with; that's when profiling skills come into excellent use. Outside of this path, profiling is extremely harmful to everyone involved. The media plays an important role in influencing many young adults who take part in watching and listening to racial and gender profiles among other invisible categories. (why they shouldn't be there in the first place) Growing up under the influence of two people for 18 years plays a big role in how you define invisible groups. For example, if you were to grow up under racist parents, that alone would have a huge impact on your view of other races. Some families force their children to believe what they themselves believe, while others leave children the freedom to choose for themselves. Regardless, the world you grow up in as a child leaves a lot of residue on how your beliefs are formed when you begin your adult life. Ronald Cotton was labeled as an African American male in his community due to the negative reputation he built growing up. I have personally profiled others and been profiled. It's a painful judgment that no one should ever have to deal with. Going from a foreign perspective directly to an American perspective was a huge transition for me. I tried to be the “American” I saw around me, but inside I was the African I am.