These last few posts have been interesting, far above our normal drivel. We have to be careful, though. We don't want to be setting any precedents we would then have to live up to.
As for the identification of persons of a different race, this has long been acknowledged as a problem. Primates are visual creatures. That is, individuals tend to be identified visually, rather than olfactorily, auditorily, or tactually. Being human does not diminish the fact that we are still primates and recognize each other visually.
Upon espying an individual, we tend to note certain characteristics: face shape, eye position, eye color, hair color, skin tonality, etc. This character recognition is learned, not instinctive. The result is that individuals tend to be most comfortable with others who look like themselves. This group becomes "us," while those with different characteristics become "them." The more insular the "us" group, the wider and more encompassing its "them" groups will become.
With the exception of specific individuals (usually friends or business acquaintances), "them" groups tend to be perceived as homogeneous. That is, the individuals within them all tend to look alike. This makes the identification of individuals within a "them" group difficult and unreliable. This is especially so if, at the time of perception, there was no reason to note the specific characteristics of any given individual. This unreliability is well known in legal circles.
As for fooling the well-educated, this too is well known. For some reason, those with higher-learning degrees tend to feel that they can see through charlatans and liars. This is patently not true. A higher education in one area may make make one an expert in that specific area, but does absolutely nothing in any other area. No-one is a universal expert [except maybe Roy and I, and I'm not positive about Roy].
For example, spoon-benders and other paranormal practitioners love to have doctors (medical or otherwise) as witnesses. They virtually always fall for the flim-flam at hand. As the Great Randi proved many times, there is no-one easier to fool than an expert outside of his specific field. You want proof? Give a clogged drain to a nuclear physicist. Just be sure to bring a mop.
