It's not pleasant to be black in America, especially if you happen to be young and male. It's not even especially pleasant to be a Harvard educated, dark complected President of the United States raised in a middle class white household who won office with a ton of Wall Street money. The die-hard racist elements in American society don't make any particular distinctions.
Black Americans were jubilant when the Hawaiian was elected and re-elected. It seemed like some sort of turning point. It wasn't.
I suspect the biggest problem is that so many white people (and Asians as well) think young black men are just too damned scary. George Zimmerman thought Trayvon Martin was so scary he just had to follow him and shoot him. Police officer Randall Kerrick thought auto accident victim Jonathan Ferrell was so scary he just had to shoot at him twelve times, hitting him with ten bullets. There are plenty of other examples, so we don't have to speculate on why police officer Darren Wilson just had to shoot Michael Brown six times — twice in the top of the head, suggesting that he might already have fallen down face first after the other four shots.
So why are young black men so scary? Well, part of the answer is that a lot of them want to look scary. They want to look like those thug rappers, perhaps, or they want to look scary so other people will just leave them the hell alone. Maybe, sometimes, it works.
Sometimes, though, it doesn't.
Showing posts with label George Zimmerman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label George Zimmerman. Show all posts
Monday, August 25, 2014
Saturday, July 20, 2013
George and Trayvon
Why did George Zimmerman continue to follow Trayvon Martin after the police told him to stay back and let them do the investigating? Simple. George had a handgun and a concealed carry permit, so no matter how scary the little black boy looked to him, he figured he could blow the kid away.
Why did George Zimmerman decide Trayvon Martin was "suspicious" enough to be followed? Just as simple. The little black boy was, well, kind of black — and then, there was that hoodie. Black parents across the United States, as I write this, are tossing their sons' hoodies into Salvation Army clothing collection bags. It probably won't help.
Zimmerman likes to call himself "Hispanic" because his mother is Bolivian. Incidentally, Bolivia is among the Latin American nations offering political asylum to Edward Snowden. The Zimmerman side of the family, though, most likely calls Trayvon "that schwartze." Go be Hispanic, George.
I'm not at all angry with the jury — except for that stupid bitch who arrived anonymously on CNN and told the country how her racism influenced the decision. The problem in Florida — and in too many other states — is the law. The law should not let vigilantes wander around with guns in their pockets and kill kids carrying Skittles and Coke.
You don't want to die over a bag of Skittles. If Trayvon attacked George, as the prosecution maintained, Trayvon must have been very very afraid.
Very, very, very afraid.
Why did George Zimmerman decide Trayvon Martin was "suspicious" enough to be followed? Just as simple. The little black boy was, well, kind of black — and then, there was that hoodie. Black parents across the United States, as I write this, are tossing their sons' hoodies into Salvation Army clothing collection bags. It probably won't help.
Zimmerman likes to call himself "Hispanic" because his mother is Bolivian. Incidentally, Bolivia is among the Latin American nations offering political asylum to Edward Snowden. The Zimmerman side of the family, though, most likely calls Trayvon "that schwartze." Go be Hispanic, George.
I'm not at all angry with the jury — except for that stupid bitch who arrived anonymously on CNN and told the country how her racism influenced the decision. The problem in Florida — and in too many other states — is the law. The law should not let vigilantes wander around with guns in their pockets and kill kids carrying Skittles and Coke.
You don't want to die over a bag of Skittles. If Trayvon attacked George, as the prosecution maintained, Trayvon must have been very very afraid.
Very, very, very afraid.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Scary People
Hmmm... this guy looks like bad news. Maybe you ought to shoot him.
Okay, he seems to be a bit older than the people you ordinarily shoot, and a bit whiter. Just the same, that's a threatening look on his face. Are you feeling threatened?
In Florida, you can feel free to shoot him, with the blessing of the NRA inspired and ALEC drafted "Stand Your Ground" law. Very similar laws exist in 23 other states, and the movement seems to be spreading, despite the outcry over the murder of Trayvon Martin.
As of this writing, George Zimmerman, the man who shot Trayvon Martin, has been neither arrested nor charged with any offense. As far as I can tell, the Sanford police didn't even confiscate his gun. He tells a fairly incredible story about being attacked by the 140 pound teenager — about 100 pounds less than Zimmerman weighs — and acting in self-defense.
To me, George Zimmerman sounds like a very scary man. Even though I'm an old white man and I had to Photoshop myself into that hoodie because I don't own any, I'm pretty sure I'd feel threatened if I ran into him on the street. Florida law, I believe, permits me and anybody else who shares my apprehension the legal right to blow him away. No wonder he's in hiding.
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