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The Curious Case of Trayvon Martin

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George Clooney Arrested! (PHOTO)








[h=1]White People, You Will Never Look Suspicious Like Trayvon Martin[/h] Posted 7 hours 14 min ago by Michael Skolnik

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I will never look suspicious to you. Even if I have a black hoodie, a pair of jeans and white sneakers on...in fact, that is what I wore yesterday...I still will never look suspicious. No matter how much the hoodie covers my face or how baggie my jeans are, I will never look out of place to you. I will never watch a taxi cab pass me by to pick someone else up. I will never witness someone clutch their purse tightly against their body as they walk by me. I won't have to worry about a police car following me for two miles, so they can "run my plates." I will never have to pay before I eat. And I certainly will never get "stopped and frisked." I will never look suspicious to you, because of one thing and one thing only. The color of my skin. I am white.


I was born white. It was the card I was dealt. No choice in the matter. Just the card handed out by the dealer. I have lived my whole life privileged. Privileged to be born without a glass ceiling. Privileged to grow up in the richest country in the world. Privileged to never look suspicious. I have no guilt for the color of my skin or the privilege that I have. Remember, it was just the next card that came out of the deck. But, I have choices. I got choices on how I play the hand I was dealt. I got a lot of options. The ball is in my court.







Read more: http://globalgrind.com/node/828497#ixzz1pbAIwGpS
 
Another thing I was thinking about with regard to Texas' discussion of government and race was that the US government built policy based on race for many years that really fucked over a lot of people, and the effects of those policies have created much of the wealth/education gap that exists between whites and non-whites today. To continue to create policy to try to correct those mistakes seems like an acceptable use of race.
 
We shouldn't ignore our differences, but the language we use to talk about race is so sloppy it can do more harm than good. Terms like "white" and "black" are really useless until you add a lot of context: where are we talking about, which ethnic groups, which physical features, which cultural norms, etc.

Take Trayvon Marton, for instance. We're not really talking about the effect his being "black" had on the encounter. The shooter couldn't have known his ancestry or cultural norms or whatever we think "black" might mean. What the shooter saw was dark skin and a certain type of clothing in a certain geographic area. Maybe a certain manner of speaking or behaving, too, I don't know. But THOSE things are what we're talking about, not some pseudo-genetic construct called "black" or "white." The shooter would have responded exactly the same way to a dark-skinned "hispanic" or "aboriginal" wearing the same clothes in the same situation. Visual cues, cultural norms, that's what we're talking about, not ancestry.

Don't get me wrong, I think it's extremely useful to talk about ethnic groups, of which the black community is one. How you define those groups is, like I said above, with shared histories and experiences, cultural norms, traditions, communities, etc. Most people are members of multiple ethnic groups, and don't share in all of the traditional aspects associated with each one. Race just gets in the way of what people really want to talk about when they bring up race.
 
PhDeac said:
(DETAILS)


George Clooney Arrested! (PHOTO)








[h=1]White People, You Will Never Look Suspicious Like Trayvon Martin[/h] Posted 7 hours 14 min ago by Michael Skolnik

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position=TOP
Advertisement
trayvon-martin.jpg

I will never look suspicious to you. Even if I have a black hoodie, a pair of jeans and white sneakers on...in fact, that is what I wore yesterday...I still will never look suspicious. No matter how much the hoodie covers my face or how baggie my jeans are, I will never look out of place to you. I will never watch a taxi cab pass me by to pick someone else up. I will never witness someone clutch their purse tightly against their body as they walk by me. I won't have to worry about a police car following me for two miles, so they can "run my plates." I will never have to pay before I eat. And I certainly will never get "stopped and frisked." I will never look suspicious to you, because of one thing and one thing only. The color of my skin. I am white.


I was born white. It was the card I was dealt. No choice in the matter. Just the card handed out by the dealer. I have lived my whole life privileged. Privileged to be born without a glass ceiling. Privileged to grow up in the richest country in the world. Privileged to never look suspicious. I have no guilt for the color of my skin or the privilege that I have. Remember, it was just the next card that came out of the deck. But, I have choices. I got choices on how I play the hand I was dealt. I got a lot of options. The ball is in my court.







Read more: http://globalgrind.com/node/828497#ixzz1pbAIwGpS
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So wait a minute: is Slotnick saying b/c of his "white privilege" he is free to go freely among the black community w/o fear for his safety? I can drop him off in the evenings on many a street corner, shopping mall, playground, convenience store, etc. here in eastern N.C. (doubt we're that unique) and good luck to him and his "white privilege" of not getting his white ass kicked.
 
F the lawyers out there-can the feds bring a "denial of civil rights" suit if FL doesn't charge him?
 
seventwofour said:
Another thing I was thinking about with regard to Texas' discussion of government and race was that the US government built policy based on race for many years that really fucked over a lot of people, and the effects of those policies have created much of the wealth/education gap that exists between whites and non-whites today. To continue to create policy to try to correct those mistakes seems like an acceptable use of race.
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This is one of the great arguments against my position, and one that my roommate makes quite a bit. I don't think there's a great way to respond to it, except to say that history has cautioned against race-based legislation, not for it. There may well be damaging effects from trying to be "race blind," but I'd caution that there are at least equal damaging effects from being "race conscious." The crux of my argument is that, in an ideal world, we'd like to be race-blind. But seeing as that's not the world we live in, we might consider which effects are more damaging, and then choose the lesser of two evils. I think the lesser evil is being "race-blind," especially since it represents an admirable paradigm that the white majority could learn from.
 
RJKarl said:
F the lawyers out there-can the feds bring a "denial of civil rights" suit if FL doesn't charge him?
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F the lawyers? There are, I guarantee you, many lawyers out there foaming at the mouth to take up Trayvon's case and absolutely obliterate that FL municipality. One schmuck will defend Zimmerman, but if the FL authorities don't prosecute I imagine an abundance of civil rights legal groups will get involved.
 
TexasDeac10 said:
F the lawyers? There are, I guarantee you, many lawyers out there foaming at the mouth to take up Trayvon's case and absolutely obliterate that FL municipality. One schmuck will defend Zimmerman, but if the FL authorities don't prosecute I imagine an abundance of civil rights legal groups will get involved.
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i think he meant to write "For" as in he was asking them a question. At least thats what I think he is going for. I have a few years of reading rj posts so I think I am at least proficient.
 
TexasDeac10 said:
This is one of the great arguments against my position, and one that my roommate makes quite a bit. I don't think there's a great way to respond to it, except to say that history has cautioned against race-based legislation, not for it. There may well be damaging effects from trying to be "race blind," but I'd caution that there are at least equal damaging effects from being "race conscious." The crux of my argument is that, in an ideal world, we'd like to be race-blind. But seeing as that's not the world we live in, we might consider which effects are more damaging, and then choose the lesser of two evils. I think the lesser evil is being "race-blind," especially since it represents an admirable paradigm that the white majority could learn from.
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Even when the government is "race-blind", society is not. That's allowing discrimination. Where is the evidence that white people have learned from race-blind policies?

I think you're under the impression that slavery and Jim Crow started with the government. Governments were just enablers for what the private sector wanted. They just protected what was already going in under a "race-blind" era.
 
DOJ has announced that they and the FBI are investigating the incident.
 
Hello, I'll be interested to see the reaction from conservatives to big government getting involved in a local matter.

Looks like the Zimmerman family is using the "He had black friends" defense.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news...ing-zimmerman-letter-20120315,0,1716605.story

Statement of Robert Zimmerman, father of Neighborhood Watch volunteer:


“The tragic events of February 26 are very sad for all concerned. The Martin family, our family, and the entire community have been forever changed.

The portrayal of George Zimmerman in the media, as well as the series of events that led to the tragic shooting are false and extremely misleading. Unfortunately, some individuals and organizations have used this tragedy to further their own causes and agendas.

George is a Spanish speaking minority with many black family members and friends. He would be the last to discriminate for any reason whatsoever. One black neighbor recently interviewed said she knew everything in the media was untrue and that she would trust George with her life. Another black neighbor said that George was the only one, black or white, who came and welcomed her to the community, offering any assistance he could provide. Recently, I met two black children George invited to a social event. I asked where they met George. They responded that he was their mentor. They said George visited them routinely, took them places, helped them, and taught them things and that they really loved George. The media portrayal of George as a racist could not be further from the truth.

The events of February 26 reported in the media are also totally inaccurate. Out of respect for the on-going investigation, I will not discuss specifics. However, the media reports of the events are imaginary at best. At no time did George follow or confront Mr. Martin. When the true details of the event become public, and I hope that will be soon, everyone should be outraged by the treatment of George Zimmerman in the media.

Our entire family is deeply sorry for the loss of Trayvon. We pray for the Martin family daily. We also pray that the community will grieve together and not be divided by more unwarranted hate.

The Zimmerman family will have no further contact with the media prior to the resolution of the investigation. It would be greatly appreciated if the media would respect our privacy.”
 
Robert Zimmerman lol he should just change his name to Bob Dylan and go with it
 
PhDeac said:
Hello, I'll be interested to see the reaction from conservatives to big government getting involved in a local matter.

Looks like the Zimmerman family is using the "He had black friends" defense.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news...ing-zimmerman-letter-20120315,0,1716605.story

Statement of Robert Zimmerman, father of Neighborhood Watch volunteer:


“The tragic events of February 26 are very sad for all concerned. The Martin family, our family, and the entire community have been forever changed.

The portrayal of George Zimmerman in the media, as well as the series of events that led to the tragic shooting are false and extremely misleading. Unfortunately, some individuals and organizations have used this tragedy to further their own causes and agendas.

George is a Spanish speaking minority with many black family members and friends. He would be the last to discriminate for any reason whatsoever. One black neighbor recently interviewed said she knew everything in the media was untrue and that she would trust George with her life. Another black neighbor said that George was the only one, black or white, who came and welcomed her to the community, offering any assistance he could provide. Recently, I met two black children George invited to a social event. I asked where they met George. They responded that he was their mentor. They said George visited them routinely, took them places, helped them, and taught them things and that they really loved George. The media portrayal of George as a racist could not be further from the truth.

The events of February 26 reported in the media are also totally inaccurate. Out of respect for the on-going investigation, I will not discuss specifics. However, the media reports of the events are imaginary at best. At no time did George follow or confront Mr. Martin. When the true details of the event become public, and I hope that will be soon, everyone should be outraged by the treatment of George Zimmerman in the media.

Our entire family is deeply sorry for the loss of Trayvon. We pray for the Martin family daily. We also pray that the community will grieve together and not be divided by more unwarranted hate.

The Zimmerman family will have no further contact with the media prior to the resolution of the investigation. It would be greatly appreciated if the media would respect our privacy.”
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Well it is a civil rights issue and definitely a hate crime. The civil rights wing of the DOJ can definitely investigate it
 
Right. Conservatives have a problem with both.
 
What shocks me is that so many people are more concerned about their right to kill people than they are about each other's general well being. Pretty damn sad, to be honest. Especially in the "greatest nation" the world has ever seen.
 
All this talk about civil rights, "classifications," etc...

I sit here thinking what it would be like, as a parent, to learn that your son (armed with nothing more than candy and iced tea) was brutally attacked and murdered. In your neighborhood. A kid of only 16 or 17. He was born a year before my son. It's painful to even consider.
 
siff said:
All this talk about civil rights, "classifications," etc...

I sit here thinking what it would be like, as a parent, to learn that your son (armed with nothing more than candy and iced tea) was brutally attacked and murdered. In your neighborhood. A kid of only 16 or 17. He was born a year before my son. It's painful to even consider.
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Ultimately the reason that this kid was approached in the first place is because he was black. I don't think anyone would disagree that your line of thought is a nightmare scenario for parents, but your son would be less likely to be put in this predicament than Trayvon because Trayvon was black. That makes it a hate crime and a civil rights issue and shows why we need to be more understanding.
 
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