dagblog - Comments for "Trayvon Martin and "Making It About Race""

A good read. Thanks much.

anna am — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 16:59:32 +0000

In reply to Trayvon Martin and "Making It About Race"

A good read. Thanks much.

Thanks, DF.

Doctor Cleveland — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 04:00:58 +0000

In reply to "Suspicious" is quite a

Thanks, DF.

Change just a couple words,

A Guy Called LULU — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 01:58:30 +0000

In reply to Trayvon Martin and "Making It About Race"

Change just a couple words, but retain the essence, in the following paragraph and it could be a description of our national attitude, apparently held about equally across the political spectrum, about our national defense policies and actions.

They not only believe that black men and black teenagers are in special danger of being shot and killed but count on that danger being racially biased, count on the danger hovering over another part of the population and not over their own. They are sure that the "Stand Your Ground" law will not permit someone to shoot them or theirs, are sure that quick-triggered police will never shoot them or their sons. Anyone who says that these capricious homicides aren't about race is only saying that because they know it is about race, and because they're okay with that.

I wish I could let you in on

The Decider — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 23:53:22 +0000

In reply to Or avoid the dude with the

I wish I could let you in on all of the inside scoop that I know about but it's on Facebook and you have to be a friend of my friends to read their blogs and blog back to them. Let's just say that the worm that turns last usually turns loudest.

Or avoid the dude with the

DF — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 22:41:37 +0000

In reply to He was ducking into entryways

Or avoid the dude with the creeper mustache who was following him. I used to skateboard around a lot, often at night, and on many occasions people followed me, threw things at me, and even jumped out of their cars and tried to chase me down. Group of guys. Three or four, two of them were a bit bigger than me. Probably would have kicked my ass a good one had I not suspiciously ditched them by cutting through someone's yard.

Yet this young man is being posthumously denigrated for defending himself against an armed, self-appointed vigilante who was stepping far beyond his capacity as a neighborhood watch volunteer - and a man who has a history of violence both with the police and with women. What are the chances this guy approached Trayvon Martin and politely identified himself as a neighborhood watch volunteer, only to have the kid simply attack him? Even if he did, how does that justify shooting him? Whatever happened to the standard of meeting force with force? Does "stand your ground" mean that you can shoot at literally any threat?

What about "stand your ground" for Martin? If Zimmerman approached him aggressively or put a hand on him, Martin was well within his rights to defend himself. Again, this is a minor who is being approached by a strange man for reasons that are not necessarily known to him. Who really had the reason to be afraid?

I should probably be afraid for my sanity because I'm engaging in discussion with The Decider.

I must admit that you have

The Decider — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 19:59:27 +0000

In reply to Trayvon Martin and "Making It About Race"

I must admit that you have developed a very interesting perspective on this, Doc. Stand your ground laws don't bother me because I feel so certain that no one could every believe that I am a threat. At least, not a physical threat. Existential...that's another matter.

He was ducking into entryways

The Decider — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 19:57:10 +0000

In reply to "Suspicious" is quite a

He was ducking into entryways and under trees and canopies to avoid the rain (or avoid being seen).

I particularly like how he

artappraiser — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 19:45:52 +0000

In reply to I just read this piece from

I particularly like how he points this out:

Though it is not noble or Christian of me to admit it, I hope Trayvon got a few good shots in. The big irony here is the much-cited “Stand Your Ground Law,” quoted as a defense for Zimmerman’s actions; but if the phrase and the concept have any meaning at all, they would, rather, go to justify Trayvon Martin’s punches!

This is something I sensed early on (and I think Richard Day and destor did too,) that focusing on the "Stand Your Ground" law might not be an appropriate way to go in this case.

At the same time, the "Black Panther" group that has been in the news as calling for vigilante action against Zimmerman (I heard Trayvon's father disavow them on the TV news) are taking it too far to the other side, in a way endorsing "Zimmerman theory" as I see it, rather than the intent (if not the sloppy writing) of "Stand Your Ground."

I think it's important to focus on the real insult that was added to injury here--the egregious conduct of the PD in the investigation of a homicide, and not to get into the kind of rights allowed in self-defense. To be a Ghandi in the face of Zimmermans of the world is not the answer to the problems involved, neither is becoming another Zimmerman.

The collective 'we' at this

Aunt Sam — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 17:30:14 +0000

In reply to As we all have the verified

The collective 'we' at this site cannot control the media, but 'we' sure can monitor the posts here and call BS (or worse) when some assert facts not in evidence as they say.

The fact is a young boy is dead.

There are many questions that need to be truthfully and fully answered before final judgments declared. Such as:

Why did Zimmerman choose to carry a gun? Why not a tasor or something that would protect him, but not cause irreversible harm?

Why did the police not perform due diligence as normally required and needed?

And a dozen more at least.....

Whatever the facts show, this is going to have long term consequences not just for the families, but I believe for our society. I still hope that there can be some positive changes evolving from this tragedy.

"Suspicious" is quite a

DF — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 17:28:00 +0000

In reply to Trayvon Martin and "Making It About Race"

"Suspicious" is quite a suspicious word in this context, is it not? Can anyone, whether an apologist for Zimmerman or not, explain exactly what Trayvon Martin had done to arouse suspicion? Apparently people are uncomfortable admitting that he was profiled, but what other reason was there? Zimmerman says on the 911 call that he was suspicious of Martin because Martin was walking through the neighborhood and looking around. And that he was black.

The real question at hand is this: What did Trayvon Martin do to warrant being approached and confronted whatsoever by an armed vigilante? As far as I can tell, all he did was 1.) walk down a street he had a every right to be on at a time, just after 7PM, that should be completely uncontroversial 2.) wear clothes, including the same hooded sweatshirts that every white person I know owns several of and would have likewise been wearing in rainy weather, and 3.) be black.

Is walking down the street at 7PM inherently suspicious? Is anyone ready to make that argument? We've already heard the dumbass hoodie argument from Geraldo, but even that jackass had to direct his comments to the parents of African-American and Latin-American teenagers. So even Geraldo's stupidity is revealing here. White parents don't need to worry about telling their kids to take off their Hollister and American Eagle hoodies. Everyone just gets that, see?

Ain't no hoodie like a black kid's hoodie 'cause a black kid's hoodie gets shot at. It wasn't the hoodie. It's the same mentality that underlies the disproportional treatment minorities receive in our criminal justice system and as a point of the mission in the War on Drugs - namely, that blacks and other minorities are just inherently violent, inherently criminal, inherently suspicious.

Guess what, folks? That's racism.

Also, perfect pitch once again, Dr. C.