Trayvon Martin is a household name. Same for George Zimmerman. Maybe you heard about the incident from TV news, maybe the radio, maybe from a friend or family member. Whatever the case, you know about it because the media machine has been churning out story after story, interview after interview, spinning the news around and around to keep this case red hot and your head dizzy like you just got off the Tilt-a-whirl! You eat their words like chocolate candy and spin them around in your little head, a head filled with unconscious bias and opinion.
Why you ask? An unarmed black youth was shot and killed by a non-black individual -- who isn't technically a white man but white-Hispanic, as if that matters to anyone. This isn't about race in the broad sense, but race in terms of a black person being the victim. Riddle me this: would all these people protesting, these angry and outraged folks, be exhibiting the same behavior if Trayvon was a white youth and George was any color of the rainbow? Would Rep. Bobby Rush have behaved so unprofessionally -- wearing a hoodie while on the House floor to join the protest -- if this was a white youth? Would Obama care enough to comment if the story wasn't making such a splash across the U.S. (and because he's up for re-election soon)? Would you even care? Black people mad because it's a black person, white people mad because they want to act like they are racially blind and in with the cool crowd. Oh I get it, I'm down with the homies.
Yeah, right.
However, I'm not here to talk about race. I'm not here to shield my face with a black hoodie and duckt tape a pack of Skittles over my mouth. I'm not here to glorify George Zimmerman because I don't know these people, I don't know specifically what happened and NEITHER DO YOU. Maybe Zimmerman is a racist -- the FBI is examining his 911 call to see if he used the term "coon" since it was somewhat inaudible -- or maybe he was tired of having his neighborhood burglarized and Trayvon attacked him.
You sit back in your safe bubble and glance at a picture of young middle-school aged Trayvon looking like a squeaky clean teen and jump to the conclusion he's an angel (the same picture used on the cover of "People" magazine: tisk tisk) -- even though he was 17 at the time of his death, not in seventh grade! People change drastically from age 12 to 17. On the other hand, you see the picture of him in a saggy pair of shorts, no shirt, and flipping the bird. What do you think? Oh, this thug had it coming! Too bad that picture turned out to be fake. Too bad you shouldn't make judgements based on pictures -- it reminds me of Match.com profiles where people use photos from way-back-when, looking good with 30 less pounds and a head full of hair. A picture is worth 1,000 words but pictures can be deceiving. Even looks can be deceiving. I could go out today in heavy makeup, short skirt, tube top, high heels and what will I resemble? A common whore! Is that who I am? Notsomuch. I'm a creepy blogger.
Anywho, we'll never know what happened that February night in Sanford, Fla. between neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman and high schooler Trayvon Martin because we weren't there. It was an incident between two people and one of them is dead so what we're getting is one side saying he did what he did in self-defense. Zimmerman said he was injured, surveillance video shows he wasn't. (Cue judgement from the masses).
We have Zimmerman's dad and friends saying he was a good man, not a racist. We have Trayvon's parents, family and friends saying Trayvon was a good boy. Duh, of course they'll say that. With Trayvon, his inner circle is grieving over his loss, whether he was a thug or a good kid, it doesn't matter. He died unnecessarily, they are angry and want justice -- logical.
Then we have you at home saying this or that about them even though you don't know them, never have and never will. The only reason they made it into your brain is because of the media. That's the only reason you will care about this at all because the media told you to care through seventh grade photos, images of Skittles, white-on-black-crime and hoodies dancing in your brain. You'll care enough to possibly see it through to Zimmerman being found guilty or not-guilty and then you'll go on to the next big thing the media spins. Another shooting of a black youth, another international outrage. Lindsay Lohan going to rehab again, the Duggars having another kid, another celebrity housewives show.
However, this is still a horrible situation. No matter what the circumstances, that unarmed young man shouldn't have died. George Zimmerman should have listened to the 911 dispatcher and not advanced on the youth. Also, not investigating this situation properly was a mistake by the local police department -- who should have been patrolling the area, which was choking in a cloudy climate of fear because of a rash of recent burglaries, not some vigilante with a gun hunting down teens (why did he need a gun anyway? Check your laws Florida because they're wacky!). It's an injustice, plain and simple. Not because Trayvon was black and this man not, but because the police department failed at their job, their duty -- resulting in the police chief stepping down and the U.S. hungry for justice.
How many people are examining this story? Looking at the root causes, looking at the facts? Not many. How many people are simply reacting to the media machine? Reacting to Geraldo Rivera (what a great addition to FOX News) saying, "I'll bet you money that if he didn't have that hoodie on, that nutty
neighborhood watch guy wouldn't have responded in that violent and
aggressive way." Reacting to those who get hard-ons when a newsstory has even the smallest hint of racial tensions: Tyler Perry, the Rev. Al Sharpton, Spike Lee ...
Hell, I don't know. Maybe George Zimmerman killed Trayvon because he was black. Or maybe he killed him because Trayvon was going to attack him. Maybe he killed him because he's a looney. I don't know, you don't know, we'll never know. What I do know is this newsstory stinks to high heaven of KONY. The Million Hoodie March, the donate to KONY shit. You lazy social activists (slacktivists) Tweeting about #Trayvon or #KONY or posting messages on your stupid Facebook page after watching a manufactured video (probably not all of it or even any of it) made by some guy who recently went apeshit, masturbating in public like a caveman. You watch a short clip or read some bias "news" and act like you have it all figured out. Yeah, you may have a high school diploma or maybe even a big brain bachelor's in hubris and beer bongs, but now you're a detective, attorney, judge and jury wrapped into a neat little package.
The media told you to care about KONY and Trayvon Martin. Now you care because everyone is caring so you don't want to be the one dick who doesn't care, right? Does this make you a better person? No. This makes you a moron. Maybe Joseph Kony shot Trayvon to get the heat off himself ... how about that! I just blew your mind.
Maybe it's because we live in a social media society, where it's so easy to broadcast your views to the world. Lucky Americans are free to speak and make a big deal about anything. I just hope people take the time to learn the facts, to make sound decisions before going insane with protests and spreading nonsense. Stop being so easily impressed by words.
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