The media is at it again. Surprised? Well, don’t be. It’s amazing how they, TV, newspapers, radio, online news, can have as much a part of creating the racist divisions as the actual killing itself. It’s a simple method they use. First, it starts with what photos they select to display the participants. This is vital in ‘convicting’ the person they feel is at fault. I say ‘convicting’ because that’s what they are doing in the eyes of the public. It’s a necessity in creating the interest in the event so they can drive more viewers, sell more papers, get more ads sold in hopes you have taken a side and want to follow along.
Look at this image. WHY does the press show Zimmerman’s booking photo from 7 years ago?? Well, the answer is simple. Because he looks like a thug. Why else? And what a cutsie pic of Trayvon! Oh my, every mother’s son! Big smile, innocent. Oh wait! What’s that below? Trayvon flipping the world the bird in a double whammy while dressing like he’s one of the Crips? HMMMM! Why don’t they show that one on TV?
Geraldo tried to say it but he just said it wrong. The thing about the ‘hoodie’. Sure, we stereotype people based upon the way they dress. Let’s look at it from an African-American POV for a sec. Say you’re walking down the street and see 5 white guys coming toward you with skinheads and swastikas tattooed on their foreheads and carrying baseball bats. Would you, a black male minding their own business, feel a bit intimidated? Scared even? Perhaps stop and turn around? Maybe cross the street? What if it turned out they were just going to play some baseball and those 5 guys were just local kids doing what they do every day? We’re trained to ‘see’ what can be perceived as a threat. No different than Zimmerman perceived a person, not recognized as from the neighborhood he was volunteering to watch, as a potential threat. Afterall, the same basic elements were in place that would cause one to suspect there was something or someone out of place. However, the press needs to create a villain in order to complete their mission. Instead of reporting facts and selecting ‘generic’ images they fan the flames of hate and racism by speculating.
It wasn’t the ‘hoodie’ that got him killed. Based upon the facts that have been released (and, more coming shortly to satisfy the masses) it was determined, from ALL the evidence at the scene and from witnesses that Zimmerman acted in self-defense. The question is “why was he following him”. The answer is simple. Because that’s what a neighborhood watch does! So is Trayvon Martin a victim of dressing a certain way? Or, is it pure racism as the hordes of Black Community leaders are screaming. That Zimmerman only followed him because he was black. That’s really the argument here, isn’t it? Did Zimmerman wave at a dozen hoodie wearing white kids that day and when he saw a black kid he got suspicious? That’s racism. Did it happen? No.
So the question really is “Did Trayvon Martin confront and attack Zimmerman?”. If so, then case closed. Zimmerman had every right to follow him as a designated neighborhood watch representative. Was he profiling? If you want to call it that, yes. But how? In what way? Perhaps it was just the fact he knew his neighborhood well enough that Trayvon Martin was just not recognized as a local resident? And, that the attire he was wearing would possibly contribute to the thought he may be gang related? Afterall, the ‘hoodie’ is that beloved ‘gangsta’ look made famous by the Crips and Bloods and hundreds of other gangs.
Now before you get into a big huff about ‘not everyone who wears a hoodie is a gangsta’, you’re right. No one said that. I have a couple of hooded sweatshirts and a jacket. The ‘hoodie’ by itself means nothing. So stop with the ‘hoodie marches’ already. It’s dumb. Trayvon Martin was not killed because of the ‘hoodie’. He was killed because he either a) felt threatened that someone was following him and confronted Zimmerman, or b) was a ‘gangsta’ that had to prove a point by assaulting Zimmerman. In either case the LAW in Florida states that a person can defend themselves. AND, you can legally, with a permit, carry a firearm. Zimmerman had that permit AND the right to defend himself. If it is proved, without a doubt, in this investigation that Zimmerman was indeed assaulted and that Trayvon Martin did make the initial physical assault then it’s going to be interesting to see what the media does then.
One can only assume they will ‘question’ the investigation. Denegrate the police. Render them ‘raicsts’ as well and incompetent. Providing a ‘coverup’. Blah blah blah yada yada yada. And the racism wheel keeps spinning. Because as long as they display images such as these photos we will immediately draw conclusions and choose a side. These images create the anger and seal the fate of the individuals. Trayvon goes into history as just a loving little boy. Zimmerman gets cooked in the vigilante public justice microwave as a racist with a bounty on his head. If he’s found completely in the right then there won’t be enough crow to go around to all those spewing out the ‘Racism!’ label. Especially for Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton who always show up to stir the anger without knowing shit from shinola about the facts of the case. Their job is to incite the hate. Never once have I heard them say “Ok, Black Community members, let’s calm down and wait for the facts to be disclosed…”. Riggghhht.
Why This One?
The media loves a good photo. One that really sells their story. Let’s think of some others that go down in history as painting the evilest of evil. Anyone ever seen a photo of Charles Manson without his eyes bugging out or a swastika carved in his forehead? There’s loads of pictures of him playing guitar with the Beach Boys, hanging with friends, etc. They’d never use one of those, though. How about Lee Harvey Oswald? The most used is of him holding the rifle. Not of him growing up, maybe wearing a hoodie. Not of him in the Marines. Nah, doesn’t sell the single-shooter story.
Yep, the media had this one pretty well baked to perfection when they show the mean looking Zimmerman next
And not this one?
to the innocent little boy. How could we not be upset that this kid who looks like an alter boy in the pic gets gunned down by the evil guy just because he’s black. If you really want to see racism at work then look at the media and how it has depicted this incident. There’s your racism, my friends.