Racism on the forum / Treyvon Martin

by Simon 96 Replies latest forum announcements

• 

  steve2

  FHN you put it so well: Racism is endemic in myriad subtle forms in many sectors of society. In fact, the overt in-your-face racism is relatively readily identified and addressed. It is the endless ways people "treat" or don't treat others that harbors the worst aspects of modern-day racism. E.g., in job applications, CVs with non-English or non-American sounding names are weeded out - and no one ever knows the extent of this. There was a media profile in New Zealand recently on some organizations that appeared to routinely decline CV applications from those with Asian sounding surnames. It was hrd to prove one way or the other - but for those who never made it even to the interview stage who presented with sterling credentials, it was hard to escape the conclusion those organizations did not want Asian applicants.

  I also think blindnomore makes a powerful case for the view that if you've never been on the receiving end of racism, you're not well equipped to know its insidious effects and cannot speak from an informed point of view on the subject. I know that extreme statements are not the preserve of caucasians, but it is interesting that often the greatest amount of outrage against "political correctness" comes from caucasians who invoke the line: "Hey get over it - it's no where near as bad as it used to be".

  In my home country, because I am of European descent (i.e., caucasian), I will never know what it is like to have a color of skin that marks he as needing to first prove my innocence. Although I can - do develop - empathy for those on the receiving end of racism, overt and subtle, I do not know what it is like to live and breathe the effects of discrimination.
• 

  Band on the Run

  It annoys me how the legacy of slavery and bigotry (towards Catholics, Jews, and others) is dismissed. Small deal. No bother. No longer present.

  I posted as a civil rights lawyer that no one knows enough facts at this point in time to determine what actually happened. It is suspicious, for certain. More than suspicion is needed to convict someone. It is a shame the media spinned this so hard. Will he be p rosecuted to ensure a convinction for political reasons? Whatever happened to acknowledging that a process must occur. Instant judgment is wrong. Very suspicious, though.

  It will be almost impossible to find an impartial jury. IMO, Fla. needs to amend its stand your ground policy to become more in line with other states. Perhaps the Neighborhood Watches are not military enough.

  Better to wait for hard information.

  I see racism repeately in certain posts. Slavery is nothing. Anything that disadvantages white males in the least is a tragedy. Certain people don't write to have a conversation or share views. Rather, they impose their views, welcome or not, on every user. They will never conquer me. It is not about politics anymore but the brute assertion of power.
• 

  Band on the Run

  The alternative to letting the courts decide is a society of lynchings. Law and order is a strong civil rights issue. Societies have long evolved so the govt. meets out justice. The alternative is blood feuds. The defendant is innocent until proven guilty. It is valid to raise concerns. Ultimately, it will be determined in a court room, where it belongs. Clearly, racism is raised. A host of things can be done to redress racism. A jury will decide.
• 

  Terry

  First, there is what actually happened.

  Next, there is how it was reported to have happened.

  After that, there are only accusations and recriminations and truly bad manners.

  The news outlet who reported the story doctored the 9-11 call to edit out a question asked of the shooter which

  left the impression he volunteered the race of the person he was reporting.

  The person who deliberately sought to make this a racial shooting has been fired, but, the damage done lives on!

  The video purporting to show the shooter had no trauma to his head was used as negative evidence that his claim of being attacked was bogus.

  The same news outlet that wrongly edited the 9-11 transcript had presented a fuzzy image later changed to a clear one.

  Later, when the fecal hit the fan, this video was "enhanced" which revealed the actual damage to the back of the shooter's head.

  Once again--deliberate manipulation of the public points to a desire to foment racial hatred.

  Finally, the public at large are not really reacting to the facts as much as they are superimposing THEIR OWN IDEAS upon everything.

  There is no "discussion" or "debate" going on at all. It is raw emotion devoid of positive purpose.

  It is intellectual dishonesty to desire peace and brotherhood while engaging in hurtful dialogue.
• 

  Band on the Run

  Indeed, I grew up in NJ and we were part of the rigteous Union. Reading more about slavery and the Civil War, my home of NY profited the most from the slave trade. The difference between NOrth and South is that the Southern system was enacted by law, while the Northern system was de facto, or in reality but not part of the law.

  This is why the SCLC, led by King, focused on court challenges and voter enrollment in the South. Legal cases were much easier to bring than attacking the economic and social components of racism. Most blacks lived in the South. If they could register these citizens, they could control key congressional districts. Certainly, the South was easier to challenge. JWs were integrated in the North. I thought it was a JW principle based on Jesus' sayings of brotherhood. One night I found out that Southern KHs were segregated. I demanded justification. It was so not Jesus like. Whites would be uncomfortable and not become Witnesses.

  I've stated that no one knows what really happened at this point. It is very clear that the vast majority of the world suspects American deep racism. The appearance of racism is an issue. This is not seen as an isolated, sad case. These cases happen with such frequency. The world beholds our racism. We don't know now whether this was one of hundreds of thousands of instances. The mere appearance that it could be should be cause for concern.
• 

  mrsjones5

  " In my home country, because I am of European descent (i.e., caucasian), I will never know what it is like to have a color of skin that marks he as needing to first prove my innocence."

  I have many personal stories related to the above, some funny and others not so funny, but I'm going to impart one that happened to my family back in the late 70's - such a fine lesson for a 13 year old:

  My mother decided she wanted a family portrait done. She had found a photographer and had a discussion about suitable locations around the SF bay area. At one point as my mother and the photographer were throwing ideas back and forth (and I do have to mention here that all conversations were conducted over the phone, my mother had never met this person face to face) the photographer suggested the idea of Lake Merritt in Oakland as a location spot (specifically an area that looks like a large gazebo). But the photographer went on to say that it might not be a suitable spot because the area surrounding Lake Merritt has become largely populated by black people. My mother didn't miss a beat and suggested that she would really love for the portrait to be taken at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco.

  Once my mother got off the phone she told us what had just happened and actually looked forward to meeting the photographer in person. We were all instructed to watch the photographer's face when she discovered who she had been talking to. I don't see how the photographer got through the day and she did recover quite nicely from the initial shock but my mother graciously enjoyed every bit of that day.

  I think it was a fine lesson for the photographer too.
• 

  undercover

  the public at large are not really reacting to the facts as much as they are superimposing THEIR OWN IDEAS upon everything.

  Excellent point. I have not commented on the case itself, because of all the conflicting reports...and changing "evidence". You think you're getting a picture of what happened and then some other info comes to light which changes evertying. Since I wasn't there, didn't see what happened, I'm reluctant to get into a debate. About the time you get your point across, the "facts" you were relying on have changed. I have an opinion on the actions taken, but they're based on incomplete knowledge and on my own personal thoughts about what is or isn't necessary force. And I'm going to keep them to myself because my opinion is liable to change when some new revelation is made.
• 

  thetrueone

  Is this case really a matter of racism or is this a case of mis-justest via stupid, incompetent police work. ?

  It appears its taken on as a case of racism after the fact though.

  Simplified facts of the case are ......

  A neighborhood watcher misidentifies a person walking down the street, physically contacts that person after the assumed suspicious

  one thinks they themselves are being pursued by a robber and starts to run away, the two finally meet in a physical altercation where one of the two

  has a gun, shoots the other which resulted in a death . Of course the guy with the gun proclaims it was self defense to avoid responsibility for

  his actions and to clear himself of fault and the police buy this and let the guy go without being charged with anything ????
• 

  Terry

  NBC Issues Lame-Ass “Apology” for Purposefully Manipulating Trayvon Martin 911 Call

  By marfdrat on April 4, 2012

  1

  In its reporting on the Trayvon Martin case, NBC’s Today show purposefully manipulated the 911 call made by a witness. This is what they made it sound like (transcript from Fox News):

  Zimmerman: This guy looks like he’s up to no good. He looks black.

  This is the actual transcript of the call:

  Zimmerman: This guy looks like he’s up to no good. Or he’s on drugs or something. It’s raining and he’s just walking around, looking about.

  Dispatcher: OK, and this guy — is he black, white or Hispanic?

  Zimmerman: He looks black.

  Why do you suppose they would do such a thing? I’m sure you’ve heard a guess or two from the blogosphere, and at least one of them involves making the story fit the liberal lamestream media narrative that Zimmerman is a racist, and he was just out looking for someone (a black someone) to shoot. Lots of facts have come to light over the last few days, and the lamestream media is making attempts to walk back their unsupportable assumptions.

  Anyway, since NBC was caught red-handed trying to make the facts fit the narrative, they had to issue an “apology.” I use quotes because it is an apology only in the sense that it contains the words “we apologize.” Read it for yourself and see the lameness:

  During our investigation it became evident that there was an error made in the production process that we deeply regret. We will be taking the necessary steps to prevent this from happening in the future and apologize to our viewers.

  An “error”? Is that what you call it when someone on your production staff deliberately deletes information from a 911 transcript, so as to make it look a particular way? Who was responsible for allowing that edited transcript to be played on-air? They should be fired. They won’t, of course, unless the heat gets really hot, and they have to sacrifice someone.
• 

  james_woods

  An “error”? Is that what you call it when someone on your production staff deliberately deletes information from a 911 transcript, so as to make it look a particular way? Who was responsible for allowing that edited transcript to be played on-air? They should be fired. They won’t, of course, unless the heat gets really hot, and they have to sacrifice someone.

  They fired the news manager in charge of this story.