I'm wondering what other people's perception is on a recent event in Florida, where a Hispanic man (George Zimmerman) shot and killed a black teenager (Trayvon Martin). Here are some of my observations:
1) Media, politicians and black leaders seem to have immediately come out and deemed this a racist incident while totally disregarding Zimmerman's self defence claim; he's basically guilty until proven innocent.
2) Photos of the victim that have been published are not of a 17 year old but rather of a much younger and innocent looking kid. Why not publish more recent images, what is being hidden?
3) Looking at the earliest news commentary it seems that Zimmmerman was initially referred to as white, which seems to have sparked the race row. As it turns out, Zimmerman is of Hispanic origin, so now he is being referred to as White-Hispanic. Could a Hispanic person not be a racist?
4) Even Obama and top White House officials have stepped in to ensure that the incident is dealt with as a "hate crime".
5) While all this was going on a murder trial of an actual racist incident resulted in a life sentence. The convicted, a black teenager, had attempted to rob two "crackers" (white British tourists) and then shot them in cold blood as they pleaded for their lives.
Even if Zimmerman killed Martin out of racist views (I'll let a court decide on that), does the double standard in reporting and political opinion not strike others as absolutely repugnant and detestable? Is racism a trait reserved for white people? Is the action of a black president, to get involved in the murder case of a black teenager while ignoring the letters from the parents of the British murder victims, in any way excusable?
I never held Obama in any high regard, but one thing I thought he might be able to improve is the problem of racism. At this stage he has, in my humble view, sunk to a level where I can honestly say that I feel as much disdain for him as I do for his predecessor.
1) Media, politicians and black leaders seem to have immediately come out and deemed this a racist incident while totally disregarding Zimmerman's self defence claim; he's basically guilty until proven innocent.
2) Photos of the victim that have been published are not of a 17 year old but rather of a much younger and innocent looking kid. Why not publish more recent images, what is being hidden?
3) Looking at the earliest news commentary it seems that Zimmmerman was initially referred to as white, which seems to have sparked the race row. As it turns out, Zimmerman is of Hispanic origin, so now he is being referred to as White-Hispanic. Could a Hispanic person not be a racist?
4) Even Obama and top White House officials have stepped in to ensure that the incident is dealt with as a "hate crime".
5) While all this was going on a murder trial of an actual racist incident resulted in a life sentence. The convicted, a black teenager, had attempted to rob two "crackers" (white British tourists) and then shot them in cold blood as they pleaded for their lives.
Even if Zimmerman killed Martin out of racist views (I'll let a court decide on that), does the double standard in reporting and political opinion not strike others as absolutely repugnant and detestable? Is racism a trait reserved for white people? Is the action of a black president, to get involved in the murder case of a black teenager while ignoring the letters from the parents of the British murder victims, in any way excusable?
I never held Obama in any high regard, but one thing I thought he might be able to improve is the problem of racism. At this stage he has, in my humble view, sunk to a level where I can honestly say that I feel as much disdain for him as I do for his predecessor.