I am not going to discuss the Zimmerman trial itself. Why? It's over and people have their opinions on the matter, and whether or not I agree or disagree with the verdict has nothing to do really with what I am writing about.
Here's what really pisses me off though, and it's not so much the fact he was found not guilty, although I do think he should have been held accountable for his actions that night. Manslaughter, perhaps? No, what really pisses me off is the media ran with this whole thing and made it a race issue. Charges weren't filed because there wasn't enough evidence to file charges. And I will admit, when I first heard about the whole case my first thought was "OMG that poor kid!! Gunned down in cold blood like that!!" because that's how the media portrayed it. But time went on, more evidence came out, and there was no evidence that anything Zimmerman (a hispanic man, mind you) did was racially motivated, and there was no evidence that Zimmerman was a racist. But the media and others made this a racial issue. A lot of things could have went differently that night and Trevon would be alive and none of this would have happened, but it didn't.
Now, I'm not saying that there is no racism or prejudice in our society because there is... and there is on all sides, and it needs to stop. We, as a country, have come a long way since the days of slavery and segregation, but we still have a way to go too. And the thing is, it's not just white people (mind you, I'm white) that need to get their shit together.
What gets me is people portraying things as being racially motivated when it isn't or there is no evidence to suggest it, and then there are racially motivated crimes that receive zero media attention. Why? Because the victim is white. Take this case for example:
"This is what you deserve. You get what you deserve, white boy"
There's a 13 year old white boy walking home from school, who is followed by 2 black kids, doused with gasoline and lit on fire, and that's what they said to him. "This is what you deserve. You get what you deserve, white boy." That is a perfect example of a racially motivated crime. Yet, where is the outrage? Why isn't this on national news and followed by everyone in the country? Apparently there are no hate crimes against white people. And where are the blacks or Hispanics or whoever? Where is their outrage?!? We all want a society where we are seen as equals. Why are there not blacks standing up and crying out for their people to stop adding to the problem?!?! Keep in mind please, I did not post that link to further inflame or incite any racial tension... I posted it to make a point. Racism and prejudice is not about "everyone against blacks" or "all hetero people against the gays" or whatever. It goes a multitude of different ways for a variety of different reasons.
Fact: There will be no equality until all people pull their heads out of their asses and realize we are all created equal. The blood that flows through our veins is the same color. Inside of our skin, and aside from gender differences or sexual preferences or whatever we are the same. Our skin, gender, sexual preferences, tastes in music, religious beliefs and whatever, do not make me, or you, or anyone else, better than the person sitting next to you on the bus, standing in line with you at the convenience store while you're waiting to pay for your gas or whatever else it is you may be doing at the time.
You know what makes us better people? Loving one another. Respecting one another. Treating other people with the same respect you want to be treated with. Realizing that just because someone is *gasp* different from you in one way or another, does not mean that they, nor you, are any better than Joe down the street. Realizing that just because one person of a race, gender, ethnicity, religion, commits a certain act, that it does not and should not condemn everyone else who shares that same trait. I was raped at knife point when I was 20 by a black man. Does that make it a hate crime? No. Does that mean all black men are terrible people? No. One of my best friends is a black man. And just the other day while I was standing in line waiting to order a replacement phone because mine decided to go skydiving and faceplanted onto the carport and broke my screen, I had a rather pleasant conversation with two black men who were also standing in line also waiting to get things repaired by the Geek Squad. And you know what? Not once did I feel uncomfortable or anxious or endangered or anything. Would I have a reason to distrust black men? Yeah I would. But I don't. Why? Because the act of one person does not condemn the rest who share a similar trait... and I am smart enough to see that.
There's not many people I share that with, but I am sharing this painful tidbit of information with you because I want to see change. I want the hate to stop. I don't care who it is you "hate" or distrust or whatever for whatever reason. I want you to be able to sit back, take this in, and open up your eyes and your heart. I want you to be the change. I don't want you to sit there and think "awww well there's nothing just little old me can do to make a difference" because that's not true. It takes one person to bring change. If one person reads this and opens their eyes and their heart, that is change. If that person shares this, either in the blog or the message by word with 20 people, and two of them open their eyes and their heart, that's two more people.
People need to realize that just because some Islamic extremists (Al-Queda) decided to have some people hi-jack and fly some airplanes into some buildings on US soil back on September 11th of 2001, does not mean that all people who "practice" or believe in Islam are terrorists. Those who commit such acts of atrocity against others... they are the minority.
The actual number of people who are racist are the minority. You know what's so great about this country? You know one of the things that makes this country among the richest in the world? The fact that there's no where else in the world you can go and be exposed to so many different religions, races, ethnicities, cultures, ideas, etc. Why is such a wonderful place with soooo many diverse groups of people so full of intolerance? Granted, as I said, I truly believe overall that most people aren't so extreme in their prejudices, or that's been my experience anyway.
To people of any color or heritage: Please, stop assuming or making everything into a racial / hate crime any time it involves someone of a different color or heritage. Unless there is obvious evidence indicating it is so, just stop. I have a friend who works at a major store who has said that people have come to her asking for an item, and when she told them they were out of stock or didn't carry the item have said to her "It's because I'm (insert whatever) here, isn't it?". People that pull that kind of shit are the same people who are contributing to the problem. When a person says something like that "it's because I'm ________, isn't it?", you are assuming the worst from anyone who is not from your country or of your same race, regardless of what race or what country the other is from. You are not giving that person the same chance you would want them to give you. You want to be treated as equals? Start treating others as equals too. You can't expect the world to change around you when you refuse to change yourself. If you go in to buy flowers for your wedding and you're Arabic, and the flower person tells you "we don't sell flowers to terrorists/Arabs"... then they are being racist and you have every right to feel offended. If you go in and want orchids, and the flower person tells you they cannot get in any orchids because they are out of season, that does not mean they are not selling you orchids because you're Arabic... they may in fact be out of season, don't turn it into a racial / ethnic thing if it isn't. (You may substitute Arabic for any race, heritage, straight or gay or whatever.)
Open your eyes. Open your heart. Don't be part of the problem. Don't let the media incite you into blind hatred and outrage without making sure you have all of the facts, because there are times the media themselves don't have all the facts and just want to be the first to run the story. Stop blindly believing anything you read on the internet or see on the news to be 100% true. Here's a perfect example:
The reporter said they confirmed the names from the NTSB. ZOMG the media lied! Had Zimmerman said "these effing n*ggers always get away", then that would indicate racism. Even then, do you know who the racist would be? Zimmerman. Bringing rioting and war to "whiteys" isn't going to solve the problem, it's only adding to it. Last I checked, (and this is saying IF Zimmerman was a racist, which there isn't evidence of, it's a hypothetical) Zimmerman was never elected as a representative of all Hispanic or white people... just as those two black kids who set the 13 year old white boy on fire are not representatives of the entire black race. You want to hate someone? Hate the racists, the bigots, the homophobes... don't hate on an entire group of people because of a few bad apples. Love one another. Respect one another. Be there for one another. Give someone who's different than you a chance. If then you discover that this person is indeed an asshole, then so be it. Assholes come in a variety of colors, from different countries, shapes, and sizes yes, but so do good people... and we must not forget that.
A mother could never EVER be more PROUD of her daughter than I am of YOU <3
ReplyDelete