A freeway in Houston is blocked because of protests over the verdict calling George Zimmerman "not guilty". Note that the verdict is "not guilty", it is not "innocent". Those are two very different things. It simply means that the prosecution didn't prove him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Not that they didn't prove that he might have made a horrible and tragic mistake....because we all know that he did, just that they didn't prove that beyond a reasonable doubt that Trayon Martin didn't have a role to play in that mistake.
Let's, just for the sake of argument, take the color out of it. Let's even take the gender out of it.
You're working a neighborhood watch. It's dark. It's late. There's someone walking through the neighborhood, with their head covered, and looking "gangsta". (Remember, the sweet angelic pictures we all saw were not recent....look at the recent ones, with the jeans hanging down almost to his knees, boxers showing, and middle fingers pointed at the camera)
Ok, so, here's this guy, you can't see his face, you can only see how he looks. What's your first reaction? Is it, "oh look, he went and got skittles and tea!"? I'm thinking not. If you're like most of us, your first reaction is to make sure the car doors are locked, and to get a little more alert about your surroundings.
Does that mean he's a bad kid? Hell no, it absolutely does not! In fact, statistically, he's probably a good kid. There are far more of those than there are of the bad ones. Otherwise, we'd have no kids on the streets at all.
However, let's be honest.....looks DO mean something. How you choose to present yourself to the world DOES matter. Remember your mom telling you that first impressions are the ones that last? It's true....sad, but true. And quite frankly, if the first impression is that you are someone that looks threatening....most people aren't going to engage you in conversation to find out that you're a boy scout. Seriously, they aren't. Is it fair? Probably not. Is it prudent? Probably so. I'd rather lock the door and drive away than end up dead in a ditch. Sorry, but that's the way it is.
Now, back to our little case study. You see the guy (no way you can tell how old he is, he could be 15 or 40) with his head and face covered, in a dark street, and your job is to report suspicious activity....you call 911. This is where our story should end. It is. The police would come, they would talk to this boy (that is what they are paid for, after all) and find out that he was just out for a snack. Or, they would talk to him, find out he was up to no good, and deal with the issue....crime averted. Tragedy averted.
So, where did this go so wrong? Our "not guilty" guy decided to engage. He decided on a little vigilante justice. And the young man fought back. And then he died.
Is it tragic? Yes, it's tragic. It's even more so because it was totally avoidable. There are so many places where this situation went terribly wrong. And while ultimately the responsibility lies with the man that pulled the trigger and stole a young life, I believe we're missing some bigger and potentially more important lessons here.
"Gangsta" is not attractive, gentlemen. It's frightening. It perpetuates a stereotype that I have heard so many young African American men get angry over. You want the stereotype to go away? Then stop feeding into it. Dress like a respectable young man, act like a respectful young man. I would expect no less of your Caucasian and Mexican-American counterparts, why would you want me to lower my expectations for you? Isn't that part of what you're fighting against? It shouldn't matter what the color of your skin is, if you want equal treatment, then earn it.
I understand discrimination. Believe me, I do. I have a vagina in a very male dominated workplace. Guess what.....I don't try to get ahead by displaying it. I don't get ahead by dressing and acting like a slut. I get ahead by rising above that, by meeting them at the conference table and just plain being BETTER at their own game. Like it or not, that's the real world.
We chide young women that dress like hussies for perpetuating a "trailer trash" stereotype. We discriminate against young couples that love each other but are the same sex. And yet, the loudest group that we hear from, are the young African American males, who want equality, but don't want to behave equally.
If there is going to be equality, then the simple fact is, we ALL need to look past the stereotypes at the person behind them.
But, I'll tell you this, I don't care what color you are......approach me on a dark street with your pants hanging down to your knees, and your face covered by a hoodie....I WILL consider you a threat and take appropriate action to protect myself.
And for those on neighborhood watch, if you aren't a police officer, trained and certified, stay in the damned car. Let the professionals handle it. Don't provoke a situation just so you can "stand your ground".....because if you provoked it, you have no ground to stand on.
Well said.
ReplyDelete