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http://www.dailykos.com/story/...
Empathy -- real empathy, not the situational and utterly phony kind that most any of us can muster when social convention calls for it -- requires that one be able to place oneself in the shoes of another, and to consider the world as they must consider it. It requires that we be able to suspend our own culturally-ingrained disbelief long enough to explore the possibility that perhaps the world doesn't work as we would have it, but rather as others have long insisted it did. Empathy, which is always among the first casualties of racist thinking, mandates our acceptance of the possibility that maybe it isn't those long targeted by oppression who are exaggerating the problem or making the proverbial mountain out of a molehill, but rather we who have underestimated the gravity of racial domination and subordination in this country, and reduced what are, in fact, Everest-sized peaks to ankle-high summits, and for our own purposes, rather than in the service of truth.
Empathy, which is always among the first casualties of racist thinking, mandates our acceptance of the possibility that maybe it isn't those long targeted by oppression who are exaggerating the problem or making the proverbial mountain out of a molehill, but rather we who have underestimated the gravity of racial domination and subordination in this country, and reduced what are, in fact, Everest-sized peaks to ankle-high summits, and for our own purposes, rather than in the service of truth.
Denise on the Million Hoodie March:
Check out her other diaries on the subject, especially the last Black Kos diary. Just because they are posting on a progressive site doesn't make them progressives. - John Allen
I feel that perhaps we who are white should remind ourselves, before we jump on either bandwagon, that unfortunately, we are much less like Trayvon Martin and much more like George Zimmerman. And that is the problem.
And that is the problem.
Didn't mean to make this about me. Just some personal insights, fwiw. "When Fascism comes to America, it will come wrapped in teh stupid and waving a gun" ~ Esteev on Wonkette
Today, young black men grow up in a society where racism is no longer deemed acceptable. Many live in integrated neighborhoods, attend integrated schools, have interracial relationships. They wonder why their parents prattle on so tediously about race, warning about this or that or the other, when their own youthful experience tells them that race doesn't matter. What could happen on the way home from the store with some Skittles and an iced tea? Whether Zimmerman can or should be prosecuted, given Florida's "stand your ground" law providing broad latitude to claim self-defense, is an important question. But the tragic and essential thing, for me, is the bull's-eye that black men wear throughout their lives - and the vital imperative to never, ever, be caught on the wrong street at the wrong time.
What could happen on the way home from the store with some Skittles and an iced tea?
Whether Zimmerman can or should be prosecuted, given Florida's "stand your ground" law providing broad latitude to claim self-defense, is an important question. But the tragic and essential thing, for me, is the bull's-eye that black men wear throughout their lives - and the vital imperative to never, ever, be caught on the wrong street at the wrong time.
Please read the rest of it.
Just because they are posting on a progressive site doesn't make them progressives. - John Allen
Being young and edgy and white is enough to throw a scare into most respectable adults, something that those of us who took that approach are quite happy to exploit for our purposes. But that can go horribly wrong, and enough young white ruffians manage to find themselves somewhere from inconvenienced to damaged to dead playing that card. Worse, innocent young men not playing the game get caught in the consequences just by being young, or wearing clothes or styles that others associate with that nose-tweaking youthful rebellion.
Now, add being "exotic" to that mix. Just not being "typical" is bad enough - you just never know how those Ferriners might behave. But start layering on the preconceptions of those around you to the handicap of being young (but not a child) and male (but not a respectable adult). "White punk in a hoody, probably going to vandalize something - hispanic punk in a hoody, probably going to steal something, black punk in a hoody, probably going to stab someone..."
Just being a young man wanting to not look like a Pointdexter is asking for trouble, by common unspoken agreement. Being a black young man in anything less than a suit and tie is more than many frightened people can handle. "Conway, whom experience had taught that rudeness was by no means a guarantee of good faith, was even less inclined to regard a well-turned phrase as a proof of insincerity." James Hilton, Lost Horizon
Too bad it was raining when Trayvon went for some snacks. "When Fascism comes to America, it will come wrapped in teh stupid and waving a gun" ~ Esteev on Wonkette
http://gawker.com/5895867/mino... Earth is the best vacation place for advanced clowns. --Gary Busey
what. a. dick. Earth is the best vacation place for advanced clowns. --Gary Busey
Part of me sort of agrees with him: if you live in gang areas I'd imagine you don't want to be wearing the wrong colors. That makes some logical sense. But it wouldn't be fair to blame the victim for doing so. To offer blanket condemnation of a ubiquitous clothing item makes no sense. On top of it, Trayvon was walking in a gated freakin' community that despite Zimmerman's 46 calls to the PD seemed pretty calm and sedate. "When Fascism comes to America, it will come wrapped in teh stupid and waving a gun" ~ Esteev on Wonkette
Even if the police felt that they could not detain Zimmerman that night because of that stupid law they should have done some kind of investigation. They weren't even the ones to find out that Trayvon was on the phone just prior to his death ~ Tracy Martin, Trayvon's father, found that out. They took Zimmerman's word that Trayvon caused his bloody face; did they check Trayvon's hands? Take pictures of Zimmerman's injuries? No and no. They also did not drug/alcohol test Zimmerman.
And, as someone at LGF pointed out, how did the folks at SPD not know of Zimmerman? He'd called them 46 between January 2011 and February 2012. Someone calls you that often with what amounts to nuisance calls you'd think you'd know his name.
This whole thing, though, isn't going away any time soon. There are all kinds of vigils and memorials going on this weekend across the country. "When Fascism comes to America, it will come wrapped in teh stupid and waving a gun" ~ Esteev on Wonkette
Sadly as a result, I had this feeling of fear and guilt inside me. Of all the kids in the park, why me? I became self blaming wondering what I did to attract him to me.
Fifty plus years later, I still am consciously aware of my surroundings. Now it is more twenty and thirty somethings that scare me. Skin color is irrelevant. But it is the large crowds of males gathered together whether in a bar, at a construction site. Or the one alone. None of it makes sense to me but I know this...I do not have a gun ever, do not want one, would rather die than live with the guilt of having hurt a fellow human of any gender, race or creed. One exception: If I saw someone hurting a child or a small animal, I believe I would/could try to stop someone not with a weapon but with my own rage, verbally and physically.
I cannot fathom why anyone has a desire to use a gun to hurt another. I do not know Zimmerman but it haunts me as to WHY? What kind of person is this who looks for persons to harass, to attack, to accuse. Yet I know there are many like him.
Hoodies do not raise my suspicions. Am I naive? Perhaps? Or is it because I taught adolescents for so long, I became accustomed to their ways. Seeing young men of all races in hoodies was as normal as seeing baggy pants....or as normal as wearing knee length pants in the middle of winter and ONLY wearing a hoodie and insisting they were not cold. Macho in middle school sometimes made roll my eyes, perhaps making me oblivious to hoodies as a "look denoting danger."
But here's a secret. I myself have been wearing hoodies for as long as I remember. I loved them as a kid, as an adolescent and as a young adult and now as an old adult. I STILL wear them. I LIKE them. Even when my friends and peers questioned my fashion style, I did not care. I love hoodies and wear them regularly. But I am not a person of color and I obviously do not get how easily some search for some thing to hide the reality of their racism. Hoodies are a good diversion I suspect for some who refuse to acknowledge reality. It was not the hoodie that created suspicion in Zimmerman's sick mind. It was skin color. "You can have wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, or democracy. But you cannot have both." - Louis Brandeis
I participated in the #MillionHoodies march in New York City's Union Square this past Wednesday, March 21st. When I arrived I noticed a lot less hoodies than I thought I was going to see. I assumed this was simply because of the warm weather. There was still an enormous crowd of people there to deal with the tragedy that was Trayvon Martin. With chants of "We are the 99%" and signage to that effect as well, I was a little thrown off. I thought the purpose of this march was to bring awareness to the death of a young boy. Soon after the march started confusion was all around. Which way were we marching? Who was leading the charge? After we walked a few blocks members of the Occupy section of the march started running down the street knocking down trash cans. I was told later that some attempted to knock down police barricades and police scooters used to guide the marchers. I immediately became uncomfortable because that's not what I signed up for. I wanted to speak out against injustice-just causing general destruction wasn't on my agenda. Soon some Occupiers started chanting "F**k the POLICE," one young white male wearing skinny jeans and a Justin Bieber haircut started yelling "THIS IS WAR, WE WANT WAR!" To which a hoodie-clad young black adult said "Hey, uh we don't really want war, why don't you tone that down. I'm about to graduate college in a few months." The white male kind of laughed and kept moving forward yelling something else. At various points in the march, as organizers tried to make statements, they were drowned out by Occupiers chanting whatever they saw fit at the time. It didn't matter if there was a full-on people's mic happening, they would attempt to push things their way. I asked Daniel Maree, one of the organizers of the #millionhoodies march what he thought of the co-option by Occupy and their actions."Honestly," Maree replied "I feel like this is what happens when these emotions build up and they go unchecked and you know, injustice continues, you get it boiling over like this. I'm just happy nobody got hurt." And while Occupy did help swell the ranks of marchers, I found their actions unacceptable.
With chants of "We are the 99%" and signage to that effect as well, I was a little thrown off. I thought the purpose of this march was to bring awareness to the death of a young boy. Soon after the march started confusion was all around. Which way were we marching? Who was leading the charge? After we walked a few blocks members of the Occupy section of the march started running down the street knocking down trash cans. I was told later that some attempted to knock down police barricades and police scooters used to guide the marchers. I immediately became uncomfortable because that's not what I signed up for. I wanted to speak out against injustice-just causing general destruction wasn't on my agenda. Soon some Occupiers started chanting "F**k the POLICE," one young white male wearing skinny jeans and a Justin Bieber haircut started yelling "THIS IS WAR, WE WANT WAR!" To which a hoodie-clad young black adult said "Hey, uh we don't really want war, why don't you tone that down. I'm about to graduate college in a few months." The white male kind of laughed and kept moving forward yelling something else.
At various points in the march, as organizers tried to make statements, they were drowned out by Occupiers chanting whatever they saw fit at the time. It didn't matter if there was a full-on people's mic happening, they would attempt to push things their way. I asked Daniel Maree, one of the organizers of the #millionhoodies march what he thought of the co-option by Occupy and their actions."Honestly," Maree replied "I feel like this is what happens when these emotions build up and they go unchecked and you know, injustice continues, you get it boiling over like this. I'm just happy nobody got hurt." And while Occupy did help swell the ranks of marchers, I found their actions unacceptable.
Um yeah "I honor the place in you where Spirit lives I honor the place in you which is of Love, of Truth, of Light, of Peace, when you are in that place in you, and I am in that place in me, then we are One." Namaste Friends!
It wasn't some small group and the most terrible mistake to do here is to minimize what happened. They tried to cynically co opt this movement and they didn't give a fuck about Trayvon Martin that kind of behavior needs to not only be apologized but addressed everything is not about them. "I honor the place in you where Spirit lives I honor the place in you which is of Love, of Truth, of Light, of Peace, when you are in that place in you, and I am in that place in me, then we are One." Namaste Friends!
Glad Adept brought it up though. I wasn't there so could only deal with early coverage.
Have had little time away from keyboard - trying to read as many comments as possible - and deal with trolls and deniers.
Tim's diary got some folks fee-fees hurt.
He's not supposed to address white privilege. So if black folks who do it are "racists' and if white folks who do it are "hucksters" I guess that means that it ain't supposed to be addressed.
Thankfully the naysayers overall have diminished in power.
Hats off to Mallyroyal for staying on rec list for over 2 days.
OT - to Adept - posted a link to your grandbaby pics over here to BKos last week (I think- I'm groggy) - everyone loved them and they miss you. "If you're in a coalition and you're comfortable, you know it's not a broad enough coalition"
Bernice Johnson Reagon
I got him a little USC hoodie coming in the mail "I honor the place in you where Spirit lives I honor the place in you which is of Love, of Truth, of Light, of Peace, when you are in that place in you, and I am in that place in me, then we are One." Namaste Friends!
"I honor the place in you where Spirit lives I honor the place in you which is of Love, of Truth, of Light, of Peace, when you are in that place in you, and I am in that place in me, then we are One." Namaste Friends!
...it knocked the wind out of me. that's part of being black in the usa today. every goddamned day. and i don't have that worry -- that's white privilege right there, and it's fucked up.
i wanna tell my moose peeps. this trayvon situation has hit me really hard. i'm pretty much losing my shit over it. Earth is the best vacation place for advanced clowns. --Gary Busey
Here is the other thing I cannot let go of: the Sanford PD says they couldn't detain Zimmerman because of SYG. To do so would have opened them up to a lawsuit. And while part of me says so what do the right thing the other part of me sees this as a bigger issue. If the law, and by all law enforcement accounts it is, is so wide open as to prevent Zimmerman from ever seeing the inside of a courtroom then the law is an even bigger disgrace than the PD. And yet the Florida Judiciary Committee thus far has no plans to review the law.
Zimmerman isn't even the real point (not that I don't want to see him in a prison cell). The point is that this law stinks eight ways to Sunday. The point is that we need to take a look at how we view each other. The point is that people offer stupid defenses/justifications for this travesty. "When Fascism comes to America, it will come wrapped in teh stupid and waving a gun" ~ Esteev on Wonkette
A hoodie.
It's a snuggly pullover full of grandparently loving intent. On a night like tonight when there is a fine rain coming down it has a built in hat that she can pull up to keep her raven hair dry.
It keeps her hair dry. And her head warm. Because her grandparents love her.
That's all it means. "Conway, whom experience had taught that rudeness was by no means a guarantee of good faith, was even less inclined to regard a well-turned phrase as a proof of insincerity." James Hilton, Lost Horizon
http://nationaljournal.com/201...
Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich harshly criticized President Obama for commenting on Trayvon Martin's race as he extended condolences to the 17-year-old shooting victim's parents on Friday. Obama said, "If I had a son, he would look like Trayvon," a remark that Gingrich said he found "disgraceful" and "appalling." "What the president said, in a sense, is disgraceful," Gingrich said on the Hannity Radio show. "It's not a question of who that young man looked like. Any young American of any ethnic background should be safe, period. We should all be horrified no matter what the ethnic background. "Is the president suggesting that if it had been a white who had been shot, that would be OK because it didn't look like him. That's just nonsense dividing this country up. It is a tragedy this young man was shot. It would have been a tragedy if he had been Puerto Rican or Cuban or if he had been white or if he had been Asian American of if he'd been a Native American. At some point, we ought to talk about being Americans. When things go wrong to an American, it is sad for all Americans. Trying to turn it into a racial issue is fundamentally wrong. I really find it appalling." Later, at a campaign event in Kenner, La., the former House speaker elaborated on his remarks, and made mention of dangerous "neighborhoods" for young people without expressly acknowledging the particular dangers for African-American youths targeted by whites.
The words and mechanisms of hate are inconsistent with my ascended values. However there is no way I'm sanguine sharing the same air as these people "I honor the place in you where Spirit lives I honor the place in you which is of Love, of Truth, of Light, of Peace, when you are in that place in you, and I am in that place in me, then we are One." Namaste Friends!
Newt's powers of deduction indeed demonstrate that the American academy is fully capable of producing idiots. The future is unwritten
Obama pitched it perfectly with his response. My son would look like Trayvon.
And I can't help contrasting this powerful tragic story with Chris's terrific diary about the extreme religious right-to-lifers calling contraception a kind of murder.
Who really believes that life is sacred.
The rhetoric and reality of this election season has proved it beyond doubt. The p***artist formerly known as 'Brit'
For your presence here and quietly "over there".
Su hermanita "If you're in a coalition and you're comfortable, you know it's not a broad enough coalition"
Also, Zimmerman apparently said "fucking goon" not "coon." And "goon" is a term of endearment in contemporary slang. Showing he intended to give Trayvon Martin a cuddle. I guess Martin responded to Zimmerman's affection by trying to take his life with skittles. The future is unwritten
And Gawker takes on the racist backlash against those seeking justice and due process in a pretty comprehensive manner:
http://gawker.com/5896490/your... The future is unwritten
Why don't Republicans respect prophetic faith and the holy word of God? The future is unwritten
This is him going into the police station please notice the decided lack of blood on his shirt supposedly suffered by a savage one punch take down or any evidence of a bashed back of the head. "I honor the place in you where Spirit lives I honor the place in you which is of Love, of Truth, of Light, of Peace, when you are in that place in you, and I am in that place in me, then we are One." Namaste Friends!
at one point there, the cop looks like he's straining to see anything on the back of the guys head... Earth is the best vacation place for advanced clowns. --Gary Busey
Also, maybe I watch too many cop shows, but the unconcerned way the cops treat Zimmerman struck me. I realize he's handcuffed but he still was involved in an incident during which he shot someone to death. Presumably the details of the incident were still largely unknown at the point of the video.
The funeral director who handled him says he saw zero injury to Trayvon's hands. Seems if he beat Zimmerman that badly he'd have some scrapes, bruising, swelling ... something. Of course, the funeral director is black so there's that. (Yes, I'm being sarcastic.)
I was willing to concede maybe there had been a fight (that in no way justified the shooting) but this video makes the whole case beyond disgusting. It seems the police, except for the homicide cop who wanted manslaughter charged brought, didn't much care that Trayvon was dead. "When Fascism comes to America, it will come wrapped in teh stupid and waving a gun" ~ Esteev on Wonkette
From Tim F. on BJ:
If the Sanford, Florida police department did not stink before, it positively reeks now. I'm iPad blogging and don't have the time or energy to dig up each link, but today I learned that the cops coached witnesses to say that they heard the shooter crying for help, that someone has systematically leaked private information to smear the victim's character and that the Martin's body did not have any sign of the kind of hand and knuckle injuries that you get when you severely beat someone with your bare hands, especially someone with a hundred pounds of muscle on you. I learned that the morgue identified the young victim right away but filed him as a 'John doe' until much later when his father filed a missing persons report. I read that the Sanford city council asked the DOJ to step in after they were utterly overwhelmed by police racism complaints at their last meeting. The Martin/Zimmerman police report said that the shooter had a broken nose and grass all over his clothes, and Zimmerman claimed that his victim banged his head repeatedly on the road. Now ABC news has video of the night when they brought Zimmerman in for questioning and - surprise! - his shaved head looks pristine, his nose looks fine and his clothes look like he just washed them. If the cops thought he might have blood on him then protocol requires them to touch him with gloves. They seem fine with bare hands. Anyone care to explain how this does not stink as bad as it seems? Anyone?
The Martin/Zimmerman police report said that the shooter had a broken nose and grass all over his clothes, and Zimmerman claimed that his victim banged his head repeatedly on the road. Now ABC news has video of the night when they brought Zimmerman in for questioning and - surprise! - his shaved head looks pristine, his nose looks fine and his clothes look like he just washed them. If the cops thought he might have blood on him then protocol requires them to touch him with gloves. They seem fine with bare hands.
Anyone care to explain how this does not stink as bad as it seems? Anyone?
His result: It was not George Zimmerman who called for help. Tom Owen, forensic consultant for Owen Forensic Services LLC and chair emeritus for the American Board of Recorded Evidence, used voice identification software to rule out Zimmerman. Another expert contacted by the Sentinel, utilizing different techniques, came to the same conclusion. Zimmerman claims self-defense in the shooting and told police he was the one screaming for help. But these experts say the evidence tells a different story. 'Scientific certainty' On a rainy night in late February, a woman called 911 to report someone crying out for help in her gated Sanford community, Retreat at Twin Lakes. Though several of her neighbors eventually called authorities, she phoned early enough for dispatchers to hear the panicked cries and the gunshot that took Trayvon Martin's life.
Tom Owen, forensic consultant for Owen Forensic Services LLC and chair emeritus for the American Board of Recorded Evidence, used voice identification software to rule out Zimmerman. Another expert contacted by the Sentinel, utilizing different techniques, came to the same conclusion.
Zimmerman claims self-defense in the shooting and told police he was the one screaming for help. But these experts say the evidence tells a different story.
'Scientific certainty'
On a rainy night in late February, a woman called 911 to report someone crying out for help in her gated Sanford community, Retreat at Twin Lakes.
Though several of her neighbors eventually called authorities, she phoned early enough for dispatchers to hear the panicked cries and the gunshot that took Trayvon Martin's life.
