Don't Say Zimmerman in Public Y'all!

          Apparently, this whole Zimmerman case has my entire mass media and society class up in arms, so much so that they literally avoided the subject this past week. I understand it was most likely because no one wanted to cross hairs or get into an argument which is totally understandable, but, of course, I had to be the one who brought it up. Sorry guys, but this is mass media and society and this case is one that has taken over the media, not only in our state, but our country as well. I feel we would not be analyzing "mass media and society" fully without critiquing the current mass media craze, and that is the verdict in the case against George Zimmerman.

          I had a classmate say to me "I understand, but I just don't care. I don't think this is the correct forum for that." My response to that is: if I can't talk about it in my MASS MEDIA class, then where can I talk about it? Why was this response made in the first place? Because I presented two pictures per the instructions for homework, and part of my homework mentioned this particular case. I was talking about the reinforcement theory in media and brought up that some media outlets are calling this case one that was committed as a "hate" crime or  a "racial" crime. I read the quote given by Geraldo Rivera:  "You dress like a thug, people are going to treat you like a thug. That's true. I stand by that."

          Maybe I was misunderstood, but I do not agree with Mr. Rivera whatsoever. The word "thug" is not in my vocabulary to describe a person. In fact, I wrote an article for my university paper (for our student voice edition) against an ordinance in Cocoa Beach, Fla that bans baggy pants (they defined baggy pants as those showing the boxers).

         Here's the link:
http://theminaretonline.com/2012/11/08/article25552

          I think the term that had my classmate all shook up was "race baiter."  Now, for the record, I did not call anyone a race baiter, but gave a definition of what a race baiter is, and yes people, race baiters can be white too!! I gave the example that if I were to apply for a job and was turned down, but a black or Hispanic woman got the job instead and then I complain stating that the reason the other woman got the job was because of her skin color, then I would be a race baiter. Does that mean that the people who are calling this crime a racial crime are race baiters? No. Does it mean they are not race baiters? No.

We will never know all the details of the night when Trayvon Martin was killed. Trayvon is not here to speak for himself and say whether the altercation had to do with the color of his skin. There are no witnesses to speak for him. All we know is what we have been told by George Zimmerman, and he could have made up a huge lie or told mostly the truth. (For the record, I think he's a big fat liar).

           Furthermore, I will say that for someone to make assumptions about me because I used that term is not very fair. We all have different histories. As sad as it may seem and as disrespectful as it may seem, there are a lot of race baiters (in all racial communities!!) and they make it hard to tell when "race" is really the reason for a negative action from one person to another. Have they not heard of the boy who cried wolf?! I also think it pushes us backward when we need to be moving forward.

          People make assumptions about me all the time because my skin color is white. I have been called a honky. I have been called a cracker. I have been called trailer trash, and I have been called a "white bitch." My family has not been in the country long enough to have been slave-owners. My great-grandfather's parents moved here from the Czech Republic not long before he was born.

On my mother's side, they were Native American (Cherokee and Black Foot) and Irish. Native Americans suffered through genocide!!! They were literally killed off! And now they are recognized as a separate nation and still ostracized by American society. They are not allowed to practice some of their religious beliefs outside of their territories! Their land was taken from them! Their homes were taken from them! There daughters were raped. And nearly all of them were murdered by white men!

Irish people had somewhat "better" circumstances. At least their skin was white that is, but they were the poorest of the poor whites. They bargained rides to the United States by offering themselves as indentured servants. They had no property of their own. They had to give their "master" an unfair portion of their hard earned "money" and "food." They were beaten. When their contract was finally up and they were "free" they often had to sign into another contract of servitude just so they could "survive." That contract earned them no wealth. Is slavery worse than genocide or vice versa? No! So let's not keep reverting to our past and look to the future.

So, now that you know a little about my family history, please don't ASSUME anything about my opinion, especially if I am not given the chance to voice it in its entirety. Don't say "we know your opinion" in a derogatory tone when YOU DON'T. ... Thanks!!!

Now, all that said, I believe it is an absolute tragedy that Trayvon Martin's life was taken from him at such a young age. I also believe (as a previous blogger commented and then removed) that this case illustrated the ambiguities of the "stand your ground laws" and how unfair it has been in many cases. I hope this case is a lesson to us all, especially in the state of Florida. My sympathies go out to his family and friendsfrom the bottom of my heart.