Look, there's nothing wrong at all with wanting to get to the bottom of the story. This is a complex situation, and it's hard to discern the real truth because only two people know what really happened and one of them is dead. It's entirely possible that George Zimmerman acted foolishly, pursued this kid, and was almost entirely responsible for the tragedy. But it's also possible that Trayvon himself became the aggressor at some point. Did Zimmerman attack or threaten Martin? Was he attacked from behind? Both obviously felt threatened, so why does this ridiculous stand-your-ground law seem to reward the person with the itchier trigger finger? What really happened? It's perfectly okay to reject the simplistic "he killed a black kid because he was a vile gun-toting racist" narrative that many are trying to push. The truth is never that simple.
But... if you heard the bare basics of the Trayvon Martin shooting -- the news that broke almost a month ago -- and you said "whoa, buddy, i don't need to hear any more. I made up my mind. This kid was obviously up to no good and deserved to die. The shooter said as much and what possible motive could he have to lie? Heck, he deserves a freakin' medal for what he did. Case closed, end of story."
Congratulations, you're racist scum.
And what's with this presupposition that racism cannot be a factor in any way because George Zimmerman is Hispanic? I've actually heard a right-wing talker state plainly "racism cannot be a factor, because George Zimmerman is not white, he's Hispanic." What, are people of Hispanic descent so inherently noble that they are incapable of it? Oh, wait, i get it. He's Hispanic, and that's the same thing as being black to you. There are whites and then there are the mud races. Whoever heard of one mud racer discriminatin' against another? Yeah, gotcha.
These people think it's a "media conspiracy" that the photos of Trayvon Martin that were shown on TV were the ones provided by his family, pictures of the kid smiling and looking clean-cut... instead of, say, his grainy MySpace photos of him posing like a gangsta and showing off his tattoos... it's a conspiracy! They're trying to gin up sympathy for this predator! They're unwilling to show the "real" Trayvon Martin!
But does anyone make this case when some redneck kid dies? If a white kid in Arkansas is tragically killed, are you allowed to use his nice school photo? Or are you obligated to dig up that picture of him muddin' on an ATV and holding a deer rifle, his mouth caught in mid-holler, shirtless and holding a beer in one hand and flipping the bird with the other? If you use any photo except that one, are you conspiring to protect Whitey?
Remember when this used to happen to white kids who were dressed like hippies or metal fans? The West Memphis Three? Yeah, officer, we're not really sure what happened but that guy there has long hair and a Metallica t-shirt, so he probably done it. Most white people now realize what's wrong with that mindset. But when it comes to black kids who wear clothes that they see in rap videos, that's different. It's different because those white kids are just going through a rebellious phase; those black kids are making a lifetime choice to be a criminal who hates society and will murder us all the first chance he gets.
Sigh.
I'm exhausted. This country vexes me.
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