Irrelevant Details
I've been mulling this topic over for awhile, but I didn't post it sooner because a) my life has been crazy hectic and b) I kind of wanted the feelings to die down about it so that maybe I could write as objectively as possible (and people could read as objectively as possible).
It's in relation to the George Zimmerman trial and the huge divisive aftermath.
Hang in here for a moment, those of you who are sick to death of the subject. I don't intend to rehash the whole tragedy or try the case in my blog. But I do want to discuss some of the craziness surrounding it because it touches on some issues that are close to my heart.
First, from the beginning, I was willing to give Zimmerman the benefit of the doubt personally. The reason for this is that I have multiple times gone through the "what if" scenario should Terence (heaven forbid) ever have to shoot someone in the course of his job. Making a split second decision that could end someone else's life when you feel your own is in jeopardy is not an cut-and-dried situation where you have time to go down a checklist and make sure the situation perfectly fits the case of "self-defense." Experiencing such fear and reacting in the moment is a wholly different kind of experience than calmly sitting in a recliner and playing arm chair quarterback over what someone should or shouldn't have known or done. Given my attitude on this, I felt no outrage over the jury's verdict. I'm pretty sure those twelve women did the best they could with the case as presented, according to how our legal system functions.
What did inspire my outrage was all the racial division that surrounded the case. The insistence that this was a hate crime. The constant hammering on Facebook that African-Americans were somehow screwed over in this case. The repetitive refrain that our country "needs to have a conversation about race" and that "America is the most racist country on the planet."
Well, here's my contribution to the conversation on race:
STOP ALREADY!!!!!!
The media, the pundits, the so-called crusaders for racial equality-- YOU are the problem when it comes to race relations nowadays. You whip up discord where it didn't exist before. You create drama-- for your ratings, so you can feel self-righteous, or so you can feel like you are doing something to make the world a better place. Do you really want to make the world a better place? Quit lamenting and attacking and take a good, hard look at yourself. Does race matter to you? Do you think someone should be given different treatment (preferential or otherwise) based on race? Then you are a part of the problem.
I am a member of a family that includes various shades of skin color, but race doesn't figure into our daily lives at all. As Terence puts it, we belong to the "race" of people who want to be like Jesus Christ. Truly, we have been teaching our children that skin color is irrelevant, much like eye color or hair color. We live in a neighborhood and a community where things are the same way. Skin color doesn't matter. Friendships and good relations with one's neighbors do. But the more people scream that there is a problem, trying to force us to choose sides, the more everybody loses.
We can all work together to fulfill Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of living in a country where we are judged by the content of our character, rather than the color of our skin. It starts with making skin color irrelevant. Nobody would think it necessary to report that a redheaded man had shot a brunette. Nobody would dream of asking on an application if you had brown eyes or blue. What would it matter? It would be unnecessary information.
The color of our skin should be no different. Irrelevant.
It's in relation to the George Zimmerman trial and the huge divisive aftermath.
Hang in here for a moment, those of you who are sick to death of the subject. I don't intend to rehash the whole tragedy or try the case in my blog. But I do want to discuss some of the craziness surrounding it because it touches on some issues that are close to my heart.
First, from the beginning, I was willing to give Zimmerman the benefit of the doubt personally. The reason for this is that I have multiple times gone through the "what if" scenario should Terence (heaven forbid) ever have to shoot someone in the course of his job. Making a split second decision that could end someone else's life when you feel your own is in jeopardy is not an cut-and-dried situation where you have time to go down a checklist and make sure the situation perfectly fits the case of "self-defense." Experiencing such fear and reacting in the moment is a wholly different kind of experience than calmly sitting in a recliner and playing arm chair quarterback over what someone should or shouldn't have known or done. Given my attitude on this, I felt no outrage over the jury's verdict. I'm pretty sure those twelve women did the best they could with the case as presented, according to how our legal system functions.
What did inspire my outrage was all the racial division that surrounded the case. The insistence that this was a hate crime. The constant hammering on Facebook that African-Americans were somehow screwed over in this case. The repetitive refrain that our country "needs to have a conversation about race" and that "America is the most racist country on the planet."
Well, here's my contribution to the conversation on race:
STOP ALREADY!!!!!!
The media, the pundits, the so-called crusaders for racial equality-- YOU are the problem when it comes to race relations nowadays. You whip up discord where it didn't exist before. You create drama-- for your ratings, so you can feel self-righteous, or so you can feel like you are doing something to make the world a better place. Do you really want to make the world a better place? Quit lamenting and attacking and take a good, hard look at yourself. Does race matter to you? Do you think someone should be given different treatment (preferential or otherwise) based on race? Then you are a part of the problem.
I am a member of a family that includes various shades of skin color, but race doesn't figure into our daily lives at all. As Terence puts it, we belong to the "race" of people who want to be like Jesus Christ. Truly, we have been teaching our children that skin color is irrelevant, much like eye color or hair color. We live in a neighborhood and a community where things are the same way. Skin color doesn't matter. Friendships and good relations with one's neighbors do. But the more people scream that there is a problem, trying to force us to choose sides, the more everybody loses.
We can all work together to fulfill Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of living in a country where we are judged by the content of our character, rather than the color of our skin. It starts with making skin color irrelevant. Nobody would think it necessary to report that a redheaded man had shot a brunette. Nobody would dream of asking on an application if you had brown eyes or blue. What would it matter? It would be unnecessary information.
The color of our skin should be no different. Irrelevant.
Comments
My grandma is speaking of my family. we don't even think about the color of our skin. we have a mixed family.