[John_W]

After reading your post I now know how Ron Goldman's father felt when O.J. Simpson walked.

What I really find odd, is that blacks make up 10% of the population but commit 80% of the violent crimes. Yet, you wonder why an African American teenager wearing a hoodie walking through a neighborhood he doesn't live in, is watched suspiciously, your answer is right there. Don't tell me I'm a racist, I'm actually a Democrat and voted for Obama the last two elections.

[zonerboy]

I had no intention of embarrassing anyone. Some posters here do a fine job of embarrassing themselves without any help from me.
For me the posted article made many valid points. For example, racism undoubtedly had a great deal to do with this unfortunate incident. Many whites have biased ideas about blacks, and just as many blacks (if not more) have prejudiced ideas about whites. That is one of the authors main points. If there were less racism, incidents such as this one would be much less likely to occur. We need to treat each other with more understanding and more kindness. We need to do more thinking, and less relying on knee jerk stereotypes which are often wrong. But that's just my opinion. And I'm done preaching.
By the way, I do agree with you on one thing, Bucco. No article or no person could ever teach you anything about empathy.

[Maryland Girl]

I was a teacher of middle school students for many years. In discussing fighting, bullying, etc., race would almost always come up. My students were black, white, Asian, etc. One day, during the discussion, one of the students brought up Michael Jackson and asked why he would want to 'bleach' his skin to make it lighter. I explained that 'bleaching' ones skin was behavior. That no matter how much MJ 'bleached' his skin he would never be racially white. Then I rubbed my skin and explained that no matter how much time I spent in the sun to tan myself, I would never be racially black. I then had the children rub each others arms and asked if they thought it was logical for them to hate that person for their skin color since it was obvious they were born that way and could do nothing to change that. After some time passed, the children in some small way came to see that what they didn't like about someone should be based on that person's behavior, character, etc. That to base it on their race was pointless. We had many an interesting discussion and I hope that at least one child carried this forward so that when they became upset at someone, they could distinguish between disliking that person based on race as opposed to other characteristics. For myself, I have not liked every black person I have met and I surely have not liked every white person I have met. But, I do have black friends and white friends whom I respect because of the people they are-not because of their race.

[Bucco]

Originally Posted by zonerboy

I had no intention of embarrassing anyone. Some posters here do a fine job of embarrassing themselves without any help from me.
For me the posted article made many valid points. For example, racism undoubtedly had a great deal to do with this unfortunate incident. Many whites have biased ideas about blacks, and just as many blacks (if not more) have prejudiced ideas about whites. That is one of the authors main points. If there were less racism, incidents such as this one would be much less likely to occur. We need to treat each other with more understanding and more kindness. We need to do more thinking, and less relying on knee jerk stereotypes which are often wrong. But that's just my opinion. And I'm done preaching.
By the way, I do agree with you on one thing, Bucco. No article or no person could ever teach you anything about empathy.

Please allow what stereotypes you are mentioning...on TOTV...in the trial.....in everyday life all over the world.

Your words ring hollow to me and very preachy....I do not know you and assume you are sincere, but I get very very suspicious of the preachy kind of folks who talk in generalities.

I also assume that was sarcasm at the end and I normally ignore anyone who finds that need, but if you are making judgements of me on this board, then it is you sir who might need to look inward

[Bucco]

Originally Posted by Maryland Girl

I was a teacher of middle school students for many years. In discussing fighting, bullying, etc., race would almost always come up. My students were black, white, Asian, etc. One day, during the discussion, one of the students brought up Michael Jackson and asked why he would want to 'bleach' his skin to make it lighter. I explained that 'bleaching' ones skin was behavior. That no matter how much MJ 'bleached' his skin he would never be racially white. Then I rubbed my skin and explained that no matter how much time I spent in the sun to tan myself, I would never be racially black. I then had the children rub each others arms and asked if they thought it was logical for them to hate that person for their skin color since it was obvious they were born that way and could do nothing to change that. After some time passed, the children in some small way came to see that what they didn't like about someone should be based on that person's behavior, character, etc. That to base it on their race was pointless. We had many an interesting discussion and I hope that at least one child carried this forward so that when they became upset at someone, they could distinguish between disliking that person based on race as opposed to other characteristics. For myself, I have not liked every black person I have met and I surely have not liked every white person I have met. But, I do have black friends and white friends whom I respect because of the people they are-not because of their race.

I am sure that they did carry it forward. I admire folks like you who attack the issue without all the generalizations. It is a personal thing.

When I was young, all of my friends and most of my neighbors were black. We did not even know the difference until, at least we thought, girls came into play...strange but that is my memory. Anyway, we used to talk about it as it was prevelant in those days (40's and 50's). We, as kids could not figure it out.

I think over the years, as I aged and as a result of growing up as I did, I figured it was LEARNED behavior from others. But as I have been spouting off on here for a few hours, I also learned to beware of those who preach.....because as my black friends would say....do not trust them, until you really understand what is inside. Preaching it is one thing...living it is different.

Learned a lot from those years but not into the preaching....everyone makes their own call and I do know.....you cannot legislate it.....you cannot guilt it....you just have to learn it. I see the Sharptons and the Jacksons and those preaching here and I know how suspicious my buddies would be of them.

Enough..great post...loved it.

[JP]

If you don't want to be treated like a gang banger of any race, don't dress and act like one.

[golf2140]

The media is pushing this issue. How many young blacks were killed in Chi. this weekend. To many

[jebartle]

Who is black that he has been pulled over 87 times, (he has NO record) and works for a news agency.

Originally Posted by JP

If you don't want to be treated like a gang banger of any race, don't dress and act like one.

[Bucco]

Originally Posted by jebartle

Who is black that he has been pulled over 87 times, (he has NO record) and works for a news agency.

Yeah, they surely do not over state things on MSNBC !!!

[tucson]

Originally Posted by Bucco

I understood BETTER than you know, but wanted everyone to know this was PROFESSIONALLY DONE by someone who makes his LIVING touching people with his writing, that is important to understand. Passing it off as something else is wrong.

I said it was well written and it is...has not much to do with this case at all except for playing on it.

Listen I UNDERSTAND. I GET THE POINT I know exactly what is going on.

There are those of black skin who UNDERSTAND and have other viewpoints but they cannot get on the stage.

I agree 100% :-)

[dsned]

First of all TM was not walking along minding his own business, he was up on people's grass looking in windows. If someone is doing that in tv we would call the police and keep our gun handy.

[dillywho]

I still love and try to adhere to what my father always said:

"I never did see a board that didn't have two sides."

[caseengaines]

This thread is pretty old (and dead, I'm guessing), but since this came up in a Google search I did for myself, and since I have a spare few minutes, I'll respond. Full disclosure, I haven't read all the comments on this thread, but I read the first page or so and then skimmed through the rest. I haven't the time or interest in going back and looking up usernames to respond to specific points, but I feel it somewhat important to weigh in.

First, thanks to the person who shared what I wrote (and properly attributed it, too!). I think it's important to post things for debate, and I'm glad so many thought this post important enough to reply to it.

As some of you have noted, I did write this before the Zimmerman verdict was read. I was incredibly dejected while glued to the television at the lack of worth that was shown to Trayvon Martin. As someone who works with teenagers (I'm a high school teacher in addition to being a "professional" writer -- which, by the way, I'm sure many actual professional writers would laugh at the comparison of me to them, but whatever�), I was really disturbed by the way that a black teenager and a "white Hispanic" (as some in the media called him at the time, I believe) were considered equal in the court of public option in terms of physical strength and capacity to kill, despite the fact that one was armed and was mentally prepared for a confrontation and the other was not.

I know that some of you out there have claimed I've played fast and loose with the facts, and you might think my previous sentence does also. I didn't, and that sentence doesn't. I'm not sure how carefully you all watched the trial, but I watched it pretty regularly. Again, I teach high school, so last summer I had a lot of time on my hands. The point of the post was not to relitigate the trial, but instead to talk about my perspective as a black guy who no one would ever describe as being a thug (remember, my "professional" writing career includes books on Pee-wee Herman and A Christmas Story), but often times I am viewed as a thug from strangers on the street -- much like many on this thread have jumped to conclusions as to my intent in writing this.

Perhaps instead of attacking the messenger, either me or the person who posted this, you should consider the message. What I wrote wasn't for profit or propaganda, it was simply my truth. You can disagree with it, I suppose, but it doesn't make it any less true.

What I think is funny, and what I always found funny, is that the benefit of the doubt was (is?) given to the content of George Zimmerman's character and his intentions on that evening, but Trayvon Martin, a teenager, was cast out by those same folks as a degenerate ticking time bomb. No benefit of the doubt there, just like the person who thought they had stumbled upon the great "gotcha" behind this post when a quick Google search brought up my website and bio, thus discrediting what I had written.

Thanks for the time,
Caseen Gaines

[Bogie Shooter]

I for one have heard enough about George Zimmerman. His painting business seems to be going well.

[TexaninVA]

Very well written piece ... and I agree Zimmerman likely provoked this by his behavior.

However, being fully honest and with no constraints posed by PC, the reality is most crime is committed by young black males. We all know that even if we can't say it in a public forum without getting blasted (which is how some will respond to my reply no doubt).

In other words, there is a lot of truth to the stereotype which is why people are wary when they see young black guys wearing hoodies, especially when in a group. As I recall Jesse Jackson expressed similar misgivings when walking down the street.

That's the unfortunate reality ... whether we like it or not.