Obama: Trayvon 'could have been me'

Originally posted by kosmicjack
reply to post by seabag

 

It's equally amazing to me that otherwise smart people can't see the disparate reality young African-American males still face and that the Zimmerman/Martin case has everything to do with that reality.

It's also amazing to me that anonymous people on the internet, many of whom are otherwise very smart people, mock and dismiss this reality and couch their disdain and contempt for the issue in coded language and then have the nerve to accuse others of being race baiters - yet these same people would likely not profess such distasteful views in public with their name attached to it.

The desperate reality young African american males face? Sorry there is no desperate reality happening in America. The martin/Zimmerman case, had nothing to do with one particular race. It had to do with a neighborhood watch guy asking a kid why he was looking in house windows, or something to that effect, Now we have everyone in America and the World, judging each other, thinking really hard about it, and giving their opinion on why that guy gave that opinion etc. etc.

This is my opinion, this story is sad, the loss of life happened due to stupidity, a judgement had to be made in accordance to our LAWS, the was handed a innocence from our constitutional direction a jury..

End of story..

Oh wait this is unfair and proves that the desperate reality Black males face is injustice..

this is the thinking that keep us from evolving and exploring space, in my opinion.. Now its all about people's emotions and what they FEEL is right.

Our constitution may not be perfect, but we went by it, Zimmerman was not proven guilty of any crime. Making it sound like Zimmerman, just walked up to this kid and shot him in the head is not how the story went down.. The case pretty much explained how Martin, ended up losing his life...

Might wanna go do some research on desperate reality's in like India, Africa, china perhaps etc.

Where they do not have running water or skittles...

Sorry I disagree.

reply to post by TSSCI


I am in the same age range as you, I feel the same, it seems that I only enjoyed what it was true freedom in this country during the 70s and early 80s, after that I feel that our nation has gone backwards no forward when it comes to our civil rights and constitutional rights, I also feel that as a conspiracy theorist we are been ruled by a very small group of an elite that are the ones that hide behind our government, our politicians are nothing but groomed idiots, to follow the agendas of those that they serve behind close doors and our society is nothing but a manufactured circus in which we the population are the oddities to keep those running the nation entertained.

reply to post by seabag

I don’t feel my views are distasteful in the least! As a matter of fact, my views are fairly mainstream. I don’t hide behind white guilt and vote with my heart (emotions).

Exactly, and well said. This is the discussion we need to have. Stop pussy footing around the issues, it won't get us anywhere. Every time I see a discussion about the African community I see a lot of talk about social services, programs - basically just throw money at it. Throw as much money as you want, until the black community starts dealing with their own issues nothing is going to change.

They're picking the speech apart, segment by segment, right now on TV, and I think it was a brilliant moment for Obama. I don't expect many that post here in the political threads to ever see him as a wise and thoughtful man, but that doesn't affect the way I view him. It also doesn't mean anything to the majority of adults in this society. Most of us can recognize a quality person when we encounter one, and we don't require that person to be like us for us to see them as possessing equal or even elevated quality relative to our own. And maybe that's the difference between the majority of us and the angry fringe that is so driven to demonize Obama and so many others who are not like them in opinion or outlook.

I have enormous respect for our president, and this was yet another brilliant moment that I didn't expect.

reply to post by kosmicjack


I cannot speak for anyone else, but I can honestly say that I would openly and honestly speak about my point of view and beliefs to anyone anywhere and have multiple times regarding this particular issue.

I don't think it's fair to say that because members of this website make comments or debate a race issue online... which is my understanding of what we're supposed to be doing here, that we're hiding behind some kind of anonymity. I also believe that it's an irrelevant point to even make on this particular thread, like my daughter says DUH!!!! I mean it is an ONLINE discussion board, right???

Anyway, I do agree that African Americans have been the victims of horrible treatment and discrimination in history. I also agree that there is still discrimination today.. I will also admit that I have been that woman on a busy street in a big city stuck at a red light who LOCKED my doors when a "Man" who happened to be black suddenly ran off the sidewalk towards my car. I didn't know he was simply crossing the street and I'm sorry, but I viewed that person and thought they looked dangerous and possibly up to no good and I would have done the EXACT same thing had he been a WHITE man...it was his BEHAVIOR that frightened me.

reply to post by neo96


For once I agree with Obama. I only hope he believes what he said.

The problem of race is that not enough so-called white people admit to the reality of racism, or even try to understand the plight and experience of black people.

Your attitude is the problem not the solution.

Your lack of empathy

Your lack of understanding

Your arrogance

reply to post by Kali74

There's no other reason George Zimmerman thought that Trayvon Martin was acting suspicious other than he was black and wearing a hoodie. Me not liking Obama doesn't invalidate everything he says.

Bull cookies. There is no evidence Zimmerman knew the ethnicity of Martin prior to the attack.

I've come to realize over the course of this past year and a half that people who scream the loudest about the race card are simply sick of having a light shone in their face. Yes, I mean it... No, I don't care if a bunch of racist, manipulated fools hate me for it.

So, I take it you have now come to realize Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, the NAACP, and the POTUS, are racists....MOST EXCELLENT!!!

reply to post by adamkgonz

maybe he wasnt but he was definitly profiling a young black man walking around.

Horse hockey. Zimmerman was not profiling a young black man. He was profiling a gangster-wannabe, punk, thug, hoodie-wearin, idiot.

Originally posted by kosmicjack
reply to post by MidnightTide

 

You are still not getting it.

***DISPARATE IMPACT***

Within the Justice system Black males are more likely to be targeted by LEO. They are less likely to be able to afford an adequate defense. They are more likely to be convicted of crimes they did not commit. They are more likely to receive stiffer sentences. They are less likely to get paroled.

It is systemic.

The Zimmerman verdict condones profiling and more - it makes it more likely for Black males to be the victim of a citizen who argues Stand Your Ground just be cause they profiled and claim fear for their life.

African-American men engage in violent crimes at the highest rates of all racial categories. It is a proven fact. So yes, LEOs are going to target black males more often. It is going to happen until those rates start to drop.

Yes, I understand the social and economical aspects of the black community - how those trends developed from the days of slavery. Again, I say SO WHAT! At the end of the day a black man has a choice in how he lives his life. You can either work hard or you can take the supposedly easier life of crime. I do understand how much harder taking the work hard route will be, yes black males will run into racism and discrimination....but for the black community to improve more need to do this. More black males need to stress to their children to do this.

Society can't do anything to help the black community, they need to help themselves.....and if they don't want to try anything society does is for nothing.

reply to post by IamAbeliever

I thought the dumbest thing he said was, "drivers would lock their doors and I have seen women clutch their purses a little tighter when I walked by", before he was elected to public office. Probably the dumbest remark ever by a POTUS

Actually, the more I get to know the guy, the more I would tend to lock my car door and, if I carried a purse, clutch it a little tighter...This guy is a total fool who fooled a lot of fools...not just once, but twice...

Originally posted by Willtell
reply to post by neo96

 

For once I agree with Obama. I only hope he believes what he said.

The problem of race is that not enough so-called white people admit to the reality of racism, or even try to understand the plight and experience of black people.

Your attitude is the problem not the solution.

Your lack of empathy

Your lack of understanding

Your arrogance

Taking to an Irish man here lot of nerve there.

Guess what?

Government doesn't make people 'equal'

Neither do laws.

Appreciate it very much when certain people stop making me responsible for other peoples actions.

Originally posted by totallackey
reply to post by Kali74

 

There's no other reason George Zimmerman thought that Trayvon Martin was acting suspicious other than he was black and wearing a hoodie. Me not liking Obama doesn't invalidate everything he says.

Bull cookies. There is no evidence Zimmerman knew the ethnicity of Martin prior to the attack.

Are you kidding ,me? This is a section of the official 9-11 call transcript.

911 dispatcher: OK, is he White, Black, or Hispanic?

Zimmerman: He looks black.

911 dispatcher: Did you see what he was wearing?

Zimmerman: Yeah, a dark hoodie like a gray hoodie. He wore jeans or sweat pants and white tennis shoes. He’s here now … he’s just staring. [00:42]

911 dispatcher: He’s just walking around the area, the houses? OK.

Zimmerman: Now he’s staring at me. [00:48]

911 dispatcher: OK, you said that’s 1111 Retreat View or 111?

Zimmerman: That’s the clubhouse.

911 dispatcher: He’s near the clubhouse now?

Zimmerman: Yeah, now he’s coming toward me. He’s got his hands in his waist band. And he’s a black male.[1:03]

So much for that talking point. This transcript is definitive. Zimmerman knew he was black.

reply to post by neo96


I just listened to what obama said over the radio. While the zimmerman case had nothing to do with race... everything Obama said about how africans are treated is true.

I have experienced much of what he described. When i first moved to the midwest I was harassed in stores,on the street, and always heard door locks click when i was walking by.

when i lived down south I did't experience that at all. The only people who experienced that down south were people who dressed like thugs.

I think many people believe tray was profiled due to his race. Even if he was profiled due to his race his actions were that of a criminal. I think he was alleged to be, according to somethings i have found on the net, to be a violent trouble man who was involved with drugs. I think they even found some in his system on the night he passed.

Tray was put under a stress test to show his true colors that night and he showed them brightly. His actions really backed up what he was about and it cost him his life.

i really think had zimmerman not been armed or if tray had been armed we would be talking about zimmerman being shot dead.

The evidence and background of both individuals really made it a clear cut case for me.

I could see zimmerman pushing the issue. He did want to be a cop

I could see tray acting like a thug because that is what he aspired to be and wanted to be.

zimmerman stuck to the law since he is a "wanna be" cop

tray acted like a thug in the situation as that is what he was or wanted to be.

I really have no idea why people have such a hard time with this case.

is there different treatment of africans??

there is an argument for that.. but this case does not serve that purpose as it was not racial.

i wish the media and the president would let it go.

reply to post by kosmicjack

Within the Justice system Black males are more likely to be targeted by LEO. They are less likely to be able to afford an adequate defense. They are more likely to be convicted of crimes they did not commit. They are more likely to receive stiffer sentences. They are less likely to get paroled.

It is systemic.

Who is ordering this?? We have a black POTUS and a black AG yet the stats keep rising!
We have the NAACP, Black History Month, Martin Luther King Day, Black Congressional Caucus, National Black Police Association, New Black Panthers, Black Chamber of Commerce, BET, 60+ black colleges, etc. WHO DOESN’T KNOW ABOUT THE ISSUES??? Yet nothing has changed. Why is that?

The Zimmerman verdict condones profiling and more - it makes it more likely for Black males to be the victim of a citizen who argues Stand Your Ground just be cause they profiled and claim fear for their life.

GOOD! All Americans should be able to stand their ground! That’s why we have a 2nd amendment!

reply to post by kosmicjack


And they will never get it either. They get to hold onto to their racist feelings and think it's okay because now everything is 'equal'. If you challenge the notion that everything is equal it threatens their norm, what they say behind closed doors and amongst friends means they're contributing to a problem and worst of all it means more change, it means people aren't as dumb as they would like us to be and won't shut up and stop calling them on their crap.

Liberal pandering to minorities to buy votes? What these morons don't see is that the GOP and the Dixiecrats before they flipped Republican drove minorities away. How about some personal responsibility for that? All politicians pander to their base, none of them live up to it. One base would like to throw us back in time before people (read minorities and women) got so uppity. That leaves only one other choice (until people wake up and stop buying this two party crap). Liberty lovers? What a joke.

Originally posted by neo96

Originally posted by Willtell
reply to post by neo96

 

For once I agree with Obama. I only hope he believes what he said.

The problem of race is that not enough so-called white people admit to the reality of racism, or even try to understand the plight and experience of black people.

Your attitude is the problem not the solution.

Your lack of empathy

Your lack of understanding

Your arrogance

Taking to an Irish man here lot of nerve there.

Guess what?

Government doesn't make people 'equal'

Neither do laws.

Appreciate it very much when certain people stop making me responsible for other peoples actions.

As an Irishman then you should have empathy for those who have experienced oppression.
I certainly have empathy for the Irish and honor their struggle for freedom.

reply to post by Kali74


Well then if people want to play that game fine then if African Americans are being unfairly treated by LEO and the Judicial system then maybe the system can do with less progressive liberals.

Talk about people not getting it?

Who are the ones not getting it?

Is it people like me?

Hell no it isn't.

Its the people from the Potus's own party in LEO, and the Judicial system.

reply to post by Willtell

As an Irishman then you should have empathy for those who have experienced oppression. I certainly have empathy for the Irish and honor their struggle for freedom.

Good for you?

So why trying to act live a slave master telling other people what they should be doing, and thinking?

reply to post by seabag

Originally posted by seabag
Stop buying into that crap!

I'm not "buying into" anything. These are my opinions, based on my experiences of my 55 years.

Why did previous generations of black American find great success then???? WE HAVE A BLACK POTUS!!!!

So, I suppose the fact that some veterans have homes means we don't have a problem with homeless veterans in this country?

reply to post by Kali74