The killing of Trayvon Martin is a tragedy. Racism, stereotyping, prejudice run all through this event and the aftermath. Wearing a hoodie can get you first stereotyped then killed. This morning I put on my gym gear and thought that the green UA hoodie, I was about to put on, automatically says something about me to others. I wore it proudly, because to me wearing it is my right and fuck those who would judge me by my clothes and color of my skin. I put on my hoodie and thought about Trayvon Martin. So after today I'm not calling them hoodies. Their Trayvon Martins, TMs or Martins, so I will never forget what racism is capable of.
You can dismiss this as an aberration or a one-time incident or an at of a crazy person, but it's not. Racism goes on everyday from subtle slights, harassment, and even to murder. We can try and act like we're past it as a country, but believe me it is alive and well. Those that deny it are like Holocaust deniers and the racism of those claims sickens me to hear. It will never be defeated by denial, but rather only when confronted can it be beaten. Education and exposure to other races is the only way. The education those that don't interact with other races comes from the media. They are poisoned with the "funny" sitcoms that exploit racial differences for a laugh, but in reality those cheap laughs come at a high price. So I would expect some pressure to come from those being honest about racism to demand that the media self regulate. People scoff at politically correctness. I am guilty of it too, but if the public doesn't see anything but stereotypes portrayed in the media then where is the truth going to come from? I hope some good comes out of this case. There is an opportunity here to talk honestly about racism and use this to weaken it's hold in America. There is another problem with this case and the attention it has gotten but I will leave that for another day.
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