Docta Corvina
Well-Known Member
Historically, you are correct, yet for this decade? Look at how long that was on the media for its racial charges by a white attacking a black person! Your saying this happens basically on a weekly basis then, why isn't the media constantly showing this to us? I mean, this one idiot, Zimmerman, does do something really stupid, and the media have a field day, the way you talk Black people everywhere are being shot at by Zimmermans.
I would assume that this case was one that flew under the radar as well for most people. For many, the only reason why this story was even heard about was the comparison to Trayvon Martin.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_...man-after-dispute-over-loud-music-police-say/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/30/jordan-davis-teen-loud-music-trayvon-martin_n_2217444.html
The point is that Martin's case and the overall situation surrounding it is not at all a "one-off". Just because one doesn't hear about it in the news does not mean that it is not happening. There are plenty of horrific and deeply troubling things that occur in society that don't get spotlight or are under-reported for all sorts of reasons. It's one reason why so many African-Americans (and other racial minorities) in an inner city situation sometimes bear such deep-seated unease about the police force. It's been a point of conflict and confrontation for them, rather than a logical avenue of seeking help in dealing with the community violence.
I'm not Mother Time (yet), but in my years I have had my own experiences with racist attitudes in this country. Especially being the daughter of an interracial couple. Naturally, I bristle a bit when I hear racism being treated like it's yesteryear's issue. I can't tell you how many times we all got withering glances and glares from people who saw my parents, then looked at my sister and I, and almost looked like we'd shot their dog. There are parts of the state in which I live currently that my parents, upon moving here, were informed very gravely never to visit - because of racist and very insular attitudes. Family members of mine have been threatened because of their race before. I've heard the comments with my own ears even sitting in a fast food restaurant. And this is all even on an interpersonal basis. The stats Stephen posted a while back should not be dismissed because one doesn't find any way to account for them simply because the Jim Crow era is over. Institutionalized racism is very real and relevant. It's not a myth whipped up by racial minorities. In a perfect world, educational opportunities would be truly equal-access and equal quality, as would job opportunities and the mutual expectation of success and excellence - not of the opposite. And that would go incredibly far in combating the problems and stark realities facing, for example, inner city youth and their families.
I'm not at all saying, mind you, that white people are collectively to blame for everything wrong in the life of a racial minority. But the facts require us to confront a reality - an uglier reality than we may want to acknowledge because it calls attention to the fact that America, despite all of the ways that it excels, still possesses very real flaws. And those are revealed in the attitudes and practices of those not only on the ground, but those behind the curtains of power in many venues.
It's going to take a collective effort to combat such problems, much like the issue of sexual violence against all genders and age groups. It's not enough to say or even think to ourselves, "this isn't a problem because it's not legal - we have a justice system to sort this out". Statistics, news stories, and personal anecdotes prove that it absolutely is.