The reactions to the George Zimmerman murder trial were a bit predictable. African-Americans generally hated the acquittal and whites in general approved of the verdict. The reason is obvious, even in 2013 we have issues with race in this country. We also see that in the rush of some white conservative pundits who say it is racist to complain about racism or they wonder aloud why African-Americans don’t freak out about black on white violence. These pundits hate being called racist and will go to outlandish extremes to keep from having to deal with the real issue of race in this country.
Classic reactions from white conservative pundits came after President Obama made some remarks and offered some personal experiences about being black in America:
White Supremacists Don’t Always Wear Hoods
The Supreme Court overturned part of the Voting Rights Act, overturned DOMA based on a ‘state’s rights’ claim, and a jury in Florida found nothing criminal when George Zimmerman shot and killed an unarmed black teenager. Why does this trouble me in the so-called ‘post-racial’ United States? Paul Rosenberg over at Crooks and Liars has the answer. In 2013, white supremacy is alive and well and it isn’t always burning crosses or wearing hoods.
Rosenburg makes a point that we shouldn’t call what is going on racism because it lets white supremacists off the hook. That’s how we get four frames of colorblind racism:
Zimmerman Acquittal A Mind Blower
George Zimmerman, the overzealous member of a neighborhood watch, who shot and killed unarmed teen Trayvon Martin was acquitted by a jury of 6 women. He admitted to the killing but the jury decided he was not criminally responsible for his actions. I can tell you this, if the teen had been white and the shooter black, Zimmerman would be in shackles waiting for sentencing right now.
The verdict goes completely against the way actions that cause deaths are handled in other cases. I appreciate the thoughts of Josh Marshall, editor and publisher of Talking Points Memo:
Presumption Of Innocence Is For When Facts Are In Doubt
The other day, George Zimmerman, the over zealous member of his neighborhood watch, who shot and killed an unarmed teen named Trayvon Martin, was released again on bail. I tweeted that I guess it paid to shoot an unarmed teenager and become the darling of the GOP. A person replied back to me that I should be reminded of presumption of innocence and a fair trial. I don’t think the person knows what presumption of innocence means. In the Trayvon Martin case the facts aren’t in doubt.