Stand your ground

[GoldenBrain]

You sunk yourself right there. You assume he was casing the hood rather than simply going home and being freaked the fuck out by some weird guy following him. Whether he was white, hispanic, or a mix of both is irrelevant. He's not the one who was profiled and shot for walking home.

Being Choctaw doesn't give you a free pass and that comment was straight up offensive.

Fair points.

I'd prolly freak out too if somebody was stalking me. He did have a phone so calling the police might have saved his life. I think if it were me then I'd have chosen to call the police rather than engage a suspected crazy stalker.


Sorry again to the creator of this thread. I am just continuing because there is dialog directed at me that should be answered. Maybe the mods could merge the TM/GZ comments with the TM tread already in existence.

[bawang]

I may be blind to it so I'll ask you a question. Do you experience racism and if so then in what form?

I used to live in part of Canada nicknamed mississipi of the north. I did not experience much racism, because of my strong communist Chinese childhood. once I sensed it I immediately separated myself. but many of my colored friends were born there, they wanted to fit in and belong, and I observed a lot of pain they went through.

-the game of drowning Asians called nipper tipping
-mixed kids with "tragic mulatto" syndrome. many friends of mine who could pass off betrayed me and abandoned me. every year they email me to apologize, but I never reply.
-an Iranian girl blowing two white boys hoping to join the in crowed but laughed and shamed
- segregated high schools, one black one white, facing another
- black and white kid violence, the black kids protected the immigrant kids, but we never talked to each other.
- 3 or 4 girls who liked me pressured to stay away. I learned at a young age that white woman is off limits, but many of my friends could not accept that and went on their quest for magical white poosy.

[GoldenBrain]

I used to live in part of Canada nicknamed mississipi of the north. I did not experience much racism, because once I sensed it I immediately separated myself. but many of my colored friends were born there, they wanted to fit in and belong, and I observed a lot of pain they went through.

-the game of drowning Asians called nipper tipping
-mixed kids with "tragic mulatto" syndrome
-an Iranian girl blowing two white boys hoping to join the in crowed but laughed and shamed
- segregated high schools, one black one white, facing another
- black and white kid violence, the black kids protected the immigrant kids, but we never talked to each other.
- 3 or 4 girls who liked me pressured to stay away. I learned at a young age that white woman is off limits, but many of my friends could not accept that and went on their quest for magical white poosy.

I'm sure most people have some sort of bias towards their own race but stuff like that is just criminal. I really hope the human race can move past all this.

[bawang]

I'm sure most people have some sort of bias towards their own race but stuff like that is just criminal. I really hope the human race can move past all this.

from my experience i understood something, and i want you to understand this.

most black people grow up thinking they are white when they are children, then they experience some sort of traumatic event that reveal they are black. it is very very terrible, and can make you half insane.

many blacks also live in hyper-reality, ready to confront or fight any time anywhere, because traumatic racism happens when they let down their guard. when you are relaxed and happy, racists can sense it, and they will attack you. hyper reality is a state of feeling permanent danger.

[YouKnowWho]

when you are relaxed and happy, racists can sense it, and they will attack you.

I wonder when Bruce Lee married to his wife Linda, Bruce ever felt racist.

[GoldenBrain]

from my experience i understood something, and i want you to understand this.

most black people grow up thinking they are white when they are children, then they experience some sort of traumatic event that reveal they are black. it is very very terrible, and can make you half insane.

many blacks also live in hyper-reality, ready to confront or fight any time anywhere, because traumatic racism happens when they let down their guard. when you are relaxed and happy, racists can sense it, and they will attack you.

Now that's something I never considered. I admit that I haven't fully considered racism in quite a while. There was a time when I lived in Tampa, Fl in some nasty projects so I experienced some racism in my direction, but thankfully I became successful and moved out of that terrible place. I feel bad for those who are still living in that situation. It was a painful time in my life so I tend to block the memory of it all, but I will really never forget it. The discussion in this thread has given me many things to ponder and I hope others lurking will do the same.

[mickey]

bawang wrote:

"most black people grow up thinking they are white when they are children, then they experience some sort of traumatic event that reveal they are black. it is very very terrible, and can make you half insane."

This is NEWS to me. Racism is the trauma. Not how we look. It seems that the people you associated with can not afford mirrors.


That hyper reality thing is a little strange.


mickey

[lkfmdc]

And now for something completely related

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_1...s-report-says/

[wenshu]

[Jimbo]

I wonder when Bruce Lee married to his wife Linda, Bruce ever felt racist.

I read that BL's in-laws did NOT like Linda marrying a Chinese man. And I'm certain BL and wife had to have experienced racism, or at the very least got rude looks and negative comments. And not just from white people, either. Consider the time period, too.

Even today, Westerners generally accept the typical white man/Asian woman pairings much more readily than Asian man/white woman, although the latter is growing much more common. My older brother's been with his Caucasian wife for nearly 40 years now, and they're doing great.

[Yum Cha]

For the record there aren't that many Native Americans who look native anymore.

You haven't spent much time in New Mexico or Arizona I suspect.

Racism is about the unknown. Racial polarisation in America is incredible. People who associate in multi-racial environments learn empathy real quick. Well meaning people make stupid ignorant mistakes, and there are plenty of a-holes to go around, you don't need a racial tag to recognise one.

And now, there are laws that practically mandate you escalate to lethal force in any confrontation where you are armed. Kill or die, no middle ground.

So, a bunch of white kids, cruising in their car in the (black, asian, hispanic, MUSLIM, quaker, whatever) neighbourhood. Well, a bunch of criminals down here to buy 'whatever' and need to be confronted....

I just can't see how the law can work. 'I was scared' is a valid defence for murder, and all us know we're dosed with fear constantly by the media.

And David, I think Bawang redeemed himself with an insightful post on the subtle insidious racism that majorities just laugh off, even if they manage to notice. He keeps the title of Clown Prince well tended.

Ignorance is the big dumb muscle that covers racism's back. You fight ignorance and the racism stands alone for what it is. And then like most cowards, it slinks away.

[Syn7]

And now for something completely related

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_1...s-report-says/

If you get off for killing an unarmed black teen, Texas seems like the logical place to go hang out. Either that or Arizona. I mean, if he went to a place like Mississippi, he may get profiled and shot for looking like a dirty job stealing illegal alien Mexican.

[Syn7]

You haven't spent much time in New Mexico or Arizona I suspect.

Racism is about the unknown. Racial polarisation in America is incredible. People who associate in multi-racial environments learn empathy real quick. Well meaning people make stupid ignorant mistakes, and there are plenty of a-holes to go around, you don't need a racial tag to recognise one.

And now, there are laws that practically mandate you escalate to lethal force in any confrontation where you are armed. Kill or die, no middle ground.

So, a bunch of white kids, cruising in their car in the (black, asian, hispanic, MUSLIM, quaker, whatever) neighbourhood. Well, a bunch of criminals down here to buy 'whatever' and need to be confronted....

I just can't see how the law can work. 'I was scared' is a valid defence for murder, and all us know we're dosed with fear constantly by the media.

And David, I think Bawang redeemed himself with an insightful post on the subtle insidious racism that majorities just laugh off, even if they manage to notice. He keeps the title of Clown Prince well tended.

Ignorance is the big dumb muscle that covers racism's back. You fight ignorance and the racism stands alone for what it is. And then like most cowards, it slinks away.

"I was scared" is only valid if you do not put yourself in that situation to begin with.

If you walk up to a guy, mouth him off, take a swing and he gets the better of you and you shoot him... that is manslaughter, potentially murder.

If you are walking home with groceries and somebody attacks you and you shoot them, that is self defense.

It's not as complicated as people make it seem. When dealing with basic right and wrong, the truth is clear. None of the societal ills are relevant. Whether it's a dangerous hood or not. What race they were. What kind of past they have. None of that is relevant. You are allowed to be a prick, you just can't be a prick causing harm to another.

It's amazing how people get dragged into details that aren't even a little relevant. Sad how easily people are distracted with clear utter bullshit.

[Yum Cha]

"I was scared" is only valid if you do not put yourself in that situation to begin with.

If you walk up to a guy, mouth him off, take a swing and he gets the better of you and you shoot him... that is manslaughter, potentially murder.

If you are walking home with groceries and somebody attacks you and you shoot them, that is self defense.

It's not as complicated as people make it seem. When dealing with basic right and wrong, the truth is clear. None of the societal ills are relevant. Whether it's a dangerous hood or not. What race they were. What kind of past they have. None of that is relevant. You are allowed to be a prick, you just can't be a prick causing harm to another.

It's amazing how people get dragged into details that aren't even a little relevant. Sad how easily people are distracted with clear utter bullshit.

Are you pretending that Lawyers don't exist, and justice isn't based on financial power?
The intent of the law is admirable, but its a band-aid with no gauze or stick-um, i.e. its useless and doesn't do what its supposed to do is how it appears to me. Other than raise the fear level, justify more gun ownership and generally raise the stakes all around.

[Syn7]

Are you pretending that Lawyers don't exist, and justice isn't based on financial power?
The intent of the law is admirable, but its a band-aid with no gauze or stick-um, i.e. its useless and doesn't do what its supposed to do is how it appears to me. Other than raise the fear level, justify more gun ownership and generally raise the stakes all around.

Nah, I'm saying that Fla law is irrelevant when it comes to right and wrong. And I agree, the laws are ridiculous. My point is that regardless of Fla law, GZ committed manslaughter at the very least, which is wrong. No matter how you slice this, he was wrong. It doesn't matter what a jury says. He's still wrong.

Laws are about control, not right and wrong. For every law we have that coincides with a decent moral, there are thousands that justify poor behaviour.

Wasn't disagreeing with ya.