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“I Believe We Lost That Trial for Trayvon Long Before He Was Killed”
There’s not much I can — or, frankly, should — add to this essay in the Huffington Post by African American actor Romany Malco. I’ll only say that he’s right, and that you don’t hear this kind of thing often enough. The “we” he’s talking about is the African American community:
Trayvon was doomed the moment ignorance became synonymous with young black America . We lost that case by using media outlets (music, movies, social media, etc.) as vehicles to perpetuate the same negative images and social issues that destroyed the black community in the first place. When we went on record glorifying violent crime and when we voted for a president we never thought to hold accountable. When we signed on to do reality shows that fed into the media’s stereotypes of black men, we ingrained an image of Trayvon Martin so overwhelming that who he actually may have been didn’t matter anymore.
True. And so is this:
If we really wanted to ensure Trayvon Martin’s killing was not in vain, we’d stop perpetuating negative images that are now synonymous with black men in America. We’d stop rapping about selling drugs and killing [redacted]. The next time we saw a man beating a woman, we’d call for help or break it up, but one thing we would not do is stand by with our cellphones out — yelling WORLDSTAR! Instead of rewarding kids for memorization, we’d reward them for independent and critical thinking.
We’d spend less time subconsciously repeating lyrics about death and murder and more time understanding why we are so willing to twerk to songs that demean women and boast of having things we cannot afford. We’d set examples of self-love for our youth by honoring our own hair, skin and eye color. We’d stop spending money on designer gear that we should be spending on our physical and psychological health. We’d seek information outside the corporate owned-media that manipulates us. We’d stop letting television babysit our kids and we’d quit regurgitating pundits we haven’t come up with on our own.
Okay, so it gets a little lefty-Marxy in there. But I like the message. It’s just too bad you don’t hear this from the one person, arguably, who could really make a difference with it. But of course our president is too busy with his platitudes and generalities to make a real impact.
Published in General
Grading for critical thinking can be done. Problem is, to be able to show any improvement you have to teach for critical thinking, instead of just setting up open-ended assignments and hoping the thinking will come. ·25 minutes ago
It woule be impractical. Most teachers are going to be less intelligent than at least 10% of their students. A nontrivial number of teachers are less intelligent than half their students (even in a non-elite school)..
Interesting. Does the enlarging of the stereotype also influence how society views members of the group who are not representative of the stereotype, i.e. do they get unfairly stereotyped? ·49 minutes ago
I think so. I worked in Chicago, and the south side for years without thinking anything of it until I started reading about all the violence.
I thought NYC was a much worse place than it really was (until I went there) because of the way it’s portrayed on TV.
I think the effects are worse when people don’t have any other experiences to balance it out, or when they’ve only experienced the stereotype…
It was a pretty good article. I read it earlier today and sent it to a few people.Whats new about it is that it is being said publicly.Black people say this stuff to each other frequently. But in “public” (CNN) you will most often hear of the “legacy of slavery,” and the need for a “national conversation.” I think the problem is the “elites” that Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton won’t say this to MSNBC but they will say it to say… a black church, says to me, that they see their job as some sort of apologist for what goes on in the black community– the idea is to place blame somewhere else than on the actual actors in the black community. As though the Klan in Arkansas is some kinda way keeping black men from their family commitments.Also, too many liberal shills in the black community. Our current welfare state surely hasn’t been good for blacks.
Interesting. Does the enlarging of the stereotype also influence how society views members of the group who are not representative of the stereotype, i.e. do they get unfairly stereotyped? ·43 minutes ago
Definitely a harder question.
I could be non-representative, but I don’t feel any need for heightened security or alertness when I’m around black men who wear their pants tailored and at their waist and who emulate “white” body language and speech patterns. That’s why I don’t consider myself racist, but I’ll ‘fess up to “classist.”
I probably do unfairly assume the worst from young black who are not thugs, but dress and talk in the “gansta” style for no other reason than that’s their peer group.
It’s a tragedy that the most enduring legacy of slavery is the slavery of false, or exaggerated victim-hood.
On the other hand, there are plenty of African-Americans who don’t subscribe to said victim-hood. Hopefully we can help their number grow to the point where they can’t be ignored by the victim-hood industrial complex.
The quote was “we made an image of trayvon martin … so it didn’t really matter who he really was.” I find it a bit more likely that “[whoever we is] made an image of trayvon martin … and that was what he aspired to be and actually became.” I get the impression that trayvon martin was exactly the negative character that this guy is talking about. Probably more accurate for him to say: “we taught him to be this, and we shouldn’t be surprised.”
It does make sense that he would still take the middle ground by implying that zimmerman was racist at worst, believer of a negative stereotype at best, but that the “black community” earned it.
Interesting. Does the enlarging of the stereotype also influence how society views members of the group who are not representative of the stereotype, i.e. do they get unfairly stereotyped? ·49 minutes ago
I think so. I worked in Chicago, and the south side for years without thinking anything of it until I started reading about all the violence.
I thought NYC was a much worse place than it really was (until I went there) because of the way it’s portrayed on TV.
I think the effects are worse when people don’t have any other experiences to balance it out, or when they’ve only experienced the stereotype… ·1 hour ago
So the secrete is to be aware of one’s own ignorance, and media bias. Then one can correct for false assumptions. As conservatives we should never believe anything the media says flat out. After all they do a very good job of misrepresenting us, why would we assume they would do a good job of representing anyone else.
People are truly buying that?
Are you not? You live in Jersey, right? I would imagine you encounter this sort of character from time to time….
Or are you asking if it is really the reverse? Meaning, a culture develops certain characteristics, and hollywood/pop-culture are merely reflections of that.
People are truly buying that?
Are you not? You live in Jersey, right? I would imagine you encounter this sort of character from time to time….
Or are you asking if it is really the reverse? Meaning, a culture develops certain characteristics, and hollywood/pop-culture are merely reflections of that. ·27 minutes ago
I’m curious about what others think. Really buying that the more Hollywood expresses a stereo-type, the more the stereotype is believed to change thinking?
Or vice versa – the stereotype reflects reality? If it’s that, is any stereotype really “unfair?” That would debunk this follow’s point from the article.
A modern day Du Bois.
Create? No. Heighten, exaggerate, glamorize? Yes. Spread into every home while Momma is away at work, and into every ear while walking to school, riding a bus, just sitting around.
·4 minutes ago
Interesting. Does the enlarging of the stereotype also influence how society views members of the group who are not representative of the stereotype, i.e. do they get unfairly stereotyped? ·3 hours ago
Yes, I think they do. I live on the south side of Chicago in an integrated, middle-class neighborhood, but I’m always hearing from others about “the African American community” from those who have no idea of the sort of neighbors I see every day. They would never believe that someone who says “mices” as the plural for mouse could also be a member of Knights of Columbus, or that the wife of an alcoholic could be bringing up her two sons to be good family men.
It’s not just the black-aimed popular culture, though. It’s also the mainstream culture, that mocks religion and parenting, that makes things an uphill climb for African-American parents.
Really buying that the more Hollywood expresses a stereo-type, the more the stereotype is believed to change thinking?
Are you really just asking which came first, the stereotype or the wannabe? You seem to be questioning whether there is such a thing as socialization or peer pressure. The evidence is rather overwhelming that both phenomena exist, especially in adolescence and no less in the black community than in any other.
That which gets rewarded gets repeated. If gold teeth, semi-literate ramblings about violence and sexual predation, and all the rest we associate with Rap culture earn its practitioners lots of money and social standing why be surprised when ungrounded teenagers like Trayvon put fake gold teeth in their mouth and ape the mannerisms they see as defining success within their subculture?
Yes, large corporations have discovered how to reap profits from the phenomena of socialization and peer pressure.
Yes, there is a taboo against saying anything about it lest we cross the imaginary line of critiquing someone whose characteristics, like skin color, we don’t share. This runs afoul of the Progressive definition of “racism.” Anglo-European culture, however, is fair game for all.
I disagree with the premise of the title. The trial was “lost” for Trayvon when he confirmed Zimmerman’s suspicions by behaving like a thug. The situation could have been defused by Martin explaining what he was doing there. Don’t tell me that’s an unreasonable expectation. I have had to do that myself, and while I resented the implication, I did not bash anyone’s head against the pavement. Did Martin feel threatened? He could have called 911; he could have run. Instead, he chose a course that led to his demise.
What, in the response of the President, the Attorney General, et.al. is supportive of the rule of law, trial by jury, or the civil rights of George Zimmerman? Enough is enough. As Dubya points out, in the mobile phone age if he were doing anything but stalking or felt at all threatened, he could dial 911. Or, as he had time to do between the time Zimmerman lost track of him and the time of the confrontation, he could have walked home.
The only excuse for this case being on the national stage is Obama forcing it there to unwittingly highlight his own contempt for the civil rights of those different from himself.
So the secrete is to be aware of one’s own ignorance, and media bias. Then one can correct for false assumptions. As conservatives we should never believe anything the media says flat out. After all they do a very good job of misrepresenting us, why would we assume they would do a good job of representing anyone else. ·9 hours ago
I think so. I mean, I’m not saying “just go down any street cause the media likes to sensationalize stuff” I’m just saying “think a second time.”
@Margaret Sarah
It’s been about 2 years since I last worked Chicago, I only go in for a meeting every so often. The news makes “The South Side” seem like a some sort of war zone. I know a lot of people who like the Chicago. How do you feel about it? Is it easy to avoid the bad spots? From what I’ve seen of Chicago, it has some good parts and some really rough parts, but I liked most of what I saw, except the terrible traffic!
Stereotype vs. Archetype.
I like using the word “stereotype” when the observer is making assumptions, and using the word “archetype” when a behavior is being implemented after a model.
You make a good point. Still, he’s the most influential African American in history — it can be argued, anyway. Would be nice to hear a little Cosby from him. Even Cosby-lite. ·July 22, 2013 at 5:32pm
Martin Luther King Jr
Frederick Douglas
Booker T. Washington
Thurgood Marshall
Malcolm X
Clarence Thomas
All these men had/have more influence…and the list could go on. Their influence was derived from principles and personal values. I don’t agree with all of them, but they all had them and stood by them. Their basic principles never changed. Something the current Liar in Chief knows nothing about.
Chicken or egg argument. Does it really matter if Hollywood creates the image first or just reflects community attitude? The question is if Trayvon was (is) typical of young blacks. Some? Most? A few? All? And is the Trayvon attitude prevalent in the hood? The image eveyone is talking about is factual. Hollywood could try to change, but I don’t think it would work. Besides, there are black celebs who project a very decent image, even heroic. The schools? Are you kidding! Totally broken system. The apologists, race hustlers, sneaker manufacturers, etc., all make money on perpetuating hostility – and it set deep in the American black psyche. No brief for Zimmerman here. A gold medal shmuck. The ugly fact is that Trayvon’s death is a tragedy, yes, but it’a also an opportunity to rally the troops. And the facts don’t matter.