Ted Rall for July 17, 2013
Transcript:
White dude's burden (Man: AM I racist? I'm not outraged that an all-white Florida jury found George Zimmerman not guilty of murdering Trayvon Martin. Wow. Al my black friends are pissed. They're so sure. I can totally see how the jury saw reasonable doubt. My gut says "guilty." but you need more than that to convict. I said the same thing about O.J. by the way. Probably guilty- but rightly acquitted. The evidence was mixed and the prosecution's star witness was a total disaster on the stand. (Woman: Offensive? Actually, the phrase "Crazy ass cracker" is retro hilarious!) and not for a minute did I think a guilty verdict- against a community wich dude- would have proved that the system works. (Man: The president is black but the police and military and corporations are still racist.) But my friends who are minorities are certain. They deal with racism every day. Am I racist? Do I just not get it? Is there a difference?
Michael Peterson Premium Member over 10 years ago
Equating this trial with OJs is pretty racist. I don’t know anyone but Ted who thinks the two are at all parallel.
Darsan54 Premium Member over 10 years ago
Most reasonable strip ever Ted. The jury really had very little choice except acquittal the way Florida law is written. And we only had one story, Zimmerman’s, and no contradicting evidence. That said how a guy provokes a confrontation with someone who’s only “crime” is being there and then kills that person as he loses the fight gets turned into “self-defense” is beyond me. Zimmerman had a better defense team than the prosecutor had an offense.
the part that gets me is the legality of it all. No body broke the law per say, but an innocent person still ends up dead.
Packratjohn Premium Member over 10 years ago
Or Baptists and Methodists….
echoraven over 10 years ago
Post of the day.
Odon Premium Member over 10 years ago
“Just because a person of a different race, culture, ethnicity, creed, religion, or whatever kills a person of a different group does not make it a racist act.”True enough but were Martin a white female do you think the trial verdict would be different? Let’s leave racism out of this and just talk about the fact that Zimmerman, comforted by his gun, stupidly tracked Martin down scaring the crap out of Martin. What the hell would the average person do? Surely not yield to a scary figure coming after him with unknown intentions.
Jason Allen over 10 years ago
I truly believe Zimmerman is guilty, but not of murder. In no way did the event meet the legal requirements of a murder charge.
emptc12 over 10 years ago
That was an excellent post, and is much better than what I have written. But I believe my post will complement yours, from my personal vantage point:.This cartoon is almost not a cartoon, but an essay with illustrations. The captions are nearly my own thoughts..I recall that what we now call “racists,” we used to call “bigots.” Bigotry and Hatred went together in a phrase. Even with the problems in the U.S. during the ‘50s and ‘60s, I don’t remember that the “racist” epithet was thrown around so much as it is today. That word previously was used in the context of Hitler’s “racial theories,” and a bad word with very evil connotations. Racists were groups of people on the scale of countries; bigots were small groups or individuals..And so it jars me, even today, to hear ordinary people called that. I became aware of the change working its way through various media in the middle ‘70s, and I thought it was a serious devaluation of the term. Meanings change and by now, it is what is. (Take the word “gay,” for instance. It seems to have only one meaning, anymore.) .To me now, to call somebody “a racist” is on two levels. On one, it’s practically as common as playground taunts; on another, it’s an intellectual judgment. Years ago, wasn’t Archie Bunker called “The Lovable Bigot”? Today, would he be called “The Lovable Racist”?.My point is the word now means different things according to one’s age and background. To some it’s a reasonable accusation; while to others it’s a huge insult. It’s the difference between calling somebody intolerant and called him evil. To some it’s a rock picked off the ground to be tossed; to others it’s a shot fired from a verbal arsenal. .This might be why it’s difficult to have calm discussions when the word is used. It isn’t a mere word — it represents an acquired cultural attitude.
tengu99 over 10 years ago
Healing starts with forgiveness.Admission is just words and words can easily be hollow.Forgiveness is an act and very hard to fake.
tengu99 over 10 years ago
I think one of the big things people are pissed off about is that Zimmerman started the confrontation. How can you self defense when you started it? Unfortunately it sounds like the Florida law only address the moment the gun is fired. If you want to fix the law perhaps adjusting it so the entire conflict is addressed.
Uncle Joe Premium Member over 10 years ago
“I have had to come to terms with a painful realization: If this had been racial violence or even police violence, we – myself included – would have been marching and standing up a long time ago,” Al Sharpton on gang violence, in 2009
Dtroutma over 10 years ago
There are “types” I’m more suspicious of when making contact, but it’s more behavior than race or ethnicity. I don’t care for psychotics for example, but they’re of many stripes today, not only around the world, but right here at home.
The biggest thing about commentaries on the Zimmerman case, and reading so many “comments” in his defense, is that I’ve had to take a lot of allergy pills. As my son ran afoul of a Chief in the Navy for quoting me on: “I’m allergic to stupidity”. Stupid is really more rampant than “racism”, because what IS “Muslim”, “Christian”, “Hispanic”, Latino, or even “African American”? (BTW, Lewis Hamilton, Formula One driver and mulatto, and British citizen, is occasionally described as “African American” by reporters here, how is that so?)
kaffekup over 10 years ago
Poor judgement does not equal responsible.
Ted Rall creator over 10 years ago
Yes! I am the true victim here!
Ted Rall creator over 10 years ago
Um, land?
Ted Rall creator over 10 years ago
Well, for one thing, the people you mention are Democrats, not liberals, much less leftists.
kaffekup over 10 years ago
If you’re referring to Clarence Thomas, I’m sure he’d love to be in it.
pirate227 over 10 years ago
Yes, OJ stalked and killed his WIFE because she was WHITE… oh right, that’s not TRUE.
Liam Astle Premium Member over 10 years ago
Yes, you are racist. All white people are racist.