Trayvon Martin, a 17-year old black american citizen was shot while wearing a dark hoodie on his way home from the super market. Zimmerman, the shooter defends himself, by saying he was doing it for self defense, because he thought the boy looked suspicious. Obviously though, Zimmerman called the police who told him not to shoot the boy, after having seen Trayvon in the street.
So the first question: How can prejudice lead to injustice? Isn’t the the real question how can prejudice not lead to injustice? My parents always taught us to walk in someones shoes before judging. I must say, this changed my life. If you do this, you get to see what another persons life might be like. I guess it’s the same thing if you want to shoot a person. Personally, I really have not been in this situation, but I think this would apply for this case too. Think before you shoot.
Individuals, should try to fight against cases like this, with all they have. Many individuals have already started this. Dozens of people have already gathered, clad in hoodies as a protest to give Mr. Zimmerman a trial. As a country, this has not really changed anything. Post racism has been going around the country for as long as anyone can remember. This is sad; a country and individuals should do something about it.
Having a father that is a lawyer, and a judge as a mother, my brother and I were raised to have an open mind, trying to accept everyone for who they are. For both of us, this has made life a lot easier. My grandparents raised my parents the same way. My two grandfathers both fought in the world war, and few in my family were killed during the war. Grandpa always stayed strong though. He told me the most bloody and saddest stories, but in the end, he always told me: ¨Try not to blame, but try to understand, and try to learn from it.¨
He also always told me, that if you don’t know anything about something, it’s not your subject to judge.
So this little boy was walking, and Mr. Zimmerman found it suspicious. Nothing did he know though, about how Trayvon went to get candy for his little brother. George Zimmerman knew nothing about the candy part, and judged, and obviously learned nothing from the civil war.
This kind of goes into sterotype even. Black boy + hoodie = danger is what Zimmerman must have thought. And that is why he shot him. Sterotyping is so unfair. Me as somewhat of a tomboy, I experience gender stero type a lot. For example, I wanted to join the football team, but the coach would not let me, because I was not a boy. It took half a year of convincing. For colored people, it has taken more than 60 years to convince us whites of their race.
