I'm not so great with emotions, I never have been. I can remember the therapy sessions I had in elementary school, although I'm not sure why I was in therapy, and having it reinforced that I needed to show emotion and tell people how I feel. To this day I still struggle with, only now I get aggravated with myself for not knowing how to feel.
Need an example? My mother had her uterus ripped out yesterday. I say these things happen and go about my day genuinely unconcerned. I went shopping, cleaned the house, caught up on laundry, and had dinner with the in-laws. I checked to make sure she is still alive and if my assistance is needed because that is what is expected of me. I could careless about the entire ordeal. It's for the best, like getting new brakes for the car. Then I struggle with worrying that people will think that I don't care enough. Or maybe I should have gone to the hospital and I'm just not taking things seriously enough. My sister was trying to make plans to come up for this life-or-death surgery. So someone could sit with Dad and help take care of her when she comes home. Why? I don't get it. If they need help, they'll ask.
So that is the set-up for Trayvon Martin. I'm not sure how to feel.
Life was lost, unnecessarily, and that is sad. How could someone defend themselves with skittles and tea? However I'm not trying to buy into all the media hype and just see the facts. Florida has a
Stand Your Ground law that I fully support. Fully, but only when used appropriately. Someone breaking into my house at 3 a.m. is grounds for such a law. I can think of no reason why someone wouldn't knock first, especially at 3 a.m., and therefore I should be able to defend myself and family. In my fine state I would be required by law to be backed into a corner before I defended myself with deadly force. That doesn't mean I want to kill anyone, but I don't want to be backed into a corner fighting for my life.
A man ransacked several cars on our street, and stole from us an iPod, necklace, sleeping bag, case of sodas, and several other small things (including Tom my fertile turtle!!) from our car and was given PBJ despite having priors. I could foam from the mouth about the short comings of our legal system but I think that is common knowledge. Why I am no legal expert, I don't understand why Zimmerman has yet to be charge with a crime. I'm not sure what ground he was standing. From the accounts I've read, Zimmerman instigated. Whether directly or indirectly, he followed the boy and some sort of interaction took place. After that Martin may well have threatened his life, but it seems clear that Zimmerman instigated this skirmish and I feel that should negate any 'ground standing' right he may have.
I know that the media has hyped and spun this case. I know there must be more than meets the eye. I just don't understand how it can be legal to pick a fight and then fatal shoot someone. Had Zimmerman left it to police to determine how suspicious someone looked, none of this would have happened. In a crime with no witnesses, who is lying? Or is this some sort of legal loop hole?? Can Zimmerman claim self-defense if he was the aggressor?
Furthermore, why is there a race war being started? I'm not agreeing with Geraldo, because who in their right mind would, but there is some validity to his thinking. I remember in high school teachers would beat into us to look the part. They held mock college/job interviews and you were expected to look and sound the part. So yes, if you look like a hoodlum you should expect to be treated as one. It's absolutely profiling. But does this apply to weekend attire? To personal life? If I'm running to the store, I will probably wear sweatshirt. I lived in hoodies in high school. I had an oversized hoodie that I wore during hockey season, and I loved it. But no one ever stopped me walking home and I was carrying a solid, wooden stick!! Is it because I was white? A girl? The short skirt? Have things really changed that much?
So there, it's off my chest. I'm just not sure how I feel about the Trayvon Martin case other than it's sad. I don't think there was enough just cause to warrant killing someone. I feel like I'm giving Zimmerman too much credit, but I also feel the media is spinning things too much for me to see clearly.
