'Trayvon Martin could have been me' - Barack Obama

[Jingthing]

I can guarantee you if a black man had shot Trayvon neither the media nor obama would give a hoot.

He would have been convicted.

[movsrus]

If he doesn't talk, the Obama demonizers say he lacks leadership. If he talks, he says the wrong thing. Obama is the first African American president. Of course he is president of ALL the people, but do you really expect him to throw African Americans under the bus in his remarks?

Your comment just goes to show that race is still a deciding factor in American politics. The jury looked at the facts and found Zimmerman not guilty. Now Obama comes on the stage and seems to justify a black opinion that they are discriminated against. If Obama were to act as the "president of ALL the people" and were to make some use of his law degree he should have said that a jury of Zimmerman's peers found him not guilty and that should be the end of it. Rather he seems to give some justification for a black attitude that they are the victims of discrimination. Blacks are in the situation they are in due in large part to their behavior and outlook.

Obama's behavior is shameful and he is a poor example of what Americans should expect in a president.

[Jingthing]

If he doesn't talk, the Obama demonizers say he lacks leadership. If he talks, he says the wrong thing. Obama is the first African American president. Of course he is president of ALL the people, but do you really expect him to throw African Americans under the bus in his remarks?

Your comment just goes to show that race is still a deciding factor in American politics. The jury looked at the facts and found Zimmerman not guilty. Now Obama comes on the stage and seems to justify a black opinion that they are discriminated against. If Obama were to act as the "president of ALL the people" and were to make some use of his law degree he should have said that a jury of Zimmerman's peers found him not guilty and that should be the end of it. Rather he seems to give some justification for a black attitude that they are the victims of discrimination. Blacks are in the situation they are in due in large part to their behavior and outlook.

Obama's behavior is shameful and he is a poor example of what Americans should expect in a president.

That's coming from a place which denies the reality that racism is still a MAJOR problem in the USA.

[Ulysses G.]

I can guarantee you if a black man had shot Trayvon neither the media nor obama would give a hoot.

He would have been convicted.

Actually, he would have cited the stand your ground law and never had to go to trial. Many more blacks have done so successfuly than whites.

[F430murci]

Bama sees only black or white and ignores that Hispanics suffer more discrimination than blacks at the present. This is is reverse racism. Arguing Hispanic is just white sees things as Bama, only black or white. That by definition is racism and ignores that Hispanic is a protected class and they are protected for a reason.

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/583538

US society, laws, has has provided blacks every opportunity, more opportunity than Hispanics, to get their shit together and even gave them a black president, yet look at the crime rate, graduation rate and etc. Hispanics have serious obstacles and graduation rates below that of blacks, yet no one is rallying for them and they are not burning the streets and looting Walmart. I don't hear the president lobbying for them.

[attento]

Zimmerman is Hispanic, not white. English is his second language. Your whole premise is very flawed.

Hispanics are Caucasian.

What, do you judge people by the US Government census form?

My guess is that there are very few Hispanics with 100% Caucasian ancestory. I don't know about Mr Zimmerman's ancestory, but it is a good Germanic name, so maybe he is one of the few.

[GentlemanJim]

Obama came on TV and talked about how black men feel a discrimination when people watch them, lock car doors when they are around and women clutch their purses when in elevators with black men.

This is from an e-mail a friend sent me.

"I am a white woman, who always tucks my purse tightly under my arm in an elevator if I'm alone and a man of any color is present. What may make a difference, is the dress of that male, the age of the male, and the general demeanor of the male. The same is true for a female. President Obama is over-generalizing."

Didn't you know your friend was a white woman or did she just feel the need to remind you?

[Jingthing]

My guess is that there are very few Hispanics with 100% Caucasian ancestory.

...

Hispanics include people from SPAIN, so sorry, you're wrong.

As mentioned before, the majority of people in Argentina have European (Caucasian) descent.

Edited July 20, 2013 by Jingthing

[keemapoot]

My guess is that there are very few Hispanics with 100% Caucasian ancestory.

...

Hispanics include people from SPAIN, so sorry, you're wrong.

Many people of Spanish extraction disagree with being labeled "Hispanic." They consider themselves Caucasian Europeans, and don't like being lumped into the melting pot of the term Hispanic, with its large Mexican & Central American identity. By the same token, I've met Argentinians and others who feel the same.

[Jingthing]

My guess is that there are very few Hispanics with 100% Caucasian ancestory.

...

Hispanics include people from SPAIN, so sorry, you're wrong.

Many people of Spanish extraction disagree with being labeled "Hispanic." They consider themselves Caucasian Europeans, and don't like being lumped into the melting pot of the term Hispanic, with its large Mexican & Central American identity. By the same token, I've met Argentinians and others who feel the same.

Of course there is always controversy over labels. In the U.S., Hispanic is mostly used in the east, and Latino in the west. The definition of Hispanic includes Spaniards and such while I think Latino has a stronger emphasis on LATIN AMERICAN roots but in actual usage both words are often used the same. Hispanic really refers more to the LANGUAGE ... Spanish, rather than race/ethnicity. Labels are always messy, such as labeling a fully Spanish background Mexican wouldn't fully fit but Americans mostly would anyway. Argentina of course is the mostly famously WHITE country in Latin America. Technically, neither Hispanic or Latino refers to ANY race, though I think in actual usage Latino has more of a racial association in the U.S.

Edited July 20, 2013 by Jingthing

[keemapoot]

My guess is that there are very few Hispanics with 100% Caucasian ancestory.

...

Hispanics include people from SPAIN, so sorry, you're wrong.

Many people of Spanish extraction disagree with being labeled "Hispanic." They consider themselves Caucasian Europeans, and don't like being lumped into the melting pot of the term Hispanic, with its large Mexican & Central American identity. By the same token, I've met Argentinians and others who feel the same.

Of course there is always controversy over labels. In the U.S., Hispanic is mostly used in the east, and Latino in the west. The definition of Hispanic includes Spaniards and such while I think Latino has a stronger emphasis on LATIN AMERICAN roots but in actual usage both words are often used the same. Hispanic really refers more to the LANGUAGE ... Spanish, rather than race/ethnicity. Labels are always messy, such as labeling a fully Spanish background Mexican wouldn't fully fit but Americans mostly would anyway. Argentina of course is the mostly famously WHITE country in Latin America.

Yes, the resistance to these labels is often because of perceived discrimination or having misinformed Americans look down on them due to years of historic discrimination. As you know, there are people who think Latin = Hispanic = Latino = Chicano = Mexican = lowrider gangbanger, without understanding any of the differences.

[theblether]

So Helen Thomas died today......I was just reading her Wiki page, here's just about the first quote.

"We were never hyphenated as Arab-Americans. We were American, and I have always rejected the hyphen and I believe all assimilated immigrants should not be designated ethnically. Or separated, of course, by race, or creed either. These are trends that ever try to divide us as a people."

[Jingthing]

So Helen Thomas died today......I was just reading her Wiki page, here's just about the first quote.

"We were never hyphenated as Arab-Americans. We were American, and I have always rejected the hyphen and I believe all assimilated immigrants should not be designated ethnically. Or separated, of course, by race, or creed either. These are trends that ever try to divide us as a people."

The opposite of that POV is that forgetting your roots is SAD.

[F430murci]

So Helen Thomas died today......I was just reading her Wiki page, here's just about the first quote.

"We were never hyphenated as Arab-Americans. We were American, and I have always rejected the hyphen and I believe all assimilated immigrants should not be designated ethnically. Or separated, of course, by race, or creed either. These are trends that ever try to divide us as a people."

Awesome, no need for anti discrimination laws anymore because we are all Americans and Americans is not a protected classification in America. Oh wait, Bama still refers to people by race so we need him to stop with dividing people by race. It's unhealthy.

[antfish]

So Helen Thomas died today......I was just reading her Wiki page, here's just about the first quote.

"We were never hyphenated as Arab-Americans. We were American, and I have always rejected the hyphen and I believe all assimilated immigrants should not be designated ethnically. Or separated, of course, by race, or creed either. These are trends that ever try to divide us as a people."

ohh, thats a loss. a great woman.a great mind. RIP.

[GentlemanJim]

But why am I called a Caucasian ?? I am from Europe!!

[geriatrickid]

The President showed great leadership when he spoke from the heart.

It is revealing of the mean spirited visceral hatred that some people haven't bothered to either listen or read the POTUS comments. He supported the judicial system,

"The judge conducted the trial in a professional manner. The prosecution and the defense made their arguments. The juries were properly instructed that in a case such as this, reasonable doubt was relevant, and they rendered a verdict. And once the jury’s spoken, that’s how our system works."

That's leadership.

He also put the reaction of the Afro American community into context. He said what needed to be said in a gentle and adult way.

You know, when Trayvon Martin was first shot, I said that this could have been my son. Another way of saying that is Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago. And when you think about why, in the African- American community at least, there’s a lot of pain around what happened here, I think it’s important to recognize that the African- American community is looking at this issue through a set of experiences and a history that -- that doesn’t go away.

There are very few African-American men in this country who haven’t had the experience of being followed when they were shopping in a department store. That includes me.

And there are very few African-American men who haven’t had the experience of walking across the street and hearing the locks click on the doors of cars. That happens to me, at least before I was a senator. There are very few African-Americans who haven’t had the experience of getting on an elevator and a woman clutching her purse nervously and holding her breath until she had a chance to get off. That happens often.

And you know, I don’t want to exaggerate this, but those sets of experiences inform how the African-American community interprets what happened one night in Florida. And it’s inescapable for people to bring those experiences to bear.

The African-American community is also knowledgeable that there is a history of racial disparities in the application of our criminal laws, everything from the death penalty to enforcement of our drug laws. And that ends up having an impact in terms of how people interpret the case.

Now, this isn’t to say that the African-American community is naive about the fact that African-American young men are disproportionately involved in the criminal justice system, that they are disproportionately both victims and perpetrators of violence. It’s not to make excuses for that fact, although black folks do interpret the reasons for that in a historical context.

We understand that some of the violence that takes place in poor black neighborhoods around the country is born out of a very violent past in this country, and that the poverty and dysfunction that we see in those communities can be traced to a very difficult history.

And so the fact that sometimes that’s unacknowledged adds to the frustration. And the fact that a lot of African-American boys are painted with a broad brush and the excuse is given, well, there are these statistics out there that show that African-American boys are more violent -- using that as an excuse to then see sons treated differently causes pain.

I think the African-American community is also not naive in understanding that statistically somebody like Trayvon Martin was probably statistically more likely to be shot by a peer than he was by somebody else.

So -- so folks understand the challenges that exist for African- American boys, but they get frustrated, I think, if they feel that there’s no context for it or -- and that context is being denied. And -- and that all contributes, I think, to a sense that if a white male teen was involved in the same kind of scenario, that, from top to bottom, both the outcome and the aftermath might have been different.

Now, the question for me at least, and I think, for a lot of folks is, where do we take this? How do we learn some lessons from this and move in a positive direction? You know, I think it’s understandable that there have been demonstrations and vigils and protests, and some of that stuff is just going to have to work its way through as long as it remains nonviolent. If I see any violence, then I will remind folks that that dishonors what happened to Trayvon Martin and his family.

Read the full transcript here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/president-obamas-remarks-on-trayvon-martin-full-transcript/2013/07/19/5e33ebea-f09a-11e2-a1f9-ea873b7e0424_story_2.html

The POTUS showed his humanity, his empathy and leadership with his comments. In his statement he offered hope and a positive way of addressing the challenges of bias. To those who are obsessed with their hated for President Obama, I suggest they read the full statement. Maybe they will learn something. I did. The USA is fortunate to have Obama as President as he brings some very strong moral values and a genuine understanding of humanity to the job. These are qualities that have been lacking in the US political leadership for quite some time.

Edited July 20, 2013 by geriatrickid

[qdinthailand]

That is the same thing I thought as I heard him give the speech. Yes, Trayvon could have been Obama if Obama attacked and badly beat a man for virtually nothing. The reason that the jury found Zimmerman not guilty is because the evidence left no choice other than self-defence.

No, the Stand Your Ground Law left the jury no choice but to find him 'not guilty'.

Fact is, due to George Zimmerman's actions, T. Martin is now dead.

And no one, except George Zimmerman, is alive to know what happened. Love it how millions of his defenders know that poor Georgie was an innocent victim of the 'boy in the hood'.

I guess you didn't pay attention, but the Stand Your Ground Law, didn't get entered into the trial. But, as usual, no need to let the facts get in the way.

From the Telegragh, UK paper,

"According to the instructions given to the jury, Mr Zimmerman had "no duty to retreat and had the right to stand his ground and meet force with force" if he reasonably feared for his life or great bodily harm."

[attento]

But why am I called a Caucasian ?? I am from Europe!!

It is possible both terms apply. Europe is geographic region. Caucasian is a racial classification (sometimes called Aryans).

Edited July 20, 2013 by attento

[Jingthing]

From the Telegragh, UK paper,

"According to the instructions given to the jury, Mr Zimmerman had "no duty to retreat and had the right to stand his ground and meet force with force" if he reasonably feared for his life or great bodily harm."

Yes, my reading as well. Stand your ground wording read to the jury as instructions.

Edited July 20, 2013 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

So Helen Thomas died today......I was just reading her Wiki page, here's just about the first quote.

"We were never hyphenated as Arab-Americans. We were American, and I have always rejected the hyphen and I believe all assimilated immigrants should not be designated ethnically. Or separated, of course, by race, or creed either. These are trends that ever try to divide us as a people."

ohh, thats a loss. a great woman.a great mind. RIP.

Probably worth another thread. She wasn't without controversy.

[jbrain]

I'm really astonished about the number of TV members who proclaim their support for Trayvon Martin, without actually knowing the details other than what they read in the media, just to show off to everyone how anti-racist they are.

Now let's see if any of them would have an issue, even a small one, with a colored person in real life, if they still would speak the same lamguage.

[Jingthing]

I'm really astonished about the number of TV members who proclaim their support for Trayvon Martin, without actually knowing the details other than what they read in the media, just to show off to everyone how anti-racist they are.

Now let's see if any of them would have an issue, even a small one, with a colored person in real life, if they still would speak the same lamguage.

That's pretty presumptuous. It's like you assume we all have some kind of lily white background here. It's laughable really.

[attento]

My guess is that there are very few Hispanics with 100% Caucasian ancestory.

...

Hispanics include people from SPAIN, so sorry, you're wrong.

As mentioned before, the majority of people in Argentina have European (Caucasian) descent.

Spaniards-celebrating-fifa-world-cup-south-africa-2010-13783911-400-231.jpg

i apologise for the lack of clarity in my post. Of course, Hispanic means having Spanish origins, but so many (but not all) citizens of south American countries have "mixed blood", from some degree of integration with aborigine natives and/or non-caucasian immigrants, in previous generations. Same as in USA, there are very few back Amercans with only African blood, which can now be demonstrated with DNA testing. So many people confuse skin color, race and ethnicity. These different categories are seized upon by politicians to use for their advantage.. I dont know if Mr Zimmerman has an exclusively Caucasian blood line.

[Jingthing]

...

I dont know if Mr Zimmerman has an exclusively Caucasian blood line.

Zimmerman has a white Daddy and a Peruvian Mommy. His Mommy looks Peruvian. Now you know some more.

The emphasis on the "racism" of Zimmerman isn't really so much the point. The point is that he PROFILED his murder victim as a criminal. That's obvious. He did that.

That really wasn't so bad or unusual given the recent history of his neighborhood. But his actions as an ARMED man in BOTHERING an unarmed boy, in not announcing his role, in not backing off when advised by 911, that was another level and it resulted in the boy being DEAD.

Yes what he did may have been technically legal. It shouldn't be. The focus now needs to be -- change the stand your ground laws where they exist in ALL states. MAKE people BACK OFF if they can. He could have.

Edited July 20, 2013 by Jingthing

[jbrain]

I'm really astonished about the number of TV members who proclaim their support for Trayvon Martin, without actually knowing the details other than what they read in the media, just to show off to everyone how anti-racist they are.

Now let's see if any of them would have an issue, even a small one, with a colored person in real life, if they still would speak the same lamguage.

That's pretty presumptuous. It's like you assume we all have some kind of lily white background here. It's laughable really.

I think you misunderstood my post. It is like too many posters want to look good on the forum by defending Trayvon Martin, while if they were in Zimmerman's situation they may have had not the same comments.

[gl555]

Where's your evidence George Zimmerman racially profiled Trayvon Martin?

You're against the stand your ground laws, that's up to you. But trying to make George Zimmerman a racist murderer when there's no evidence he is one is ridiculous.

...
I dont know if Mr Zimmerman has an exclusively Caucasian blood line.

Zimmerman has a white Daddy and a Peruvian Mommy. His Mommy looks Peruvian. Now you know some more.

The emphasis on the "racism" of Zimmerman isn't really so much the point. The point is that he PROFILED his murder victim as a criminal. That's obvious. He did that.

That really wasn't so bad or unusual given the recent history of his neighborhood. But his actions as an ARMED man in BOTHERING an unarmed boy, in not announcing his role, in not backing off when advised by 911, that was another level and it resulted in the boy being DEAD.

Yes what he did may have been technically legal. It shouldn't be. The focus now needs to be -- change the stand your ground laws where they exist in ALL states. MAKE people BACK OFF if they can. He could have.

[Jingthing]

I think you misunderstood my post. It is like too many posters want to look good on the forum by defending Trayvon Martin, while if they were in Zimmerman's situation they may have had not the same comments.

Zimmerman did some very obnoxious things and he carries culpability for the death of that boy. The gun. The stalking. The not backing off. And who knows what else he did to PROVOKE the boy he was harassing.

[gl555]

Zimmerman carried the gun legally. If you have an issue with gun laws, that's another topic entirely but he did nothing wrong in the eyes of the law.

As for 'provoking' Trayvon Martin? If you don't have evidence whatsoever, don't make stuff up. Makes you look idiotic really.

I think you misunderstood my post. It is like too many posters want to look good on the forum by defending Trayvon Martin, while if they were in Zimmerman's situation they may have had not the same comments.

Zimmerman did some very obnoxious things and he carries culpability for the death of that boy. The gun. The stalking. The not backing off. And who knows what else he did to PROVOKE the boy he was harassing.

[Jingthing]

Refer to the witness of the girl on the phone with Trayvon before he was murdered. He felt harassed and chased by Zimmerman. He had no idea who Zimmerman was. That's the evidence.

I see there are mass protests now to bring Zimmerman up on federal civil rights charges. I see no problem in a complete investigation to see if the charges are legally justified and also reasonably winnable. That's a fair demand. But it's not a fair demand to insist on the charges if they don't have the evidence.

The best bet against Zimmerman was already blown and that was the manslaughter charge. They clearly overcharged from the start.

Edited July 20, 2013 by Jingthing