A Commentary on the Passing Scene by
Robert Paul Wolff
rwolff@afroam.umass.edu
Sunday, July 14, 2013
JUSTICE DENIED
I awoke this morning to learn that the Florida jury acquitted George Zimmerman. Is there anyone on the face of the earth who believes that, had the race of Zimmerman and Martin been reversed, the verdict would have been the same?
In your opinion, can we apply Jay Gould's observation that he could hire one half of the working class to kill the other half to the Zimmerman/Martin situation in order to gain some sort of clarity as we confront the tragic dynamics of the circumstances?
By the way, your post "For What May I Hope?" answered several questions I had about the future of the American working class.
Lots, if my Facebook wall is to be believed. I riled them up by suggesting that lynching was making a legal comeback (not that it really ever went anywhere...). Luckily, three kind gentlemen set me straight, revealing to me the true nature of racism in America (not so bad, apparently). I can cite them in my dissertation, right?
I am so distraught by this verdict that I am afraid I am not very good company. But I cannot say I am surprised. I do not think some people understand that they are sowing the seeds of discord and will reap the grapes of wrath.
The night of the verdict I remembered, for the first time in a long time, how me and my friends used to do the same thing Trayvon Martin was doing when he was murdered. We would all get together for a sleepover and since we couldn't drive, the highlight of our evening was usually walking to a convenience store to buy candy, cutting through yards whenever it expedited our journey.
It was the most innocent thing in the world for us and it should have been for Trayvon too. I can also guarantee that if a creepy guy started following us with such determination that he foiled our attempts to shake him and then shot the first among us that turned to fight, under no circumstance would he be found innocent.
Given the stringency of the 'reasonable doubt' criterion, as applied to Zimmerman's 'state of mind' at an ephemeral instant, the case was almost a priori DOA. So, I'd prefer, as a next step, a small surgical success to a more ambitious failure. Thus, for example, if it is easier to prove that Sanford was negligent, then that, rather than attempting to attribute 'racial profiling' to Zimmerman's meager 'thought' processes, would be the better course of action. Such a win could have farther-reaching consequences than might be obvious at first glance, while another well-publicized long drawn-out failure will only embolden the reactionaries.
Dr Wolff,
ReplyDeleteIn your opinion, can we apply Jay Gould's observation that he could hire one half of the working class to kill the other half to the Zimmerman/Martin situation in order to gain some sort of clarity as we confront the tragic dynamics of the circumstances?
By the way, your post "For What May I Hope?" answered several questions I had about the future of the American working class.
Thank you for your efforts.
Lots, if my Facebook wall is to be believed. I riled them up by suggesting that lynching was making a legal comeback (not that it really ever went anywhere...). Luckily, three kind gentlemen set me straight, revealing to me the true nature of racism in America (not so bad, apparently). I can cite them in my dissertation, right?
ReplyDeleteI am so distraught by this verdict that I am afraid I am not very good company. But I cannot say I am surprised. I do not think some people understand that they are sowing the seeds of discord and will reap the grapes of wrath.
ReplyDeleteLots of good reading and links to further good reading at http://www.newappsblog.com/2013/07/background-on-the-self-defense-laws-of-florida.html
ReplyDeleteThe night of the verdict I remembered, for the first time in a long time, how me and my friends used to do the same thing Trayvon Martin was doing when he was murdered. We would all get together for a sleepover and since we couldn't drive, the highlight of our evening was usually walking to a convenience store to buy candy, cutting through yards whenever it expedited our journey.
ReplyDeleteIt was the most innocent thing in the world for us and it should have been for Trayvon too. I can also guarantee that if a creepy guy started following us with such determination that he foiled our attempts to shake him and then shot the first among us that turned to fight, under no circumstance would he be found innocent.
Given the stringency of the 'reasonable doubt' criterion, as applied to Zimmerman's 'state of mind' at an ephemeral instant, the case was almost a priori DOA. So, I'd prefer, as a next step, a small surgical success to a more ambitious failure. Thus, for example, if it is easier to prove that Sanford was negligent, then that, rather than attempting to attribute 'racial profiling' to Zimmerman's meager 'thought' processes, would be the better course of action. Such a win could have farther-reaching consequences than might be obvious at first glance, while another well-publicized long drawn-out failure will only embolden the reactionaries.
ReplyDelete