Tag: George Zimmerman

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racist

Sometimes as I witness society’s reaction, my soul is left disturbed.

 

Perhaps like several of you, I have turned off the television after my jaw dropped too many times watching reaction to George Zimmerman being found “not guilty” of the murder of teen Trayvon Martin.  Was he really “not guilty”?  Was he “guilty”?!  I don’t know.  I wasn’t there.  I wasn’t even in the courtroom.  Like positions, however, have not kept others from adamant declarations.

 

The reality is that Trayvon Martin’s tragic death has evolved into an issue of race.  It shouldn’t be.  The question should be whether or not a criminal act took place.  However, declarations of innocence and guilt have seemingly since been driven more by ethnicity than on evidence — or the lack of it.

 

Does skin color matter?

 

Unfortunately, to too many, it does…

 

… it matters to the female convenience store clerk, shown on a YouTube video, who told an African-American pastor, “We don’t serve your kind”…

… it matters to the Illinois, African-American man who beat up an American caucasian because he was so mad at “white boys”…

… it matters to CNN’s Nancy Grace, who during jury deliberations, said “[Hispanic Zimmerman’s been] out on bond, driving through Taco Bell every night, having a churro.”

 

It matters to too many whites… too many blacks… too many Hispanics, Asians, Arabs, etc.  Unfortunately, it matters.

 

My current sense is that most of the protests after the Zimmerman verdict were peaceful.  (Note:  the most sensational moments — however infrequent — receive the most media attention.)  Still, seemingly intelligent (and not so intelligent) persons say disturbing things…

 

For example, in response to the verdict, an associate professor at the typically esteemed, Ivy League’s University of Pennsylvania’s Department of Religious Studies called God a “white racist.”  Excuse me, but this professor who is teaching our children, is she attempting to divide — or to heal unite?

 

I look forward, friends, to a day when skin color truly does not matter to any of us… when it doesn’t matter to the whites, to the blacks, to every other color God created.  I look forward when there exists no justified prejudice — stemming either from initial ignorance or from retaliatory response.

 

I look forward to the lion laying down with the lamb… the leopard lying down with the goat… the cow feeding alongside the bear and their young lying down together.  I look forward to a day when none of the external “stuff” we so passionately cling to matters, when none of us judge by what we see with our eyes or hear with our ears.  I look forward to us being directed more by a Spirit of wisdom and understanding than by skin color and self.

 

I look forward to that day.  For each of us.  All of us.  Only then will skin color truly not matter.

 

Respectfully… always…

AR

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the rest of the story

In Sunday’s blog there was one embedded comment that is perhaps relevant in most — maybe all — of the events we examine.  It’s arguably applicable in each of our opinions.  And it’s probably the one aspect that’s hardest for us to admit, especially when our emotions are enflamed.

 

As previously stated:  “None of us know everything; we continually make judgments and build perspective based on limited information.”

 

We continually make judgments based on limited information — although we assume we either know it all — or at least enough to form (and adhere to) an opinion.

 

That means from where we stand, we can’t tell what Paula Deen did or did not say…

We can’t discern the guilt — or innocence — of either George Zimmerman or Trayvon Martin…

We can’t tell if the administration lied about Benghazi… or if the previous administration lied about known weapons of mass destruction…

We truly don’t know if the unfair targeting of conservative groups by the IRS generated from Washington or anywhere near the White House…

We don’t know with certainty if LeBron James is an arrogant or humble winner…

We have no idea if the Justice Dept. is telling the truth — or lying — regarding their motive for identifying reporters as potential criminals in order to secretly spy on them…

We don’t know if the current immigration legislation being crafted is all good or all not (… granted, those senators voting on it would know a little more if they’d actually read the proposed bill)…

 

We don’t know; our information is limited.  That should alter the passion prompting our perspective.

 

Years ago I was involved in a professional situation in which most all who articulated an opinion were seduced by the limited-information lure.  An angry hotel employee of mine had alerted the local papers and television stations, that our staff had unfairly discriminated against him because he was gay.  He told the awaiting microphones that we wanted to fire him because of his sexual preference/orientation.

 

The tapes were rolling; there was much to record.  “Discrimination!” was uttered in some of the shouts.  The employee was passionate and articulate.  He seemed to have a believable story, as yes, it was true that he was gay and also that we planned on terminating his employment.  However believable, it was also incomplete.

 

The information he chose not to share with the media that morn is that in an elegant setting, he began publicly cooking breakfast for our hotel guests wearing Spandex shorts and flip flops, while smoking a cigarette.  When he was asked to exit and don an appropriate uniform, he refused — and instead locked himself in a hotel room.  It was from that room in which he called the local media.

 

Friends, I never felt free to disclose all aspects of that scenario.  While the employee chose not to share the “rest of the story,” so-to-speak, neither did I.  We never made our case to the media.  We never gave them complete information.  Hence, all conclusions made in regard to the fate of our former breakfast cook were based on limited information.

 

What don’t we know?  … about Paula Deen?  Benghazi?  … the IRS, Justice Dept., George Zimmerman, and more?

 

In each of the above — no matter whether we passionately believe or doubt the account shared — our passion is based solely on limited information.  We will most likely never “know the rest of the story.”

 

Respectfully,

AR