![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
A Week of Descent into Madness
Jul. 22nd, 2013 04:57 pmAfter a week on Twitter’s #Zimmerman and the facebook posts of some of my friends (no names), I now understand the problem is that the loudest voices (on both sides) are coming from the people with the lowest amount of accurate information.
The airtime given to these low-information loudmouths is a serious problem and there’s no cogent argument for saying we’re better off because of it.
Therefore, as a public service to myself, I’m going list the most egregious examples of the dumbassery I’ve seen. I’m also going to borrow from comedian Jeff Foxworthy:
If you think Zimmerman isn't white because he's Hispanic, you might be part of the problem.
If you think Zimmerman is Mexican, you might be part of the problem.
If you think the DOJ should charge Zimmerman because a petition reached a certain number of signatures (as opposed to there being, you know, evidence), you might be part of the problem.
If you think threatening Zimmerman, his family and/or the jurors involved is an appropriate reaction to the verdict, you might be part of the problem.
If you think Zimmerman used a Stand Your Ground defense, you might be part of the problem.
If you don’t know that Obama was a cosponsor of Illinois SYG civil suit shield law (the law in Florida will likely shield Zimmerman from a civil suit too), you might be part of the problem.
If you don’t know that Zimmerman has the same Caucasian background that Obama does (one parent), you might be part of the problem.
If you don’t know who Roderick Scott is, you might be part of the problem.
If you don’t know who Marissa Alexander is, you might be part of the problem.
If you don’t know who Sherman Ware is, you might be part of the problem.
If you think Trayvon was dangerous because he smoked pot, you might be part of the problem.
If you’re willing to throw out the prohibition on double jeopardy or change the rules of evidence just to convict Zimmerman, you might be part of the problem.
If you don’t understand that the burden of proof rests with the prosecution or that defendants have the right to not testify and the right to not have that held against them, you might be part of the problem.
If you don’t understand what constitutes “reasonable doubt,” you might be part of the problem.
If you don’t understand what “self-defense” is or when the law says it’s appropriate to use, you might be part of the problem.
If you don’t understand the difference between “self-defense” and Stand Your Ground, you might be part of the problem.
If you don’t get that “not guilty” does not equal “innocent,” you might be part of the problem.
If you think the only way to have reached a “not guilty” verdict was racism, you might be part of the problem.
If you think the “not guilty” verdict was a victory for white people, you might be part of the problem.
If you think Zimmerman was “ordered” to “stay in his car,” you might be part of the problem.
If you think Zimmerman was “stalking” according to Florida law, you might be part of the problem.
If you think Zimmerman went out that night looking to kill a black man, you might be part of the problem.
If you think Zimmerman was on duty for neighborhood watch that night, you might be part of the problem.
If you think putting Zimmerman in prison will help right past injustices, you might be part of the problem.
If you think the biggest danger to African-American teens is someone like Zimmerman, you might be part of the problem.
If you think Trayvon and Emmett Till have anything in common except their race, you might be part of the problem.
If you think it’s illegal to have a 6-person jury, you might be part of the problem.
If you think the media has no agenda in its coverage, you might be part of the problem.
If you think I’ve missed anything, you can leave it in a comment. However, with this issue being so contentious (especially among those who have the least amount of accurate information), I’m going to be very quick to ban comments that are little more than name calling or insisting on things already shown to be not in evidence. I'll also be quick to ban those who come looking for race war.
Make your point like an intelligent human being and it'll be left alone. Act like a race-baiting troll who's skirting the line on inciting violence and genocide, and you'll be gone (and reported).
I slogged through ridiculous bullshit for a week on social media and I’m done.
The airtime given to these low-information loudmouths is a serious problem and there’s no cogent argument for saying we’re better off because of it.
Therefore, as a public service to myself, I’m going list the most egregious examples of the dumbassery I’ve seen. I’m also going to borrow from comedian Jeff Foxworthy:
If you think Zimmerman isn't white because he's Hispanic, you might be part of the problem.
If you think Zimmerman is Mexican, you might be part of the problem.
If you think the DOJ should charge Zimmerman because a petition reached a certain number of signatures (as opposed to there being, you know, evidence), you might be part of the problem.
If you think threatening Zimmerman, his family and/or the jurors involved is an appropriate reaction to the verdict, you might be part of the problem.
If you think Zimmerman used a Stand Your Ground defense, you might be part of the problem.
If you don’t know that Obama was a cosponsor of Illinois SYG civil suit shield law (the law in Florida will likely shield Zimmerman from a civil suit too), you might be part of the problem.
If you don’t know that Zimmerman has the same Caucasian background that Obama does (one parent), you might be part of the problem.
If you don’t know who Roderick Scott is, you might be part of the problem.
If you don’t know who Marissa Alexander is, you might be part of the problem.
If you don’t know who Sherman Ware is, you might be part of the problem.
If you think Trayvon was dangerous because he smoked pot, you might be part of the problem.
If you’re willing to throw out the prohibition on double jeopardy or change the rules of evidence just to convict Zimmerman, you might be part of the problem.
If you don’t understand that the burden of proof rests with the prosecution or that defendants have the right to not testify and the right to not have that held against them, you might be part of the problem.
If you don’t understand what constitutes “reasonable doubt,” you might be part of the problem.
If you don’t understand what “self-defense” is or when the law says it’s appropriate to use, you might be part of the problem.
If you don’t understand the difference between “self-defense” and Stand Your Ground, you might be part of the problem.
If you don’t get that “not guilty” does not equal “innocent,” you might be part of the problem.
If you think the only way to have reached a “not guilty” verdict was racism, you might be part of the problem.
If you think the “not guilty” verdict was a victory for white people, you might be part of the problem.
If you think Zimmerman was “ordered” to “stay in his car,” you might be part of the problem.
If you think Zimmerman was “stalking” according to Florida law, you might be part of the problem.
If you think Zimmerman went out that night looking to kill a black man, you might be part of the problem.
If you think Zimmerman was on duty for neighborhood watch that night, you might be part of the problem.
If you think putting Zimmerman in prison will help right past injustices, you might be part of the problem.
If you think the biggest danger to African-American teens is someone like Zimmerman, you might be part of the problem.
If you think Trayvon and Emmett Till have anything in common except their race, you might be part of the problem.
If you think it’s illegal to have a 6-person jury, you might be part of the problem.
If you think the media has no agenda in its coverage, you might be part of the problem.
If you think I’ve missed anything, you can leave it in a comment. However, with this issue being so contentious (especially among those who have the least amount of accurate information), I’m going to be very quick to ban comments that are little more than name calling or insisting on things already shown to be not in evidence. I'll also be quick to ban those who come looking for race war.
Make your point like an intelligent human being and it'll be left alone. Act like a race-baiting troll who's skirting the line on inciting violence and genocide, and you'll be gone (and reported).
I slogged through ridiculous bullshit for a week on social media and I’m done.
