March 23, 2012
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Geraldo and the stupid running out of his mouth.....
Geraldo Rivera has a river of stupid running out of his mouth.
His comments that Trayvon Martin's death was somehow Trayvon's fault because he wore a hoodie is beyond the pale of stupid.
Trayvon Martin was killed by an overzealous "Neighborhood Watch" member who was armed and determined to show his percieved authority. When Zimmerman was told by the 911 operator to stay in his car and that the police did not need him to pursue the "suspect", Zimmerman made his choice to pursue.
We may never know the truth because Trayvon can't tell us and Zimmerman most likely won't.
Was there a fight? Unless Zimmerman injured himself (and it is quite possible that he did, once he saw that he had shot an unarmed kid) there may indeed have been a fight. Who among us, if threatened, wouldn't defend ourselves?
But while I could go on and on about Zimmerman and the "I'm a big man because I have a gun" attitude he had, I'm addressing Rivera here.
Geraldo stated that it was the hoodie that Trayvon wore that led Zimmerman to think he was a thug, because "that's what you see on TV and movies, thugs and criminals and pimps wearing hoodies."
Apparently Geraldo hasn't spend much time in a high school lately.
I have. I can tell you that 95%+ of my students wear hoodies. Male and female, rich and not so rich, smarties, athletes, artists, musicians, and just general kids, all wear hoodies.
That doesn't make them a criminal.
It makes them blend in. And what teenager doesn't want to blend in to a group?
Stand by my door in my school and you will see hoodies in a variety of colors with a variety of logos: high school sports teams, collegiate teams, professional teams, vanity fashion (think American Eagle, Hollister, Pink by Victoria's Secret), hoodies with Christian themes, hoodies with SyFy themes, hoodies with advertising for John Deere or International Harvester (we're kind of country around here....), hoodies with Ford or Chevy or Dodge, hoodies with skater themes, hoodies with decorative glitz and sparkle....in short, hoodies as a fashion must. No matter how poor the student, he or she has a hoodie. And most of them wear them daily.
That does not make them a criminal.
That doesn't mean that some of them are not criminally minded. But the vast majority of them are not. They are just kids.
In a world that is crushing in on them from all sides, a hoodie provides warmth, comfort and sometimes, a way to block out the world--pull the hood up and the world can fade away.
Pull your hood up and no one can see you cry.
Unfortunately, friends and family of Trayvon are now crying.
But Geraldo? I don't think it was because of a hoodie.
I think it was because a little man had a gun and felt that he had the right to push his way around with it.
I am not anti-gun. I'm a gun owner. I can use it if I have to.
But I don't condone chasing someone around on someone else's property and shooting them because I think they are a criminal.
That's what makes you a criminal. Neighborhood watch is to be just that-watch. Zimmerman crossed the line.
And a young man wearing a hoodie is dead.
In all of this hurt, the last thing we need is a twit like Geraldo Rivera (another little man with a big.....mouth) pushing his way around.
Zip it Geraldo. You have the right to free speech and you have the right to remain silent. You should have chosen the latter.
Comments (3)
This is a very powerfully written response, and I wish Geraldo would read it. I actually happen to be wearing a hoodie right now, which I have simply because it's cold and rains a lot where I live. No one should make excuses for such a terrible, senseless murder of a child.
@splork_splork - Thank you. I get awfully tired of adults making blanket judgements on kids when they aren't around them to really know them.
Just heard that Geraldo's son tweeted that he was ashamed of his father's opinions. And who wouldn't be? The hoodie didn't pull the trigger.
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