Posted on 03/24/2012 10:56:25 AM PDT by Baynative
PHILADELPHIA (AP) I thought my son would be much older before I had to tell him about the Black Male Code. He's only 12, still sleeping with stuffed animals, still afraid of the dark. But after the Trayvon Martin tragedy, I needed to explain to my child that soon people might be afraid of him.
We were in the car on the way to school when a story about Martin came on the radio. "The guy who killed him should get arrested. The dead guy was unarmed!" my son said after hearing that neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman had claimed self-defense in the shooting in Sanford, Fla.
We listened to the rest of the story, describing how Zimmerman had spotted Martin, who was 17, walking home from the store on a rainy night, the hood of his sweatshirt pulled over his head. When it was over, I turned off the radio and told my son about the rules he needs to follow to avoid becoming another Trayvon Martin a black male who Zimmerman assumed was "suspicious" and "up to no good."
As I explained it, the Code goes like this:
(Excerpt) Read more at google.com ...
""Jacksons remark illustrates a basic fact of our social existence, one that even a committed black civil-rights leader cannot escape: ideas that we may not endorse for example, that a black stranger might harm us but a white one probably would not can nonetheless lodge themselves in our minds and, without our permission or awareness, color our perceptions, expectations and judgments.""
From Scientific American, quoted here:
If you are following me around with bad intentions, especially if I'm trying to avoid you, you're lucky if a punch in the nose and a few hits on the ground is all you get.
If there's an issue, you can talk to me from your car or from a safe distance. If you're getting into contact space in an confrontation you start, I'm not waiting for you to throw the first punch. I'm knocking you out and then going home.
Yes, it is.
I have been shopping with my son and watched him get the up and down look and a sneer from some black people.
My son who has no tats, no piercings and usually dresses in jeans a tee or a collared knit shirt with tennis shoes but he a slick bald head.
He started losing his hair by the time he was 16 and I agree with him, it looks better shaved. The fringe wrap around makes him look much older and the fringe is what is noticed before anything.
If this race stuff gets whipped up too much more— I will be begging him to go with the fringe look.
At some point the Black Male Code ought to be amended to include: Grow the Hell Up, Get the Hell Out, and GET A JOB!
I like your way if thinking. Now apply it to a man who did what 911 said and walked away but was an attacked from behind by this “innocent child”.
Did he have the same right to defend himself?
I think there is a lot of truth to that. I remember the late 60s when I was in college. Even though there we some lingering emotions from the times of segregation, people seemed to be striving to know each other, or at least to tolerate if not appreciate.
I felt that we were right on the cups of becoming a color blind than, and looking back, I still do. But then something happened and it all went backwards at the hands of the race pimps. Sharpton, Jackson were big parts of it along with the likes of Maxine Waters, Sheila Jackson-Lee and many others who fueled the flames of hatred in order to profit for themselves.
What they did to their own people and our nation as a whole is a disgrace. Instead of making things better Barack Obama has made things worse. He talks sweet, but I sense a bitterness in his heart.
“An enlightening article [or editorial] about how responsible black males have tried to educate their sons a about the racial stereotypes we still must deal with.”
My, my—I wonder how those sterotypes “just happened”? How much street crime is commited by blacks as compared to whites? Rick Badie from the AJC devoted his column to this subject today too. I, however, want to know why there aren’t the similar “lynch mobs” in Oklahoma where a black punk beat an elderly couple and raped the wife.
Police reports are largely hearsay, although the cop can testify to what he saw. So can the witness. Both will also be cross examined.
Ironic. Does that make them "racist" or "weary"?
I do feel bad for blacks today. You have to be immediately mistrusted by whites due to simple statistical realities, there are integrated trust issues with Hispanics due to some competing race kind of thing, and you have to be weary of other blacks since black-on-black crime is so prevalent.
Sounds like a rough life.
Good post. Those were my thoughts exactly. What do you want to bet the author of this article votes exclusively for the party that’s made racial pandering and “identity politics” into an art form? The party of race hustlers like Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Cornell West, Barack Hussein Ubama, and Eric Holder, etc., etc.?
Until this author shows me a voter registration card that says something other than “Democrat”, he can STFU.
Bullcrap. He was far beyond the scope of behavior acceptable for a neighborhood watch. They have no business getting into confrontations. Especially when the crime is that he just doesn’t recognize the guy strolling down the sidewalk,,, and he already has the cops on the way.
That kid had every right to punch some guy like that in the nose. Some guy not in uniform comes out with a gun? Maybe threw kid thought that his best chance was to fight for his life.
I cannot understand how many here think a person must cooperative, compliant, and forthcoming with wannabe cop neighborhood watches. If challenges like this happened to half the people here, they would be popping a critical vessel. They often even hate being questioned by actual cops,,, much less some goober who needs a hobby and a girlfriend.
Nice equal opportunity “White Male Code” post.
For the most part I have no problem with the original “Black Male Code” post. Most of it reflects a dad being responsible. There is one problematic area however and it is specifically this:
“Today, Dotson tells his children that they should always be respectful, but should NOT TOLERATE BEING DISRESPECTED”. I firmly believe that this poisonous “don’t tolerate being disrespected doctrine” has resulted in numerous unjustified deaths of both blacks (at the hand of other blacks) and whites (also at the hand of blacks) because of PERCEIVED disrespect. The last words many such innocent murder victims hear may have heard is “You dissin’ me? YOU DISSIN’ ME?”. And, for some young black males who have died early, the last words THEY SPOKE may have been “You dissin’ me?” before making a fatal decision to attack someone who they didn’t realize was armed and willing to defend them-self.
As a responsible Dad, Mr. Dotson might want to rethink his “TOLERATE NO DISRESPECT” doctrine and put some “boundaries” on reaction to perceived “disrespect”. That may just save a life (either his son’s life or that of a victim of his “disrespected” son) needlessly wasted. Mr. Dotson needs to realize that handgun manufacturers are having difficulty with keeping up with the demand for handguns being bought for self defense.
And, folks, you can call me racist if you wish but while I’ve observed this “You dissin’ me?” phenomenon commonly among young blacks, I haven’t seen it among white youth.
No - it isn’t -
It is racist propaganda.
MORE WHITES ARE ASSAULTED BY BLACKS - EVERY SINGLE FREAKING DAY.
Whites murder about 400 Blacks per year - including all drug deals and criminals killing criminals. If not a criminal - I bet there are fewer than 50 Blacks killed by Whites per year.
Blacks - 1/5th as numerous - kill >1,000 whites/year. With MANY more not criminal business related.
This is all part of the victimhood culture.
People cross the street to avoid Black males for a very specific reason. Humans are learning machines.
The only thing “illuminating” aboiut this article is how easily the MSM will spread the propaganda.
Why did Zimmerman say he got out of his truck to check a street sign (there are only three streets), not to pursue Trayvon?
Why did Zimmerman say he was attacked from behind as he was returning to his truck?
These statements do not match up with what was heard on the phone.
... its good advice ... - and HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH SKIN COLOR.
Ping to Lucy’s comment:
“There is nothing more painful to me at this stage in my life, Jesse Jackson, Senior once told an audience, than to walk down the street and hear footsteps and start thinking about robbery then look around and see somebody white and feel relieved.
“”Jacksons remark illustrates a basic fact of our social existence, one that even a committed black civil-rights leader cannot escape: ideas that we may not endorse for example, that a black stranger might harm us but a white one probably would not can nonetheless lodge themselves in our minds and, without our permission or awareness, color our perceptions, expectations and judgments.””
From Scientific American, quoted here:
http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/white_relief
The funniest thing is when a white guy stands up to some black guy being all physical and threatening.
Their eyes just sort of go into some sort of wait state. Like - what do I do now?
They think we are all white bread.
Fighters don’t like bullys.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.