Posted on 07/03/2013 11:15:43 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Watching the testimony of Rachel "Dee Dee" Jeantel last week and the strong reaction her testimony elicited in the press and on social media provides a fertile opportunity for us to examine if we are, as Chief Justice John Roberts and the Supreme Court argued in Shelby County v. Holder, truly post racial.
In 1865, the state of Mississippi sought to disqualify blacks from participating in legal proceedings as witnesses by subjecting them to "rules and tests of the common law as to competency and credibility." At a time when very few African-Americans had the benefit of an education, literacy was the most common device used to exclude the testimony of black witnesses and relatedly through the denial of the right to vote, black jurors (selected through rolls of eligible voters). The inability to read and write was often used to challenge a potential witness's competence, while the inability to articulate oneself clearly was used to establish a lack of credibility.
Although clearly not barred from providing testimony in the Trayvon Martin case, it seems that many in the public sought to hold Rachel Jeantel to the same "racialized" standard. While the ridicule and mockery cut across racial lines, it is hard to believe that critics would shower such harsh treatment on a white witness of similar speech and disposition. While her language and demeanor may not have been palatable to some, neither should impugn either her credibility or integrity as a witness. The intense focus on her conduct alone, and not in conjunction with the actions of George Zimmerman's defense attorney, is equally problematic. The failure of Zimmerman's lawyer to show compassion for a young woman who was the last person to speak with Martin and "felt guilty" over his death was hardly the most egregious example.....
(Excerpt) Read more at ctpost.com ...
Zimmerman is being judged UNFAIRLY!
Nichelle Nichols? Hardly...
You know what? I didn’t ridicule her because she was black, or even simply because she was inarticulate, uneducated, and an apparent dullard. To do so would be nasty, unsympathetic, and uncalled for.
I ridiculed her because she is a liar and a perjurer who is willingly participating in trying to pervert our legal system into lynching an innocent man. For that, she deserves any vitriol she gets.
OMG he;s black!
This is not the 19th century, and “Dee Dee” has had EVERY chance to learn to read, write and speak properly. Apparently...SHE CHOSE not to learn.
Nick, we aren’t talking about EVERYONE black like you wrote....we are talking about this one witness, and ANYONE could watch her and tell she was LYING and had an agenda. Just like that RAO woman, who isn’t black, as far as I know.
No, I judged her correctly. She is stupid, arrogant, racist and a liar. All proven in court.
Now, Rachel, in your own words, tell the court: when you referred
to my client as a white a**-cracker.. did you mean that as a compliment?
"Don't worry, gang. I stoked the racism fires but good. Midterms should be a snap.
I sent the "Rachel was disrespected" memo to a dozen editorial writers."
Pretty much every “black” newspaper and blog have assigned some three-named young woman, oftentimes the publisher’s daughter or a young local college professor, to get to work on these articles, some almost word-for-word with each other, as though manufactured on an assembly line like a car or an iPod.
I’ll believe that she speaks another language when I see her speaking one.
She admitted to lying more than once.
Here's a clue...
It begins with "b" and ends with "lack".
Jeantel isn’t a product of slavery, but a product of willful militance and ignorance, part of the same self-inflicted cultural disease that caused Trayvon to respond violently towards GZ. It has our prisons filled with black men. What happened to Jeantel on the stand isn’t the fault of the defense attorney, but the fault of her culture and those who promote it.
How many times is a black person allowed to lie under oath before we are permitted to not believe them???
She ain’t stupid but if she is stupid, it’s white people’s fault.
Exactly. There are millions of “DeeDees” out there.
I think we should have a test that mandates voters should have a minimum level of knowledge and intelligence. This hippo could be the benchmark!
Anyone remember Linda Tripp, and she had the benefit of an education?
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.