It's been a while since I've done a good rant, so please bear with me on this one... and of course, contribute your opinion as well. I feel I need to say a few words about the tragic shooting of Trayvon Martin - in a round about way. Before I get on my soap box to what is really pissing me off, I want to first and foremost say: Yes, it is a tragedy. Yes, I believe Zimmerman is about as crazy as a schizophrenic fox on peyote, and he should have been arrested immediately. And yes, I believe he had been absolutely itching to shoot someone and he, himself, has been essentially a loaded gun for quite some time, and Trayvon was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Tragic.
OK. We good? Good.
What has my panties in a knot are these continuous tirades about young black men wearing hoodies and how it's negative stereotyping and racial profiling... blah... blah... blah...
I don't want to sound like I'm anti-American, but it's not always about race and not everything is about America. Yes, in THIS case, I believe it WAS an issue - but it was a personal issue that Zimmerman had. We all know that The States loves to think that they are at the apex of every issue, but here's the thing - hoodies have already been a HUGE fucking problem in the UK for more than a decade and it has absolutely nothing to do with race.
ZERO.
ZERO.
What it has more to do with is smart ass teenagers of every colour commiting crimes with their hoodies covering their faces so they cannot be caught on CCTV cameras. Kids are dumb assholes, regardless of race! It has gone so far as they had put in place an "Anti-social Behaviour Order" (ASBO) when I was living there in 2005, where youth that were purposely hiding their faces with hoodies (among other offences) would be faced with a fine, whether they are committing a crime or not.
Am I saying that I agree with this? No.
Not entirely, anyway.
By having the government telling us what we can and cannot wear certainly does infringe upon our rights, buuuutttt... I've also been on the other side of this when I was walking my dog alone at night, and 5 teens in hoodies approached me. I'll admit that they could have, for all I know, been the starting line up for the national basketball team, but it didn't matter; I was absolutely terrified.
It's because their faces were hidden.
Not entirely, anyway.
By having the government telling us what we can and cannot wear certainly does infringe upon our rights, buuuutttt... I've also been on the other side of this when I was walking my dog alone at night, and 5 teens in hoodies approached me. I'll admit that they could have, for all I know, been the starting line up for the national basketball team, but it didn't matter; I was absolutely terrified.It's because their faces were hidden.
And there is no fucking way that some one could convince me that (mostly) teen boys don't wear their hoodies up over their faces for practically no other reason but to look tough... unless it's hailing. Of course that's why! It's an "image"; it's a fashion statement that says, "Look, I'm bad ass."
Just like when I was going to University in the late 90s and I lived in a part of town where I was certainly the minority. There was a fashion trend for young men to wear nylons on their heads. I remember the first time I saw it I was absolutely floored. Isn't wearing an item that its sole purpose is to hide one's identity DURING A ROBBERY in fact helping feed into that negative stereotype? I mean, come on...
It's like if I walked around wearing a shirt that said 'Cheap White Trash' (I totally have that, btw) and then get offended when someone calls me cheap white trash. I can't expect to have it both ways, and neither should anyone else!
So please, I just cannot stomach seeing this horrible incident being the catalyst in creating some racially-filled mountain out of a non-denominational mole hill.
Hoodies have had negative connotations for quite some time. I don't give a fuck if it is part of your volleyball team's uniform, it is the truth. Just look at executioners in the 18th century, or those horrible white-hooded rednecks on horses... and don't even forget Little Red Riding Hood; she was one sneaky bitch, for sure.
Can you honestly tell me that you'd be OK with leaving your Mercedes unlocked with these fine young (Caucasian, I'll point out) gentlemen hanging around it? Not. Fucking. Likely.
It's like if I walked around wearing a shirt that said 'Cheap White Trash' (I totally have that, btw) and then get offended when someone calls me cheap white trash. I can't expect to have it both ways, and neither should anyone else!
So please, I just cannot stomach seeing this horrible incident being the catalyst in creating some racially-filled mountain out of a non-denominational mole hill.
Hoodies have had negative connotations for quite some time. I don't give a fuck if it is part of your volleyball team's uniform, it is the truth. Just look at executioners in the 18th century, or those horrible white-hooded rednecks on horses... and don't even forget Little Red Riding Hood; she was one sneaky bitch, for sure.
Can you honestly tell me that you'd be OK with leaving your Mercedes unlocked with these fine young (Caucasian, I'll point out) gentlemen hanging around it? Not. Fucking. Likely.
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| CHAVY NEDS |
Great points! Hoodies do cause people to be uneasy regardless of race. A lot of times you can't even tell what race a person is with the hoodies pulled over their heads.
People have the right (to a certain extent) to wear what they want to wear, but that doesn't mean that they can't expect some judgment to come their way from other people. We can say "never judge a book by its cover" all day long, but no one in their right mind will do it.
As for Americans, yes, we always think everything is about us. I blame politicians for that. They've instilled the "we can do no wrong" attitude with this country and basically, all we do is wrong.