John David's Blog: Life--Observed and Reported - Posts Tagged "racial-divide"

I have been following this heartbreaking story from very early on, and I was one of the first people to sign the petition to even have this case brought to the light of day.

A question that has come to mind of late:

Why is this case so polarizing, for so many?

The numbers seem to break almost exactly down the middle, with both sides completely convinced that they are absolutely right, and the other is dead wrong.

There is little or no "gray area," of opinion.

There are a very few who have said, and rightfully so, "Let us wait for the outcome of the trial, the facts will come out."

Is it simply a matter of determining the "facts?" Of finding "justice?"

Or of something else altogether?

I wonder how many of Zimmerman's outspoken supporters would be so vocal about his "right" to "defend" himself if Trayvon had not been a "person of color?"

And how many of Trayvon's supporters would be crying for blood if Zimmerman was a "black" man?

Would the "facts" of this case be any different if both parties were of the same "race?"

Would the "investigation" have been any different?

What about the "presumption" of guilt or innocence?

If so, then we really are talking about a racial issue, a racial divide, and not about a factual one. It is inescapable to see this any other way, apparently.

We all can, for the most part, agree that it is not a "crime" to be one race or the other.

We can also agree that it is possible for both to be in the "wrong" place at the wrong time.

Apparently the glasses through which we all view the world are still very much "colored."

Perhaps there is hope that our children will learn to see their world "clearly."

For we most certainly do not.