This week as I scrolled through my Twitter timeline, I found one of my followers/"followees"extremely bothered by one of his retweets and out of curiosity I went to check it out. When I went to look at it, I instantly caught his irritation. Two of the three people in the picture were representing George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin. The kid who was supposed to be Trayvon Martin is in Blackface with a hoodie with a "blood spot" where his heart is located while his friend wears a hoodie with "Security Watch" in iron letters across the front as he held his hands in the shape of a gun to "Trayvon's" head (the picture above).
As I looked at the picture, it was hard to breathe because I couldn't gather the thoughts to even begin to understand how that would ever be ok in someone's mind. The level of insensitivity for the family or how this could raise the level of tension from the case didn't seem to be thought about. Along with the picture I also began to see links and statuses about related topics. One post that caught my eye was a chart to tell if your costume was racist (Is Your Costume Racist? Chart) .
Another picture that was originally posted on Twitter is slowly making its rounds to other social networks and I found it on Facebook. It's two girls in BlackFace, but this time with a caption using the n-word. All I want to know is when did making a mock of someone's death, whether you agree with circumstances of the trial and/or situation, ever ok and what where are the parents. Seeing things like this and the constant debate of whether using the term "Redskins" as a team name definitely makes one wonder if racism every really faded away in the first place. 
This blows my mind. People do not think. It is so not okay to mock such a public situation like this case. It is so inappropriate. I don't understand how they even thought that was remotely okay. The great thing is these people will have the repercussion of their actions for the rest of their lives. I hope they understand what they have done.
ReplyDeleteYea it's ridiculous how people just act trying to be funny. I thought the top picture was completely insensitive of the family. All I'm hoping is that they didn't have a chance to see it because it was hard for me to keep it together. As for the other picture, the caption was what irritated me most. People need to do better.
DeleteKaila, I read through your blog and could not believe the pictures incorporated in the blog. Some people are not smart and really need to think before they walk out the door. The other day, I was talking to my professor and she saw a child dressed up and asked what he was. Guess what he said? He said he was a terrorist. What parent dresses their child as a terrorist. People these days blow my mind.
DeleteThis actually rubs me the wrong way. I've done my fair share of jokes about Zimmerman and Trayvon (mostly just Twerking for Trayvon) but, that's actually taken too far. It's things like this that make me not like the people that live in this world. Joking about someone's death is one thing, but when it's about a 17-year-old whose death and trial was so widely publicized and effected so many people it's best to just not bring it up.
ReplyDeleteAnd the parents are usually the reason why kids grow up to be that way because, in this country, racism hasn't faded away and I highly doubt it ever will
I had read an article about the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman costume on Buzzfeed, along with one about Julieanne Hough wearing heavy bronzer as black face to complete her "Orange Is The New Black" costume, and it disgusts me. I understand wanting to use a costume idea that is somebody who isn't the same race as you but be respectful. I ran into a guy over the weekend who was Manti Te'o with his "girlfriend" for Halloween. He was fair skinned with strawberry blonde hair. Did he have body paint or bronzer on as part of the costume? No. People need to find some common sense and think about their actions.
ReplyDeleteAlso, slightly off topic, but did you see the costume of the girl from Michigan who was a Boston Marathon victim for Halloween?
I don't even know what to say. I am speechless at the insensitvity and stupidity of these people. This shouldn't have even crossed their minds as potenital costumes. Also, the fact that their friends didn't stop them from doing this makes me even more upset. The girl in the middle wanted a picture with the two. This honestly makes me sick.
ReplyDeleteI saw this same thing earlier, and while I wasn't as surprised as I wish I could be, it still does strike me as unbelievable how anyone could see this sort of thing as acceptable. I knew racism wasn't dead in America, but this only reinforces that point. Hopefully, we'll be able to at least acknowledge that fact.
ReplyDeleteNoah, I agree that racism hasn't died in America, but that still doesn't make it right. I think people think it is dead because situations may not seem as heavily concentrated as they have been in the past and I think it will be a while before we do acknowledge situations.
ReplyDeleteBritt, it's crazy how people just look over the fact that situations like Trayvon's death and the Boston Marathon are hard situations for the families involved. I think America just needs to take a minute to re-evaluate how they value a person's life and feelings.
Ellyn, to even escalate the pictures, one of the girls in the bottom made a comment that only made people even more mad. She said that black people should be more worried about trying to find out who their fathers are than her costume.