Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Martin Trayvon Case - How Europe has come to think shallow and doesn't understand anyone but themselves

So, the Trayvon case is coming to an end. The jury has some words to say and show that opinions diverge a lot. I actually have not much to say about it. It is a case of lower class black guy gets shot by upper class hispanics. Now, I don't have a problem with either, but I am living in Europe, were the only Black guys and Hispanics you see, are either upper class Africans and very nice or Spaniards and old-school Europeans at that.

The US is different and the description of ghettos as poor, violent areas is not an understatement. They live in different cultures, especially since Zimmerman was born to a richer than usual family. That's why he was in the neighbourhood watch or rather that's why he lived in an area with such a watch.

I can only join the statement of the jury and acquit Zimmerman of all charges, because the case against him is weak. In dubio pro reo holds in this case, as in all others of doubtful evidence. The state attorney really did present a weak case and many of the wittnesses for the prosecution were not that convincing. The defense presented a solid case for self-defence. Perhaps it would have been different imo, if they didn't have a forensic investigator doing the balistics. However, due to the balistic evidence, it was clear that Trayvon was on top of Zimmerman, when he shot him, probably dealing fist damage.

Now my European colleagues might complain that Zimmerman should not have shot, that it was only fists and no knife and that it wouldn't have been that bad. I disagree and believe that those guys never have been beaten up or don't understand the pain you are going through.

If this was your everday black vs. hispanic late-teen thing, than we have to people who are short-tempered and ready for violence. In this case none of the two will de-escalate and a fight would be brutal and probably final (as it turned out). I think both could have acted differently to diffuse the situation, but I believe Zimmerman when he says that it was a measure of last resort and that he only wanted to confront Trayvon.

Of course, the public sees it differently and the typical black instigators (and you really have to call them that) jump to conclusions and to the occassion. The worst is that the media is not guiltless, because they portrayed it as an issue between blacks and whites, which is not true. It is also not a case of the debatable stand-your-ground laws in the US.

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