Trayvon Martin Article
Bryant Ogbonda
12/18/14
SSC 101
Prof. Brown
Trayvon Martin Article Dr. Brown’s article “Requiem for Trayvon Martin: When Will America Stop Destroying the Lives of Black Boys” moved me as I was thoroughly reading it. I felt a sense of anger and disbelief running through my mind without realizing till I finished. The anger came from the verdict of Trayvon Martin’s case against George Zimmerman. And the disbelief came from the fact that white people tried to justify George Zimmerman’s actions by stating that historically black men are violent creatures so you can never be “too careful”. The main argument of the article is that blacks are arrested, prosecuted, and sentenced more harshly than whites, for similar criminal offenses. It still amazes me how the skin color you are born with can ultimately define your life, lifestyle, or whether you deserve to die or not. Dr. Brown’s article was well written and provided many sources for the information he presented the reader with. One thing I liked was the fact that he gave the reader an unpopular view of the standard conservative white man, from none other than Mr. Bill O’reilly. I know of Mr. O’reilly because my mom watches the Fox News network to hear the opinions of conservatives compared to liberal networks like MSNBC. But, for some reason whenever I hear her talking back to the television it’s always a disagreement with whatever Bill O’reilly, who’s a commentator on Fox News, has to say. In the article Dr. Brown showed an example of how the majority of America viewed the outcome of the Trayvon Martin trial. He stated that, “Bill O’Reilly aptly captured the dominant rationale used to justify the violation of black Americans, in general, and black males’, in particular, legal and civil rights. That is, Mr. O’Reilly when responding to President Obama’s speech regarding the not guilty verdict in the Trayvon Martin[3] case remarked”:
“… It was wrong for Zimmerman to confront Martin based on his appearance. But, the
12/18/14
SSC 101
Prof. Brown
Trayvon Martin Article Dr. Brown’s article “Requiem for Trayvon Martin: When Will America Stop Destroying the Lives of Black Boys” moved me as I was thoroughly reading it. I felt a sense of anger and disbelief running through my mind without realizing till I finished. The anger came from the verdict of Trayvon Martin’s case against George Zimmerman. And the disbelief came from the fact that white people tried to justify George Zimmerman’s actions by stating that historically black men are violent creatures so you can never be “too careful”. The main argument of the article is that blacks are arrested, prosecuted, and sentenced more harshly than whites, for similar criminal offenses. It still amazes me how the skin color you are born with can ultimately define your life, lifestyle, or whether you deserve to die or not. Dr. Brown’s article was well written and provided many sources for the information he presented the reader with. One thing I liked was the fact that he gave the reader an unpopular view of the standard conservative white man, from none other than Mr. Bill O’reilly. I know of Mr. O’reilly because my mom watches the Fox News network to hear the opinions of conservatives compared to liberal networks like MSNBC. But, for some reason whenever I hear her talking back to the television it’s always a disagreement with whatever Bill O’reilly, who’s a commentator on Fox News, has to say. In the article Dr. Brown showed an example of how the majority of America viewed the outcome of the Trayvon Martin trial. He stated that, “Bill O’Reilly aptly captured the dominant rationale used to justify the violation of black Americans, in general, and black males’, in particular, legal and civil rights. That is, Mr. O’Reilly when responding to President Obama’s speech regarding the not guilty verdict in the Trayvon Martin[3] case remarked”:
“… It was wrong for Zimmerman to confront Martin based on his appearance. But, the