Obama: "Trayvon Martin could have been me."

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entremet

Member
This thread illustrates how much of a balancing act Obama needs to do on racial issues.

And people who say he should stay out of this don't see how in this nations racial history ignoring the problem or believing it does not exist benefited the status quo and hindered progress.
 

coldfoot

Banned
It's obvious that changing the 2nd amendment is a no go and I'm not so sure about it anyways, but we can certainly have laws that demand gun carrying citizens to be as responsible as the police, and I mean the real police, not LAPD.
If you have a gun, and result in someone's death in a situation that could be avoided, you go to jail, plain and simple, because as a gun owner, you have more responsibility than someone who doesn't.
 

AkuMifune

Banned
no he fucking shouldnt

Agreed. Second term, speak out already.

He's the leader of the free world, as they say, about time someone spoke up for the causal bigotry that exists in our society.

This whole trial, and how how country has reacted to it, makes me sick.
 

Pollux

Member
Uhh, no. It isn't

Obama is 50% black and 50% white. Zimmerman is 50% hisanic and 50% white. Obama self-identifies as black, so we consider him black. Zimmerman self-identifies as hispanic --- but hispanic shoots black teen doesn't sound that good....
 

Tamanon

Banned
Obama is 50% black and 50% white. Zimmerman is 50% hisanic and 50% white. Obama self-identifies as black, so we consider him black. Zimmerman self-identifies as hispanic --- but hispanic shoots black teen doesn't sound that good....

? You can be white and hispanic.
 

delirium

Member
Obama is 50% black and 50% white. Zimmerman is 50% hisanic and 50% white. Obama self-identifies as black, so we consider him black. Zimmerman self-identifies as hispanic --- but hispanic shoots black teen doesn't sound that good....
I'm sorry but 99% of people if they saw Obama and didn't know he was 1/2 white would say he's completely black.
 

casmith07

Member
This thread illustrates how much of a balancing act Obama needs to do on racial issues.

And people who say he should stay out of this don't see how in this nations racial history ignoring the problem or believing it does not exist benefited the status quo and hindered progress.

It's the willful ignorance status quo. "I don't want to talk about it, therefore it doesn't exist."

Nothing the POTUS said is out of place. In fact, he should be talking about it. He's the motherfucking President.
 
Obama is 50% black and 50% white. Zimmerman is 50% hisanic and 50% white. Obama self-identifies as black, so we consider him black. Zimmerman self-identifies as hispanic --- but hispanic shoots black teen doesn't sound that good....

Except you're the one bringing Zimmerman's race into it. The issue is a BLACK teen's experiences with racism. How this point went over your head is beyond me. And before you go bringing up the second paragraph, it was more the point that a black teen wouldn't have gotten away with a similar act. It's the same way blacks minors are more likely tried as adults than other races
 
Obama is 50% black and 50% white. Zimmerman is 50% hisanic and 50% white. Obama self-identifies as black, so we consider him black. Zimmerman self-identifies as hispanic --- but hispanic shoots black teen doesn't sound that good....

Hold on, so Hispanics or any other minority can't have racial prejudice against blacks?
 

Anbokr

Bull on a Donut
It's obvious that changing the 2nd amendment is a no go and I'm not so sure about it anyways, but we can certainly have laws that demand gun carrying citizens to be as responsible as the police, and I mean the real police, not LAPD.
If you have a gun, and result in someone's death in a situation that could be avoided, you go to jail, plain and simple, because as a gun owner, you have more responsibility than someone who doesn't.

You can't "change" the second amendment per say but the second amendment is so ambiguous that it has been reinterpreted many times over the history of the United States. The most recent interpretation of "any citizen has the right to own a HANDgun" is fairly recent if my history is correct (could be wrong). That's why states are free to restrict assault rifles and the like.
 

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BLACKLAC

Member
I didn't say Obama was in "deep trouble". Stop making things up.

You tried to insinuate that he was so politically hurt by the NSA that he would purposefully stoke the flames to cover it up.

Which is stupid. You were called out on it and are now currently backpedaling.
 

Socreges

Banned
Obama is 50% black and 50% white. Zimmerman is 50% hisanic and 50% white. Obama self-identifies as black, so we consider him black. Zimmerman self-identifies as hispanic --- but hispanic shoots black teen doesn't sound that good....
Do you live in a vacuum? You've got it backwards.
 

Aristion

Banned
Obama is 50% black and 50% white. Zimmerman is 50% hisanic and 50% white. Obama self-identifies as black, so we consider him black. Zimmerman self-identifies as hispanic --- but hispanic shoots black teen doesn't sound that good....

Hispanic isn't a race so I'm not sure what you're getting at.

Do you live in a vacuum? You've got it backwards.

Yup. Obama is only black because society identifies him as black. Genetic background means nothing when it comes to societal racial classification.
 
I get people who would rather our President keep his distance from hot button issues...if he came out and said "the verdict is unjust", I might even agree with you (even though I, too, see the verdict as unjust...the letter of the law was followed, for better or worse).

But expressing empathy for the young victim of this crime is hardly controversial, and if you find it divisive to show empathy I really have to question your judgement.
 
The most recent interpretation of "any citizen has the right to own a gun" is fairly recent if my history is correct (could be wrong).

It's complicated, but yes. Until a few years ago, the Second Amendment had not been interpreted to either apply directly to individuals or to apply to the states (it previously applied to federal law and districts, like Washington, D.C.).
 

Jangocube

Banned
You tried to insinuate that he was so politically hurt by the NSA that he would purposefully stoke the flames to cover it up.

Which is stupid. You were called out on it and are now currently backtracking.

I didn't backtrack. Where did you read that?
 

GreekWolf

Member
Racial tensions are already high, I think you meant to say "makes white people have to think about racism."

No, that's not what I meant to say at all. Which group of white people do you think might possibly be compelled to think deeper about the underlying issues? Certainly not the braindead soccer moms and white collar joes, residing within the safety bubble of suburbia, which is almost certainly the demographic that needs a healthy dose of self-reflection.
 

Tenks

Member
I've almost replied to this thread about three times but I had a dream last night where I got banned from NeoGAF again. So I'm not trying to fulfill that prophecy. There is nothing good to be had in this thread.
 

Zhengi

Member
It definitely could have been President Obama and/or anyone else. However, the outcome might have been different with each individual person. Would there have been a physical confrontation if the person was someone else? Not necessarily. Every person is different in temperament and in the way they deal with confrontation.
 

Shrennin

Didn't get the memo regarding the 14th Amendment
President Obama is one of the people who absolutely should be involved in this. He's black, and the case of Trayvon Martin is entirely about race. We need to tear this discussion open, and the president speaking about it is a perfect way to try and start that.

Is it entirely about race? Last I heard, evidence pointed toward Zimmerman not profiling Martin based on his race. It's being made about race, but I don't see much evidence pointing toward the original case being about race at all (in regards to Zimmerman's motivations for what happened that night). I haven't even heard any specific juror say it could have been about race - in fact, all of the ones that I have heard speak out have said the opposite.

This seems like a poorly chosen case for this type of argument.
 

akira28

Member
I never pictured Obama as the type to have a picture of a gun on his bed.

Trayvon was a gangster wanna-be, something Obama wasn't.

I have had guns, pictures of guns, pictures of me holding guns, a shirt with a gun on it that could be considered gang-banger material. Am I a gangster wanna-be?
 
Just saw this, shameful. No way around it.



LMAO. 'Cause racism is over and we should suppress any discourse on the objective disparity in equality blacks face when dealing with any law enforcement scenario. Damnit Obama, now we might have to get off of our lazy asses and have a conversation!



--- this is about as bold of a statement he could make without people igniting the pitchforks.
 
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