Note to the Media: End the Insipid Blame Games

The death of Trayvon Martin, the Florida teenager who was gunned down by a trigger happy neighborhood watchman, has been covered vigorously and extensively by the media in recent days. It has become a topic of controversy because the watchman, George Zimmerman, claimed that he felt threatened by Martin, even though he was only carrying soda and a bag of Skittles at the time of his death. The story has led many people to question how such a senseless and baffling killing could be carried out. Some speculate that Martin’s killing may have been motivated by racism, because a recording of Zimmerman’s 911 call seems to indicate that he muttered “fucking coons” under his breath as he reported Martin’s supposedly “suspicious” behavior. Others have blamed Florida’s vague and loosely worded “Stand Your Ground” law, which allows for individuals to use deadly force if they feel threatened.

But this past Friday, Fox News analyst Geraldo Rivera presented a horrifyingly narrow-minded theory that pinned the blame for Martin’s death on the hoodie. Yes, the hoodie, the type of jacket that Martin was wearing the day he died. This is what Rivera had to say:

"I am urging the parents of black and Latino youngsters particularly not to let their children go out wearing hoodies. I think the hoodie is as much responsible for Trayvon Martin's death as much as George Zimmerman was. When you see a kid walking down the street, particularly a dark skinned kid…people look at you and, what’s the instant identification, what’s the instant association? It’s those crime scene surveillance tapes…this whole stylizing yourself as a gangsta [will lead people] to perceive you as a menace. 


Trayvon Martin, God bless him, an innocent kid, a wonderful kid, a box of Skittles in his hands. He didn't deserve to die. But I bet you money, if he didn't have that hoodie on, that nutty neighborhood watch guy wouldn't have responded in that violent and aggressive way.”

 - Fox and Friends, March 23rd

First, let me point out the fact that I am a college student who wears a hoodie virtually every day, weather permitting. In fact, the vast majority of my diverse campus does the same thing. Blacks, Whites, Asians, and Latinos all wear hoodies on a regular basis. The vast majority of these students are also good people that simply appreciate the comfort and relative warmth that the oh so nefarious hoodie provides on cool spring and fall days. I can easily surmise that Trayvon Martin felt the same way, since it was cold and rainy outside when he met his end.

But according to Geraldo, all of those students are potential miscreants, just because of the clothing they choose to wear. It doesn’t matter how hard they’ve worked to get where they are, or how many accolades and awards they have received in academics or athletics. They should be feared and mistrusted because their clothing clearly indicates that they’ve done a lot of rotten things. If you see one of those students coming towards you, the best thing to you can do is heighten your guard and prepare for a confrontation.

Can’t you see how utterly sad and disturbing that pattern of thinking is? It’s the exact pattern of thinking that spreads unnecessary racism and stereotyping in our society. Who cares if Trayvon was wearing a hoodie? That doesn’t automatically make him a thug, and it certainly doesn’t give somebody the license to kill him. And Geraldo, of all people, shouldn’t be the one judging people based on their outside appearances. If I was stereotypically judging him for the first time, I would assume that he was a 70’s porno star or a used car salesman, what with the giant mustache and grandiose persona.

Secondly, I am sick and tired of how people in the media are always trying to find some trivial outside entity to blame horrific events on. After the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, the blame for the tragedy was not immediately directed towards the shooters’ parents, or the school’s inability to recognize that they were suffering from severe mental ailments and constant bullying. Rather, the media began pointing the finger at musicians such as Marilyn Manson and video games like Doom and Mortal Kombat. After the 9/11 attacks, Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell attributed the attacks not to Al Qaeda, but to God’s wrath towards the ACLU, federal courts, abortion, and gays. And now we are seeing Trayvon Martin’s death being attributed to his choice of attire, when overzealousness, vaguely worded self defense laws, and perhaps racism were clearly the driving factors behind his death.

Shouldn’t true journalistic pieces be rooted solely in fact, rather than in broad generalizations and worn out stereotypes? If a person plays a first person shooter video game, that doesn’t automatically turn them into a cold blooded killer. If innocent people are killed in a mass death event, such as a terrorist attack or an earthquake, that doesn’t mean that they were the victims of some almighty being’s wrath. And if a person decides to wear a hoodie, that alone doesn’t turn them into gun toting mugger. Geraldo Rivera and other talking heads who engage in this type of speculation should be ashamed of themselves. The press plays this insipid, paranoia driven blame game constantly, and I along with many other Americans have lost our patience with it. We want to know the true nature of Trayvon Martin’s death. The Trayvon Martin story is about an unarmed, innocent teenager who was senselessly gunned down for reasons that are not yet 100% clear. Reporters should focus on shedding light on those unknown reasons, rather than providing us with fashion critiques about a particular type of jacket.

Towards the end of Geraldo’s rant, he said that “you cannot rehabilitate the hoodie”. The hoodie doesn’t need rehabilitation. What needs rehabilitation is the sensationalistic and speculative drivel that is being passed off as journalism to millions of Americans. Trayvon Martin deserved better in his final moments, and we as a nation deserve better in our attempts to find out why he was killed.