Apparently... Hoodies Are Dangerous!

Geraldo Rivera provides an alternative explanation for racial profiling and discrimination, and some parenting advice. Hoodies.

I own a few hoodies, but I guess if I go with Rivera's comments, I'm not subject to being shot because I'm not black? Rivera states, "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..."

ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW...?

First of all, Rivera says the hoodie is just as responsible as Zimmerman because the hoodie is associated with violence, criminal and gang related activities and so on.
Let's be real. Were black people tortured, lynched, burned, killed and enslaved because they wore hoodies?
I swear it was because of hegemony, power-based violence, racism, discrimination, prejudice... need I go on?

I understand partially of what Rivera is saying. I mean, many people may look at a black or latino man with a hoodie and get feelings of suspicion. But IT IS NOT BECAUSE OF THE HOODIE.
Geraldo is not only classifying the hoodie as the reason for violence, but he also shows WHO wears the hoodie that is dangerous. Let's face it, if I was wearing one, I wouldn't be subject to Zimmerman targeting me. It is about who is wearing it--- a black or latino male.

Doesn't this sound a lot like subjecting someone to hate crimes and tortures because they wear a burqa or a turbin because in ignorant people's minds, they're apparently associated with 9/11?

Doesn't this sound a lot like the Toronto Police Officer who held a presentation at York University claiming that if women didn't want to get raped, they should stop dressing like sluts?

Why is it that people dressing a certain way subjects them to violence and discrimination and why should people stop dressing the way they want because people like Zimmerman are narrow-minded and ignorant?

Why should we change the way we dress, speak, walk, and LIVE to the likeness of people like Zimmerman?

Is Rivera saying that if Martin was wearing a dress shirt that he wouldn't have been shot? 
What if he was wearing a dress shirt and holding a knife versus a hoodie and holding a pack of Skittles?

Hoodies aren't representative of criminals, hoodies are representative of the ignorant minds that believe all hoodie-wearing black and latino teens are criminals. Ignorant minds including Geraldo Rivera.
Blaming the hoodie takes blame away from people like Zimmerman... the trigger-happy, power tripping, cop wannabe.
It is also an issue of who belongs where. Perhaps Zimmerman believed Martin didn't belong in his community. In addition, it is that Zimmerman felt the threat of black masculinity, and classified black men as a danger to his own.

Geraldo Rivera claimed that after he made those comments, his own son told him he was ashamed of him and his comments. If the media outrage wasn't a clue, perhaps your own son being ashamed of you is.
Geraldo is saying "don't let your children wear hoodies", instead of saying, "don't be racist".
There is a big difference.


WE DONT NEED TO CHANGE OUR CLOTHES
WE NEED TO CHANGE THE WAY WE THINK

Light Skin vs. Dark Skin

Ohio: Club Promoters decide to take the trending topic to the clubs

Discrimination and privilege isn't manifested between races, but within races as well. Think of your own race, and think of the hierarchies within your race based on skin tone, citizenship, "authenticity"...
You don't have to be black to relate to what I am saying in this post. Competition exists WITHIN races, WITHIN genders, WITHIN any social marker. But blackness is used as an example due to the recent events mentioned.....

If you're on Twitter, you've heard of the hashtag/trending topic #TeamLightSkinned and #TeamDarkSkinned. Although Twitter is known for its humourous trending topics, there is a far more cultural, political and historical context to the skin tones of the black community that makes it offensive. It is worse when this is taken beyond Twitter, and into the real lives of real black people.

Behind the anonymity of Twitter and other social networking sites, people will tweet anything, without the fear of getting caught, without personal responsibility and without the concern that their tweets reflect on their own self-worth.

Aside from the controversy from the event pictured above in Ohio, there was another one last month:

Black women labelled light or dark skinned were put into competition. How is this judged exactly? ... Are black women who are light seen as more attractive so they may win the competition? How black women who are dark skinned seen as more "authentic" so that is their chance?
How do you even bring yourself to rate black women based on their skin tones. Do black women not have more value than this?--- Where is the respect?

How you define your identity is not just through how you view yourself. It is a reflection of others, practices, institutions etc. If you are black and you took part in this trending topic on Twitter, how do you identify your blackness?

During the slavery days, "mullattos" were given more privileges for having a skin one "closer" to Whites. Perhaps slavery is over... but isn't it clear that racial privilege a race still exists?

Jay Smooth: "Who are you?" "What are you?"

Have you ever been asked, "WHAT ARE YOU?" as a conversation starter on your identity? 

Jay Smooth ( real name John Randolph) is the founder of New York's hip hop program Underground Railroad. He addresses the conflicts of his identity of a "mixed race" and how this, in turn, impacted his life. He shares his story about what it is like to grow up with this type of identity--- yet I think we can all somewhat identify with "WHAT ARE YOU?" type of questions, even if we aren't of a mixed race.

Jay Smooth- How I Learned to Stop Worrying

and Love Discussing Race

Jay Smooth- How To Tell People They

Sound Racist

You can see Smooth's video blog site here

Enjoy :)