Does anyone think George Zimmerman is guilty of murder?

[Beanz]

So true.

Wonder what the verdict would have been if roles were reversed?.

Well we kinda did have a black George Zimmerman, named Roderick Scott.

40 year old Roderick Scott, a black man, confronted a 17 year old white kid who was breaking into cars on his neighbourhood. Roderick pulled out a gun and ordered the kid to freeze until the cops came. The kid apparently started coming towards Scott, so he opened fire, killing the kid.

Charges were completely dropped.

I doubt many people (if any) here have heard about this case. It doesn't make for such a compelling story when it's the other way around.

That would have been met with the same disbelief here in Europe and in the UK people would expect to see him charged with murder. Its not about race. The idea that only white people are capable of racism is also a ridiculous one, some latinos and asian bigots are often much more vociferously anti black than white people, so that is a red herring.

[El Kabong]

The idea that only white people are capable of racism is also a ridiculous one

Tell that to Eric Holder, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, and the entire MSNBC network

[Beanz]

What part of "its not about race" do you not understand?

[VictorCharlie]

GB are you saying the story was covered in the UK totally devoid of racial overtones? Personally I'm shocked it was even considered news in the UK. I can't imagine a UK murder case being reported on in the US barring a celebrity involvement.

[Beanz]

GB are you saying the story was covered in the UK totally devoid of racial overtones? Personally I'm shocked it was even considered news in the UK. I can't imagine a UK murder case being reported on in the US barring a celebrity involvement.

The media is different here but I was referring to the reaction of British people rather than how it was presented by the media. Our respective countries are much more different than many people (particularly here on this forum) would have you believe. When you live in a country where firearms are not seen as necessary or desirable then a story in which one civilian shoots another dead outside of his home is met with disbelief.

[VictorCharlie]

The media is different here but I was referring to the reaction of British people rather than how it was presented by the media. Our respective countries are much more different than many people (particularly here on this forum) would have you believe. When you live in a country where firearms are not seen as necessary or desirable then a story in which one civilian shoots another dead outside of his home is met with disbelief.

I get the bolded part. It is a massive cultural divide. That point is illustrated even more that it is the race baiting that makes the story sensational here rather than the actual act itself.

[TitoFan]

GB are you saying the story was covered in the UK totally devoid of racial overtones? Personally I'm shocked it was even considered news in the UK. I can't imagine a UK murder case being reported on in the US barring a celebrity involvement.

The media is different here but I was referring to the reaction of British people rather than how it was presented by the media. Our respective countries are much more different than many people (particularly here on this forum) would have you believe. When you live in a country where firearms are not seen as necessary or desirable then a story in which one civilian shoots another dead outside of his home is met with disbelief.

I can understand that. I would then venture to say that depending on the amount of coverage you get from U.S. news, you're probably in a state of constant disbelief.

[Beanflicker]

[QUOTE=Greenbeanz;1214624]

When you live in a country where firearms are not seen as necessary or desirable then a story in which one civilian shoots another dead outside of his home is met with disbelief.

Ok well take the gun out of the equation.

Lets create a complete hypothetical and we'll transplant this whole incident over to England. Everything's the same, only the ending is changed. George Zimmerman, being from England, he doesn't have a gun. Instead, while Trayvon is on top of him throwing punches, he grabs a broken beer bottle that was lying near his head, stabs Trayvon in the chest, and Trayvon drops dead on the lawn.

Does this change how you feel about the situation?

[El Kabong]

[QUOTE=Beanflicker;1214910]

When you live in a country where firearms are not seen as necessary or desirable then a story in which one civilian shoots another dead outside of his home is met with disbelief.

Ok well take the gun out of the equation.

Lets create a complete hypothetical and we'll transplant this whole incident over to England. Everything's the same, only the ending is changed. George Zimmerman, being from England, he doesn't have a gun. Instead, while Trayvon is on top of him throwing punches, he grabs a broken beer bottle that was lying near his head, stabs Trayvon in the chest, and Trayvon drops dead on the lawn.

Does this change how you feel about the situation?

Littering is illegal in England

[Beanz]

[QUOTE=Beanflicker;1214910]

When you live in a country where firearms are not seen as necessary or desirable then a story in which one civilian shoots another dead outside of his home is met with disbelief.

Ok well take the gun out of the equation.

Lets create a complete hypothetical and we'll transplant this whole incident over to England. Everything's the same, only the ending is changed. George Zimmerman, being from England, he doesn't have a gun. Instead, while Trayvon is on top of him throwing punches, he grabs a broken beer bottle that was lying near his head, stabs Trayvon in the chest, and Trayvon drops dead on the lawn.

Does this change how you feel about the situation?

That is a very clumsy comparison. You are transplanting an armed assailant following an innocent civilian into a situation in which he is suddenly "the victim". An English citizen would not take the law into their own hands and follow someone simply because they were Black, unless they were a Police officer. Armed response units in the UK have firearms not broken bottles.

[Beanflicker]

What part of "its not about race" do you not understand?

If you want to live in your bubble that's fine, but this was a huge racial issue in North America.

[Beanflicker]

Its not about race. The idea that only white people are capable of racism is also a ridiculous one, some latinos and asian bigots are often much more vociferously anti black than white people, so that is a red herring.

I'm not sure what kind of coverage they had of the Zimmerman incident in England, but over here it was very much a racial thing.

A red herring? I simply mentioned it because that's the way it was portrayed by the media: white man guns down black child. It's not as interesting if it's a minority killing another minority.

I gave you numerous other facts involving Zimmerman that point to him NOT being racist against blacks. Why don't you try to argue one of those points?

Why don't you explain to me why a supposed homicidal racist who was just itching to kill a black guy would take a black girl as his date to the prom?

Why don't you explain to me why this supposed racist was so outraged when he learned that a white man got away scot-free with beating the shit out of a black man, that he organized petitions and movements to have the white guy charged for a hate crime?

Why don't you explain to me why a homicidal racist would mentor black children in his spare time?