A black boy, Trayvon Martin, wearing a hoodie was fatally shot by a volunteer neighborhood watchman in Florida. The volunteer claims that the boy was looking suspicious and attacked him. He also says he shot Mr. Martin in self-defense. The teen, Trayvon, was only 17 when he got murdered by George Zimmerman, the volunteer and has been proved that he only carried some candy. Meanwhile Mr. Zimmerman was patrolling---passing by---when they encountered and deemed Trayvon “suspicious”. As much as everyone believes that Mr. Zimmerman has to be brought to justice, trialed, and apprehended. Yes, George Zimmerman has not even been denied usage from his gun. Up to this day the parents of Trayvon are searching for justice to be done. They’ve manifested peacefully in the streets asking for justice and no more racism.
Prejudice can lead to injustice by matters like this. Zimmerman had believed Trayvon was going to attack him just because he was wearing a hooded sweater, a hoodie. Adding the fact that he was black Zimmerman had thought that he would win the trials placed in front of him but he is wrong. Times have changed, skin color doesn’t matter. Prejudice can lead to injustice mainly by its own name that signifies judging a book by its cover. Many times a trial or a trivial event is given to the one who doesn’t deserve it because he is of a “superior” race. This is not true as everyone is equal but many think that “everyone is equal but some are more equal than others” –Animal farm, George Orwell. Unfortunately prejudice is part of our daily life. Like Zimmerman he used prejudice to guide him into killing innocent Trayvon. Like many people and Mr. Zimmerman prejudice has become part of the daily life.
The responsibilities that all individuals have to protect the innocent is to free them from harm---Let them live in a world without fear of being themselves. One has the responsibility to make sure history does not repeat itself. To do this we as a whole need to get rid of many things, mainly prejudice. What I’m trying to say is that for the world to function, for the world to no longer live in fear that someone might do something to you. For the world not to fear that they might get shot for looking suspicious just because they are wearing a hoodie.
When people fear what they do not understand they find themselves trapped with feelings of anxiety, dread, and despair. This is what Mr. Zimmerman must have felt when he thought Trayvon was suspicious. When people fear what they don’t understand they take action based on irrational thinking, they don’t think of the cause and effect what they are doing might have.
Gender stereotypes influence people’s behavior into making them do irrational things. As it happened on this occasion the gender stereotype was the one a black boy with a hoodie looking “thug” like. These type of stereotypes are between the worst, as to say that each of them is bad. Just because he is of one skin color, black in this case, doesn’t mean he’s in a gang or caring a gun around. Hell, would Zimmerman have shut it if was an asian, or a Russian, or an Aussie? It is in moments of judgment that stereotypes are mostly followed so do you think that Zimmerman would have shot if Tayvon wasn’t black?
