The Trayvon Martin case 2

Both attorneys repeatedly refused to reveal Zimmerman's location but insinuated that he is no longer in Florida. "You can stop looking in Florida. look much further away than that."

Sorry, but that boarders conspiracy theory. The highway system was long on its way before Ike launched the Interstate Highway System.

Hahah, did I used to be super conservative on here? I was basically raised to believe that Republicans encourage hard work while Democrats want to give all your money to lazy people, so I was definitely a fiscal conservative. I don't remember talking politics a lot on here before, but if I did then I guess that showed. On that note, I just want to make a point that I've always supported gay marriage, abortion rights, and racial equality, although in the latter case I developed this mentality that the entire country was as open-minded as where I grew up, so I never thought that blacks were really being treated unfairly in cases like this and immediately dismissed those notions as trying to shift the blame and make excuses. I'd been slowly turning liberal since Obama's election, but it got sped up like hell with the Tea Party movement. I started to actually really follow politics last year, and also my brother became a huge liberal by that point, so that's when my perspective changed entirely. Ironically, though, my school has a lot of conservatives and even a number of conservative professors, so there's no way it was much of an influence (even though I know you were kidding). But I went on way longer than I thought about myself so I'll just get back to the case at hand.

I do blame megacorps for destroying neighborhoods and creating ghettos. Historic example: Goodyear's hand in creating the highway system. They got Dwight Eisenhower to agree that cars were the future, and lobbied for buses to be used instead of light rail. Short-run trains were neglected and soon decommissioned in many cities. (Los Angeles used to have great public transit. Look at it now.) The new highway system divided neighborhoods and encouraged white flight. Which led to blockbusting and other nasty practices. The fabric of many American communities all over, destroyed. All because Goodyear wanted to sell more tires. I have way simplified the story, but that's where it starts.

When there are government mandated quotas that favor certain races then there isn't much of an excuse.

...its a huge domino effect, but you can't blame businesses for the problems in the ghetto.

That's great if you're talking about one person, I'm not sure. But in the big picture it's a flawed concept. Pulling one's self up by the bootstraps may be possible for any person, but it isn't for every person.

...There are plenty of opportunities for minorities in this country if they will simply try...As far as society is concerned yes there is still racism and it impacts all of us, but when it comes to jobs and minorities claiming that they can't move up from the slums I don't believe it one bit.

I see that college has indoctrinated you with the liberal agenda, Mezase. I'm just kidding, of course.

Prejudice and discrimination, either direct or indirect, still exist, but I don't buy that they are only subconscious.

What I meant by my statement was that I don't see racism ending within the next few generations. Yes, younger people are more likely to be liberal about a lot of issues like religion, abortion, and marriage, but race is different.

Residents of Rocinha, one of the most dangerous slums in all of South America, take to the roof of their homes to fly kites, relax and visit with one another."

Years of segregation (some by self omission, but most not) has created what we know as the "black culture" which the term alone is very broad. What some consider being black is insult to blacks everywhere.

Unfortunately the ghetto form of it goes against what is socially acceptable by other races. Many blacks rejects this, but to some the "being black" is what is right in their mind. It includes certain vocabulary, dress and way of thinking. When someone grows up around this and nothing else it is what they deem as social acceptable. It's no different than with any other culture. When the ghetto crowd get outside their realm they run into conflicts with the general population because much of it is opposite of what is socially acceptable by most. Even if they are raised well at home the social pressures and influences outside get in the way. Even a school in a nice area can be greatly influenced by the ghetto mentality of a few. The media (music and movies) glorifying it doesn't help either. You see kids of all races adapting this mindset and it holds them back as well. I may piss some off, but I contribute it to the overall decline of our society.

There is no black, white or brown way to do things, only the right way. As long as they separate themselves from the rest of the world and "stay black" they will continue to have problems. While society has become more tolerable to the so called black culture, the ghetto mentality will never be accepted no matter how much people try.

I think Trayvon Martin may have bought into a lot of this and it lead to his death. Yes I still think Zimmerman more than likely is to blame, but we must look at what made him a target in a complex with other black residents and how he responded.