They're Lying

by Stephanie Rogers, Co-Founder and Managing Editor of Bitch Flicks

[Content Note: Racism; violence.]

Last night, I got into an argument on Facebook. With my grandma. Why? Because of the Zimmerman acquittal. I'd been fighting with her kids—my conservative (white) uncles—on Facebook the whole week leading up to the verdict. Nasty e-mails and text messages have been flying all over the place in this family. So, in the aftermath of the verdict, and their subsequent gloating on Facebook, I've honestly been trying to understand the Zimmerman trial from their perspective. And I came to the conclusion that, for them, this trial was about their Zimmerman's rights.

It was about their Zimmerman's right to carry a concealed weapon.

It was about their Zimmerman's right as a member of the Neighborhood Watch to patrol his neighborhood and protect it from any further home invasions.

It was about their Zimmerman's right to ignore an emergency dispatcher's orders to stop following Martin—because a dispatcher is NOT the same as, and doesn't have the same authority as, a police officer.

It was about their Zimmerman's right to get out of his car and follow someone who was on private property and looked suspicious.

It was about their Zimmerman's right to defend himself, to stand his ground, when confronted by Trayvon Martin.

It was about their Zimmerman's right NOT to be a victim.

Essentially, this trial had little to do with Zimmerman for my conservative relatives. It was about their rights. Who knows when they might be in a similar situation? Who knows when they might need to protect themselves, their families, their neighbors, their property, only to be attacked and forced to defend themselves with lethal force? And if it were to happen to them, why should they be on trial for exercising their rights?

They unquestionably identify with Zimmerman's fear of a black teenager. They refuse to acknowledge Trayvon Martin's fear of being stalked by a stranger.

Last night, my grandma asked me on Facebook, "Why does everything have to be a race issue?"

Where does one begin?

I want to be able to talk to people in my family about these things. I love them. But I find their viewpoints despicable. And it's difficult to separate someone's viewpoints from who they are, fundamentally, as people. I realized right when she asked the question, "Why does everything have to be a race issue?" that I'd never be able to talk to them about how this trial was never anything other than a "race issue." To even be asked a question like that after a man followed an unarmed black teenager and killed him … where does one begin?

My mother (a person who understands that racism is still a thing) tells me to ignore them, that they've lived their whole lives in a bubble of unchallenged privilege, that nothing I say will make a difference. She's right. But for those of us who understand that George Zimmerman literally just got away with murder, it's harder to let this one go.

I've been wondering why.

I don't engage my conservative relatives in debates about abortion. I know better. I don't engage them in debates about universal healthcare or gay rights or gun control. I know I won't change their minds. They know they won't change mine (although they love to get a rise out of me).

It's harder to let this one go.

Maybe it's because I think, this time, they're lying.

I think they genuinely believe that abortion is equivalent to murdering babies. I think they genuinely believe that universal healthcare would be bad for the country, for reasons that are unfounded, but I think they believe it. I think they genuinely believe homosexuals are an abomination, because their religion tells them so. And I think they genuinely believe the second amendment protects their right to own any kind of gun they desire.

I don't think they believe the killing of Trayvon Martin had nothing to do with race.

I think, this time, they're lying.

They know, deep down, that George Zimmerman wouldn't have followed a white teenager. They know, deep down, that when George Zimmerman told the dispatcher that, "these assholes, they always get away," he wasn't referring to white teenagers. They know, deep down, that a black man who'd murdered a white teenager in similar circumstances would be spending his life in prison right now.

But for them to admit these facts out loud would mean admitting their own fear of black teenage boys, their own racism. It would mean saying out loud what they truly believe—that Trayvon Martin deserved what he got.

Instead, they say, "I would've done the same thing," pretending to believe that Zimmerman was protecting himself from Martin, not the other way around. The jury pretended to believe it, too. And none of them will acknowledge what this trial always should've been about—Trayvon Martin's rights.

It should've been about Martin's right to carry a bag of Skittles and a bottle of Iced Tea without fear of consequences.

It should've been about Martin's right to walk around at night, wearing a hoodie, while talking to his friend on the phone.

It should've been about Martin's right to not be stalked by a man concealing a gun who ignored explicit orders to leave Martin alone.

It should've been about Martin's right to think a man following him in a car, and later on foot, looked suspicious.

It should've been about Martin's right to defend himself, to stand his ground, when a man who'd been following him in a car decided to confront him.

It should've been about Martin's right NOT to be a victim.

This trial should've been about George Zimmerman's violation of Trayvon Martin's rights.

Zimmerman called the police. He reported a black teenager in his late teens who was "just staring at [him]" and had "something in his hands." The dispatcher informed Zimmerman that an officer was on the way. Zimmerman gave directions to where he was. And then he said, "Shit. He's running."

It should've ended there.

But Zimmerman followed Martin. He killed him. He killed him because "these asshole, they always get away." Martin was a black teenager with the audacity to walk through a gated community. Didn't he know his place?

My relatives and all the other racists out there—including the members of the jury—can pretend all they want that Trayvon Martin's murder had nothing to do with race.

They're lying.