deep thoughts

I have so many thoughts knocking about in my head, that I feel the need to write them down.  I would go via facebook, but I am a coward.  I worry about what some of my "friends" who do not share my thoughts would think.  I wonder what parents of former students would think....... but I need to share and vent.

Trayvon Martin's death is a tragedy and a loss.  However, what would people be saying if things had gone differently.  What if George Zimmerman was the one who was dead instead?  What then?  Would anyone even care? Perhaps not, but since things went horribly wrong, this is what we are left with.

I am not saying Mr. Zimmerman was right in his actions.  I am not defending Trayvon. Both were in the wrong place at the wrong time and made bad choices.  One is dead and the other must live with regret.  My problem lies in how we are dealing with the aftermath of it all.  I have too many friends that are calling GM a stalker.  "What do I tell my child?" they ask.  Well, I'm gonna tell ya.  The same thing I will tell mine, and the same thing TM's should have told him.

1. You are young.  Right or wrong adults will make assumptions about you.  Be mindful of how you present your self. Try not to travel alone, especially after dark.

2.  If someone is following you or bothering you, call 911, then call me or dad.  Tell the person you have done so, then try to get to a more public place.

3.  You do not owe any explanation, but do not convey guilt. DO not make first move, but fight back if needed.

Life is not fair, the world is not fair.  I have been stopped by the police (for being white in the wrong neighborhood, for parking my car near a used car lot and walking to a friend's apartment, for drinking an ibc root beer in a park.......).  I have been asked to leave stores, I have been refused service, I have been stalked, I have been sexually harassed, I have been raped......  ALL BECAUSE OF HOW I LOOK!  Yes, I do have certain advantages due to my race. But I have also faced disadvantages for being white. For being nice. For being small. For being female.  The best thing you can do is be a good person, watch your back and try to not make foolish, emotional driven choices in the face of danger.  Know that a person's first impression of you might not be a positive one.