Hacker News Reader

Comment by ealloc | Hacker News Reader

Hold on. Why do so many civil liberty proponents such as yourself insist on dismissing and trivializing the Trayvon Martin case?

Isn't it possible to care about both racism and wiretapping/drones/secrecy a the same time?

Isn't racism one of the most serious issues in the US?

Why are you so sure any riots were 'incited by the media', rather than an autonomous response from the many people directly affected by racism?

View on HN

As a black man, who grew up in the "ghetto", seen friends killed by former friends, and robbed by my own friends, I learned a little bit to know that if you are going to go out into the streets against the same government (if at best, most of the time it is just to rob some stores and burn down a popeyes in anger) that commits acts of violence against is own citizens extrajudicially, then you aren't really trying to solve any problems…

civil liberty proponents

I just love it when people place this label upon me because I adapted to train of thought of not wanting to fight anyone else's battles… when you get called a nigger by refs at your soccer games when you're the only black kid on the field and keep on playing with your team because you just want to play, come back and tell me how I should respond.

Both are serious issues, but the mainstream coverage and outcry over the Trayvon Martin case drastically overshadowed Abdulrahman al-Awlaki's. It's very telling of the power of those in government and mainstream media and how if they stamp you as a terrorist and drone you without due process, most of their constituents will accept it without a second thought.

Serious, no, tapping is serous the drones are HORRIBLE!

The media trivialised the Trayvon Martin case by demanding moral absolutism for an incident with only two witnesses, one of whom was dead.

The whole incident is appalling, however there was never going to be a satisfactory conclusion to that trial unless a lot of solid evidence one way or the other had somehow turned up.

It can be appalling and trivial at the same time. It was a highly local event that the media picked up as a national story under the guise of racism. The actual trial hinged on the law as it should, as apposed to emotionally charged outrage. It is appropriate now to examine the law, but it is a Florida law. Maybe worth a passing mention in national news.

The fact that the Attorney General of the United States gives speeches about a closed court case in which he has no authority to interject (Florida's Stand Your Ground Law) instead of addressing the slew of national and international hot topics, speaks to the damage control attitude of our officials at the moment. The fact that not a single mainstream reporter is pressuring officials to focus on these other topics highlights their complacency and populist pandering. Better not ask the wrong questions or go off topic, least you be removed from the White House press corp.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com