Rashomon in black and white.

I like listening to the Diane Rehm show on our local NPR station in the mornings. Yesterday's program was on the Zimmerman case. Florida law, "stand your ground", the jury system and, of course, race were the topics of conversation. 

Later in the day on a quick trip to the market I spotted an NPR reporter with a microphone quizzing people on the walkway about their opinion of the Florida verdict. They played those answers this morning and it was mostly 'I wasn't paying attention to the case, just heard about it, seems like it could have gone either way....' etc. I was surprised that there were so few opinions expressed but this is a predominately White Community and a Western US Community.

There is a this just wouldn't happen "here" quality to the comments.   Our "accidental shootings" tend to be related to hunting and forgetting where the safety is.

There is certainly a Rashomon quality to the case where the angle of perception informs different versions of the truth aka "the Rashomon Effect". That is, when you try and parse the case out by the facts.  The Diane Rehm program goes a little deeper into character and I urge anyone who is curious to listen to the podcast.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the podcast was the definition of what your "castle" is. Do you carry your "castle" with you? Or to put it more simply what is the legally defensible area around your person. It's an interesting legal question but for an answer all they need to do is watch the Pulik. The defensible area changes if we're at home, outside in a large open area, outside walking in the mall, or outside trying to walk through the crowd at the 4th of July parade. They know exactly how to adjust depending on territory and proximity.

 

Their instincts are pretty good except for when they're in the car. Then they turn into little furry chain saws. I've slowly purchased a replacement interior through ebay... we'll see which lasts longer, the upholstery peeling pulik or the car.

But this is America, and in America there will always be the question of race. Race is at the core of America. We could no more leave out race than Northern Ireland could leave out Catholic and Protestant, than Israel could leave out Palestine ... race was with us in the first Continental Congress, in the Civil War, in the Civil Rights movement and it is with us today.

So, ask yourself:

What if this had been two white men?
What if this had been two black men?
What if this had been a woman and a man?
What if this had been two women?
Latino? Native American? Asian American?  Immigrant? Foreigner?
Muslim? Hindu? Protestant? Catholic? Jew? Fundamentalist of any stripe....
Anything or anyone who is not *you* and *your group*

Make the combination anything you like and ask yourself how the *perception* of the event and the verdict would have changed. That is how you know if Justice is blind, and if Justice is being served.

Then watch Bryan Stevenson of Equal Justice Initiative one more time and answer the question is there equal Justice in America.

1973

 

How to fight racial bias when it's silent and subtle