On Character (in The New York Times' The Stone)
The Generational Divide: Shocking but Not Surprising

Walking while Black

Jonathan B. Wight

From time immemorial, people have formed snap judged about strangers by the color of their skin, by the type of keffiyeh headdress (identifying tribe), by the ceremonial jambiya dagger, by the weaving patterns in a Guatemalan woman's huipil blouse (connoting village), by hairstyle, and many other signaling devices.

The man in this picture, for example, has a Ph.D. in economics from the London School of Economics. Yet, when we went on a road trip across Yemen in 1993, he clothed himself with headscarf and dagger so as to be immediately acceptable to potential hostiles we might encounter.

Last month, George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch activist, shot 17-year old Trayvon Martin as Martin walked back to his home after buying candy. Martin's "crime" was wearing a "hoodie", which apparently sent the wrong visual signal to Zimmerman's brain. Zimmerman's pre-civilized brain said that a black person wearing a hoodie in his community was an interloper—someone who looked differently—and who must be assumed to be up to no good.

We can suppose that stereotypes have some basis in fact—such as that Zimmerman's neighborhood may have in the past been victimized by young hoods wearing hoodies. Or, Zimmerman may have simply watched pictures of suspects downloaded from crime videos on local television news.

Zimmerman's pre-civilized brain was unfortunately supported by the equally pre-civilized "Stand Your Ground" law in Florida that allowed the use of deadly force even when peaceful options are available. Although the 911 dispatcher tried to get Zimmerman to back-off his stalking of Martin, Zimmerman kept at it. Zimmerman claims he was subsequently attacked and beaten by Martin. If that's true, it seems to me like road-rage. If someone tail-gaits me and essentially gives me the finger, it is all too easy to lose control, especially if you're a 17-year old male feeling disrespected. His pre-civilized brain is also kicking into "fight or flight." His hormones are raging equally with fear and hatred.

At the time of the shooting, Martin was suspended from school for having an empty marijuana baggie in his possession. But no marijuana was found, nor was Martin charged with any crime. He had a clean record according to the Florida Juvenile Department. And none of this should matter at all to the essence of the case, which is that a young boy was walking along minding his own business and was stalked for his race and clothing.

The story of the Good Samaritan, in the Christian tradition, teaches us that stereotypes are often wrong and should be resisted. While profiling is a useful law enforcement tool in some cases (mass murderers tend to be male, for example), a virtue ethicist would say to treat each person according to their own characters. Laws are intended to restrain our passions from over-reacting in our pre-civilized fashions. The Florida law unfortunately seems to endorse Ramboism and "Make my day" mentality, and transfers the power of the state to enforce justice to the individual. It's a tragic story, however it works out legally.

More signaling devices, below, used in business to find candidates who will "fit in": Tri-Delt tee-shirt, good-old-boy regimental striped tie with handkerchief, and school ring. These ubiquitous signals are one more reason why economic inequality persists—trust is often driven by appearances and subliminal social messages, and poor kids don't learn how to navigate these—and don't have access to the badges of acceptance given by sororities, fraternities and other college clubs. Too often the role models for poor kids may unfortunately be the big shots and hoodlums in gangs—wearing hoodies.

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