General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTrayvon Martin, my son and the Black Male Code
'Always pay close attention to your surroundings, son, especially if you are in an affluent neighborhood where black folks are few'
Essay
PHILADELPHIA I thought my son would be much older before I had to tell him about the Black Male Code. He's only 12, still sleeping with stuffed animals, still afraid of the dark. But after the Trayvon Martin tragedy, I needed to explain to my child that soon people might be afraid of him.
We were in the car on the way to school when a story about Martin came on the radio. "The guy who killed him should get arrested. The dead guy was unarmed!" my son said after hearing that neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman had claimed self-defense in the shooting in Sanford, Fla.
We listened to the rest of the story, describing how Zimmerman had spotted Martin, who was 17, walking home from the store on a rainy night, the hood of his sweatshirt pulled over his head. When it was over, I turned off the radio and told my son about the rules he needs to follow to avoid becoming another Trayvon Martin a black male who Zimmerman assumed was "suspicious" and "up to no good."
As I explained it, the Code goes like this:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46843826/?gt=43001
ZombieHorde
(29,047 posts)completely changes the meaning. I know comma rules may be difficult, but the serial comma is pretty easy to understand and use.
Deep13
(39,154 posts)ZombieHorde
(29,047 posts)FarPoint
(12,425 posts)Just click on another thread and move on....no need ridicule or play teacher in a public forum. A nice PM note would truly be supportive verses shaming.
ZombieHorde
(29,047 posts)I am not shaming anyone.
The headline reads as if the article is authored by one of Martin's parents.
FarPoint
(12,425 posts)Sorry if I came across strongly...I've see too much nit-picking of spelling and grammar on DU ...seems to of become an irritant for me...
I'm a bit edgy too within all the trolls slipping in here supporting Zimmerman...My bad.
ZombieHorde
(29,047 posts)I have sent DUers PMs concerning mistakes when I felt the mistake would change the meaning of the text.
loyalsister
(13,390 posts)This in itself needs to be a national discussion. It really pains me to consider what parents across this country must be feeling right now.