the tradition of blaming the victim

[saras]

46. Thank you.

Last edited Wed Apr 25, 2012, 11:58 PM - Edit history (1)

I was having a conversation with two 30-something friends, both supposed liberal and intelligent. but when they started using terms like "failed social programs of the sixties," i was floored. i realized just how damaging and insidious the reagan revolution really was, especially the so-called scholarly research that supported reaganism."

I profoundly HATE this about college.

it would never occur to me to question someone in an elevator about why they are in the building, but it has happened to me several times. it doesn't matter what i wear, or how articulate i am. someone, usually a white person, can conclude i don't belong, and feel entitled to question me. and let me tell you something: i don't "go along" with it, and i am not polite. i don't defer to their "suspicions" about my right to be somewhere they don't think i should be. if i bother to respond, i tell them to fuck off.

That's what I saw with Martin. Martin "nice kid", knows about gangs but has nothing to do with them. A real gang would probably terrify him as badly as it would the equivalent white kid. He's going home from the store, a little nervous because he's not as familiar with this parent's neighborhood, and someone comes after him with a gun, saying "what are YOU doing in MY neighborhood?"

What's he supposed to think?

The guy's clearly not a cop, or any sort of legitimate authority. There's no signs of it whatsoever, nor any evidence that he presented himself this way. And he's not acting like it. He's just an aggressive thug with a gun. What's the RIGHT response to a thug with a gun?