George Zimmerman's Ethnicity?
 

Sorry if this has been discussed elsewhere but it's really bugging me. Why does the news media continue to refer to George Zimmerman as "white?" He self-identifies as Latino. You think there may be an agenda in play?

Re: George Zimmerman's Ethnicity?
 

Because white "crime" against black sells.

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It's a race thing. White vs black is a hotter subject than Hispanic vs black. It's the msm being the msm and pushing an agenda.

Re: George Zimmerman's Ethnicity?
 

dude has a hispanic mother, with one black maternal great grand father and his father is European Jewish.

No one who looks at George would say "that dude is white"

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All the people encouraging rioting on Twitter, after seeing him, are calling him white. lol!

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it is amazing how one can be blinded by ones own prejudice.


I fully get why black people want him found guilty. I dont agree with them, but the emotional attachemnt to the case stems from the very real experience of far too many black people who have been "found guilty" of walking/driving/jogging while black.

It happens far too often. I have a good freind who was stopped multiple times by the police while jogging in his neighborhood. He is black. at the time he was attending SMU LAW SCHOOL.

My freind is a republican, was a DA until he went to work for a large city.

I suspect that Martin felt that he was being followed for this very reason, Martin then reacted badly, attacking Zimmerman in an unwarrented way, and after getting beat pretty good, Zimmerman shot Martin. Justifyably.

But I can still understand the viseral reaction from those who have been put upon by a society for nothing more than the color of their skin.

Re: George Zimmerman's Ethnicity?
 

Very true. On that note, some of the continuing violence (Chicago for example), graphic hip-hop culture, etc., doesn't help that image.

I was listening to a news clip concerning the issue of using the "N" word and "Cracker". The blacks were saying "Cracker" is not racial and only black people can use the "N" word.

One of the women (white) being interviewed is in a bi-racial marriage with bi-racial children. She wanted to know when it was okay for her husband to use the "N" and she not. She went on to ask, "What do your children do with the hip-hop rap songs that use that word? Are they able to sing along with the song?"

It is my contention that if people are so up in arms about the use of the "N" word, then EVERYONE needs to stop saying it. It's the same as using the "B" word. If women want men to stop calling them a "B", then they also need to refrain from using the word themselves.

Re: George Zimmerman's Ethnicity?
 

well. I cant control the word, but I dont allow the word to be used around me. I have issued the ultimatum to close family that if they percisted in using the word, then we would stop being around them. Our children will not be around them even if that means stopping to be at family gatherings.

the nonsense stopped. I attend church with many African American people. These are my chruch family. While I have not been confronted with a situation where one of them were to use the word around me, I can assure you that if that were to happen, I would most certainly tell them not to use the term around my family. not even once. I would do it as nicely as possible, but we just arent going to be around it.

more people should take that approach.

Re: George Zimmerman's Ethnicity?
 

I agree.

Re: George Zimmerman's Ethnicity?
 

The crazy thing is black v hispanic is more violent than white v black in the last few years

Re: George Zimmerman's Ethnicity?
 

:thumbsup We did the exact same thing when we lived in the deep south. We were not having the N word--particularly in front of our kids. There's especially no excuse for a Christian to use it.

Re: George Zimmerman's Ethnicity?
 

I say "nigga" on a regular basis. Houston culture. Latinos have an identity crisis.

Re: George Zimmerman's Ethnicity?
 

Racist hucksters like Sharpton, Jackson, Obama and others owe their existence (and funding) to promoting dissension between races.

Re: George Zimmerman's Ethnicity?
 

As a American Indian, the wife of a black man and the mother to 2 bi-racial children, "nigger" was NEVER heard growing up (born in northern Colorado but mostly raised in Northern Europe)~ That word does not happen in our home but "nigga" pops up more than a little :) When in the south for a short time because of my husbands work took us there, my kids had to endure white kids calling them names as well as some blacks. Some whites called me a "nigger lover" ( out of the mouths of CHRISTIANS at a church we left) and some blacks said my husband was a "sell out to his race"..... I never could wrap my mind around such ignorance. My son listens to Rap and I hear slurs towards ethnicity and woman all the time in most of the music he listens to. It makes me wonder how their music ever was promoted in the beginning. In the past, I was told I was a disgrace to my heritage for marrying outside of the Tribe my dad and gramma are from. PEOPLE can be one of the most ignorant creatures on this planet. This is so sad when people cant get past skin color about ANYTHING!!!! It is not the skin tones that make us....it is the heart from which the words originate from in the beginning. God made ONE RACE~ As for this thread ..... what difference does it make what ethnicity this person is? NOTHING!!!! It does not make him more or less guilty or innocent!

Re: George Zimmerman's Ethnicity?
 

As to a past issue with some land owners we were purchasing land from , when they found out my husband was black and I was not white, (doing prior business via mobile) they "pulled out" of the deal and tried to keep our deposit. We contacted Department of Justice and attained an Attorney. Al Sharpton contacted us and wanted to "represent" us. He is not all he seems to be....he is a pretty decent man. He said he would represent a white person if they asked. He is not as racist as he seems. :)

Re: George Zimmerman's Ethnicity?
 

In regard to the question of ethnicity, Latino or Hispanic isn't a question in and of itself in the work I do. I have to answer if they are white, then there is an option for Hispanic or non-Hispanic.

Re: George Zimmerman's Ethnicity?
 

Ths is off the cuff... why does it matter?
Personally I hate racism, I despise it to the core of my being

Re: George Zimmerman's Ethnicity?
 

I do too, but will also add that I get tired of Blacks being called the victims, from years ago, when some are actually racist as well. I consider Honky and Cracker to be racist terminology.

Re: George Zimmerman's Ethnicity?
 

I don't think it matters, but to many blacks, it matters when one of 'their kind' is involved and the other party (ies) are not.

I mean no disrespect in saying that because I know that all black folks don't see it that way but I'm sure everyone on this forum is well aware of the reality this world partakes of.

Re: George Zimmerman's Ethnicity?
 

As a Latina who 'passes' as white (light skin, no accent, married to a white guy) I can promise you that racism is alive and kickin' in this country. It is not the 'problems of the past' that are at issue... it is the problems of today. Most people are, at their core, racist. And I've had a birds eye view of just how people who claim to not be racist act when they are with their 'own kind'.

Sadly enough, the church is the last bastion and stronghold of racism. It seems that only in church is it just OK to have no one in attendance of another color.

I think better markers of measuring your sincere acceptance of other races as equal are to ask yourself why you do not now or did not (if you did not) date across racial lines when you were single, why you attend a church that is at least 90% your own color, live in an area that is not racially mixed or send your kids to school with kids that all look like them... Because if you do these things, chances are you are part of the problem, not the solution and no amount of saying how you believe that people are equal will change that.

Re: George Zimmerman's Ethnicity?
 

I don't believe this is actually fair.

If the school is under-performing, that is always a consideration for any parent. As a matter of fact, every Realtor knows this is a consideration for a family looking to purchase. It's not always based on skin color.

I also don't think it is fair to enforce a dating prerequisite on anyone - date outside of your race. Why is that so important to keep up race relations? Why don't we just allow a person to chose their mate and teach being friendly? After all, it is a Christian virtue.

If you are following God's will for your life, what if that church has a larger percentage of one color over the other? If where we worship is where we believe God has sent us, do we then blame God?

A lot of factors, i.e. job availability, could be involved in where you live and work.

And finally, I feel a very good percentage of Americans want to help their neighbors. That has shown to be true during disaster situations. Hey, even NYC stop honking their horns for a few days. LOL!

I believe a better part of America is not racist. I believe people are offended by boorish people, which can easily be misconstrued for being a racist. I am not racist against illegals. We know quite a few honest illegals here on work visas, but I don't like criminal illegals. Big difference.

To quote VP Biden, "that's a bunch of malarkey."

Re: George Zimmerman's Ethnicity?
 

:thumbsup

Re: George Zimmerman's Ethnicity?
 

What I've found in my 50 years as a white looking Latina is that people say they are A-OK with other races because it is now the ONLY acceptable thing to say (look at Paula)... but really they would never date outside their race or would at least completely exclude some races, they would not be happy to find their child dating or marrying certain races, they are not truly comfortable in schools, workplaces, or even churches unless the large majority of people are the same race as them... and when they are where they feel it is acceptable... well they are NOT Ferd.

I've heard tons of 'dirty Mexican' comments all my life because people think I'm white and my hispanic family, while minority themselves, for the most part hated blacks and would never have accepted me dating or marrying a black man ... Of my five, I have three children that have very fair color and have light eyes and two that are 'throwbacks' with much darker skin than me and look Hispanic... they have received unkind treatment at our 'Christian' school and been called racial names. Both are bright, gifted young men with excellent educations... and they still get shabby treatment. Racism is not dead in the country by a long shot... and some of the measures I've give of how it still exists are just that... measures.

BTW... the pastor from our huge UPC church would not marry a bi-racial couple even though both were HG filled believers but he'll tell anyone who will listen he's not 'prejudice', ROFL!

Re: George Zimmerman's Ethnicity?
 

:thumbsup Terry Black told my husband and I that no matter what he would not have married us if we were to have been in his church and dating :foottap He ended the statement (as to the shocked look on my husbands and my face) with ...." I am not prejudice, I just personally feel like MIXED couples have too many problems that lead them into divorce and then having kids that will suffer from being in a mixed family"~ Looking back on that day, my husband tells me , we should have walked out and never came back to that church! In my previous statement where I said my kids have caught slack from white kids and blacks as well in the past......yea maybe so, but they have NEVER "suffered" or anything negative from being born to a black father and an American Indian mother......:girlytantrum Such ignorance makes my blood boil!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And you are so very correct in saying racism is ALIVE, WELL, and KICKING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: George Zimmerman's Ethnicity?
 

you should have told TB that he was right, he wasnt prejudice, that he was a racist, THEN walked out and never gone back. God bless you, your husband and your wonderful kids.

Re: George Zimmerman's Ethnicity?
 

My wife is Black and I am white, The pastor didn't know I was white til a day or so before wedding because I flew out from Cali to east coast. He really didn't want to do it saying he wasn't going to announce it to the church anymore. I don't beleive he is racist, he just influenced by a mindset or church culture maybe. His asst is black, has married black/white couple with announcement since ours.

Funny thing is that telling a wm and bw couple they will have a hard time making it doesn't match up to stats, they are 43% less likely to divorce then all white couples.

Re: George Zimmerman's Ethnicity?
 

So, if you marry someone of your own race, and live in an area where most of the people are the same race as yourself, including your church, and your children attend a school where most of the students are the same race... then you are a racist?

What a bunch of bunkum.

Has anybody ever thought that pushing all this 'anti racism' might be tending to create a backlash among some people?

My wife is the same race as myself. If anyone doesn't like that too bad for them.

My neighborhood happens to be mostly white. If anyone doesn't like that too bad for them.

My children are homeschooled and any 'school' argument is dead in the water there.

We home church but when we did 'attend services' we went where truth was being preached as far as we could tell at the time. Oh, yeah, it happens that most of those churches were mostly white as well. Guess what? Too bad for anyone who don't like that.

I remember attending Abundant Life Church, with Walter Hallam as pastor (they're on tv, look 'em up). Side note: Hallam was raised apostolic, decided there was more money in being a charismatic is my guess...

Anyway, one night he was preaching about church growth (what else, right?) and said 'we need more black people in this church!' People came to their feet and applauded and amen'd and all that.

He said 'we need more Hispanic people in this church!' Another rousing round of amens and 'preach it' and all that.

He said 'we need more Oriental people in this church!' He was on a roll, people were shouting and stomping and it was like 'ole time revival' in the place!

He said 'we need more white people in this church!'

You could hear a pin drop, I kid you not. TOTAL SILENCE.

He said 'Come on, stay with me now, we need more white people in this church too, amen!'

There were a few quiet 'amens' and he quickly went on to something else.

I learned a lot that day about 'racism'.

Re: George Zimmerman's Ethnicity?
 

why would they get mad about him saying we need more white people?

Re: George Zimmerman's Ethnicity?
 

The church my father pastored had a majority of white people. He's not racist. We did the door to door invitations on Saturdays and invited anyone and everyone we came in contact with, including other races.

The first black couple we had to come to our church and later join the church, stated that after they came, their former pastor (who was black) came to their home to visit them. He told them he was concerned by their leaving to join a "white church"; that they needed to "stick together" with "their own folk" and worship. He said the church my father pastored was racist and didn't like blacks; which, he reasoned, was why they were the only black couple in the church. He said the "white church" wasn't good enough to address the issues black folk face.

In testimony of the man's character, he stood up, thanked his former pastor for coming and told him he didn't appreciate his characterization of the church; that he found no evidence which backed up the pastors claims. He noted that the man never once met or spoke with my father.

I guess you can say we experienced a different kind of racism.

The school I went to was an ACE school our church administered. It was open only to the members of our church. As such, it had a majority of white kids. Doesn't mean the church, my parents or myself are racist.

I married a white girl. I dated mostly white girls, although I did date a Hispanic girl and a Vietnamese girl. Even absent dating the Hispanic and Vietnamese girls, I wouldn't be racist for dating white girls.

I grew up in a neighborhood with mostly white neighbors. Does that make my family or I racist -- absolutely not!

I resent the comment that because of the above I'm "part of the problem and not the solution." It's absurd.

The church I'm involved in now is majority Hispanic. The Pastor and most of the members are Hispanic. My family (wife, child and I) are among the only white people there. Is my pastor racist for not having more white or black members? Absolutely not!

I fellowship with a local PAW church nearby; attending their special services and some Sunday evening services. Most of the time I'm the only white person in that church. I love that church and Pastor, they've welcomed me every time I've visited. Is that Pastor racist for not having a single white or Hispanic member? Not from my experience with this man or his church.

I could go on and on, but won't. The statement is just absurd.

Re: George Zimmerman's Ethnicity?
 

I am not saying that you are racist if you did not marry outside your race. I am saying you are racist if you would not have dated outside your race and if you did not know anyone of another race to even consider in that decision then your parents were probably racist.

It amazes me how many people say they are not racist but in reality they have no family or friends of another race. In a country that has included all races for generations, actually since it's inception as a country.... really?

Re: George Zimmerman's Ethnicity?
 

Yes you did.

No you wouldn't

Why do you feel my comments are directed at YOU?

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So those markers don't apply to you... I am sure there are others that do... look at those. My comments are not directed to any one person... they are simply an attempt to help people get honest with themselves about where they stand with racism and their tolerance of it. I was raised by a mother who was truly color blind... We lived 2000 miles apart for decades... She talked about her friends in great detail always but it was only when I actually met them that I would find out what race they were... and I was often surprised. I loved that about her and hope to emulate it and share it with my children and their children.

Re: George Zimmerman's Ethnicity?
 

I think that's directed at anyone who didn't meet the criteria above that statement, not just me; as evidenced by others who have had the response I had.

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You think wrong... :) But people always get defensive when doing self examination.... then they usually get honest... it's a process. :)

Oh and actually by your own admission... you did meet the criteria as you HAVE dated outside your race. One does not have to date the darkest person they can find or even someone a shade darker... they just have to have been willing. :)

Speaking of shades of darkness... even among Hispanics and Blacks there is what I call a 'light-superiority' thing going... light skin being preferable to dark... humm...

And back on topic... I think that's where the Zimmerman race thing come in... he is 'whiter' than Martin... which to the racist black makes him white.

Re: George Zimmerman's Ethnicity?
 

You are correct they were not directed to any one individual; rather, they wrongfully indict many members on AFF. The comments were a subjective litmus test, which "if you do these things...you are part of the problem, not the solution."

How did I think wrong? You words are your words. You can try to backpedal and obfuscate your intention or meaning, but what's written has been written.

And then you edit and add on to the prior statement above, seemingly to suggest that I'm guilty and that's the reason I'm defensive about it. Could it be that your statement was ridiculous and your indictment was so offensive that that is why I'm defensive about it?

It was a terrible statement that is unfounded, and doesn't apply to a majority of people today.

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Even without dating them, I still reject your claim. I didn't date those ladies until I was in my mid-late 20s. In my youth and young adult life I dated white girls who were either blonde or brunette. I suppose that makes me prejudiced against redheads. :lol Shame on me for not being open to dating a redhead.

Re: George Zimmerman's Ethnicity?
 

I mean nothing personal against you, I just believe it was an unwise statement and claim. Your intentions may have been good, because people should examine their little sphere of friends and acquaintances to better see how their worldview is being shaped.

My little mid-west city didn't have a whole lot of minorities. It wasn't until my mid-teens, when my brother married a girl from Mexico that I met or hung out with Hispanics. Besides the one black couple in the church, I didn't grow up with any black kids. In fact, I didn't have a black friend until I went to Bible School.

It's funny, because now other than my family and some of my wife's family, our friends are mostly either Hispanic, Black or from some part of Asia. Because of this, my worldview has expanded and somewhat changed. IMO it's made me better. I used to be very vocal against illegal immigrants; thought they should be deported immediately. That changed a few years ago when my Pastor brought a family up at the end of the service for prayer because the parents were being deported, but their little girl would be left here with other family members because she was born in the USA. It broke my heart to see the family ripped apart like that.

Re: George Zimmerman's Ethnicity?
 

The whole thing about Zimmerman is a political game, he is just a pawn in the process, even the young thug killed is a pawn (ever notice how they always show him as a 12 year old boy, when in reality he was not) The whole thing is not about justice either, it is simply an exercise in political correctness.
In Christ there is no Jew nor Gentile, there is no black or white, no this race or that other race, I have Christian brethren from every race, so I have not problem with any race and I do not think any Christian should have a problem with it either.
I may have particular issues with some individual members of a race who have wronged me, but I confine my dislike to that particular person, not to that race.
There is a Russian con guy who cheated me, should I then hate all Russians?

Re: George Zimmerman's Ethnicity?
 

No. There's a Nigerian Prince who sent me an email claiming he would give me millions, and after several emails and setting up a bank account for the transfer he stopped contact. But I don't hold all Nigerians or Princes accountable for the one's shadyness.

:sly :lol

I'm joking. Back when AOL was the rage, I did get several emails claiming to be from Nigerians offering millions of dollars. But I would just delete them.