Society Killed the Teenager

        

I barely turn on the news and it is only because of things like this. I’m afraid that I’ll find myself listening to tragic events where people like George Zimmerman kill innocent people (in this case a teen) and where young people like Trayvon Martin are killed. 17 year old Trayvon Martin was simply walking in Sanford, Florida, with nothing more than a bag of skittles in his hand, iced tea in the other and a hoodie over his head. However George Zimmerman shot him dead, claiming that the boy looked suspicious and that he only did it in an act of "self-defense".

Prejudice, unfortunately, is a part of our community and society: appearances are judged frequently and this is exactly what Zimmerman did. He judged Trayvon, simply and solely knowing what he looked like.  Prejudice leads to injustice and it is evident when a black male in a hoodie is considered “suspicious” and a threat. It is evident when he is shot and killed, the murderer is not charged with manslaughter and the police department chooses to ignore the case.

The innocent deserve to live; however, sometimes they just don’t. Its the ugly truth, but we, as individuals have responsibilities in impeding events like this from happening. Discrimination shouldn’t be something we act upon,everyone deserves to feel safe and rights should be respected while we do everything we can to prevent harm. Although it isn’t much, it`s all we can do as individuals and all we can do to help.

As a child, i feared things i didn’t understand. I faced fears like monsters under my bed, in my closet, even the thought of a creature coming into my room and taking me away. But what i didn’t understand was that these were only figments that adults would speak of and which i portrayed as malevolent creatures. And if you think about it, adults do the same thing when stereotyping; they create an image for certain people and ,others, unaware, sucumb to believe in such accusations. And this seems to be the case when talking about the murder of Trayvon Martin. George Zimmerman acted upon those accusations;a black male in a hoodie is not automatically a threat. But just like a child, he feared something he did not understand and the result was tragic.

It hurts to know that innocent people are killed on a daily basis. That the world we live in is messed up and we, as individuals cannot change it alone. It’s something we cannot fight and take into our own hands. It hurts us one way or another, and it’s something that I’m afraid to say, will just get worse-- Society. I try to do my best for this world, and i keep my hopes up, waiting for someone, something to come along, to change people. Create a world where prejudice, racism and discrimination are absent and where equality, rights and freedom aren’t JUST things we claim to have, but truly are concepts our society is based on. But me, I’m one person in this planet, a planet that holds over another billion just like me.  There really  isn’t any other  way to put it-- this world is messed up, and things like these just reinforce my point.