Plus ça change . . .

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose . . . The more things change, the more they stay the same . . . Lots of big news coming out this weekend, but I can't get riled up about it. Do I see need for reforms in the judicial system of the USA? Yes. Do I think the phrase 'of their peers' should be dropped from 'a jury of' - well, if we want to be accurate, yes. But I am not surprised at all by the verdict in Florida, nor the reactions of various people. I wonder a little about the idea of how this is 'racism as always' -- because George Zimmerman is 'less coloured'? I think the argument could be made, as usual in these cases, that socio-economic 'appearance' bias is at the forefront. That's the bias I admit to having when it comes to home security. No matter the colour of someone's skin (and in my neighbourhood, because it's near both a health center and a mixed part of town - you'll see every possible skin colour in the world), I am not alarmed if it's a well dressed or 'clean cut' person walking by - of any age. Hoodies don't worry me in the winter - in the summer, though, I think a couple times about it. If someone is walking along the sidewalk headed somewhere at a normal pace, I have zero problem. If they are shuffling around and looking into yards and windows, then my hackles start rising. And I'll admit, the whole wearing pants down to wear boxer shorts are showing worries me every time . . . even when my Choctaw-European American stepson and his friends do it, and they haven't broken into anyone's houses. But as a member of my neighbourhood Crime Patrol and Neighbourhood Watch, I will not pursue anyone. I will call the cops if I see something suspicious. And while both my husband and I have our handgun licenses and often 'pack', I do not take weapons of any kind with me on patrols. Because I was trained not to do that. Granted I'm a woman. My protective instinct is to defend, not to go on the offense. I'm trained to say, 'Hey - how are ya?' to someone walking by my house if we make eye contact. On a deeper level, though, I was taught people are complicated creatures. Though our instincts are fairly predictable, our emotional responses aren't always. And though the press would have you think of a person as to being one way or another - either angel or demon, or hero or villain - no one is so one dimensional. And no situation is as clear cut as people want to believe. The armchair detectives can say all they want - but they don't have all the information. Do we need reform? Yes. Do we need to quit relying on the broadcast news to give us the overall picture? Yes. Do we need to remember we have more in common with both parties directly involved than we think? Yes. Do I think much will change because of this trial? No. You have to know, though - I'm a history major. And the thing one of my major professors continually said we studied Greek & Roman History, Colonial American History, Modern World History - Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.