# Are you Team Trayvon or Team Zimmerman? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 26, 2012, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-team-trayvon-or-team-zimmerman/616881 "2012-03-26T21:27:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 49
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2012, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-team-trayvon-or-team-zimmerman/616881/961 "2012-04-01T15:12:37Z")
[From the Washington Post:](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/post/nbc-to-do-internal-investigation-on-zimmerman-segment/2012/03/31/gIQAc4HhnS_blog.html?hpid=z6) > [@](#): > > NBC told this blog today that it would investigate its handling of a piece on the “Today” show that ham-handedly abridged the conversation between George Zimmerman and a dispatcher in the moments before the death of Trayvon Martin. A statement from NBC: > > ``` > “We have launched an internal investigation into the editorial process surrounding this particular story.” > > ``` > > Great news right there. As exposed by Fox News and media watchdog site NewsBusters, the “Today” segment took this approach to a key part of the dispatcher call: > > ``` > Zimmerman: This guy looks like he’s up to no good. He looks black. > > ``` > > Here’s how the actual conversation went down: > > ``` > Zimmerman: This guy looks like he’s up to no good. Or he’s on drugs or something. It’s raining and he’s just walking around, looking about. > > Dispatcher: OK, and this guy — is he black, white or Hispanic? > > Zimmerman: He looks black. > > ``` The editor in question should be fucking pilloried. No way is that an innocent omission. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2012, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-team-trayvon-or-team-zimmerman/616881/962 "2012-04-01T15:44:56Z")
So you automatically assume that the editor in question purposefully omitted that information, and can’t imagine any wacky hypothetical situation in which they might not be at fault? Fascinating. (fwiw, I agree that most likely was not an innocent omission. I also think that it’s funny where and when people are inclined to see “obvious” skullduggery.) ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2012, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-team-trayvon-or-team-zimmerman/616881/963 "2012-04-01T16:20:01Z")
It certainly appears to be a very bad job of editing, but its important to keep an open mind. Only a complete and total asshole of an idiot would come to any firm conclusions based on the flimsy evidence offered. Goddamit! I demand a calm and reasonable examination of the motherfucking facts. Only an objective and unemotional examination of the facts can deliver a sensible conclusion, you goddam fucking morons! ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2012, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-team-trayvon-or-team-zimmerman/616881/964 "2012-04-01T16:52:48Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Oh, **Stoid**. Why do you punish my mouse wheel so? Because… ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2012, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-team-trayvon-or-team-zimmerman/616881/965 "2012-04-01T17:04:17Z")
And because context matters… ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2012, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-team-trayvon-or-team-zimmerman/616881/966 "2012-04-01T17:07:34Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > [From the Washington Post:](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/post/nbc-to-do-internal-investigation-on-zimmerman-segment/2012/03/31/gIQAc4HhnS_blog.html?hpid=z6) > > The editor in question should be fucking pilloried. No way is that an innocent omission. Please, people! Can’t we wait until all the facts are in before rushing to judgment? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2012, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-team-trayvon-or-team-zimmerman/616881/967 "2012-04-01T17:27:22Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > The editor in question should be fucking pilloried. No way is that an innocent omission. “The editor in question…is…innocent…” **—aldiboronti** ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2012, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-team-trayvon-or-team-zimmerman/616881/968 "2012-04-01T17:34:52Z")
That is so typical of you, **Vinny** , injecting humor and sarcasm in such a serious discussion. I abhor such crude jests, and would never stoop so low. Shame, sir! Shame! ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2012, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-team-trayvon-or-team-zimmerman/616881/969 "2012-04-01T17:39:04Z")
Ha! Nicely. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2012, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-team-trayvon-or-team-zimmerman/616881/970 "2012-04-01T18:08:27Z")
Well done ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2012, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-team-trayvon-or-team-zimmerman/616881/971 "2012-04-01T18:20:11Z")
I’m trying hard to imagine an an editor who didn’t have the _nous_ to see the impact of that omission. And come on, if this had been Fox and an omission that reflected ill on Trayvon, are you seriously telling me you would not have seen intent there? ---
**Author:** ![gamerunknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6bbea6/32.png) [@gamerunknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gamerunknown)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2012, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-team-trayvon-or-team-zimmerman/616881/972 "2012-04-01T19:34:01Z")
> [@](#): > > are you seriously telling me you would not have seen intent there? It’s probably justifiable given the fact that Bill O’Reilly beat the editor to within an inch of his life. Besides, if justice takes a back seat to media, we are all losers. We should wait until all the evidence is in, after all. We can’t really speculate until there’s been a Constitutional Amendment and a dissenting SCOTUS opinion. Anything else and we’d be jumping to biased conclusions (liberals only use emotions, see, they have no need for facts or logic). Besides, did anyone notice that they were using sympathetic lighting for O’Reilly to induce us to feel sorry for him? Here’s a more recent [picture](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W_Fxkv7QBDU/T0cOh4zmudI/AAAAAAAAIFM/858SOMYavrs/s1600/Satan.jpeg) of him. Anyway, I’ll wait until the grand jury is assembled and Christ returns to Earth to judge us all before returning to laugh at you guys for making such biased conclusions, like in the faked memos case. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2012, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-team-trayvon-or-team-zimmerman/616881/973 "2012-04-01T20:09:13Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > I’m trying hard to imagine an an editor who didn’t have the _nous_ to see the impact of that omission. And come on, if this had been Fox and an omission that reflected ill on Trayvon, are you seriously telling me you would not have seen intent there? Well, gee, **Aldi** , first one was spot on, a near-perfect impression of a tighty-righty “point”. But repeating it, well, kinda drags it down, ya know? Also, needs more cornbell. ---
**Author:** ![Belowjob2.0](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Belowjob2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belowjob2.0)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-team-trayvon-or-team-zimmerman/616881/974 "2012-04-02T00:45:49Z")
> [@storyteller0910](#): > > What the fuck? On the basis of what do you… other than the kid being black and having a hooded sweatshirt, why would… what evidence is there that… > > Oh, fuck it. You suck. That is all. Yeah. Some people are just awful. Can’t be helped, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Hbns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hbns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hbns)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-team-trayvon-or-team-zimmerman/616881/975 "2012-04-02T15:32:08Z")
God dammit people, my torch is burning low, my pitchfork is getting rusty, and this rope ain’t going to hang itself. What the fuck are we wasting time flapping our gums over this? We know we are right, let justice be served!!! ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-team-trayvon-or-team-zimmerman/616881/976 "2012-04-02T15:43:55Z")
> [@Hbns](#): > > God dammit people, my torch is burning low, my pitchfork is getting rusty, and this rope ain’t going to hang itself. What the fuck are we wasting time flapping our gums over this? We know we are right, let justice be served!!! Damned straight! ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-team-trayvon-or-team-zimmerman/616881/977 "2012-04-02T15:44:50Z")
Do I detect a note of sarcasm? ---
**Author:** ![BottledBlondJeanie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/0ea827/32.png) [@BottledBlondJeanie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BottledBlondJeanie)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-team-trayvon-or-team-zimmerman/616881/978 "2012-04-02T15:53:13Z")
This is for **Stoid**. I wish you were just being disingenuous regarding your interpretation of the law. All cases ultimately apply a rule of law to the facts of the case. It is not just the facts in _Gibbs_ that gives rise to the rule that “provocation” as used in that statute means force or threat of force. Due to the racial insults in that case, there was a concern those could be construed as provocation. As a matter of law, they can’t be so there was a request for clarification. The way you are reading it, you seem to think that is a rule only for this case. It’s not. Provocation is, to some extent, dependent on each situation, but it still must include force or a threat of force. There are very few cases in Florida even debating the issue–nearly all reported cases involving the statute are fussing over the “forcible felony” provision. Your reading of the term “provoke”, without clarification that it must include force or threat of force, would lead to multiple appeals since it would be the easiest standard to charge someone with. But it’s not. I realize you probably don’t have access to the _Outlaw v. State_ case cited in _Gibbs_, but I’ll just quote a headnote: “The mere fact that defendant, prosecuted for assault with intent to commit second degree murder, was riding in a car alone with the wife of another will not make him the aggressor in bringing on a difficulty with her husband, unless there was some act or attempted act of violence toward such husband or his wife.” Keep in mind it’s a 1921 case and riding with someone else’s wife might have been a bit more scandalous. I am done trying to reason with you. I should have learned how this works from the thread[s] dealing with your appeal. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-team-trayvon-or-team-zimmerman/616881/979 "2012-04-02T15:59:27Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Do I detect a note of sarcasm? The “brown note,” if I’m not mistaken. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-team-trayvon-or-team-zimmerman/616881/980 "2012-04-02T16:08:20Z")
I take it, then, that you and I are both seething with rage and fury, and hence, blind to reason? Great minds think alike. Twisted minds as well, it would seem. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-team-trayvon-or-team-zimmerman/616881.md?page=48) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-team-trayvon-or-team-zimmerman/616881.md?page=50)