# Pitting the Zimmerman trial circus **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 13, 2013, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419 "2013-07-13T19:53:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 39
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419/761 "2013-07-18T23:11:59Z")
What? A professional basketball player? Well, that certainly settles _that_! ---
**Author:** ![Nothar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nothar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nothar)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419/762 "2013-07-18T23:48:52Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Can you specify precisely what form of “suspicious behavior” You realize, I hope, that you have accepted Z’s perception of Martin without the least shred of corroborative evidence, yes? Can you tell us why? Because I do not believe Zimmerman would have called for cops to come to the area if he had planned to kill Martin. Which means he was suspicious of Martin’s activities. Why would Zimmerman want the cops to come and question the kid if the only reason he found him suspicious was because he was black? Assuming that was the case means you presuppose Zimmerman’s racism. Who knows whether Martin was actually looking into houses, but I find it hard to believe that Martin was not at the very least standing still or milling around outside one of the houses, at dark, in the rain with no umbrella. Regardless of skin color, sex, age or anything else, i would find a person suspicious who did that in my neighborhood who I did not know. The fact that there were burglaries recently would send that suspicion skyrocketing. I do not believe that Martin was simply walking through the neighborhood on his way to the house he was staying in as he would have arrived there sooner than he did. Its possible Zimmerman thought Martin was not intending to rob the house at the moment, but was scoping it out for future reference. Whether that was actually the case is irrelevant as it is a reasonable suspicion to have of anyone standing outside at night in the rain next to houses that have been recently robbed. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419/763 "2013-07-18T23:56:58Z")
I don’t know that anyone has suggested that Z _planned_ to kill Martin, though the absence of an umbrella is damning evidence indeed. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419/764 "2013-07-19T00:12:13Z")
> [@Nothar](#): > > Because I do not believe Zimmerman would have called for cops to come to the area if he had planned to kill Martin. Which means he was suspicious of Martin’s activities. Why would Zimmerman want the cops to come and question the kid if the only reason he found him suspicious was because he was black? He assumed the kid was bad because he was black and outdoors in his neighborhood at night. It’s no different that someone assuming a guy is a terrorist because he looks Arab and is getting on a plane, and then calling TSA to investigate them. Zimmerman wanted the cops to come because there was no doubt in his mind the kid was a criminal. To assume he must have had a legitimate basis for drawing this conclusion means you’re excluding the possibility that he was jumping to conclusions. Why think such a ridiculous thing, when people jump to conclusions all the time? When black people enter high end stores and are followed around by personnel who profile them as potential shoplifters, do you think these people have to be doing anything special to invite this attention? Or is it enough for them to look black and thus, sufficiently different than “safe” customers. These are experiences that minorities go through all the time. If you aren’t a minority, your disbelief in the idea that Trayvon was acting like anything except a regular person means shit. I’m sorry to say. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419/765 "2013-07-19T00:18:48Z")
> [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > If you aren’t a minority, your disbelief in the idea that Trayvon was acting like anything except a regular person means shit. I’m sorry to say. And if you are a minority, you’re still wrong!!! How’s that search coming for all those posts you made during the trial, by the way, which shared your view that the prosecution was botching it? Need some help? ---
**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:** [July 19, 2013, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419/766 "2013-07-19T00:22:23Z")
I think it’s fair to say that black people have it far worse than the rest of us - even us minorities - when it comes to profiling. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419/767 "2013-07-19T00:29:18Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > And if you are a minority, you’re still wrong!!! > > How’s that search coming for all those posts you made during the trial, by the way, which shared your view that the prosecution was botching it? Need some help? I have never posted before that I think you’re a pathetic asshole. That doesn’t mean I wasn’t thinking it. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419/768 "2013-07-19T00:43:32Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > I have never posted before that I think you’re a pathetic asshole. > > That doesn’t mean I wasn’t thinking it. And…? You spent so much time thinking about how I’m a pathetic asshole that you had no time left to help **you with the face** find those posts, is that it? I think I know, seriously. You think I should lay off **you with the face**. You know, and I know, that she said stuff that probably wasn’t true, but you think a gentleman would just ignore it, because this has been such a big deal to her, and, really, is it so important that I be RIGHT all the time? Why not just let it go and stop bugging her? And the fact that I don’t, that I continue to insist that she’s accountable for the discrepancies in what she posted… THAT insistence is what makes me a pathetic asshole. Right? ---
**Author:** ![Tequila\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a6a055/32.png) [@Tequila\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tequila_Party)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419/769 "2013-07-19T00:48:15Z")
Jesus H. Christ dude, I don’t know any of the other participants in this thread since I’ve only been here for a few months, but _I_ think you’re an asshole too. For what it’s worth. ETA: Now you can get back to so pedantically being _RIGHT!!_ ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419/770 "2013-07-19T00:50:20Z")
> [@Tequila\_Party](#): > > Jesus H. Christ dude, I don’t know any of the other participants in this thread since I’ve only been here for a few months, but _I_ think you’re an asshole too. For what it’s worth. > > ETA: Now you can get back to so pedantically being _RIGHT!!_ You think I should let it go too, and not force her to confront her “mistakes of fact?” Do you happen to recall the phrase that supposedly motivates this message board’s mission? ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419/771 "2013-07-19T01:13:00Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > And…? You spent so much time thinking about how I’m a pathetic asshole that you had no time left to help **you with the face** find those posts, is that it? Can you please get a life and stop stalking the fuck out of me? ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419/772 "2013-07-19T01:15:08Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > At least tell me the screwdriver got a stiff sentence. It’s still in the ‘found items’ room until Martin claims it. I’d call that effectively a life sentence, even for a Craftsman screwdriver. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419/773 "2013-07-19T01:30:01Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > You think I should let it go too, and not force her to confront her “mistakes of fact?” > > Do you happen to recall the phrase that supposedly motivates this message board’s mission? Well, sometimes, at a bar-b-q, I’ll pick up a five pound sledge and swat a mosquito out of the air. Now, true, killing mosquitoes is a good thing. But tell you the honest truth, I’m really just showing off. ---
**Author:** ![Tequila\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a6a055/32.png) [@Tequila\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tequila_Party)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419/774 "2013-07-19T01:36:38Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > You think I should let it go too, and not force her to confront her “mistakes of fact?” > > Do you happen to recall the phrase that supposedly motivates this message board’s mission? I think you are so overly invested in this to the point of being obscenely, insanely obsessive. She believes different than you and you’re acting crazy. The only person who is coming off looking bad isn’t her, let me tell ya. Holy fucking shit, go outside or something. Peeps on here be crazy. Can’t apologize when they’re blatantly wrong and can’t let anything go to the point of looking like a goddamn psycho. Man. ---
**Author:** ![Tequila\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a6a055/32.png) [@Tequila\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tequila_Party)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419/775 "2013-07-19T01:37:50Z")
And just for the record, _she_ isn’t on trial. Thought you might want to know, because that’s exactly what you’re acting like. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419/776 "2013-07-19T01:42:08Z")
> [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > Can you please get a life and stop stalking the fuck out of me? Stalking? We’re both participating in these Zimmerman threads. I’m not following you to any unrelated threads and asking you to explain how it was that you thought the prosecution was “botching” the trial when your comments DURING the trial were universally praiseworthy for the prosecution. So what’s the answer, anyway? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419/777 "2013-07-19T01:49:50Z")
> [@Tequila\_Party](#): > > And just for the record, _she_ isn’t on trial. Thought you might want to know, because that’s exactly what you’re acting like. Of course not. But. Over the past year, she was a very vocal proponent of many factual claims and opinions. I don’t understand why I should just walk away and let her (and everyone) pretend these things didn’t happen. Is there some reason to do that? Would she do it for me, were our situations reversed? ---
**Author:** ![camille](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/22d042/32.png) [@camille](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/camille)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419/778 "2013-07-19T01:54:21Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Do you happen to recall the phrase that supposedly motivates this message board’s mission? > [@Tequila\_Party](#): > > Peeps on here be crazy. Can’t apologize when they’re blatantly wrong and can’t let anything go to the point of looking like a goddamn psycho. Got it in one. Welcome to the SDMB. ---
**Author:** ![Tequila\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a6a055/32.png) [@Tequila\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tequila_Party)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419/779 "2013-07-19T01:58:39Z")
I’ll try one more time and speak slower. Because you are coming off as unhinged. Doesn’t matter what anyone else would do or if she, gasp, gets away with a wrong opinion. Save your blood pressure. The only person you can control is you. And even if you keep going on and on at her like some demanding deranged monkey, that doesn’t mean she’ll answer you. Why? Because no matter how worked up you get, you can’t _make_ her do anything. So, I repeat that you ought to let it go. Otherwise, you might just turn into the board loon. Unless that’s your goal. ---
**Author:** ![Tequila\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a6a055/32.png) [@Tequila\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tequila_Party)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419/780 "2013-07-19T02:01:05Z")
> [@camille](#): > > Got it in one. Welcome to the SDMB. Thanks. The majority of people on here seem relatively sane, but others that camp out on threads all damn day long and act like they’re the God of Posting are freaky. As I see all the time, the interwebs is serious business, yo! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419.md?page=38) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419.md?page=40)