The Trayvon Martin case in the United States has caused me to reflect quite a lot on the issues of social justice and discrimination. These issues for me speak to the depth and nature of social cohesion and equality which exist within a society.
This particular case struck a chord with me because the reported Facebook comments by New York police officers about people participating in the annual Labour Day parade on Eastern Parkway (mostly West Indians) were still fresh in my mind. While I agree and note that Facebook can be manipulated, there appeared to be sufficient evidence to suggest that police officers in casual conversations had referred to the participants of the parade as “savages” and “animals”. It was reported that one comment was: “Drop a bomb and wipe them all out.” The raw almost primal sentiments expressed highlighted how tenuous social cohesion in America is.
The Trayvon Martin case also emphasises the more subtle underbelly of racial discrimination – the sight of a young black man in a hoodie in a gated community late at night results in a fatal shooting by the white neighbourhood watch representative. This is perhaps indicative of other reported statistics which show that young black men in America are more likely to be questioned, arrested and imprisoned than any other racial group.
In Barbados, to say to the word “racism” is almost like swearing and then stepping in an ant’s nest – you offend some people and get attacked by others.
On the other hand, the issue of discrimination, due to good marketing, has now become singularly associated with health and lifestyle stigma. In a population dominated by blacks who also control the political system, the question arises: How truly relevant and real are the issues of profiling, race and discrimination in the broadest sense in our society?
My guess is that nationally we are quite comfortable with the status quo; we do not want to delve into the question of how real or how relevant because it would also test the tenuous nature of our own social cohesion.
This could potentially be a very uncomfortable thing, especially when the issues could very well prove to be internal to the racial group. But is this not always the position of the status quo? It is the people who are at the receiving end of the stick who do not have the luxury of nonchalance.
I believe that every society is somewhat distinct. Each society has its own history, culture and underlying ethos. In this context, social issues are often played our differently – same underlying root in most cases but expressed uniquely. As I reflected on the Trayvon Martin case, I began to think about the fact that the issue of stereotyping or profiling (whichever word makes you more comfortable) is still one plaguing Rastafarians in our society.
The alternative lifestyle of this group makes them subject to the full weight of the moral, legal and institutional arsenal of the status quo. It is suggested that this is the group in our society most likely to be questioned, arrested and imprisoned. Is it a reflection of fact? Or is there an underlying bias which makes us predisposed to suspect and therefore draw conclusions and put systems and processes in place to give life to our perceptions?
I was reminded that there still exist negative perceptions about people coming from certain neighbourhoods, to the extent that these people feel they are discriminated against in their attempts to seek employment. What about our reported treatment of Guyanese nationals? I am not on Facebook, but the casual conversation sometimes about this group strikes the same chord as the reported comments of the New York City police officers. What about our treatment of the disabled? We will make a grand speech, even donate and pat them on the back, but do we want to see them in our front offices?
My reflections which I am sharing are questioning the extent to which there are underlying connecting threads of entrenched prejudices, biases and stereotypes which could give unique expression to our Trayvon Martin situations.
What do you think?
