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Verdict reaction instructive

I am not one who is passionate about the outcome of the case involving the killing of the unarmed teenager by the neighborhood watch person called George Zimmerman.

However, polls afterward show that a large majority of blacks and a slight majority of whites do have strong views (opposites) of the verdict, which found Zimmerman not guilty of wrongdoing. Blacks oppose the results and whites favor the verdict, which is instructive.

It is said that things such as the immediate prospect of death by execution clarifies thinking. To blacks, the shooting death of a son or brother is almost universally repugnant, while to whites the elimination of a threatening young black male is frequently a relief.

Notice how much difference there is when “that could be me” changes to “that happened to them”? Wow! How much more clarification is needed to reveal common thinking?

Racism toward blacks is alive and well in our nation, and most of us are OK with that.

Allan deLaubenfels

Spokane Valley

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