It's Bigger than George Zimmerman

Many of us felt outraged or devastated when we heard the news of the George Zimmerman trial on Friday night. The news was heartbreaking--and a true indicator of our national climate.

George Zimmerman was found not guilty for the murder of a minor, a high school student, a very young black man. He was found not guilty because the murder was in self-defense.

What I think this case raises, whether or not we believe Zimmerman is guilty, whether or not Zimmerman is guilty, is what makes this a self-defense case.

Trayvon was very young, much smaller than Zimmerman, and carrying no weapon. He was no realistic threat to Zimmerman.  What he was, however, was a young black male in a hoodie. This is something that plays deeply into our national psychology. We discriminate against people that fit this description daily; we ourselves might feel fear when we see someone like this in the street late at night.
Zimmerman is no monster, he is just like every American. He did an unspeakable act, but according to his case, he did it out of fear, out of self-defense. Why did he feel fear? Because he encountered a black male wearing "street clothing." We are all conditioned to this fear to a point. Our culture is based in roots of racism, misunderstanding, and bigotry. Our American way of life has taught us who to fear by physical description, and it has taught us who matters, who to believe. All by appearance.

Let's find justice for Trayvon by recognizing the poison in the very roots of our nation, and address that psychology. Zimmerman is merely one piece in a much larger game.

--Megan

Overdressed Review

I recently picked up the book Overdressed: The Shockingly High Price of Cheap Fashion by Elizabeth L. Cline and was very enlightened by what her research told.



Overdressed is the study on our culture's new obsession with low-cost, discount clothing. Modern Americans prefer quantity over quality, and we shop at discount chains like Target, H&M, and Forever 21 for colorful outfits that are practically throw away. Some of these clothes we can tell when we purchase them won't make it through one wash cycle, but we want it for one special occasion. Shopping has become an everyday occurrence, and the trends shift rapidly to catch the frequent shopper's eye on each trip. With styles changing so frequently to appeal to consumers, it is easy to get caught up in the "now" trend.

Coming with this idea that we need more clothing options and the ability to keep up with the trends comes the idea that clothing needs to be cheap. Shoppers often brag to one another about bargains and "steals" that they get while shopping. We want our clothing to be cheap and in large quantity. This is a shift in our society--clothing used to be much more expensive and people would cherish the few items they had--reheeling shoes, patching pants, fixing hems and seams. Comparatively, clothing is cheaper now than it ever has been in history. In order to meet this consumer demand, clothing producers have to take some short cuts--making most clothing of poor quality. This practice also drives the cost of high end fashion and designers even higher. As more people covet the designer brands for their quality and their exclusive appeal, the prices skyrocket. Mid-level clothing boutiques can't compete, needing to pay for their materials and overhead, they can't discount their clothing as much as big box stores and they don't have the same fetishized appeal as notorious designers.

Finally, with so much demand for clothing quantity, there is a real environmental strain. Producing clothing has huge water costs associated with it, as well as mass amounts of energy necessary for production. The "disposable clothing" movement (buying cheap clothes that you might only wear once or twice) is an environmental dilemma and is not a sustainable practice. It is much more sustainble to buy clothing second-hand, to cherish what you own, and to pick pieces that will last, despite them costing a bit more.

I found this book culturally enlightening, and it has challenged to curb some of my own shopping habits in order to be more sustainable and live more ethically. I encourage others to read and learn about the business practices, bad working conditions, and environmental costs in cheap fashion.


--Megan

A Culture of Fear

A scare on the Philadelphia Benjamin Parkway in caused a human stampede on Thursday night. 30 people treated by medics, children lost, thousands terrified and many unsure of the cause of their fear and angst. Was it a gun, BB gun, firecrackers thrown at a crowd, or simply a motorcycle back fire? This was how I spent my Independence Day.

This year to celebrate the 4th of July I joined family and friends on a Philadelphia adventure. The day kicked off with an Independence Day parade and followed with a free concert on the Benjamin Parkway with the backdrop of the famous Art Museum. It was reported that over 500,000 people were in attendance. It felt like a crowd of over a million as people pushed through for a better view and disrupted family picnics. The concert starred John Mayer, Grace Potter, J-Cole, Jill Scott and Ne-Yo. To conclude the fun night was the fireworks show perfectly displayed over the illuminated art museum. My group and I headed to exit while also stopping to take pictures and view the beauty of the firework lit sky. What happened next was something right out of a movie. The best way I can describe it from my point of view was the scene in Lion King where the wild beast are stampeding which eventually lead to the death of Mufasa.

While standing in the blocked off parkway I heard screams coming from behind. Turning around I saw a crowd of at least 200 people running towards us. The look on their faces were of pure terror. I heard someone close by yell "run" and before the crowd reached us my family dispersed from the street. I saw people running off to the side up against a building and I joined them. People were yelling, crying, screaming "some one's been shot" another yelled "It was a bomb". I looked around and realized I had been separated from my party. I reached for my phone in my back pocket and it was gone. Looking forward in the street I saw the stampede of people run by. As the street cleared people near me started to clear our hiding spot and looking for their loved ones. I found my group, but not without some bumps and bruises of our own. I looked down and saw my arms were shaking.

(Below is a Youtube video filmed by individuals caught in the stampede which was featured on Fox29 Philadelphia.)


Walking back to our hotel in the Center City we saw cops gathering, firetrucks, ambulances. Everyone seemed very confused and scared. No one knew what had happened. What caused hundreds of people to run in terror. Varied reports have been released. A report form NBC10 Philadelphia state a man fired a BB gun at the crowd while Fox29 reports firecrackers thrown at the crowd. Whatever the cause, it was amplified drastically by the number of people in the area and the fear many have of being caught in a mass attack. I heard people saying "it's like the Boston marathon or"it's a mass shooting".  These recent events are what I think cause the human stampede.

We live in a world today where a man opens fire on innocent moviegoers, where backpack bombers attack a historical marathon, where young children are murdered in school. I don't believe this event is related to the formers, but it is because of events like those that people were in danger. The fear of being caught in a mass attack caused a mass riot of its own. Such action could have easily left a greater physical impact. I have only read of one serious injury with most of the rest being treated at the scene. But if you watch the videos of that night you get a glimpse into what most of us felt as the panic spread through the parkway.

A culture of fear. This may very well be the real cause of the panic and the human stampede. Many would suggest that it's better to be safe than sorry, but what about when this fear has such a ripple effect that it amplifies a small incident into a truly fearful event.

--Krystal