Reflection on "Just Walk on By", blog post #7

The textbook is correct in stating that we as humans tend to immediately judge people based on their appearance. Although this is an unfortunate fact, it is very true. Skin color is a major sense of identity. It is interesting to consider Staples' essay in the light of the recent coverage and controversy surrounding the George Zimmerman trial in Florida. Despite the fact that the legal system operated properly, and a jury made a decision, many people across the country feel that "justice" has not been realized in the death of Trayvon Martin. In arguing this perspective, groups across America claim that Trayvon's murder was based solely upon race, and that if Trayvon were the "right color," he would not be dead today. Of course, as there is no way to really prove this contention without a direct confession from Zimmerman, this argument is ultimately unsound in a legal sense. Zimmerman very well may be a racist, and perhaps he did kill Trayvon based on racial profiling. However, this simply cannot be proved.
As much as I hate to admit it, I tend to feel more comfortable with people who are more similar to me than those who are not. I think that this is a natural human reaction. This alienation between racial or ethnic groups increases in the wake of random acts of violence, terrorism, and the like. As the text notes, a deep, sweeping stigma was placed upon individuals of Middle-Eastern lineage, particularly Arab Muslims, after the terrorist attacks in September of 2001. Such events initialize within us an incorrect, but seemingly innate desire to stereotype and "clump together" peoples different than us. In my opinion, it takes a concerted effort to overcome and push aside such false thought processes, especially after an unfortunate event befalls us. Stereotypical thinking is highly dangerous, and its presence in history is blatantly seen in such events as  the internment of Japanese Americans during World War Two, as well as the religious conflicts that eventually led to the division of India and Pakistan in 1947. Therefore, it is in the best interest of humanity to always judge individuals, and not entire nations.