Comments on: Dissecting Geraldo Rivera’s Hoodie Comment

By: Lagunadeb

Lagunadeb — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 11:48:00 +0000

I am a white grandmother with a hispanic last name..I wear hoodies all the time because it is cold in San Fran and foggy and the hoodie is comfortable and protects well in my climate. If I was walking in that gated community with my hood up I seriously doubt zimmerman would have shot me to death. therefore solid reasoning says that it is not the hoodie it is who is wearing it. Geraldo made the bigoted remark, when he himself, is hispanic , and it reflects his worldview only. Zimmerman shot and killed a black boy in cold blood and should be tried for murder, not made a victim and let free. He knew what he was doing.

By: Herpaderpaderp12

Herpaderpaderp12 — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 15:20:00 +0000

“Rivera’s advice shifts responsibility from aggressors to victims, much like saying rape victims were “asking for it” because of what they were wearing. ”

Acknowledging the fact that wearing clothing can affect how people treat you does not mean rape-endorsing or blaming the victim. Yes, clothing shouldn’t affect if people rape or profile you, but it DOES. Geraldo is speaking truth to power to the multicultural academia industry and your comment shows they aren’t taking it well.

By: Elijah405

Elijah405 — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 13:23:00 +0000

Geraldo’s comment was reckless-insensitive at best. As a journalist (albeit yellow), he should know that his comments will be a part of public discourse. He ought to know that no matter what framework his statement came in, this is an emotionally charged issue.

By: stan chaz

stan chaz — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 06:24:00 +0000

Blame the Hoodie? GIVE ME A BREAK. It was raining…. the kid was running…..and ….SORRY… but we don’t ALL use Totes umbrellas when going to the corner grocery store for a snack. Nor should we risk losing our lives while doing so! And by his own admission, Mr. Zimmerman, the gunman, was stalking unarmed Trayvon – against the advice of the police (via cellphone contact). Mr. Rivera: you should be ashamed of your inane, insensitive comments, and your attempts to create “excuses” for the inexcusable actions of judge-jury-executioner Zimmerman. We are becoming a society that sees threats under every rock; a society that sees danger with every “other” that is not like us; a society with power hungry control-freaks (whether politicians or mayors or police chiefs or individuals) that are only too eager to take advantage of our fears; that are only too eager to get away with anything that they can, as they deprive us of our our liberty (and sometimes our lives), in the name of defending it. This is part of a slippery slope that includes the worst provisions of the Patriot Act, police spying on innocent people, papers-please and stop&frisk gone wild, the “right” to indefinitely detain Americans without trial, and homicidal “vigilantes” such as we have tragically seen here. It’s a slippery slope that leads to a police state/Orwellian mentality that is typical of places such as China, Cuba, or 1960′s Communist Eastern Europe. We used to stand proud and free, and contrasted our open society to such places. Now we imitate them. Our country is better than this. WE are better than this.

By: Charles Gray

Charles Gray — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 03:30:00 +0000

Geraldo forgot to add to his advice to his son….”also don’t buy any skittles, or ice tea if you are dark in colar. The police might mistake you for a skittle bandito and think the ice tea is rum and coke. Word!”

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 21:38:00 +0000

What does a guy have do or be, for you guys to consider it racist, had shot Megar Evers?

By: Jamesbrown

Jamesbrown — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 20:25:00 +0000

Actually the comments is entirely racist as it alludes to and justifies racial profiling.
”when you see a black or latino youngster, particularly on the street you walk to the other side of the street.” That’s a direct quote from Rivera made in the same breath as his comments about wearing a hoodie. And since he himself has been photographed in a hoodie on various occasions he’s showing that he feels the problem isnt with the hoodie itself, but with the color of the person wearing it. The reality is Treyvon could have been wearing anything and Geraldo would have used that as a talking point, as its obvious he’s only making these statements to garner attention for himself.

By: Be

Be — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 20:06:00 +0000

i’m not sure why we’re not blaming it on a psychopath that hunted down a child then shot and murdered him.
but yes, of course, the hoodie……
the framework of this entire conversation seems wrong to me.

By: footmaster12

footmaster12 — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 19:23:00 +0000

The comment he made was stupid, but it wasn’t racist. Blaming it on racism and playing the race card is just as bad – if not worse – as blaming the victim’s hooded sweatshop