Apparently a black man was killed.
There was some purpose in his killing, and some people felt it was the right thing to do, and some other people felt it was a waste of a human life. I have no opinion on the matter because I haven't bothered to look. Nevertheless, the head of the NAACP as well as the editors at The Root felt that it was important to put themselves in his shoes - this dead black man named Troy Davis.
On the surface, which I'm fairly certain that some Cobblers will point out, this is nothing more than a lack of respect and attention paid to the fate of a fellow black American - a particular type of antipathy. Yes, it is. Everyone should know as a prima fascia matter that I have no instant nor global sympathy for people who share my phenotype. Rather, I have sympathy for people with whom I share values. I have no place for the use of race to indicate value, nor for calls for victimhood as a virtue.
So there's the deeper (but only one level) matter. Why should there be any coordinated effort to say "I am Troy Davis". The voice from The Root pretend to represent the voices of the black masses:
Our uneasiness about fairness in America helps explain why Troy Davis became such an obsession in the African-American community, to the bewilderment, if not outright annoyance, of some of our nonblack neighbors. As the hours ticked down, it seemed that all of black America was glued to their televisions, computers, mobile phones and iPads, as if watching a perverse 2011 version of a Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling bout.
Really?
Recent Comments