Racial Violence - The Case of George Zimmerman Essay

Racial Violence - The Case of George Zimmerman - Essay Example Racial violence is not like other types of violence because its primary cause is based on beliefs of superiority and hatred of other individuals or groups who are destined to be inferior due to their ethnicity; and due to their physical features like skin color. Racial violence takes many forms. It can be as subtle as teasing or pushing and can be severe as murder, physical assault, and genocide (Browne-Marshall 15-18). This essay analyzes a recent racially charged issue—the case of George Zimmerman, a Hispanic guard who killed a young black man, Trayvon Martin, allegedly as an act of ‘self-defense’. This case is analyzed in terms of the causes and effects of racial violence. The Role of Race in Zimmerman’s Case Although racial violence is more obvious, other types of violence are similarly destructive. There is an increasing number of evidence that continuous harassment negatively affects the health of its victims. It inflicts psychological and physical pa in which is passed on to subsequent generations (Gruber 1573). Being constantly anxious or fearful because one is racially different and continuous harassment are root causes of poor self-worth and mental disorders. People who are subjected to racial violence usually accept or embrace an identity with the undesirable images they are assigned to. Resistance at times results in greater and more severe discrimination and violence (Bonilla-Silva 22). The belief that everyone is created in God’s image is hollow when the identity one embraces is that of a lowly, insignificant individual. The death of Trayvon Martin compelled Americans, once more, to confront the nation’s tragic history of racial violence. Nevertheless, possibly because the death of Martin evidently resembles the death of a huge number of young black men in the past and recent times, the debate over the issue seemed historically inclined.