The politics of hoodie wearing

In my opinion, I look upon the hoodie worn over one's head, if it is a warm day, as a fashion statement to say, "I'm part of the cool people." A hoodie, in my opinion, is an accouterment to a calf tatoo, when one also wears cargo shorts. It is just a way to feel that one belongs to the popular group oftentimes, I believe. However, when one is too old to appreciate this fashion statement, it can be a red-light to avoid this person, especially if it is a male; or, at least have no interaction with that person (no conversation on the check-out line in a store). The thinking being, in my opinion, that correlating to this fashion statement is an alienation from mainstream social mores, and if one is mainstream, one might not want to possibly antagonize someone who is not by engaging in any conversation.

I put hoodies as a subset alongside tatoos and baseball caps with the brim cocked to the side.

I have never seen an Orthodox Jew wearing a hoodie over his yarmulke. Hoodies are also not often seen, I believe, on the Asians that study four hours a night.

The hoodie speaks sometimes for a demographic that not everyone feels comfortable with.

But, as far as the incident in Florida, regarding the hoodie, I do not believe guns should be part of a civilian's world, especially outside of one's home. I prefer guns be available only for law enforcement and the military in combat. Just my opinion. I fully appreciate the urban ordnances that prohibit all guns, anywhere.

In my own opinion, when the Prohibition was repealed, it should have been replaced by a ban on all guns for civilians. By this time, all old guns would be rusted. The fact that people can have a gun in some locales, and drink alcohol, is beyond the pale of logic, in my opinion.

This is akin to telling a young women not to wear a short skirt or she's asking to be raped. I see where he's coming from, but seriously, it's clothing... it was cold and raining. I'd wear my hoodie in that circumstance as well.

I thought the same thing, Ceili, but as Foofie points out, and I think s/he's right, that people respond to such things even if it isn't rational.

I think it's interesting that Geraldo is the one who said this, it reminds me a lot of the things Bill Cosby said and was criticized for. It does seem very "blame the victim" and that's what makes it so complicated.

Here's an interesting article that reviews studies on children and discrimination: http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2009/09/04/see-baby-discriminate.html.

I think it's very interesting that white people are the ones who most often seem to think that we shouldn't talk about "race". All the studies point out that we should be talking about it.

I saw that earlier. And some other article giving the history of hoods and their usage over centuries - I think that was one about the million hoodie march.

Yesterday I posted on the firebomb thread that I was thinking of wearing my silver hanger pin as a political act (I'm ambivalent about that). Today I was foraging in my closet for a shirt to wear and saw my lavender pink stretchy hoodie. Woo hoo... I could wear the pink hoodie with the hanger pin...

Not trying to be mean but it seems that the man may have thought he was coon hunting.

I do not believe that the two scenarios you compare are comparable, since a woman in a short skirt does not scare anyone, and the male in a hoodie can scare someone, because a hoodie hides one's face. And, if one remembers all the old western movies, where the bank robber in the old west town entered the bank with a kerchief over his face, one might see the hoodie as a sort of kerchief. A hoodie is less effective than the kerchief; however, it does hide some features, like hairstyle and haircolor, especially when viewed from the rear (as a perpetrator is leaving the scene of a crime). It, in effect, allows for fewer good witnesses, in my opinion.

Also, your analysis talks of the saying, "blame the victim." I am not blaming the victim, since I am not in any way saying that the tragedy is acceptable, since I do not believe guns should be in the hands of civilians, especially in a densely populated area. But if we can not focus on the tragedy and just admit that the hoodie, or the tatoo on the calf/arms/neck, or the hat brim cocked to the side, or the lack of a shirt in summer, all reflect an image that scares more than one person in society.

And, I did specify that if it was warm weather, the hoodie is not needed. Well, if it is cold, or raining, a hoodie makes sense. Even a baseball cap, or knit cap, under the hoodie makes sense. Obviously, not everyone can afford the many hats that the Queen wears.

If you are scared of 17 year old kids in hoodies, why is that the kids problem? I live in a city and hoodies are fashionable right now and quite commonly seen on urban teens.

They don't frighten me.

Irrational fear. American's seem consumed with it. It's clothing. In L.A. some colours are considered contentious. Everywhere else it's considered colour.
The two scenarios are the same, in my book. Other peoples irrational thoughts make people victims, not the bloody clothing. I'm not making people victims, laws like Stand Your Ground do. In Palestine people are scared of boler hats and ringlets... Irrational???
I don't believe in guns either. I'd prefer if they were all buried and forgotten. Arming people who are scared of everything hardly seems acceptable 'cause then they allow powerful lobbyists to make the rules, and look where that gets you...

Foofie, with all respect,
based upon what u have posted, shud that have rendered:
"I have never seen an Orthodox Jewish person wearing . . ."

I thawt that was what u said.





David

I am surprised that no one has commented on George Zimmerman calling the young black kid a ******* coon.

Democracy cannot exist without powerful lobbies to keep the politicians in line.
Thay look over the shoulders, spy upon, politicians n report to their constituents,
to make sure that thay r doing what their constituents tell them to do.
Without them, we 'd be stuck with an oligarchy of the politicians themselves
(who forget that thay r representatives) and their constituents woud remain ignorant.





David

Was he a big advocate of celibacy ?

I do not get what you are saying.

U 'd posted something about "George Zimmerman calling the young black kid a ******* coon."

And you found celibacy to be related? So you think George Zimmerman may be a celibacy advocate?

Do you think he will be convicted of a hate crime?

I just don't see it. Hoodies don't scare me. A group of menacing looking kids all in white t-shirts, maybe. But a single kid in a hoodie does not scare me.

Its from YOUR quote.



Probably not.
I doubt that there is evidence to support a conviction.





David

"******* coons" on his call to 911 might be indicative.

Assuming, for the sake of argument,
that he said that, there remains no evidence that he later
initiated a physical battle with decedent.

I remember in the 1990s, I was in an elevator
when about 8 male blacks appearing to be
in their late teens of early 20s got on, as a group.
One of them was furious, addressing the others
with very intense rage. He loudly complained
of the abuses of an absent individual described by him,
as "that damn nigger!!!". Within about a minute,
he re-iterated his description of the offender about 7 times.
There were no objections from his fellows on that elevator.

HIS voice sounded a great deal more hostile
than that of Mr. Z in the 911 tape, whose voice sounds calm to me.
He does not sound emotional.
It hardly seems likely that when he spoke on that tape,
he had plans of killing the individual that he was reporting to police.

If he KNEW that police were approaching, it seems unlikely
that he 'd wanna commit a murder b4 thay arrive, and welcome them with a bloody corpse.





David