Monday, May 19, 2014

Trayvon Martin vs. Ibragim Todashev

You've all heard of the killing in Florida of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman, right?

Well, here is a similar killing which took place in Florida - Ibragim Todashev was killed by FBI agent Aaron McFarlane:

http://whowhatwhy.com/2014/05/17/todashevs-killer-no-wonder-his-identify-was-secret/

What I find most fascinating about both cases is this:
  • Somehow we all know that Trayvon was innocent and George was the bad guy, don't we?
  • And somehow we also know that Ibragim was a bad person and Aaron did the right thing by killing him (including shooting him in the back of the head).

How can this be? Do we base our beliefs about these killing on the facts, or on the basis of the "black vs. white" and "alleged terror suspect vs. FBI agent" aspect of the killings?

I believe that our epistemology now is based more on symbolism and identity than it is on verifiable fact. Think about that the next time you decide what to teach your children or allow others to teach them:

http://www.theverge.com/2014/5/19/5730600/states-debate-ngss-science-standards-teaching-climate-change-evolution

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