During the spring of 1980,the trial for Arthur McDuffie, predictably ended in the acquittal of four white police officers by an all white jury. The officers were originally indicted for the beating to death of McDuffie after he led police on a chase with his motorcycle. Following the acquittal, the city of Miami faced racial hostility from local residents in the Liberty City and Overtown sections of Miami who proceeded to riot in one of the worst race-related cases in U.S. history. They also eventually took to the streets with massive mobilization and patrolling efforts to keep local law enforcement agencies at bay. These same Black communities were pushed to this point because of their frustration with the unfair treatment they had undergone in the 1970s by civic leaders including economic deprivation brought on by highway 95 constructed in the heart of their historical district; elite Cuban Americans controlling the city and holding racial biases against their group and immigration from Caribbean nations which they blamed for job losses. This aggravation of the black community, many believe, reached a boiling point and spilled over with these riots which included Blacks randomly selecting white targets for their aggression when they were seen drifting into the black-run districts of the city.
Miami became emblazoned with civil disharmony that continues to this day. The riots of this time period in 1980 resulted in millions of dollars of property damage, National Guards dispatched to the area, all six officers involved in the case fired, a failed suicide attempt by one of the acquitted officers, 18 deaths (both Black and white), a second trial, and finally a 1.1 million dollar settlement given to the McDuffie family by the Dade County Commission.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
The picture demonstrates that in a country such as the U.S., people can sometimes have too many "Human Rights". What I mean is, there has been a contemporary trend placing a greater emphasis on sports by society and it somehow permitting extraordinary and ridiculous celebrations by followers of sports when their teams win. Such was the case a couple of days ago when fans of the Giants toppled over vehicles, set objects aflame, began physical assaults on fans of the Detroit Tigers-which was their opponent in the World Series-and local police forces and hijacked public transportation. This type of behavior evokes the notions of people living in the U.S. being economically privileged and also foolishly brainwashed by the corporations and other capitalist powers that promote sports to generate more revenue off these same unsuspecting dolts that cheer teams on through increasingly fanatic means.
Followers of the San Francisco Giants, instead of being concerned with more important matters, such as daily survival-which, coincidentally, is a main issue in countries where many so-called Giants fans either were born in or originate from-are allowed to indulge in disturbing and unproductive ways to pass the time on a Sunday night when most people are preparing for work the next day.
In the scenes below, you can see the various ways "fans" display their happiness towards the Giants success including mass city destruction and the usage of potent narcotics and consumption of alcohol to fuel their methods of showing fan loyalty.
Friday, October 19, 2012
Advertising & violent white masculinity
How is it mentioned by the author the ways in which the media constructs certain images surrounding the products they are attempting to market by highlighting who the ideal American male is and what his values consist of?
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