The Trayvon Martin murder has sparked a number of questions and conversations regarding the motivations behind neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman’s ultimately murderous actions against the 17 year old boy.

While Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law gives individuals the freedom to use deadly force rather than back away from a fight, evidence that Martin was unarmed and merely heading to his father’s house calls for a serious investigation into Zimmerman’s actions.

The shooting’s racial overtones have taken the country by storm and ignited a media frenzy, some going so far as to call Trayvon Martin a modern day Emmett Till. Yet, while many in the media have been focusing on racism, the “Stand Your Ground” law and gun control laws, Fox News’ Geraldo Rivera would rather focus on hoodies.

In an Op-Ed for Fox News Latino, Rivera charges that “His [Trayvon’s] hoodie killed Trayvon Martin as surely as George Zimmerman did.”

Not seeing the correlation, Gaels? Ask yourselves, ‘What role does a hoodie play in a young boy’s death?’

Well, Gaels, the answer is obvious. “No one black, brown or white can honestly tell me that seeing a kid of color with a hood pulled over his head doesn’t generate a certain reaction, sometimes scorn, often menace,” said Rivera.

Thus, in following that logic, Martin’s hoodie-which ushered in a preconceived notion that he must be a societal menace or hoodlum-was the catalyst in Zimmerman’s classification of Martin as a “suspicious figure.”

Rivera certainly does have a point regarding appearances and the preconceived notions associated with them. Go to any ‘Interview Workshop’ organized by the Center for Career Development. One of the main points that the career counselors will focus on is how to dress for an interview.

Why? Because how you are dressed provokes a certain type of response from other people. Wearing jeans and a t-shirt to a job interview does not necessarily scream “professional” and will presumably be detrimental to your chances of landing that job.

That is not to say that you are not the most qualified candidate, but rather to say that you do not LOOK like the most qualified candidate.

Yet, there is a clear difference between a career counselor telling students how to dress and Geraldo Rivera telling kids of color how to dress.

Telling students that if they dress inappropriately they will fail to make a positive impression in an interview is a consensus amongst many professionals. Telling minority children that if they wear hoodies they increase their chances of becoming involved in violent activities is only feeding into the racial divides of our society.

This is not to say that Rivera condones the actions of George Zimmerman. In fact, he condemns Zimmerman’s actions and calls for a full investigation to be conducted.

Nevertheless, he asks parents of minority children- specifically Latinos and African Americans- to “Work to change the world. Rail against the inequities of life; but don’t let your child go out into the hard cruel world wearing a costume that is really a sign that says ‘shoot me.'”

Unless Martin was wearing a hooded sweatshirt promoting a 90’s sitcom, his attire certainly did not say ‘Just Shoot Me.’

Rivera’s rationale is on par with telling women that wearing proactive or revealing clothing is really a sign that says “take advantage of me.”

No clothing sends a signal for a man to have sex with- and in most cases rape- a woman nor does clothing send a signal for an individual to shoot another individual.

Sure, people may have preconceived notions about hooded figures, but that does not in any way serve as a reason to take violent action. There is little harm 17 year old Martin could have inflicted upon Zimmerman with a bag of Skittles.

Rivera’s comments further solidify the racism that continues to pervade American society. The fact that a child with a hoodie looks like a hoodlum or a potentially dangerous figure is not a reflection on the hoodie, but a reflection of the issue of race in America- raising the question of just how far the U.S. has progressed from the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s.

So, Gaels, take Rivera’s advice- work to change the world. But do not do so by throwing out your five beloved Iona hoodies. Instead, wear them with pride while working to suppress the problems of race that continue to plague our society.

To contact The Ionian’s Amanda Kelly, e-mail her at [email protected]