After taking last week off, Jon and Stephen returned last night with coverage of Trayvon Martin's murder. I want to focus on how Stephen hit it out of the park in his coverage of what happened, and what it means for society.
Now at first, I naïvely thought the President was expressing a moving sentiment to a troubled country. But then I learned better.
RICK SANTORUM (3/23/2012): What the President of the United States should do is try to bring people together, not use these horrible and tragic individual cases to try to drive a wedge in America.
NEWT GINGRICH (3/23/2012): Is the President suggesting that if it had been a white who had been shot, that would be OK because he wouldn't look like him? That's just nonsense.
(audience boos)
Yes, it's nonsense. And Newt knows nonsense. May I remind you, he's still running for President. (audience cheering) Stay strong, Newt.
But luckily, there is a way to heal the nation's racial divide, and it brings us to tonight's Wørd: Dressed to Kill.
Now, people are upset because the shooter was not arrested, thanks to Florida's Stand Your Ground law, which gives legal immunity to people who use deadly force as long as they believe their safety was in danger. (Shoot First, Ask Questions Never) Now, one wrinkle with that law is that without witnesses, you have to take the shooter's word for it. (Case of He Said, He Dead)
Now, it would be very easy to blame the shooter, or blame the law that let him off, or blame easy access to guns, or blame our nation's borderline pathological distrust of young black men. Luckily, a top legal mind has fingered the real culprit.
GERALDO RIVERA (3/23/2012): I am urging the parents of black and Latino youngsters particularly to not let their children go out wearing hoodies. ... People look at you and what do they think? What's the instant identification? What's the instant association? It's those crime scene surveillance tapes. Every time you see someone sticking up a 7-11, the kid's wearing a hoodie. ... I think the hoodie is as much responsible for Trayvon Martin's death as George Zimmerman was.
(audience boos)
Yes, it was the hoodie's fault. A hooded sweatshirt can make an innocent teen look like a criminal. Just like a suit and glasses can make Geraldo Rivera look like a journalist. (wild audience applause)
Now, I believe, and this is urgent, Congress must pass strict hoodie-control legislation. It is terrifying to live in a country where you can walk into any Walmart, and buy a hoodie right off the rack. No background check. No 7-day waiting period. (No Drawstrings Attached)
Now, many parents keep their hoodies in an unlocked drawer where their kids can get at them. That's why my hoodies are hidden in the back of my gun closet. Plenty of room in there, because I keep my guns in my pockets, in case anyone comes for my hoodies. (Gun Also Says "Juicy" Across The Butt)
....
And what's important is that we get the powerful hoodie lobby out of politics, so Americans of all races can have a frank and open discussion of clothing control before it's too late. Because if we ever stop talking about these hoodies, we might start talking about guns. And that's the Wørd.
Video and full transcript below the fold.
It's a heartbreaking loss of life that has stunned the nation, and which President Obama addressed on Friday.
BARACK OBAMA (3/13/2012): When I think about this boy, I think about my own kids. ... My main message is, to the parents of Trayvon Martin, you know, if I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon.
Now at first, I naïvely thought the President was expressing a moving sentiment to a troubled country. But then I learned better.
RICK SANTORUM (3/23/2012): What the President of the United States should do is try to bring people together, not use these horrible and tragic individual cases to try to drive a wedge in America.
NEWT GINGRICH (3/23/2012): Is the President suggesting that if it had been a white who had been shot, that would be OK because he wouldn't look like him? That's just nonsense.
(audience boos)
Yes, it's nonsense. And Newt knows nonsense. May I remind you, he's still running for President. (audience cheering) Stay strong, Newt.
But luckily, there is a way to heal the nation's racial divide, and it brings us to tonight's Wørd: Dressed to Kill.
Now, people are upset because the shooter was not arrested, thanks to Florida's Stand Your Ground law, which gives legal immunity to people who use deadly force as long as they believe their safety was in danger. (Shoot First, Ask Questions Never) Now, one wrinkle with that law is that without witnesses, you have to take the shooter's word for it. (Case of He Said, He Dead)
Now, it would be very easy to blame the shooter, or blame the law that let him off, or blame easy access to guns, or blame our nation's borderline pathological distrust of young black men. Luckily, a top legal mind has fingered the real culprit.
GERALDO RIVERA (3/23/2012): I am urging the parents of black and Latino youngsters particularly to not let their children go out wearing hoodies. ... People look at you and what do they think? What's the instant identification? What's the instant association? It's those crime scene surveillance tapes. Every time you see someone sticking up a 7-11, the kid's wearing a hoodie. ... I think the hoodie is as much responsible for Trayvon Martin's death as George Zimmerman was.
(audience boos)
Yes, it was the hoodie's fault. A hooded sweatshirt can make an innocent teen look like a criminal. Just like a suit and glasses can make Geraldo Rivera look like a journalist. (wild audience applause)
Now, I believe, and this is urgent, Congress must pass strict hoodie-control legislation. It is terrifying to live in a country where you can walk into any Walmart, and buy a hoodie right off the rack. No background check. No 7-day waiting period. (No Drawstrings Attached)
Now, many parents keep their hoodies in an unlocked drawer where their kids can get at them. That's why my hoodies are hidden in the back of my gun closet. Plenty of room in there, because I keep my guns in my pockets, in case anyone comes for my hoodies. (Gun Also Says "Juicy" Across The Butt)
And folks, the good people over at Fox News aren't just talking the talk, they're also hiding the talk, by hastily yanking the Fox News hoodie from its online store. Well, thank goodness they did that, because their viewers could have bought those hoodies, and then formed a motorcycle gang. (Technically "Jazzy" Gang)
But folks, restrictive hoodie laws may not be enough. I have closely studied black people, everything from their family reunions, to their Christmases, to their mad black diaries. And I have learned that African-Americans wear other things besides hoodies. (Not Colbert Report T-Shirts)
Now, saying this might offend some people, but I believe black people are naturally stylish. That's not racist, that's a fact. That's why Andre 3000 can look so good in a sweater vest.
And, why at least one black person can relate to Rick Santorum.
And folks, it's not just sweater vests and hoodies. There's also shirts, and pants, and some African-Americans even wear doctor jackets, or firemen's hats, or judges' robes. Which outfit am I supposed to be afraid of? (What Was George Zimmerman Wearing?!)
So I say, for their own safety, I am calling on the African-American community to come together, and choose a single threatening wardrobe, so we can all agree who to be afraid of. Then, don't wear it. Because if you do, you have no one to blame but your outfit. (Fashion Accessory to the Crime)
And what's important is that we get the powerful hoodie lobby out of politics, so Americans of all races can have a frank and open discussion of clothing control before it's too late. Because if we ever stop talking about these hoodies, we might start talking about guns. And that's the Wørd.
Jon also
covered the Zimmerman shooting, but focused more on journalists wearing hoodies in a bit that some members of the Daily Show/Colbert Report threads here found offensive. But then the
next segment with John Oliver and Wyatt Cenac really hit it home on the inherent racism in what happened.
Stephen also covered the whole
Etch-a-Sketch issue with Mitt Romney.
Jon sat down with
Shaquille O'Neal, and Stephen talked with MIT biology professor
David Page. (Here's the
extended interview with Page.)