This argument went on for 28 more comments. Needless to say, I deleted and blocked him. Then, I subsequently posted a status about how I would block anyone else who defended Zimmerman with "soft" racism. Two people from Florida deleted me: one, a girl named Hannah who is uber-religious to the point of nausea and Leila (below) who also defended Ezekiel Gillbert, the Craigslist escort murderer, on another status. Here's her version of whitesplaining:
Bear in mind, that this is a girl who, at my age, still lives with an overbearing military father who drove her into a deep, dark state of depression that I and another friend had to help her out of years ago. But the women of Florida have Stockholm Syndrome and will continue to support misogyny because its all they've ever known. I don't hate them; I pity them. It's really sad that they will likely live the entirety of their lives in one place; never venturing out to see the beauty and love that the world has to offer. They will continue to wear their willful ignorance like a badge of honor.
You see, as a biracial girl growing up with white parents, I didn't understand racism until I moved out and started living on my own in Florida. I'd get pulled over for no reason by cops all the time, hassled for walking around in certain neighborhoods by lecherous old men and redneck racists, and on the rare occasions that I did get work, I was fired for no reason due to Florida's stupid "right to work" laws. As a child, I was often singled out for over-the-top disciplinary actions by lying teachers who had nothing better to do than profile. This was Florida. This is still Florida.
At 19, I moved to New York and started college. I could walk down the street or ride a bike alone without being hassled. I could learn something in class instead of just regurgitating shit I already knew. I could finally pursue a career in a creative field. These people remind me each and every day why I will never, ever go back.
