Without a racial element the trial would never have happened. Not just because George Zimmerman, like so many others, probably wouldn’t have registered a white teen-ager as a criminal threat but also because a brew of vicarious grief, common experience, and the history of race in this country is what drove the crowds to don hoodies and gather around the country. It’s not simply that if President Obama had a son he’d look like Trayvon—it’s that millions of us have sons, brothers, and cousins who already do.

George Zimmerman, like so many others, probably wouldn’t have registered a white teen-ager as a criminal threat.

Bullshit. White kids can scare the shit out of you.  See, this is just stupid. He definitely would have been suspicious of a white kid. This is batshit, and unfortunately too many people agree with it, that trayvon was profiled for his race.  Actually he was profiled for his age and appearance and activity.  Walking about in the dark in the rain, maybe high on drugs, up to no good.  I'm sorry, I'm right. 

Even the Economist got it wrong. 

Now, I don't know it, but I seriously doubt Mr Zimmerman needed to shoot Mr Martin, even though Mr Martin attacked him. And I seriously doubt Mr Martin would have been shot if he hadn't been a black kid. In my heart of hearts, I too think Mr Zimmerman did something terribly wrong.

Nope. Sorry. Needed to shoot? We'd never know if we had a thousand years. But I'd have shot him if he was black, white to polka dot. Shot him dead. And so would you. You would have feared for your life.

It may be that the very concepts of mind and matter are fundamentally misleading us. But this doesn’t entitle religious people to imagine that all their ideas about miraculous books, virgin births, and saviors ushering in the end of the world are remotely plausible.