White People Still Get All The Breaks

It’s good to be White and American-even if you’re a criminal. The heralded Barefoot Bandit (Colton Harris) is apprehended in Eluthera, Bahamas, and tens of thousands of facebook fans howl. There was little concern for the people who had their homes and property plundered by this land-pirate. The comments on Yahoo and other sites which are so harsh towards Somali pirates and inner city criminals were full of warm, cozy, comments of support. Once again it becomes clear how racialized-thinking affects everything, even pop-culture in America. Had this guy been anything but White, this story would have been buried on page 9. 

Harris’ crimes have been pointedly characterized as non violent. Yet piracy in Somalia or a home invasion in Seattle, are portrayed by the media as violent crimes. But I would argue that they are all fundamentally the same. The Somali pirates commandeer ships-the Barefoot Bandit steals smaller boats but adds planes. Petty criminals break into homes or businesses-the barefoot bandit breaks into homes and businesses. The Somali pirates, and your local B&E (breaking and entering) artist brandish weapons-the barefoot bandit brandished a weapon. The Somali pirates threaten large areas, and Colton Harris burned a swath from the Pacific Northwest to the Southeastern Caribbean. In each of the above scenarios, innocent people could easily have been injured or killed. Colton Harris is no Robin Hood. Colton Harris is simply a hood.

But there is one area that distinguishes what Colton Harris did from those other crimes. This 'bandit' committed his crimes for fun and fame. He is but the latest example of Americans doing stupid stuff (yacht girl, balloon boy, mountain climber-kid) for notoriety, an instant of fame and a subsequent payday. Colton Harris violated the lives and homes of others for the thrill of it. At least one could argue that the Somali pirates are attempting to feed their families in the absence of other legitimate work. Nor did he have the excuse of feeding a raging drug habit, like so many petty criminals. Colton Harris’ immediate motivation was the ego-boost he received from reading about his exploits on facebook. This man-and by the way he is not a kid as the media portrays him-is simply a selfish, self promoting miscreant, who deserves to spend decades in a dank, damp, sweltering Bahamian prison.

Yet the US government will spring into action, and see that this ‘man-boy’ comes home to a hero’s welcome, and a short stay in a minimum security jail. Harris will probably be allowed internet access so he can keep up with his facebook fans. This 6’ 5” sneak-thief is nothing more than a nocturnal scavenger that will probably be someone half his size’s girlfriend, in even the fluffiest of jails. Perhaps then he’ll understand what it is like to be violated by another.

Tnasiti speaks-all rights reserved