Did Zimmerman put hands on Martin first?

[XemaSab]

144. I'm bigoted against uneducated people

We're discussing her credibility as a witness and I don't think she was a very credible witness.

One of several reasons for my thinking that she's not very credible is her illiteracy.

Being literate is so basic to being an informed and functioning citizen that I think it damages her testimony and makes me less likely to believe her when she talks about what she heard that night.

She shouldn't have gotten out of first grade without being able to read and write, but she's supposedly going to be a senior in high school? How did this happen?

I know it's more about her family and the system and the fact that we as a society are totally accepting of egregiously low "standards" when it comes to educating our poorest members, but still, I can't imagine how impoverished my intellectual life would be if I was unable to read and write.

I seriously believe that if a white chick had gotten up there with exactly the same credentials, DU would lead the outraged charge, but because she's black, most people here are like "Well, she comes from a different culture so it's okay to be unable to read more than your name." That's nonsense. We should have universal literacy in the United States, and the fact that there are people like Rachel should be a stirring call for action, and not another place to make excuses.

(And FYI, Zimmerman's not "my man." He should have gone down for manslaughter, but I think the prosecution's case left the door wide open for reasonable doubt. Rachel's testimony should have NAILED ZIMMERMAN TO THE WALL, but instead she looked like a total flake.)