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Twitter reacts appropriately to weirdo techie’s Trayvon Martin Google Glass ad

on July 15, 2013

google-glasses-racism

In the wake of George Zimmerman’s acquittal for the murder of Trayvon Martin, there are a lot of questions to be answered, some of which still have yet to be asked by people in power. What are the underlying causes of America’s continued discomfort with black boys and men? How can we find a solution to that discomfort when so many people still refuse to acknowledge it? Is it possible for the legal system to work properly in a society shot through with racism and racist assumptions?

But the most important question may be one few of us have thought to consider. And that question is: what if Trayvon Martin had been wearing Google Glasses?

Eric Kuhn is the insightful thinker who saw through the race debate preoccupying most people to ask that brave question. And really, what if he had been wearing them? As Kuhn will tell you, Martin could have instructed his glasses to record Zimmerman’s approach. As a logical person whose every action is dictated by instantaneous risk/reward calculations, Zimmerman would have realized that assaulting or murdering this young man was not worth it because he would be recorded, and he would have continued on his way. Google would have saved Martin’s life. Problem solved! Murder prevented.

The premise of his post is trivializing, ridiculous and a perfect example of the bizarre bubble “tech world” people often get into, where neat thought exercises and optimal outcomes are more important than real-world events. It’s also an offensive advertisement for an overpriced gadget. Twitter reacted swiftly and hilariously to Kuhn’s idiocy, so here is a roundup of the best responses.

The best response, though, has to be Sam Biddle’s:

[Medium] [image via Giuseppe Constantino/Flickr]

, Google Glass, , terrible people, Trayvon Martin