The Onion's Satirical Article Regarding Zimmerman, Trayvon Martin.

The Onion is always a step away from causing some kind of offence. Last February, The Onion wrote an inappropriate article about child actress Quevenzhané Wallis, calling her a c_nt.

After a multitude of complaints, that article was taken down and The Onion apologised. I myself wrote an article with a complaint letter attached, stating why The Onion's article was inappropriate.

Just today, The Onion wrote another article that made me raise an eyebrow. This is the original article:

The Case For And Against George Zimmerman

FOR

• Typed, signed letter from Martin confirming he attacked Zimmerman
• Americans have soft spot for nation’s rugged, rawly sexual neighborhood watch volunteers
• Actions fall within the letter of Florida’s “Get Out Of Your Car, Track Down Your Target, Provoke A Fight, Then Stand Your Ground” law
• That scary photo of Trayvon Martin flipping off the camera
• Big, round, happy moonface reminiscent of beloved comedian Jonathan Winters
• Not convicting him would have a fun “Wow, how the fuck did this happen?” kind of craziness to it
• Only shot unarmed black guy once, as opposed to national average of 21 times
• Presence of an eloquent and highly persuasive Henry Fonda in the jury box
• He didn’t do it

AGAINST

• Murdered a kid
• Alibi that he was bowling with friends at the time of the crime falls apart under close scrutiny
• Decency, common sense, basic morality, etc.
• Best-case scenario: He got into a fight with a 17-year-old and then shot and killed him
• His original description of Trayvon Martin as 8 feet tall, 250 pounds, and carrying a semiautomatic is dodgy at best
• Chilling 911 call features Zimmerman saying, “Hold on a sec, I’m going to kill this black kid real quick”
• Millions of paranoid, racist assholes leaping to Zimmerman’s support may actually be hurting his public image
• Always good to make the American legal system seem fair from time to time

I decided to email The Onion regarding this article. Their feedback email address is: publicfeedback@theonion.com


Dear The Onion,

On Monday the 24th of June, The Onion published an article entitled 'The Case For And Against George Zimmerman'. This article was clearly inspired by current events; George Zimmerman, an ex-neighbourhood watcher, is currently being tried for the murder of a 17 year-old African-American teenager, Trayvon Martin. The past year and few months have been a very difficult time for the family of Trayvon Martin, who have been subjected to consistent slander of Trayvon Martin from the day he died up until now.

As with every other news site, The Onion is within its rights to produce articles inspired by current events. However, this particular article, which contained many offensive references in an attempt to be humorous, was quite insensitive, inappropriate and unnecessary.

One major example of the insensitivity in this article is this particular line classed in the 'For George Zimmerman' section of the article:

''That scary photo of Trayvon Martin flipping off the camera''

It is unclear whether this line reflects the views of the writer of this article or if that is the general view of George Zimmerman supporters. Either way, it is unacceptable to ever consider that the dress code or the photographs of a regular American teenage boy flipping his fingers is a justification for murder. This suggestion is simply immoral.

I understand that The Onion is a satirical news site, but I do not believe that satire can be applied to every situation. Therefore, it would be in The Onion's best interest to apologise to the family of Trayvon Martin and remove this inappropriate article.

Regards,

[Your name]