Dr Phil's Most Hated Man -

Credit the Dr Phil Staff for coming up with a fresh angle to the Trayvon Martin Shooting Case: the substitution of the teenager's longtime stepmother, Alicia Stanley, for his birth mother who has been much featured in the Media heretofore.

Unfortunately, this substitution could give viewers who haven't been following the case closely the impression that Trayvon was with his stepmother before he ventured outside to buy some refreshments. He was not.

Moreover, this figures into a trope which has been circulating about this situation. Dr Phil referred to this trope when he exclaimed that Trayvon went out for some candy and came home dead. Similarly, it has been frequently repeated that Trayvon was where he was supposed to be when the tragedy occurred. Sadly, this is not the case at all.

Many former Latch Key Kids can tell you that when they came home from school, they were responsible for supervising their younger siblings in the absence of their parental figures.


Keeping in mind that Trayvon Martin is not on trial here, he was a juvenile who cannot be held responsible for making choices about adult matters. His custodial parent was responsible for dumping the teenager in a strange place and then walking away from his son. Even if the father had to leave his son there, the father should have strictly instructed his son to stay in the condo and do not leave the premises, because Trayvon was left with a nine-year-old child.

When Trayvon left the condo to buy refreshments, he left the young child, Chad, unsupervised. The little boy could have stuck his finger into an electric socket or turned on the stove or put hamsters in the toilet bowl. Trayvon should have stayed in the condo that evening.

Continued . . .

...