One of the odder linguistic contortions of the George Zimmerman trial, is the usage by many in the MSM that George Zimmerman is a "Self Identified Hispanic".
"Self Identified Hispanic"? I know that the media were disappointed when they found out that the "Zimmerman" involved in shooting a black youth, was not as Germanic as his name might imply. A Hispanic shooting a black simply didn't have the same resonance as "white on black" violence. So, Zimmerman was transformed into a "white Hispanic" or a "self identified Hispanic".
I think this bit of linguistic sleight of hand will come in handy for the foreseeable future. Who else comes to mind, of a mixed race background, who "self identifies" as a black, for example? I'm sure the media will be perfectly consistent and begin to refer to Barack Obama as the first* "self identified black" president.
*Actually, I believe Bill Clinton was the first president to identify himself as black, but then, he was known to lie about other things, too!
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