RIP HARAMBE :(

[HairOfTheDog]

There's still too much disparity in judgment, sentencing, and such based on race. In my opinion.

But, I don't think that's why the reaction to the parents in the two cases was initially so different.

I had no idea about the race of either family when the stories broke and people started expressing their opinions on social media. I don't think professional media even mentioned race until long after people started posting their judgments.

It's more likely to me that the majority of different reactions towards the parents in the gorilla case and the alligator case are due to the difference in situations, not the race of the parents.

In the Harambe case, the parents knew there were gorillas in the enclave and there were signs to stay clear all over the zoo. The little boy didn't have any eyes on him for a very brief time and breached the barriers.

In the alligator case, the parents had no way of knowing there were alligators in the resort lagoon. There were no warning signs or barriers and the parents were watching their son play at the shoreline when the alligator snatched him up.