( CNN ) -- Since George Zimmerman was acquitted in the death of Trayvon Martin , everyone has had an opinion about the verdict . I am not about to second-guess the jury 's decision or pass judgment on them . Our judicial system is operating as it was designed . The jurors reached their conclusion based on the evidence placed before them and their interpretation of the law as it was explained . As human beings , we see the world through the lens of our own experiences . Both science and history prove that we all have unconscious biases that impact the decisions we make . There are some who say that the Zimmerman-Martin case had nothing to do with race . There are others who say that the case was all about race . One idea that has come up : `` What if we reverse the races so that Martin was white and Zimmerman was black ? '' That exercise , while potent , does n't prove or disprove the relevance race played in the case . A more powerful approach is to totally remove race as a factor by creating a scenario in which both the perpetrator and the victim are of the same race and then see whether people change their views . For example : `` What if Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman were both white ? Or both black ? '' If Zimmerman and Martin were both white , ask yourself : . • Would it have taken 44 days and a national protest to merely justify the arrest of a known killer ? A killer who shot an unarmed child , initially stalked that child , was charged with two previous felonies -- `` battery of law enforcement officer '' and `` resisting officer with violence '' -- was accused of domestic violence ( both charges were reduced , though some would say that 's the benefit of Zimmerman having a father who is a retired judge ) and disobeyed the authorities when told not to follow the person he eventually killed . • Would authorities have not drug tested the killer but instead drug tested the victim ? • Would hordes of people have donated money to help the killer hire a strong defense team that eventually got him acquitted ? • Would society have given so much credibility to the killer 's version of the events ? Many have tried to deflect the discomfort of this scenario by focusing on black-on-black crime . While such crime is a very serious issue that must be addressed by our society and especially the black community , turning to black-on-black crime is a form of avoidance . The uncomfortable truth is that very likely , most people would see the case differently if the killer and victim were both white . When will we reach a day when we do n't have to refer to crimes in racial terms ? In light of how much we know about ourselves on a scientific level , it is a shame that people are still so divided by race . In 2003 , the mapping of the human genome code proved that there are no significant genetic differences between what we call `` races . '' Every human being on the planet is 99.9 % genetically identical to every other human being . But as societies , we live in constructs . For those who fear the average random black male wearing a hoodie , I can empathize with you . But statistically , you should be more afraid of the person you see every day in the mirror . According to the U.S. Census Bureau , suicide is one of the top causes of death for white Americans ( PDF ) . Homicide is not . So , your chance of killing yourself is greater than your chance of being killed by anyone , of any race . Let 's turn back to the question : `` If the victim and the killer were both white , would society have given so much credibility to the killer 's version of events ? '' I doubt that a jury so heavily made up of white mothers would have related to or felt empathy toward a man who had stalked and killed an unarmed child who could have very easily been one of their own . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Al Vivian .
Al Vivian asks , what if Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman were both white ? Vivian : The uncomfortable truth is that most people would see the case very differently . He says we all have unconscious biases that impact the decisions we make . Vivian : When will we reach a day when we do n't have to refer to crimes in racial terms ?