Should victims like Trayvon Martin receive honorary degrees?

Florida Memorial University is presenting a posthumous honorary degree to Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager who was shot and killed in an Orlando suburb in 2012. The posthumous degree is a Bachelor of Science in aviation “in honor of his love for planes and the steps he took during his young life toward becoming a pilot,” the school said. Trayvon’s parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, will accept it on his behalf.

On Monday’s “The Morning Blaze with Doc Thompson,” Doc Thompson wondered why society needs to honor people for being victims.

“Even if he was wrongly gunned down, does that equate with posthumous honorary degree?” Doc asked.

Does recognition mean anything anymore if people get awards not for great accomplishments but for victimization? Doc wondered if our society has blurred the lines of what honors and awards mean and in that process, erased true honor and heroism. “To be a hero, you have to do something amazing and there has to be a level of voluntary sacrifice,” Doc said. “That’s what they’re missing here.”

The award will be given to Trayvon’s parents at FMU’s commencement ceremony on Saturday, the school said in a Facebook post.

To see more from Doc, visit his channel on TheBlaze and listen live to “The Morning Blaze with Doc Thompson” weekdays 6–9 a.m. ET, only on TheBlaze Radio Network.