Black Man Hiking

[Pedaling Fool]

The video portrayed the typical white liberal and their behavior, but also part of it was just typical [human] reaction to something out of the norm. Yes it was a little exaggerated, but I’ve seen that behavior before. However, it’s not too funny witnessing this, but it is funny watching it on video. Video has that effect, sometimes even without the exaggerated effect added.

When I was in the Navy we produced a video of our deployment. Various shots of everyday life of a ship-at-sea. One shot was of Sailors coming through the chow line the, Sailor didn’t see the camera, but you could see his expression when he looked at the food, he then squinted his eyes and took a closer look and then suddenly jumped back and said: WHAT–IS–THAT!?!

No one on the video laughed and the guy behind the line just stood there and shrugged his shoulders. When that was shown on CCTV everyone just lost it. It was one of the funniest things I’ve seen, but in retrospect I’ve seen that reaction all the time – we all have done it in response to Navy chow. But for whatever reason watching it on video was extremely funny.

[ShelterLeopard]

I've said it before, I think the idea of outdoor recreation is related more to socio-economic status and education (college educated, middle class) than ethnic and racial backgrounds.

Could be true, actually. That makes sense. For some reason, black people (maybe everyone, I don't know) who've experienced poverty on any level (even distantly, family members even several generations back) think it is strange and even sometimes elitist for people to essentially pretend to be homeless.

Come to think of it, the only black hikers I've known have been in a higher middleclass economic status.

Which I find interesting, because you find a fair amount of lower economic white hikers (especially with this economy).

I still think hiking is a genetic abnormality. Something on my 29th chromosome went berserk, and now I love sleeping outside, in the rain, hiking 'till my whole body hurts and eating pasta for ever. (Like a quote from a movie, or book, I don't remember. Going to totally mess this up, but: guy talking to parachutists/sky divers "Don't be stupid". "Stupid? You're talking to a bunch of guys who jump out of a perfectly good plane.")

[ShelterLeopard]

PS- I haven't actually been able to watch the video (my computor won't load it), so I'm responding to the content of the thread, not the video.

[Mags]

and eating pasta for ever.

No in my family (besides me) goes outside to play..

For some odd reason, we have a long history of eating macaroni however...

[The Weasel]

Video wasn't about being black and hiking. More about how some people are guilty of LWB.

The Weasel

[weary]

The video portrayed the typical white liberal and their behavior.....

I didn't notice any such thing.

[weary]

The video portrayed the typical white liberal and their behavior.....

Not really. Just the latent suspicion of Blacks that many people have -- including some middle class blacks.

[Reid]

It is....in fact...a delineation of socio economic circumstances. You would be correct on that mags. I do know a handful of black guys that are sporty and are into climbing and hiking. I met them on a Wofford soccer team though too.

[DaveJohns]

That was pretty funny. I laughed more at the stereotypical day hikers than at Underwood. The trailrunner chick was the best.

[Yahtzee]

That's shizz was funny, yo!

I hiked major portions of the AT in five different years and I have only heard of 4 or 5 black hikers. Patch, Rocky Top, Mark Trail (this year) and a couple others whose trail names I can't remember.

Not sure why we can't just write this off to cultural differences without having to deconstruct it until we find some overarching reason why black folk don't generally hike.

Based on my experience, if I had to venture a guess as to what part of black culture makes them not want to hike, it would be this: Black people hate snakes. I mean they are scared ****less of them. Almost invariably when describing my hike to a black person one of the first things they mention is snakes. So that would be my guess.

[The Weasel]

Yahtzee is trying to be humorous.

Perhaps a bit of the reason is there are a lot of places in America where historically black people aren't particularly welcome, including in the present day, and that includes along the AT (and many other places, north and south). When I made my thru attempt in '00, I hitched a ride between a hostel and a grocery, and mentioned that I thought the town was very nice and peaceful. The driver said, "That's because we don't let Blacks live here." While I'm sure he hardly represented the attitudes of all, and maybe not even most, people, and was probably incorrect, I did notice that I didn't see any Blacks in the town.

That was Underwood's point by the way, or at least I think so: A lot of people don't realize that there are many places where Blacks aren't exactly welcome. Or Latinos. Or....well, many other groups.

Not just hiking trails.

TW

[kanga]

do you ever actually get hired as a lawyer? just curious.

[Yahtzee]

Trying? Ouch.

Was that hitch you got around Catawba? I had the same exact conversation with a hitch I got on the road right before you climb up to the Sarver's Cabin cutoff.

I was being serious, though. Black people generally really do hate snakes. And if you don't believe me, asked a few. I have had the luck of being from a place that was almost equally divided between black and white, which meant being racist eliminated half of the dating pool (not too smart). While it is a self-evident truth that all men and women are created equally cultures reflect our differences.

As for not being welcome, while not being completely naive to present day, most Appalachian people in the south fought for the union since they had no use for slaves in the hills. A black man had a better chance in the mountains than the lowlands. And, since it seems we are being overly sensitive here to our black brothers and sisters, I just wanted to point out that the 'sons of the soil' were not part of the South's inglorious past.

As for getting the "not being welcome" subtext from that video, I think that is a step too far. All the white folk in that video were welcoming his presence. The joke was that they were shocked to see him there, not that he wasn't welcome.

[Yahtzee]

do you ever actually get hired as a lawyer? just curious.

Who was that directed at? Since I am a lawyer, I was curious.

[kanga]

Who was that directed at? Since I am a lawyer, I was curious.

sorry. and i mean for the confusion, not that you're a lawyer.
it was to weasy. i agreed with your post. my black friends think i'm crazy for sleeping in the woods when i have a perfectly good house. it's not just the snakes though, it's all of the "creepy crawlies".

[The Weasel]

do you ever actually get hired as a lawyer? just curious.

Trying? Ouch.

Was that hitch you got around Catawba? I had the same exact conversation with a hitch I got on the road right before you climb up to the Sarver's Cabin cutoff.

***
As for not being welcome, while not being completely naive to present day, most Appalachian people in the south fought for the union since they had no use for slaves in the hills. A black man had a better chance in the mountains than the lowlands. And, since it seems we are being overly sensitive here to our black brothers and sisters, I just wanted to point out that the 'sons of the soil' were not part of the South's inglorious past.

As for getting the "not being welcome" subtext from that video, I think that is a step too far. All the white folk in that video were welcoming his presence. The joke was that they were shocked to see him there, not that he wasn't welcome.

(1) Yes. I do.

(2) Yahtzee, sorry that I misinterpreted what you said. But yeah, the video makes it pretty clear Underwood wasn't welcome, most obviously when the runner saw him, turned, and ran the other direction. Most of it was, "What are YOU doing out here?" which in much of the country (not just the LA park it was filmed in is part of the offense of "LWB" - "Living While Black" - that leads people to say, "There is a black man trying to get in the door of a house!" and calling the police. So it's not a video directed to hiking; hiking is just a very good background to say, "In the mundane world of just walking around and doing nothing even remotely questionable, black people get 'noticed' and make people wonder, 'Why is one of THEM around here?'"

TW

[Jack Tarlin]

Damn, I was gonna stay totally away from this one, but Weasel, I have to say it:

Yep, you're absolutely right. There are places where black people aren't welcome. Likewise Latinos. Or gays. Or whoever.

But, Weasel, there are places where this is true of white people, too. And places where they are not only unwelcome, but will probably be harassed or worse.

This constant "victimization" mindset of certain people and certain groups has to stop. There are all sorts of places where certain people may not find themselves "welcome", comfortable, or safe.

But this applies to all sorts of people, Weasel.

Sometimes, this is forgotten.

[Pedaling Fool]

...But yeah, the video makes it pretty clear Underwood wasn't welcome, most obviously when the runner saw him, turned, and ran the other direction. Most of it was, "What are YOU doing out here?" which in much of the country (not just the LA park it was filmed in is part of the offense of "LWB" - "Living While Black" - that leads people to say, "There is a black man trying to get in the door of a house!" and calling the police. So it's not a video directed to hiking; hiking is just a very good background to say, "In the mundane world of just walking around and doing nothing even remotely questionable, black people get 'noticed' and make people wonder, 'Why is one of THEM around here?'"

TW

TW, I think you watched a different video than most everyone else.

[Lone Wolf]

(1) Yes. I do.

(2) Yahtzee, sorry that I misinterpreted what you said. But yeah, the video makes it pretty clear Underwood wasn't welcome, most obviously when the runner saw him, turned, and ran the other direction. Most of it was, "What are YOU doing out here?" which in much of the country (not just the LA park it was filmed in is part of the offense of "LWB" - "Living While Black" - that leads people to say, "There is a black man trying to get in the door of a house!" and calling the police. So it's not a video directed to hiking; hiking is just a very good background to say, "In the mundane world of just walking around and doing nothing even remotely questionable, black people get 'noticed' and make people wonder, 'Why is one of THEM around here?'"

TW

oh brother clueless once again

[kanga]

TW, I think you watched a different video than most everyone else.

thank you. i have been at a loss for words, suprisingly.