Black Man Hiking

[Yahtzee]

Weasel, apart from the one instance where the woman ran away in fear, there was no other sign in that video that the white people did not want him there. There is enough racism in this country to spread around for days, there is no need to find it where it isn't.

[The Weasel]

Ah. Blair Underwood is black. He is hiking in the trails of LA County. A white woman sees him walking towards him, and turns and runs frantically away fear. (Gosh. Why did she run? A young man sees him walking towards him, and makes his stereotype clear by flashing his Obama shirt. (Yes. All Black men love Barack Obama. Except for those who don't.) A white couple fawns over him. (Gosh, you must be new here! But SOOOOO welcome!)

Racism isn't just a bunch of crackers wearing dunce caps and sheets. It's all of us who look at others and treat them as stereotypes. And yes, Jack, there are a lot of places where Whites aren't welcome, and Latinos, and Asians, and.......well, the list is sort of endless.

But I'll tell you this: In my 60 years, I've sure never seen anyone trying to "pass for black" other than maybe Gene Wilder and, to everyone's regret, Ted Danson. Underwood's video goes to a lot more than hiking, and it's a fine little sketch.


TW

[weary]

....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.

Are you sure? I'll have to watch the video again. I had the impression that it was made by blacks as a way to poke fun at the stereotypes with which they are perceived by many whites.

Weary

[The Weasel]

Are you sure? I'll have to watch the video again. I had the impression that it was made by blacks as a way to poke fun at the stereotypes with which they are perceived by many whites.

Weary

Ditto.

TW

[Bearpaw]

I work in a predominantly black school and showed it to my coworkers. They laughed til they nearly fell on the floor. The only folks who wouldn't find this funny were those who felt some discomfort around racial issues in general.

Folks, PLEASE either develop a sense of humor or stay away from the humor forums.

[The Weasel]

Man, it's funny. But it's not Blair that I'm laughing at. Although I'll give him points for being droll. Loved the Jack Benny 'stare'.

TW

[Reid]

I liked it when he told the guy wearing the Obama hope shirt that "I got this man!"

[Gray Blazer]

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.

Does anyone know about the "Burning Town" at Burning town Gap?

[weary]

I work in a predominantly black school and showed it to my coworkers. They laughed til they nearly fell on the floor. The only folks who wouldn't find this funny were those who felt some discomfort around racial issues in general.

Folks, PLEASE either develop a sense of humor or stay away from the humor forums.

As I suggested. The video pokes fun at the way blacks are perceived by many whites. Why shouldn't your black colleagues find it hilarious?

Weary

[earlyriser26]

I've hiked on the AT for 40 years and in all that time I have only seen 2 black people.

[double d]

I work in a predominantly black school and showed it to my coworkers. They laughed til they nearly fell on the floor. The only folks who wouldn't find this funny were those who felt some discomfort around racial issues in general.

Folks, PLEASE either develop a sense of humor or stay away from the humor forums.

Good point, a little more sense of humor goes a long ways in this world.

[weary]

I've hiked on the AT for 40 years and in all that time I have only seen 2 black people.

I saw several dozen black people on the AT in Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia during my walk north in 1993. Most were what appeared to be inner city youths lead by black leaders. Later I did see a lone black hiking in the White Mountains.

Blacks, however, have participated in all the AT biennial conferences I've attended. One came on a hike I lead during the 1997 conference in Maine. I was a bit nervous because she was elderly and looked too frail to do the climb that I had planned. But she scurried up the peak in the federal Wild River Wilderness with the best of us. She obviously was an avid and experienced hiker. And she showed no fear of snakes. At least she crawled under a blowdown and up a steep ledge with nary a second look.

I camped at the KOA campground outside of Harpers Ferry for a couple of days while waiting for a grandchild to show up to walk with me for a couple of months. There was a tavern about half way between the town and my tent which I stopped at a couple of times for a beer. On one of the visits I chatted with another patron, a black, and asked him why so few blacks used the trail. I never did get an answer. He did say his interest was in running, and being a volunteer coach for the local high school football team.

A group of whites at the next table noticed his enthusiasm for running and joined the conversation. As I was leaving to continue my walk to the campground, the group was making plans for a joint run the next morning.

That was my contribution to better race relations on my 2,000 mile, 1993 walk home from Georgia.

Weary

[Jack Tarlin]

This has been discussed before here at WB, but there are probably many different reasons why there aren't many black people on the Trail.

*I suspect a lot of this is economic. If you're going hiking, in most cases, this involves a serious investment in equipment, clothing, travel, etc. and this can get expensive. There are all sorts of other sports and other athletic activities that require neither a big investment in gear or travel expenses.

*Also, most people start hiking at an early age, usually with parents or other family members. Kids that grow up in cities, often in single parent homes, might not have this sort of mentoring, i.e. there might not be an adult around who'll take them hiking, camping, etc. There are also fewer Scout groups in the inner cities.

*Greater interest in outdoor activities like hiking seems to be found among
the middle and upper classes, and among people with advanced levels of
higher education (When you look at thru-hikers and Sierra Club members
you see pretty much the same demographic). People from lower socio-econ-
omic levels and with less education are probably less likely to be interested
in many outdoor activities, and this is especially true among people with city
backgrounds who have little knowlwedge of, or exposure to the backcountry.

*As economically disadvantaged groups move up the economic ladder, they
tend to embrace upwardly mobile/status-type recreational activities, i.e.
tennis or golf, or even skiing. Backpacking is much further down the list.

*There are all sorts of other activities where certain groups aren't well
represented; it's not just backpacking. Last time I was at an ice-skating
rink, for example, it was a fairly white crowd. Certain activities simply don't
appeal to everyone.

All this being said, I've seen black people on the Trail on all of my hikes, including black thru-hikers, so yes, while the numbers are small, they are growing.

[kanga]

ATTENTION!!!!


ALERT!!!!



WARNING!!!!!



HELLO!!!!



Humor Thread....

[neighbor dave]

i'd be willing to bet that there are more black people hiking without much gear in the world than white people hiking with all the lastest gear in the world

[Disney]

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.

I think you completely missed the point. Although the runner was obviously a bad reaction, every other hiker was so overexcited that they couldn't contain themselves. The Obama shirt wasn't put on out of fear, but out of a sense to look cool in Blair's eyes. He even tried to berate the other white hikers when Blair addressed the group. There was an all encompassing excitement and thrill. "This is actually happening" "We just want proof you were actually here"

Weary was right in the beginning. This is humor that makes you think, or at least argue.

[ShelterLeopard]

ATTENTION!!!!


ALERT!!!!



WARNING!!!!!



HELLO!!!!



Humor Thread....

OOOHHH. I thought this was the tumor thread. My mistake.

[Mags]

I'm a slightly tan guy who hikes. I've been known to crack (very dumb) jokes.

Ergo, I want a "slightly-tan-guy-who-gets-darker-in-the-summer hiking" humor thread.

That is all.

Thank you.

OOOHHH. I thought this was the tumor thread. My mistake.

Tuber thread? Whah?

[Gray Blazer]

(Best Roseannne Rosanadana voice) Nevermind!!

[weary]

ATTENTION!!!!
ALERT!!!!

WARNING!!!!!

HELLO!!!!

Humor Thread....

It sure is FUNNY that some have misunderstood a black video poking fun at white hikers.