So, i'm actually white, then?

[powerful_words]

"Stuff Black People Don't Do"

I found this article to be particularly interesting, especially in light of my previous posts about race and racism. Why is it that black people feel that camping is out of their depth? Or that rock music is not within their cultural lexicon (Jimi? Hello?)?

I'm also linking to that particular blog (Racialicious)

Comments

Here's one of the comments from the article that I think provides a lot of food for thought

[hisladyhiswife]

Azizi wrote:

"I wonder how much our [Black people's] failure to tests ourselves in different recreational settings has to do with race fatigue-that is wanting and needing a break from having to deal with the stress of being “the only one” (meaning the only Black person) or one of very few Black people in a particular setting. Note that I wrote “race” and not “racism” fatigue. My definition for “race fatigue” means being tired of interacting in a setting where you are identified by your race or ethnicity (using the USA definition of Latino/Hispanic for “ethnicity”, though perhaps other definitions of ethnicity might apply. I think that “religious affiliation fatigue” and “gender orientation” fatigue might also be similar forms of this type of fatigue such as being the only Muslim in a particular setting or being the only gay person in a particular setting).

To share what may be comparable non-recreational examples- I definitely felt race fatigue when I was one of three Black women dorm residents at a small private college in the mid to late 1960s (There were also three Black men who were dorm residents. If the adminstrators thought that this would mean that the none of the Black male students would date the White students, that plan failed).

A number of times I’ve been the only Black person or one of very few Black people in non-recreational settings such as a member of non-profit task forces & boards. And I was the only self-identified Person of Color on a folk music blog (although that blogging was supposed to have been a leisure time activity). In these types of settings, after a while, I got tired of being tired of even well meaning racial comments (like the comments from other women in that college dorm about why I was greasing my hair.) But on the other hand, I also got very tired of addressing the rose-colored “there is no such thing as race” attitudes/comments and the overt racism on that blog.)

My point is that sometimes self-segregation is talking control and I don’t mean this in the negative, learned helpless sense that Jadey mentioned in her (his?) comment above.

I think that many Black people not involving themselves in recreational activities and settings where there aren’t a “comfortable” number of other Black people [whatever that number is] has to do with why and how we build & defend our comfort zones. Most of us have to deal with being identified by our race at our workplace. We also have to deal with being identified by race-or the possibility of having to deal with race/racism during many other daily interactions such as shopping, and even driving while black. I think we need times and spaces where we have a break from dealing with race. I think we need times when we can kick back and RELAX and not worry about anything race related what so ever. I think involving ourselves in activities or vacation spots where there is likely to be no other or few other Black people means that we will have to be on guard (or at least still be the “designated Black person”) whether we want to be in that role or not. Being the only Black person means that we may be asked to “translate” what other Black people in the news said or meant by their actions. Also, being the only Black person means that may be no other person whose got your back if s*it goes down-either verbally or physically. I don’t think those concerns can be discounted, though-unfortunately-the notion that another Black person would have another Black person’s back in such settings is likely not real…

I think another reason why many Black people aren’t in to activities that they regard as “not what Black people do” is that we have a low tolerance for taking the risk of being embarrassed among non-Black people (the embarassment might be felt because [through lack of experience] we can’t do a certain activity well-yet.

I’m not saying that these reasons for not going outside our comfort zone are right. I definitely think that people should expand their comfort zones, take risk, and challenge ourselves. But I also think we have to be real about why people may not do so."

Re: Here's one of the comments from the article that I think provides a lot of food for thought

[hisladyhiswife]

I like the term "race fatigue." I've never heard it before reading this comment.