Uncomfortable topics: Let's talk about race

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

The CotSG person, whom I have known online since 1998, has unfriended me because I insisted that both Gay & Trans rights should both be equally advanced.

Obviously, her being able to throw a self-righteous shit over the issue is more important than any actual progress.  This is of course feeding directly into the hands of people who oppose LGBT rights, as it both splits the effort, and makes LGBT people look like a pack of attention whores...IE, it's just handing the bastards ammunition.

Good riddance.

Why waste your time on someone who is openly against equal rights?

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

QUESTION: WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS?

http://ghettohikes.tumblr.com/

I am going to refrain from posting my own impressions because I want to hear what you guys think about it first.

[EK WAFFLR]

QUESTION: WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS?

http://ghettohikes.tumblr.com/

I am going to refrain from posting my own impressions because I want to hear what you guys think about it first.

My first impression is that this Mr. Cody gets to bring some extremely fun and witty kids on hikes.

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

My gut on the "is it racist" question is no, because the humor comes from people being out of their element and not their race. Also this is perfect in ways I can't articulate:

Rocks, sticks, rivers needa come out here with my fuckin art supplies, paint alllllll this beautiful shit.

[Faust]

QUESTION: WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS?

http://ghettohikes.tumblr.com/

I am going to refrain from posting my own impressions because I want to hear what you guys think about it first.

I don't see any implication on race anywhere, is this somehow related to the topic? I don't like the colloquial dialect of the students but only because I want to take a big red marker to it.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

QUESTION: WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS?

http://ghettohikes.tumblr.com/

I am going to refrain from posting my own impressions because I want to hear what you guys think about it first.

I don't see any implication on race anywhere, is this somehow related to the topic? I don't like the colloquial dialect of the students but only because I want to take a big red marker to it.

Any racial implications are American-specific so the connection is probably pretty inscrutable for all the non-Americans here.

Someone posted this on my board and it got some really interesting reactions and started a bit of a debate, so I was just curious to see what the brain trust here has to say about it.

[Triple Zero]

QUESTION: WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS?

http://ghettohikes.tumblr.com/

I am going to refrain from posting my own impressions because I want to hear what you guys think about it first.

I don't see any implication on race anywhere, is this somehow related to the topic? I don't like the colloquial dialect of the students but only because I want to take a big red marker to it.

Any racial implications are American-specific so the connection is probably pretty inscrutable for all the non-Americans here.

Someone posted this on my board and it got some really interesting reactions and started a bit of a debate, so I was just curious to see what the brain trust here has to say about it.

Is the dialect-language specific to black people? I'm not sure, but I once heard about something called "Black English Vernacular", so that might be it. Or maybe there's references to drumsticks and cantaloupe flying over my head again

Anyway, this guy is taking kids from poor neighbourhoods (judging by "ghetto") on nature hikes. From that I'd normally assume that he really cares about the kids and any racism would be unintentional. But I could also be wrong about this.

One thing I do wonder about is, if these are things the kids say, what's up with all the spelling mistakes? I mean it's one thing to write down some words phonetically, like "MOTHAFUCKA" or "MATIN' SEASONS" (actually he doesn't even get those down correctly), but there's some misspelled words where I really wonder how the kid pronounced to write it that way, like ".. BURIED OUT HERR" and ".. ACTN LIKE HE DIDNT. OVER THERE WIT A .."

Of course there's always the possibility that whoever wrote that Tumblr is dylexic like a mothfukcer himself.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

QUESTION: WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS?

http://ghettohikes.tumblr.com/

I am going to refrain from posting my own impressions because I want to hear what you guys think about it first.

I don't see any implication on race anywhere, is this somehow related to the topic? I don't like the colloquial dialect of the students but only because I want to take a big red marker to it.

Any racial implications are American-specific so the connection is probably pretty inscrutable for all the non-Americans here.

Someone posted this on my board and it got some really interesting reactions and started a bit of a debate, so I was just curious to see what the brain trust here has to say about it.

Is the dialect-language specific to black people? I'm not sure, but I once heard about something called "Black English Vernacular", so that might be it. Or maybe there's references to drumsticks and cantaloupe flying over my head again

Anyway, this guy is taking kids from poor neighbourhoods (judging by "ghetto") on nature hikes. From that I'd normally assume that he really cares about the kids and any racism would be unintentional. But I could also be wrong about this.

One thing I do wonder about is, if these are things the kids say, what's up with all the spelling mistakes? I mean it's one thing to write down some words phonetically, like "MOTHAFUCKA" or "MATIN' SEASONS" (actually he doesn't even get those down correctly), but there's some misspelled words where I really wonder how the kid pronounced to write it that way, like ".. BURIED OUT HERR" and ".. ACTN LIKE HE DIDNT. OVER THERE WIT A .."

Of course there's always the possibility that whoever wrote that Tumblr is dylexic like a mothfukcer himself.

The spelling mistakes are deliberate and are intended to be pronounced as written... I can hear it in my head and it's perfect. Yes, urban kids from poor neighborhoods, mostly black, speaking in a "ghetto" (which in the US is often used synonymously with "poor black neighborhood") vernacular. It's pretty safe to assume that most of them are black.

I  thought it was hilarious and that the kids were clever and funny. Two of my friends (both white) thought it was racist. One of the most interesting things, to me, about their conclusion was the immediate and unquestioned assumption that the author is white.

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

Speaking as a white liberal, there is nothing more terrifying to us than the idea that a black person might think we're the racist assholes we've been warned about. That can lead to some retarded places, like jumping on calling other people racist to prove our not-racist-ness.

[Phox]

My initial assumption was that it was a black author playing on the "urban" stereotype for kicks. Weird. I thought it was pretty funny, but I tend to think that intelligent, witty humor written in that vernacular is funny because it subverts the stereotype.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Speaking as a white liberal, there is nothing more terrifying to us than the idea that a black person might think we're the racist assholes we've been warned about. That can lead to some retarded places, like jumping on calling other people racist to prove our not-racist-ness.

Yeah, I kind of think that's what happened with my friends. Also, the tendency for white people to be uncomfortable with things that make them think about someone else's blackness. 

[Cainad (dec.)]

The spelling mistakes are deliberate and are intended to be pronounced as written... I can hear it in my head and it's perfect. Yes, urban kids from poor neighborhoods, mostly black, speaking in a "ghetto" (which in the US is often used synonymously with "poor black neighborhood") vernacular. It's pretty safe to assume that most of them are black.

I  thought it was hilarious and that the kids were clever and funny. Two of my friends (both white) thought it was racist. One of the most interesting things, to me, about their conclusion was the immediate and unquestioned assumption that the author is white.

That is really interesting. I didn't think there was any racist intent, and I thought a lot of the stuff was really funny. But your comment here just made me realize that I also assumed that the blog author is white.

Weird. Introspection time!

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

My initial assumption was that it was a black author playing on the "urban" stereotype for kicks. Weird. I thought it was pretty funny, but I tend to think that intelligent, witty humor written in that vernacular is funny because it subverts the stereotype.

Yes, it does, which I kind of appreciate because that stereotype has got to go.

One thing I found REALLY interesting when I googled to see what other kinds of discussions were happening about this blog was how many people commented on how he was "trying to make the kids sound stupid". I went WOW, where does that come from? People are clearly assuming that he is highlighting their ignorance, and not capturing their witticisms, based purely on the vernacular. It seems obvious to me that the kids know they're being funny... no, that kid does not actually think that is actual jam leaking out of the tree, nor that someone has brought a piece of toast hiking... and blog dude thinks they're hysterical, which is a sign of a good teacher. My friend who posted it is a French teacher and she's constantly quoting the hilarious/silly things her kids say because she loves them.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

The spelling mistakes are deliberate and are intended to be pronounced as written... I can hear it in my head and it's perfect. Yes, urban kids from poor neighborhoods, mostly black, speaking in a "ghetto" (which in the US is often used synonymously with "poor black neighborhood") vernacular. It's pretty safe to assume that most of them are black.

I  thought it was hilarious and that the kids were clever and funny. Two of my friends (both white) thought it was racist. One of the most interesting things, to me, about their conclusion was the immediate and unquestioned assumption that the author is white.

That is really interesting. I didn't think there was any racist intent, and I thought a lot of the stuff was really funny. But your comment here just made me realize that I also assumed that the blog author is white.

Weird. Introspection time!

Yay!

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

I have to admit, I totally assumed the writer is white too, but I think that's more of a function of my experience with hiking and "nature enthusiasts" in general. I used to go camping up in the White Mountains in NH every summer, and northern New England DOES NOT HAVE BLACK PEOPLE. I've got a friend that moved to Boston from Maine, and he's constantly having problems with race - not because he's racist, but because it's a completely alien concept to him.