You know it's a slow news weekend when the biggest national news was the O family taking a trip to Yosemite. The first black first family doing the camping thing is kind of cool, so maybe the news cycle is running on low, but this is nice news to hear about. At least I think it is.
Us black folks don't do the camping thing too much. (Present company excluded of course.)We just don't get out and enjoy the wonders of nature enough. Most of us live our lives in large urban areas and some of us never leave. We rarely expose our kids to the wonders of the outdoors, and that's kind of sad. Oh field, give me a break. Black folks don't have time for that crap. We are too busy trying to work two jobs and make ends meet. Camping and enjoying the great outdoors and A-merry-ca's parks is expensive. That's for white folks.
Okay, I admit it might be expensive, and it might take some sacrifices to come up with the ends to take a field trip. But I was reading my girl Carmen Dixon over at AOL Black Voices, and she had some quotes from a black park ranger (When was the last time you saw a black park ranger?) which I found interesting:
"It's bigger than just African Americans not visiting national parks. It's a disassociation from the natural world,' said Johnson, who has worked in Yosemite for the past 15 of his 22 years in the Park Service. 'I think it is, in part, a memory of the horrible things that were done to us in rural America.'The rejection of the natural world by the black community, he said, is a scar left over from slavery.'All Snoop Dogg has to do is go camping in Yosemite, and it would change the world,' said Johnson, 51. 'If Oprah Winfrey went on a road trip to the national parks, it would do more than I have done in my whole career.."
Well, I don't know if we want Snoop in Yosemite there Ranger Johnson, all that crip walking might scare the bears, but I get your point. Look, as a people we need to force ourselves to be exposed to certain things. We need to expose our children to things that they might or might not enjoy. Just because we might not like hiking, fishing or camping, doesn't mean that our kids won't enjoy or learn to love those activities. Exposure to different things and different ways of life is never a bad thing.
I don't know, instead of throwing Rev. Love a C note for the church building fund, buying that 32 inch color television for the basement, or spending three hundred a month on our note for the whip instead of six, maybe we could plan a nice trip to one of the national parks with the kids for a weekend. I am just sayin. We can't let other people have all the fun.
94 comments:
I am a huge traveler of the back roads and the national parks, and you hardly ever see black folks there. And no, it's not why I go there. I go there because the American countryside is insanely beautiful. There ought to be more black people out there, but please don't bring Snoop.
By the way, Field, guess what I saw in the swimming pool at my health club yesterday? You got it, a black man. He swam faster than me. Jesus H. Christ, what's next? A black serial killer who will beat John Wayne Gacy's record?
i camped often as a kid and a girl scout
but i never camp as an adult simply because i hate bugs, snakes and bears!
no more
no less
"camping" now = condo in the woods
fully loaded ONLY
ps fn:
mj's skin bleachers are finally talking
i knew the blatant vitiligo lies would not live forever
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/14/michael-jacksons-plastic_n_259834.html
http://www.allure.com/magazine/2009/09/michael_jackson?slide=1
Black folk do fish in the city and they fish off the Wissahickon Creek near the Schuylkill.
When I was growing up we went to the Black National Park, some Blacks had cabins in the park where they would hunt and fish. Mind you that we did not have the exact amenities as the white folk. I went to summer camp in that park.
In Philly many Black Scout Troups camp. It is not the Grand Canyon, but it is the Great Outdoors. I can attest to that.
I don't know if it still exist but the city of Philadelphia use to run a summer camp in a rural area.
We may not visit the big national parks, but we do still do many of the thing white folk do in appreciating nature. I think the cost of visiting such remote areas or the thought in being a black in those remote areas might have something to do with why we aren't seen.
BTW You must have seen our Black Park Ranger in charge of the Independence National Historical Park. She is always part of the Independence Day celebrations.
Field:
Out on the West Coast blacks go camping all the time, and visit the National Park too. Well, at least they do down my way. People take tents and campers. BTW, we have Black Park Rangers out this way too.
BTW, our last family reunion was at a National Park.
If a Black person got lost in a National Park would the authorities search for that person the way they do for lost White people?
I really don't think so. Hell they really didn't want to go into New Orleans.
So I'm gonna just stick to my local parks for being close to nature.
I don't know, I think there are lots of whites living in the concrete jungles that don't usually do the nature stuff either. I'm not a nature person myself, I think it's a personal preference. I do know I need to start enjoying my weekends, by Sunday, I'm already upset because I have to go to work on Monday. So that just leaves hectic Saturdays for a little taste of happiness. I hate my job.
I have to admit, when I was growing up, I always wanted to go to those sleep over summer camps like the white kids on TV. (Knowing what I know now, I would never let my young black daughter go sleeping over anywhere. Not knowing now how society doesn't value the lives of young black females). You can't just send your little black children off to these places, you know.
Besides, there aren't any air conditioning on camp grounds. Me hate the hot sun with a passion. Would that be part of the scars that guy was talking about?
Nice Catch Brother Field:
I live in CA and I have been to Yosemite. To show you how ignorant of the National Park system I was, I used to think Yo-sem-it-tee and Yosem-ite were two different places. That was an eon ago! I grew up in Boston!
Anyway, if you have not been to Yosemite, you have no idea what the world can look like when nature is left alone. It is so beautiful!
I was a Boy Scout, and of course, my son was one too. I had to sweat him to go when he was a teenager because his "important" social engagements seemed to always be pressing, but he learned to love it and the outdoors.
It was virtually impossible to get any of the negro parents I knew to send their kids. His troop was all White and Asian. Anyway, he learned to rock climb, camp, fish, and do a little community service (I taught him to shoot and cook).
The National Parks and the National Forests are better than anything in Europe or Asia. I agree, one year, don't go to Texas or Alabama or wherever the home folks are and take the kids to one of the National Parks. It is the best investment of time and money you can make and you don't have to get a visa to go visit them.
P.S., Field, if you ever visit Yosemite go to Camp Curry and get the full experience. Oman can't go cause he has to worry about more than Grizzly bears.
Hey Field, does going to beach parties count?
Hathor, I feel you about what goes down here in Philly from time to time. I was generalizing in the post. I do see black folks fishing along Kelly Drive here all the time, and every now and then I will see a black park ranger down by The Independence Mall. (That's where we keep the Liberty Bell for those of you who aren't in the know)
As for those fish they catch in the "Wissahickon Creek near the Schuylkill". I sure as hell hope that they are throwing them back. :)
La~Incognita and AB, I understand that camping and the outdoors isn't for everybody, but my point was that we should at least expose our kids to it. If they aren't feeling the great outdoors once they do it, then fine. But at least they will have done it.
I bet malik's son is a better person for having experienced what he did under malik's guidance.
"If a Black person got lost in a National Park would the authorities search for that person the way they do for lost White people?
I really don't think so. Hell they really didn't want to go into New Orleans."
Now see.... ))))LOL(((((
And yes grinder, some of us black folks are pretty good swimmers.
"Hey Field, does going to beach parties count?"
Yeah, I guess. The beach is, after all, the outdoors. But you know you are cheating,right? No fair counting the beach as a place you have to rough it. :)
ditto fn
i loved being a scout and camping frequently for many years as a child
i started out as a brownie and made it all the way to junior cadet before i felt too cool/got bored with it all...
but after the "exposure" wears off, it is just sheer misery for someone who hates bugs as i do...
i do not ever even attend picnics or any other outdoor corp events
i just bailed out on a corp water pk day last week
i am severely allergic to pollen too
i hate summer and spring as i do camping!
fall is my fav season
ps fn
i am an expert swimmer
was on the swim team in prep school
and still love it
alicia banks said...
ps fn
i am an expert swimmer
was on the swim team in prep school
and still love it
More lies.
assnon:
i am sorry god did not make you me
stop hating and congratulate
can't swim?
dyam
you are missing out
fix that
assnon:
i also have 4 swimming badges and 2 "polar bear" (winter swimmers) badges from my girl scout days
you ever win any badges?
any exist for trifling envy or chronic lies? if so, you earn them here daily!
get that!
assnon:
why is it that every ime i whip you and your hater posses' asses you call me "lonely"???
because i do so solo???
Field:
Check your mail.
Does anyone have any Tylenol Double strength?
Brother Field..2008 went white water rafting in French River in Tenn. The quides were suprised that four Blacks (my spouse, cousin and his lady friend and moi) were so far removed from the urban area. As a people we don't go to national parks. My quess is that most of the parks are located soo far from the coast where a large percentage of us reside. Truth be told....African Americans have not many families headed by males who historically been adventurous. I took my family just so I could be "in charge" as the "Great Black Hunter"- seeing that in the years of having kids at home- my spouse was the "boss" all the time. Out in the woods "I" was the "Man". Maybe I can start a "rent a man" so others can enjoy a night under the stars. StillaPanther2
Ditto!
BTW.... The Church of God led by Elder Michuex (deceased) with churches in NN, VA, Wash.DC, Phil. Penn., and NY, NY have a program for all youth on the East Coast to come to Williamsburg, VA to summer camp for 2 weeks. The kids/youth are supervised in the wilderness during the time period. Goggle 'Church of God' for numbers
Go to state parks on day trips. There's some beautiful state parks in Jersey, with trails & waterfalls, not very strenuous, no need to camp out. I don't like camping out. When I was Boy Scout I liked the activities but hated the cold showers, outhouses, lousy food at summer camp. I dreamed of being old enough to stay in a motel.
~
Ne ger tah roes, stay out of the national parks, and stay out of Hillsboro MO, too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kl8W0kI8tg8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpzpkdH6PLc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7zfawMm-So
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGiLZF--ehA
If the url does not launch automatically, it is deh field-negro's fault.
`
Cool post FN, in fact I went fishing today with my brother to a watering hole not too far from my home in Oakdale, CA. Going to the outdoors keeps me sane. Where we live we are only a couple of hours from the mountains and a few minutes from the Stanislaus River Parks. Not too far is the Sonora Pass which leads to the Eastern Sierra, beautiful country. I've not seen too many Blacks out there, but whenever I do, we always say hi and chat; ALWAYS. Here are some pics with some scenery that I took a couple of years ago.
If you want to ease into camping in CA and want a town nearby WITH Black people, go no farther than Weed, CA in Shasta Trinity National Forest. The people are friendly and the country is beautiful.
Wonderful post FN.
Field, I know, a couple of people in your area who can show young people camping experiences that are really out of the ordinary:
A fellow barrister you may know, Walt Vertreece, (he got very upset with me once when I told him that his favorite Italian food just HAD to be TORTalini, said my statement just HAD to be actionable SOME way) was at one time involved in civil air patrol and was quite knowledgeable in the land search and rescue area.
Another person you may know, Albert El, is a civil war reenactor and Buffalo Soldier member.
This is camping with a difference, beautiful locations, good companionship, service, and if you're not careful you might learn something. Great for anyone, especially youngsters.
it would be great if more children from urban areas got to get out of the city for a minute.
In NYC there's the Fresh Air Fund that sends kids to farms/camps in Upstate New York.
I was a Brownie/Girl Scout and went to a Methodist camp a few times. They were great experiences.
I'll admit my problem is I love to be outdoors but I'm afraid of snakes, spiders, bears etc. ha
Sarge,thanks for that info. I will add that person you mentioned to my list of people to contact.
StillAPanther2, you make a great point about our families not being headed by enough males. That's why some of the organizations (Such as Fresh Air.) you all mentioned is so important.
M. Rigmaiden, thanks for the pics. Cali is a beautiful place. It's just too far from the rock for the kid.
Bob, you are right,there is no shame in day trips. Hell, given our schedules these days, that might be the way to go.
One of the things I love about America is it's natural beauty. I have been lucky enough to see most of the US, and it is amazing! My favorite road trip was driving from Austin, TX to San Francisco. We planned our entire trip by natural hot springs. Most places out west have hot springs all over their states. We bought books of the hot springs of each state and planned our stop/start to camp each night. We took our time (7 days) and enjoyed a soak and the beginning and ending of each day. Only the springs at Yosemite had anyone else around.
Another thing I think everyone should see is the Grand Canyon. Sit on it's edge for a couple of hours and life will have a brand new perspective. You realize that we are here for a fleeting second in the grand universe, and that the natural world is much larger and more enduring than we humans will ever be.
Finally, I personally think that folks who live in concrete should not be allowed to make policies about nature, unless they go see what they are making policies about... As a long time supporter of the Western Shoshone, the Pyute, the Dene and the Hopi, all of who live in Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado, Idaho and California..... I have been horrified over the RECENT years at the things the US government has continued and continues to do to these people... gold and coal mining, uranium mining and dumping, nuclear testing and waste storage.... stealing and abusing sacred sites.... it is shameful.
For a lot of urban folk National Parks can be cost prohibitive because of location/travel. For many rural folk, there's kind of this notion that "I live in a rural area so what's a park got to offer?"
I really don't think nature scares black people or is too painful a reminder of slavery. Lots of black folks still live in rural areas and the majority lives in the South. However, you'd never know that black folks existed outside of inner cities or urban environments if you watched tv or consume most popular media. Blacks have been erased from the South and rural areas in the popular imagination (unless the topic is specifically slavery or sharecropping) and it's to the point where when people mention the South and talk about Southerners they usually implicitly mean white male conservatives even though white male conservatives are the minority in the South when you add in everyone else that lives here. I think that right there is a travesty as blacks, women, latin@s, democrats etc. are every bit as southern as white male conservatives and have in many cases contributed far more and been here far longer. And don't get me started on affectionate slang and race neutral terms like Bubba (and other rural terms like it) that have been denigrated by popular media as well as racialized to exclude all but dumb southern whites. WTF?! Who came up with that definition?! Is the perception that blacks are solely urban creatures shaping attitudes about visiting parks and nature? I wouldn't be surprised to find that myth is creating or helping to create a reality.
That said, I do think that as blacks gain economically --better jobs with more leisure time-- the vacationing disparity will cease and that will include traveling to National Parks too.
The disparity also exists by virtue of sheer numbers. Not everybody likes nature and since there are far more white folks in the US population in general and there's an historic income disparity between blacks and whites that's yet to end there are going to be far more white folks with both the means and desire to visit national parks. However as someone mentioned earlier, you don't have to go to a National Park to enjoy nature. There are lots of state parks where you can find something to suit you.
--j
Slow News Weekend?? White Harlem Store Owner named "Salvatore" sends 2 Negroes to Tupac-land with an UNREGISTERED Shotgun, 2 more to the ICU when they don't have Health Insurance? Pro-filin, Hate Crime, and Gun Control all in one nice package... You really gotta cut back on the Ganya Field...
Frank
I am getting tired of people (especially black conservatives) placing the responsibility of the entire black race on Obama and his family.
I don't care if the Obamas decide to spend an entire year in Yellowstone that isn't going to get me to run out and buy camping equipment.
Camping is cheap, after you buy the initial equipment (which, if you know what you're doing, can be pretty cheap in and of itself). That's the primary reason most of my vacations are camping.
Finally, I personally think that folks who live in concrete should not be allowed to make policies about nature, unless they go see what they are making policies about...
Very good point Jodie,
Too many of our congressman, senators etc. have a poor understanding of science and the environment. That's how we keep getting politicians who deny global warming and believe that we can keep eliminating ecosytems with impunity. The general public is at fault too; so few people know anything about the natural world and their effect on it.
Camping is horrible. Impossible to sleep on that hard cold ground with bugs crawling over you all night long. The snakes like to crawl under the tent or even into your sleeping bag too! And you might wake up face to face with a bear or a mountain lion.
I think its the bugs constantly swarming around my face that bother me the most. Huge mosquitos, leaving those ugly welts all over, itching and scratching all day and all night... for what? So I can freeze at night and sweat like a pig in the day? No showers, no way to stay clean or do my hair?
I'm just glad I never ever think about going camping. Who needs it? There's nothing out there for me but bugbites, sweat, snakes, bears, weasels, rats and such.
I just went camping at Lake Skinner here in California, Field. I saw TWO Black families. We greeted each other so happily I swore freaking tails would appear and start wagging! ;) I agree with you. I LOVE camping/fishing expeditions and think that a reconnection with nature is a perfect balm for many turbulent melanated souls. I had to save for 3 months but the sacrifice was worth every penny. Buying the equipment is pricey but after that, it all pays for itself. getting a space can cost as little as 17 dollars a night and there's nothing like unlatching your tent for a view of the stars at night.
Having Snoop there would change the world? Uh, it would encourage the kind of people to go camping who would cause a significant upsurge of crime at parks to happen, if by that you mean "change the world", I guess he is right.
Thanks Field, now my conscience is cleared. I'll go beach every weekend, heck I'll even swim in water with the nasty jelly fishes to rough it out :)
Granny, I got some 800mg Motrin. I take them in between the popcorn when I'm visiting this blog.
LOL at anony 11:50 AM, don't forget the crickets. I hate those little no-brain noisy f-kers. Why do they even exist? There are a couple of them living in the bushes outside my bedroom window. I'm now convinced that someone must have gone to the obeah lady to get my ass, I swear.
But I did some thinking last night, and I'm going to check out some camping grounds in my area, even if it's just for my daughter to have the experience. Great idea.
Obama going all the way out to Yosemite is part of the problem with why more people don't think about visiting NPS sites. There are national parks practically in the President's back yard, and he's got to travel to the other side of the country to do photo ops at a park that's so over-visited now you can spend most of your time there sitting in traffic jams?
Field, you want to see National Park Service sites in your backyard? If you want the outdoors, there's Delaware Water Gap. Head over to New York, and there's Fire Island National Seashore. If you want history, you're surrounded by it. The National Park system includes close to 400 sites ranging from the photo op over-visited ones like Grand Canyon and Yosemite to really nifty and underappreciated places like George Washington Carver National Memorial. I would have loved to have seen the President focus some attention on those more obscure sites instead of highlighting places that everyone already knows about.
And I'll second the comments about remembering state and local parks are great places for day hikes and picnicking to introduce kids to nature. No one has to camp in order to enjoy getting away from concrete for a few hours.
BTW, anyone who thinks that black park rangers are an anomaly either hasn't been paying attention or hasn't visited a National Park in a long, long time.
Field, Few weeks ago a 17 year old boy from new hampshire got lost in the woods....the state searched for him for three days...guess what? shortly after the rescue he received a bill for 25,000 from the state....
My family and I love camping. We always go as a family event. Sometimes we get about 10 tents deep! Imagine the looks on white people's faces! LOL
As a matter of fact, my sister-in law is taking my kids next weekend.
My wife and I will be in NY spending some we time.
Camping is alot of fun, and I have some hearing loss, so I literally cannot hear crickets; I don't really know what they sound like other than sound effects I've heard on tv.
Hi Granny!
Black people don't camp. Add that to the long stupid list of things where you won't find black people because "real" black people don't do them. A partial list of things real black people don't do or where they cannot be found follows:
Hiking
Swimmming
Tennis
Skiing (any winter sports)
Golfing
Traveling any where outside of Africa or the Caribbean (Only Uncle Toms travel to Europe)
Planetariums
Museum exhibits about anything except black people
Libraries
Foreign languages
Knowledge of different cultures
Rock and roll
Country Music
Classical dance and music (except the Dance Theater of Harlem and that's really only for uppity black folks)
Jazz (if it weren't for white people's support, this art form would be dead--Kenny G is not jazz)
Some of this class related and some of it is not. We have created a tiny insular world and then wonder why our kids don't want to do anything with themselves besides rap and play ball. There is a modest-sized black middle and upper middle class and yet there are a whole bunch of places you won't find black people of any class.
Ditto!
the assnons posting in my name:
you are envious cowards
i know it is wonderful to pretend to be me but...how about using your own worthless names and ugly faces?
Ditto!
Ah West Story...it is changing. Slowly, but changing nonetheless. I have seen African American tourists in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and on our latest river cruise through Europe; where we all got a belly full of medieval and Baroque art, architecture and history.
I like hiking especially in the places 4-5 miles from the parking lots. You see and hear a different world.
Hauling your own weight, your own gear and what you can do yourself adds to your self knowledge. Hiking vacations away from everything can be very strengthening for families, essentially all you can do is talk. There is nothing like placing your boots on the top of the tallest thing around and look to the horizon to give a proportion to your world view.
So many things like clean water, hot showers and air conditioning mean so much more when you get back.
West Coast Story:
Let me see:
Swimming
Tennis
Skiing
Golf
Planetariums
Museums
Libraries
Foreign Language
Rock and roll
Country Music
Classical
Jazz
Now as for the music, I like all music and have even attended operas, and mostly everyone in my family loves music. But then, we come from a family with a heavy musical background because some of our ancestors as you know were famous musicians, and some of our family now are musicians, singers, rappers, actors and actress.
Golf - one of my grandsons like that. He has golf clubs and one of those I guess you call it a putter green thing what you can practice with. None of the rest of us are interested in it that I know of.
Foreign Languages - three of my grandchildren do, two of my children, my grandparents on my dad's side spoke fluent French, it was their main language, I speak foreign languages and a few of my other relatives of mine do too.
My family is multicultural so I am familiar with a few cultures.
Planetariums and Museums, I think that my children, grandchildren, and I have visited just about everyone they have out this was more than once. I loved that one in L.A.
Library - I visit them so much, until I'm on a first name and chatting basis with the librarians and
swimming - some of us in my immediate family and other relatives have swimming pools. The kids hog the swimming pools. (smile)
Skiing - we do that too.
Okay, so does that mean we're not black? (granny being playfully mischievous again. smile) On a serious note though, we've participated in the majority of those types of activities more than once. Some of them, we're burned out from.
Now, hiking, nope! Not interested in it.
BTW, the young folks in our family usually are the ones that plan all the activities now. They can come up with some original and great ideas. Us old folks in the family just tag and drag along. They just a couple of years ago stop having us older ones do all the cooking, which was like cooking for an army. THANK YOU JESUS! I don't have to stand over no hot stove or barbeque pit for hours and hours and hours no more. Finally, I get to sit down, relax, enjoy, and not feel exhausted and wore out when everything is over.
My husband and I are going camping labor day weekend, and his uncle is a park ranger, and probably the only black one in Oklahoma, but I couldn't agree with you more. Really it's not that expensive, it's so much cheaper than Disney world, and it just feels good to see how beautiful the world is.
Glad to hear you all are breaking the mold!
Hey Field,
Your boy Clarence Thomas at it again.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/08/17/georgia.scotus.troy.davis/index.html
I married a dude who liked (past tense) to camp. Then he married me. Poor soul. All I have to say is that I now live "in the sticks". When I walk up my street, there are horses in the front yard and bats flying overhead looking for dinner. I wake to a rooster crowing every morning and last night, I saw an owl fly by and I ducked. I hit the ground because I was scared of an owl poking my eye out.
In recounting the story with my mom (a sister), my husband (not a brother) asked me who I was afraid of. And that's the thing. I'm not afraid of people popping off shots. I'm not afraid of folks running by me when there isn't a track in sight. I AM afraid of horses running at me to kick my teeth out and owls flying overhead to pluck my eyeballs out. I just don't KNOW those "natural" things so I'm not comfy around them. A few more walks through the sticks and maybe I will be. Though thick forests and quiet country roads scare me because, well, those are the types of places where they drag my people behind pick up trucks. I am from Texas and I did speak in favor of health care reform to a hostile crowd at a locally televised forum. I'm sure they're coming to get me.
Oh, be honest, Alicia...you know don't go to the beach because every time you do, a large crowd tends to gather around, throw buckets of water on you, and try to roll you back into the ocean, all under the watchful eye of the hovering Fox News helicopters.
To the "furry" AB..... I am laughing out loud!!!! Thank you for the levity!
jody:
how funny is this?:
http://www.nydailynews.com/real_estate/2009/08/16/2009-08-16_slumlords_get_to_share_stimulus_pot_worth_81m_they_own_some_of_citys_most_hazard.html
lol:
http://larrysinclair.org/download/polyresults.pdf
apoi:
your tired fat jokes only expose your own fatty fetishes/anorexic...
this whale on obama should give you a tiny lil DL chubby too:
http://larrysinclair-0926.blogspot.com/2009/08/barack-obamas-48th-birthday-gift-should.html
apoi:
dry hump on this bone here:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wxPhbV-vorE/SnhtfNVY48I/AAAAAAAAAAU/ovIzxTtFJCg/s1600-h/Obama+Birthday+Book.jpg
Ditto!
Many black Americans would enjoy learning about nature and history in our National Parks. There are more than 30 National Parks in Pennsylvania. Gettysburg Park is there for $11 and less. Come on guys give it a try!
@west coast story
Maybe it's you who is living in an insular society? I know tons of Black people that do the things you mentioned.
Swimming? Tennis? Skiing? Come on.
And I'm really tired of the Black people can't swim thing. I learned to swim before I learned to walk.
B. Merikle you are right to be afraid of people, we are the most dangerous of animals and we also maim and kill others that we have no intention of eating, just for the hell of it. In the open most animals will go the other way unless you stumble into them, accidentally corner them or threaten their young.
The owl has extraordinary senses at night and would avoid you as you are not of edible size. No way would it go after you for your eyeballs without being attacked first and maybe it would just fly away.
Horses will kick and bite, but they don't usually come after people. They usually would move away from you in a field.
Humans, as you so rightly point out might kill you for the hell of it. Sigh.
Mr. Field,
I agree with you, but unfortunately, I am soooo uninterested in hiking and camping. Thankfully, my child's school has a deep appreciation for nature...they've taken the kids camping, hiking on nature trails, had "reptile day," and they've incorporated learning about nature extensively in their science curricula. Thank goodness for the school, because I don't like insects, wild animals, no a/c, dirt/mud, too much sun, sand at the beach, and a host of other outdoor things. Having a dislike for some activities that many white people enjoy, does not mean that black folks are uncultured.
I love reading...I can stay at a bookstore or library all day. I like museums and tennis and I LOVE para-sailing. I love stimulating conversations, but animals and camping...not so much.
What ya'll need to know is Friday the 13th is just a movie.They ain't no white man in a hockey mask waitin' on ya'll in the woods.
Just avoid places where Dick Cheney hunts.He'll shoot a negro for nothin'.
Remember those two things and ya'll should be illight .
West Coast story,
It is that some of those things are not considered black enough, it is that there are many Black people in my generation who weren't allowed or had the resources to do those things. So when I had a child I am sure that there were some things I didn't think to do. I was an adult before I ate in a restaurant, there was two swimming pools for 30,000 Blacks, one public and one at the YMCA(not coed in my day), no golf course, tennis courts that were tore down during Urban Removal, no Blacks allowed in the Great Smoky's skiing resorts, etc. So I would like to know how we developed a cultural appetite. It also took a lot of gumption to be the first.
Planetariums - Well I love watching Neil DeGrasse Tyson on Nova. The story goes when he was small, his mom took him to Hayden. He said to his mother, "One day I'll be working here." I read somewhere he was lecturing at the age of fifteen. And now he is the curator of the Hayden I believe. I grew up in a time where some black folk would say, "why them white folks want to go up in space and spend all that money?" But the way DeGrasse explains the cosmos, I have become quite interested. But not enough to go up there!
Hey trickster206: I'm with you about Neil DeGrasse. He presents information in a way that makes it exciting. When I was very young, my dad took me to see Mars when it was close to earth 'leventy 'leventy years ago and I became hooked on astronomy as a result. Fascinating stuff.
West Coast Story:
I'm glad he didn't get that job as top NASA administrator. He was up for it, you know!
As a Black woman who was raised in Chicago and now resides in Maine, I got a kick out of this post. sadly American children in general not just Black folks are suffering from mature deficiency to the point there have been a few books on the subject.
I admit in my 7 years here I have never gone camping but am thinking about it. However I am a regular at our local state park, trails, swimming and quite cheap.
That said while I never grew up camping, I think its a myth that we don't. My best friend is a 40 something year old brotha back in Chicago and he always went camping as a kid. If anything class plays more of an issue I think than race in terms of who camps or not especially when we are looking at race.
I think whites of all classes are likely to go camping from using a cabin to bringing a tent. Yet with us it seems folks who were at least middle class are more likely to go camping.
I personally don't like camping...too many bugs and sleeping on the ground is not that appealing to me.
Now sailing a 35 foot Beneteau, surfin' nice waves on a sunny day or deep-sea diving is the real shit for me!!
I'm a brotha who grew up on the West Coast (Frisco...San Diego...Long Beach) and have always had an affinity for the beach and ocean. That bullshit about blacks not be good swimmers and surfers is a myth...I can smoke plenty of my white bretheren in the 100 meters...
Of course, there's not many of us but believe me...we'll have a black surf champion eventually...just like a black prez!
All that camping and hiking shit requires too much baggage for me...but surfin just requires a good skinsuit, a nice board and some narly waves!!!
Besides...being a lifeguard at a California beach has its fringe benefits...ya dig what I mean!
BTW...I'm not knockin campin'. I think its great when any kids from poor communities can get the fuck outta the hood to see what its like on the other side. I work with a non-profit that does exactly that...
SO YOU FOLKS OUT THERE DONATE TO PROGRAMS IN YOUR AREAS THAT HELP THEM PARTICIPATE IN THESE THINGS AND MAYBE WE CAN HELP REDUCE CRIME AND SHIT IN THE HOOD!
Peace and nappy hair grease...
realblacklifeguard
FN, my girls and I sometimes grab a pack of ice cream pops and head over to Ridley Park or Media and lay in the grass look up at the sky - just chillin'. We love Neshaminy, French Creek, and Brandywine and other state parks. Now i have been with them overnight with the girls scouts, and I hated it. lol. now we went to Wildwood for the weekend where all the girlscouts sleep on the beach (wonderful site to see) and I didnt like it. So i do know my limitations, sleeping backs hard ground (sand), camping food (yuck), no bathroom is not for me. I do remember taking a backpacking and camping course at Temple went to Shenedoah National Park. Too cold in the morning for me. coughed all night. hated it. lol. see FN. overnight camping is not for me.
Good to be back from vacation and listening to everyone voices again. I actually missed you all. lol.
Field, it was twelve men with Rifle's and Gun's, protesting outside of the building where the President was speaking, one was Black, and trust me, he was loaded down with weapon's! that seem strange, and it was said, these men were roaming amongst the crowd, now what do you think that was all about?
*Here's a list of FOX movies that you shouldn't see. Remember every penny FOX makes goes into Rupert Murdoch pocket, and John Gibson, And Oreilly, and Klannity, and Greta's:
Out now
Aliens in the Attic
Night at the Museum 2
Ice Age Dawn of the Dinosaurs
I Love You Beth Cooper
Wolverine
All About Steve Sept 4th
Jennifer's Body Sept 18
By all means necessary please don't go!Remember that Aug 28th, the day that Emmett Till was murdered, the day that W.E.B. DuBois passed, the day of the March on Washington, the day a certain Senator from Illinois got the Democratic nomination is the day of the start of the worldwide boycott of FOX.
Cosign with DuchessDee about missing the "voices" when I vacation."
...and as much as I like camping the love of nature certainly does not require camping and hiking or any of the uncomfortable stuff. I think just appreciating the out of doors or natural things where ever you are works.
I just thought I'd mention that I like the countryside, but camping bores the living shit out of me.
Great post as usual field, mane! Probably one of many things that disconnects us from barack as blacks, as a kid growing up in Hawaii he was exposed to all the natural wonder, going to beaches taking the paved dirt roads and eating the food native to that state.
I said STATE in case any of you clueless wing nuts get it ass backwards like your girl Sarah and think that Hawaii is a country..like Africa. but anyway, most black children here in a-merry-kkka are not exposed to such and are given no real scope to the outside world beyond all the concrete and smog unless they are spending the summer with Aunt Song and them like in Crooklyn (my movie) which is still a very good thing!
I encourage anyone with children to skip six flags for a day take them to the zoo every once in awhile or to library, the nearest fishin hole or beach and as my mother says: 'learn them kids somethin bout life'
show them theres another side of life other than bein a 'hustla on the paper chase' It makes a REAL difference. and you'll be glad you did.
Off Topic:
Crowley was honored by his fellow the men in blue. Hmmm...so writing false police reports is okay. I'll say.
http://newsone.com/nation/police-honor-cop-who-arrested-gates-in-la
@ Granny
Shameful. If he was just doing his job there would be no need for all that. Thats about as far as his honor will EVER go within the liberal cambridge and Harvard community and he knows it. and it says a lot about the people who honored him too..they ALL will be memorialized as rascists and the police department knows it too. Thats why they had to give him a funky little pin and a speech but you just let them keep honoring wrong for right... they'll be honoring one of them with slow singin and flower bringin. Its possible and no cop good or bad is above THAT.
Krystal:
He was honored in Long Beach, CA, not Cambridge, Mass.
Not to be a pain, but it was Yellowstone not Yosemite that the Obama's visited...
Me and my two older (?) kids 5 and 10 just got back from a western road trip. We went to Carlsbad, Mesa Verde, Canyonland, Arches, Yellowstone, and Rocky Mountain National Parks. We only saw two black families the whole time, one at Old Faithful and the other on top of Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain. We saw several other mixed race families (like ours) where one parent was white and another black.
When we got back we commented on how few African Americans we saw.(she's African and is shocked by how un-outdoorsy most African AMericans are). We saw far more Dutch, French, German, Belgium, Japanese, and Chinese tourists than African Americans-- hell we rafted in Moab with more Belgium and Japanese tourist than all the African Americans we saw.
Cost is not an issue-- camping or visiting a national park is cheaper than going to Vegas, Atlantic City, the Bayou Classic, the Essence Festival, etc.
You know, not for nothing, but I work for an academic institution and the personal essays that the OTHER culture writes to get into university is quite different than the old ghetto story that our children seem to write in order to get HEOP. The more prestigious the college, the more the committee wants to see that your child is well rounded despite the color barrier. Taking domestic or international trips are a good way of opening up your children's lives.
Where is the following information.
* Panahou Academy school records, 5th through 12th grades
* Occidental College records, including financial aid information.
* Columbia University records, including the missing senior thesis and financial aid information.
* Harvard University records, including information on how a student who never wrote anything (that can be found) was elected president of the prestigious law review, and including information on how Harvard Law School was afforded by humble community agitator, Barack Obama.
* Obama’s Illinois state senate records and papers, mysteriously lost.
I don't camp, FN. If they have excellent hotels nearby these parks, I'll give it a chance. Went to the Grand Canyon when I was in Vegas, and I wanna go to Yellowstone, and because I love Ansel Adams - Grand Teton one day.
but, me and camping..oh no. if there are cabins, with running water and decent bathrooms, I'll do that kind of camping, but tents and cooking over campfires...hell no.
yeah, it's cultural.
Field, you ever feel the need to get back to nature, come on up to Acadia National Park and I'll give you, the Mrs. and whatever assortment of friends and relations you decide to bring along the cook's tour of the place. Yeah, we're mostly white here, and yeah, the population drops to 5,000 in the winter, but Bar Harbor is the place to go on a summer vacation. C'mon up!
Don't go field, sounds like a setup!
Dawn looks like she might own a pickup truck or two!
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