He had never given any thought as to how to handle a situation with an african american youth in this situation. If a white guy on a bike would have done the same thing, I think that he would have been more prepared.
I am white as hell. I worked as a counsellor in Southwest Philadelphia for two years, and was at first a little tweaked by being a pretty conspicuous whitey in black and asian crowds. In my head, it was all good, but my nervious system was probably a little more scaredy than my brian - more than I would have anticipated. By the end of the two years, my nervous system - more than my brain - was the opposite - I felt probably oversafe, because I just never saw a black or asian person do jack-squat to a white person. The white folks were just off limits. This is not a happy thing - i think white people were off limits in philly because the police actually cared about white victims of crime, and would find those responsible for touching them - but not really about black victims of crime, which is awful - but for whatever reason, my white skin felt like a shield. It was weird. Total disconnect between my head and my nerves.
Asking directions is not out of the ordinary at all even if you are asking strangers. If I have to ask directiosn, it has been when I was on foot more often than not. A person who asks directions is not out of the ordinary. As for striking up a conversation with strangers, that happens too. I remember after the planes hit 9-11, I was outside watching the fires, and smoke, and people who had come from the area. A lot of us had no idea who each other were, but we had a lot of conversations. That was a highly unusual situation but it does happen. I've also had conversations with strangers, in bars, airports, airplanes, trains, lines, hospitals, etc.
So he should have shaped his response based on the kid's race...? Profiled him, in other words? EDIT, I'm going to add a smiley so we all know BK is kidding
I think if you were packin' a concealed handgun, you wouldn't have felt unsafe at all. Guns solve racism?
so he should rehearse these things before going for a walk? the kid approached him, made a weird comment and he got spooked....and its Haven's fault because the kid was black....oh, makes sense.
If you replace "rehearse" with "given any thought to" then you're right, it doesn't make sense. Some people think that the world should automatically adjust to them, why not put some thought into how to adjust to other people. Just because Haven got spooked, it doesn't mean that it was the kids intent.
I see....so he should have prepared for any potential situation because he felt like getting a breath of fresh air. Haven never said that it was the kids fault that he got spooked.....he just said the kid spooked him
If I was out walking around at 2am, I would prepare for any situation...wouldn't you? You sound as if I'm taking up for the kid, I'm not. However, if you walk around with blinders on then eventually you're going to run into something.
agreed on taking a walk at 2 AM....but the only thing i questioned was why you didnt think he handled the situation correctly
Mr. Rocket just about every black man you know has been in that situation, whether on a bike at 2am or being followed in the Men's section of Neiman Marcus. I just think that if people thought more about how to handle uncomfortable racial situations then a lot of uncomfortable confrontations could be avoided.
In general I understand AB's point. If you think about the proper response to different situations befroe hand you won't be relying on "gut instinct" on how to handle situations that may require a little more tact and thought. On the other hand I'm still not sure what he did wrong. I would be "on guard" being approached at that time of the night by anyone.
If he were running for governor...maybe...but he got spooked by a black kid on a bike at 2 AM who said "dont worry...i wont rob you". Haven never said "are you gonna rob me?" The kid wasnt answering a question....the kid took it upon himself to assume that Haven figured the kid would rob him because he was black. Maybe...just maybe, had the kid taken the directions and went along his merry way instead of coming back to tell Haven he wasn't going to rob him again, Haven wouldnt have gotten spooked. Seems to me that the kid had no interest in the directions he was given and Haven had a right to be spooked....whether the kid was black or white.
Yeah, I think race definitely played a factor in it...in as much as you seem to be less familiar. You probably still would have been on guard a little with some white kid, but you guys were extra uneasy because he was black. I, personally, wouldn't have that problem because I grew up in a majority black (and then hispanic) environment. Depending on the neighborhood, however, I would be prepared for anything. I have been in a lot of dicey/dangerous situations with gangsters or wannabe gangsters and I think it is my understanding, preparedness, and calm that have kept me in one piece. Actually, because he was black I probably would have made more of an effort to be cool with him...he already gets enough from whitey on a daily basis.
Sounds to me like you're speaking for the kid's intentions. Essentially you believe that we should go through life never considering the fact that someone could harm us, black or white. And that if someone does harm to us that there is no way we could have adjusted the environment to accomplish a more favorable result. Is that what you're saying to me?
My buddy Jeremy is from the UK. Nothing pisses him off more than being called African American. He says (1) his family is originally from Jamaica and has been for over a hundred years (2) he is by no means American. Apparently at his firm (an International Oilfield Services company that has a rather large office in Houston), the term African American is being phased out by HR because as an international firm, it's offensive to some of the black employees. What do you think of that?
