Why??

Back in Bloomfield, far, far away from Boston, HGSE and the racially charged discussions we have been so prone to having lately. Or so I thought... For some reason I feel like I am seeing racial undertones in lots of little comments and things that my friends, and friendly people alike say as part of casual conversation. I guess I kind of took for granted some of the usual political beliefs that people in boston have about health care, social security, etc... I also forgot that we are THE black family in my neighborhood, I usually am THE black guy in every bar I hang out at, and I often wind up having to represent THE entire black race everywhere I go back home. I guess I was hoping for a vacation from all that pressure...didn't happen tonight however.

So, Back in Bloomfield, at the bar that I have been going to since before I was legal, this guy decides he wants to play pool with me. That's cool. Decides I would be very interested in the fact that he is 'from Detroit', still attends chuch on six mile supposedly. He even points out the irony that he notices in that I grew up in Bloomfield Hills, and he grew up in (and quote) 'the hood'. (Did I mention that this guy is like a 50 year old attorney?) At this point I am thinking this is definitely not cool, but I would much rather ignore it than have to engage in a conversation with this jackass. So as I am taking my next shot, he comes over and asks me 'who are the three most important figures in the civil rights movement?'
Beyond not-cool.

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I have been doing this 'ambassador of the race' stuff my whole life I guess, at least since I started going to school in England when I was 3. All through elementary school back in the states, starting when I was five, I was always the center of attention whenever black people, or minority people even, were mentioned. (I was the only black person in my grade at the time) Luckily in Middle and High School I felt I had to say something during class discussions because I was used to saying stuff. I was kind of like the underdog, and kind of like a super hero, I felt like I was doing important work. In college it was even more so, as I became some the first black person a bunch of people had ever talked to. I would always have affirmative action conversations, freestyle rap or break dance challenges, and many opportunities to hook up with curious women throughout school. Harvard was hopefully going to be my change from this, from looking at the website it seemed that I would not only be excused from this representative role, but would learn to be stronger when put in this role. Long story short Harvard didn't do that, and after 6 weeks the last thing I wanted was to be in that role again
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So I ask the guy, because I really wanted to know, why he decided he wanted to have this conversation with me. He replied 'because you're the only afro-american in the bar.' Uhhh OK. So, in choosing the 3 most important figures of the civil rights movement, I decide to start listing my favorites, since everyone knows MLK and Malcolm. He cuts me off after I mention Bayard Rustin, and says 'Whatever, its MLK, Malcolm X right? who is number 3, I bet you don't know, It's Muhammad Ali, I saw a movie about it!' Why is this mother fucker talking to me, I wasn't even alive when this shit was happening, he was, yet he needs validation from me in order to feel better about himself??? Why does this dude think that his 'documentary' is all the scholarly research one needs to discuss with the first AFRO-AMERICAN he comes across??? and most importantly, Why does he think that Ali's denying the draft to Vietnam is so huge to the Civil Rights Movement, when the Civil Rights Movement was, for all effective purposes was over??? I went on and talked to him, laid down the fact that Emmitt Till probably was much more important and put up with his giving me lists of important, historical documents that would help my understanding of the period....like Mississippi Burning staring Gene Hackman. I kind of don't feel like dealing with these people, especially on vacation, but I don't know how to be mean, and I am scared what this world would be if idiots like this guy walk around without thinking about the shit coming outof their mouths. Sorry, Huge Blog