I will give that a listen - not least because I have some skin in the game.
As POC who has been out on mountain bikes off-road since 1987, I feel very much of a minority. My own group of riding friends only really includes a few other people from similar backgrounds as me - and that’s including my brother...
It’s getting a bit tiresome with people who don’t experience racist prejudice, discounting that it exists. I know and I acknowledge that my life experience is not shared by all people. Why do some people find it so hard to understand the same about themselves.
assuming they were all the ‘same’ just because they donn’t have white skin was a bit insulting.
Is anyone assuming they are all the same or is the point of marking out BAME to ensure people in that group get a fairer shot at everything?
White people are not all the same either but we don't need a white group for obvious reasons.
It’s getting a bit tiresome with people who don’t experience racist prejudice, discounting that it exists. I know and I acknowledge that my life experience is not shared by all people. Why do some people find it so hard to understand the same about themselves.
It sucks but not surprising. Not race related but you hear so many stories in politics of I came from background xxx and achieved yyy so there is no reason someone else can't do the same. If the people at the top promote the idea that one experience from a group is the same for all with over simplifications its no surprise. Its the denial that you can't have had a different experience.
It sucks but not surprising. Not race related but you hear so many stories in politics of I came from background xxx and achieved yyy so there is no reason someone else can’t do the same. If the people at the top promote the idea that one experience from a group is the same for all with over simplifications its no surprise. Its the denial that you can’t have had a different experience.
Agreed.
This is such a great comment, thanks for posting this. It’s definitely given me a lot more perspective.
Incompletefailure, your post was so helpful to me, because of your description of the multiple factors that could be involved - and some you described as applying to yourself. Very illuminating as although I identify as a POC, I have dual-heritage and am male.
I know and I acknowledge that my life experience is not shared by all people. Why do some people find it so hard to understand the same about themselves.
Because they lack empathy and/or experience, especially at the ‘sharp end’? At a guess.
Another guess I’d offer would be ‘privileged’, but it’s rapidly becoming politically incorrect to use that term. Recently had a discussion with a good friend/peer of mine about the term and he really was quite resistant to the notion that it even exists. Which was a surprise. I resisted the notion that it doesn’t exist. To be fair, he seemed more annoyed/ at the term/usage itself rather than it’s definition. That’s where it gets complex/fragile. I always found it confusing when I talk to people who can well understand ‘class privilege’, and yet they have trouble with detecting other layers of privilege around ethnicity/gender/race etc.
It seems that a lot of people get upset by being accused of being privileged because they feel it takes away from their achievements. The irony is that those same people tend to be the ones calling people “snowflakes” for exhibiting empathy.
There are similar numbers of ethnically ****stani and ethically polish people in the UK. It's not exact, but it's close enough for comparison. Importantly, the socioeconomics are pretty similar too.
How many polish people do you find at a cricket match in Leeds?
How many polish Instagram cricket stars are there for young polish kids?
How many nationally funded grassroots cricket funds are there for polish people?
Is cricket 'racist'?
Do we have a duty to get more polish people watching cricket matches?
If you don't have good answers to these questions you probably need to question why you're being an evangelist about mountain biking. I have had to say the same thing to people who tell me rock climbing is racist too.
I'm not aware that "Polish" is a race, though I understand the point you are making.
Noticeable today on my ride around the lanes west of Derby today that there were two groups out riding who were majority BAME. Looked like occasional riders out for healthy exercise rather than "serious" fully kitted up cyclists, but even with Derbys ethnic mix, it struck me as unusual, but great to see.
There's been a noticeable increase in people/families of Asian heritage out and about walking in the countryside in the last 12 months. Maybe the restrictions of the last year will help break down barriers on all sides.
Firstly, retarded typo in my last post due to using a phone.
Secondly, a hard one to argue and I'm not trying to open a can of worms about the taxonomy of 'race' - which really has often fallen out of favour to 'ethnicity' - but we'll be here all day if we go into social or biological essentialism.
I guess my point is that a lack of equality of outcome doesn't automatically imply a lack of equality in opportunity, and that those arguing for absolute proportional representation have the burden of proof on their hands. Why I felt the need to use a wooly analogy is that it appears the automatic assumption behind much of the content of these 'The outdoors is racist' dialogues.
I guess my point is that a lack of equality of outcome doesn’t automatically imply a lack of equality in opportunity
I agree with the point, but its also fair to say that while "we" feel that outdoor activities are available to people of all ethnic backgrounds, the experience of those people and their perceptions may make them believe otherwise. That's probably the discussion we need to be having
