I’m a white man in my 30s. I grew up in a community that was about 95 percent white. The few non-white schoolmates I had were a mixed bag — some were nice and polite, some were juvenile, some were bullies. So growing up, I didn’t really understand why there was such animosity toward other races amongst certain older family members. All of that changed when I went to college. I attended a state university in a big city. It was the first time I had encountered non-whites in large numbers. Some of them attended the same university as me, others simply lived in the city and “adventured” (loitered) around campus. Their behavior startled me. They were loud, rude, imposing, delinquent, and aggressive. They had chips on their shoulders and used it as an excuse for anything and everything. After a while, I learned that it was generally best to avoid them.
I remember that some of them would actually sit in the stairwells in defiance of all foot traffic. At first I looked on in disbelief. Could they really be unaware of the inconvenience they were causing? Eventually I realized that the question was ultimately irrelevant — even if they weren’t, there was still a huge behavioral chasm between white and black. Sometimes they would take over dormitory lobbies, occupying them for hours at a time, doing nothing but horsing around, making noise, cursing, and blocking doorways. They were quick to take offense to anyone who implied, however subtly, that they were a nuisance. They seemed to have no schedule to maintain, and no pressing concerns about employment or homework that other students had. ...
Posts
