Djemba...just last night, I was out at a hotel lounge/bar in SOHO, in NYC. The crowd last night was largely black (there wasn't really a dress code, but cats looked smooth, with an occasional pair of sneakers or ball cap). There were a few white folks mixed in, and I find in NYC it's always chill, though whites generally avoid spots that are predominantly black. Me and my boy were checking out these two white couples that came in, because their girlfriends were cuties. They were doing the usual picture taking thing, but they all couldn't get in the pic, and I guess they were shy about asking a stranger to take it for them. So I walked up to one of the dudes and offered to take pics for them. They said their thank yous, and I went back to doing what I was doing. A few minutes later the other dude walked up to us to thank me again, and struck up a conversation. He's from Calgary, and the other couple are friends from London. We talked about his time in NY, and he schooled us on Calgary, and suggested great cities in Canada worth visiting. He was a snowboarder (potential pro) that shattered an ankle. I asked him if his dad flooded his backyard so he could play hockey as a boy, but he didn't play hockey. We talked a little about racial demographics (no brother up Calgary way, but I told him I know about Jarome Iginla of the Flames!). He said there are some hot Asian chicks in Toronto. His boy was probably a little more shy, but I grabbed him as he walked by and pulled him in (I visited London twice last year, so we talked about that). Homey was just mad cool.
The night before, me and my boy were at a night spot on the lower east side, and the crowd was ALL WHITE. It's co-owned by an Asian and and Indian dude, and a black dude was working the door. Me and my boy were the only blacks in the spot, with a couple of Indians mixed in. But people are generally chill. And it's not uncommon for me to be in a place where most of the crowd is white. Unless there's a party being thrown by someone black, the crowd is going to be mostly white in midtown or downtown spots. People are usually paying more attention to their friends to hate on other folks, and you can generally strike up a convo with anyone without drama (alcohol and good music helps with the overall mood).
Overall though...New York is a bit of a racial powderkeg. It's a series of ethnic enclaves. New Yorkers mix on public transporation, at work, and occasionally at bars/lounges/clubs. We co-exist, but most whites here aren't interested in substantive contact with people that aren't white. They don't want to live in the same neighborhoods, or really have anything to do with someone that isn't white, unless they're working for or serving them in some way. Sure, there are exceptions (some whites live in Harlem, and are comfortable there, but it's rare for whites to live in predominantly minority neighborhoods). Some real estate agents will try to steer minorities away from predominantly white areas, regardless of whether or not they can afford to live there.
The fucked up thing is young people are cool with whoever, but adults infect them with bullshit. By the time they're in their 20's, they're on this bigoted nonsense themselves. My general rule is I'm cool with whoever is cool with me. I'll fuck with any chick that I think is attractive, and her racial heritage will play no part in whether or not I think she's attractive (most whites can't say the same). If people had the courage to dispense with bullshit they've been taught (they didn't experience it) they'd find most people will be cool with them. Sure, there will always be people that are assholes that you can't stand (there are plenty of other blacks I don't want be bothered with. That doesn't make me a self-hating black person - it means I have no tolerance for assholes...HA HA!). There will be whites or others I don't want to deal with for the same reason - their heritage isn't why I hate them, it's who the individual is as a person that I have a problem with. People tend to hold up the worst of any particular group, and allow that to be the example for a whole group of people. It's easy, and it's lazy.
The night before, me and my boy were at a night spot on the lower east side, and the crowd was ALL WHITE. It's co-owned by an Asian and and Indian dude, and a black dude was working the door. Me and my boy were the only blacks in the spot, with a couple of Indians mixed in. But people are generally chill. And it's not uncommon for me to be in a place where most of the crowd is white. Unless there's a party being thrown by someone black, the crowd is going to be mostly white in midtown or downtown spots. People are usually paying more attention to their friends to hate on other folks, and you can generally strike up a convo with anyone without drama (alcohol and good music helps with the overall mood).
Overall though...New York is a bit of a racial powderkeg. It's a series of ethnic enclaves. New Yorkers mix on public transporation, at work, and occasionally at bars/lounges/clubs. We co-exist, but most whites here aren't interested in substantive contact with people that aren't white. They don't want to live in the same neighborhoods, or really have anything to do with someone that isn't white, unless they're working for or serving them in some way. Sure, there are exceptions (some whites live in Harlem, and are comfortable there, but it's rare for whites to live in predominantly minority neighborhoods). Some real estate agents will try to steer minorities away from predominantly white areas, regardless of whether or not they can afford to live there.
The fucked up thing is young people are cool with whoever, but adults infect them with bullshit. By the time they're in their 20's, they're on this bigoted nonsense themselves. My general rule is I'm cool with whoever is cool with me. I'll fuck with any chick that I think is attractive, and her racial heritage will play no part in whether or not I think she's attractive (most whites can't say the same). If people had the courage to dispense with bullshit they've been taught (they didn't experience it) they'd find most people will be cool with them. Sure, there will always be people that are assholes that you can't stand (there are plenty of other blacks I don't want be bothered with. That doesn't make me a self-hating black person - it means I have no tolerance for assholes...HA HA!). There will be whites or others I don't want to deal with for the same reason - their heritage isn't why I hate them, it's who the individual is as a person that I have a problem with. People tend to hold up the worst of any particular group, and allow that to be the example for a whole group of people. It's easy, and it's lazy.
"The best kind of pride is that which compels a man to do his best when no one is watching."