My friend and blogger to the stars Annie, asked this question. The answer, after much thought and consideration, is, because there are cars. And, if, BP had the choice to drive from their house to the grocery store, walk from their house to the grocery store, or bicycle from their house to the grocery store, they would most probably pick choice “a.”Hell, it’s just more convenient.
But I don’t want to get ahead of myself. First, a story:
So I’m on the phone with my mama today and she tells me she a) has a bucket list (yes, that damn list based on that damn movie with Jack Nicholson and Morgan “hot breath” Freeman) and b) on said bucket list she wants to go whitewater rafting like they do in the movies.
Ma mere wants to do this. But I don't think she looked at the boat to see if there were any of us on it participating. I think she really means she wants to go on the little tobogan thing at Six Flags.
Now, my mother has occasional delusions of grandeur and is wonderfully influenced by the power of movies and television so I understood exactly where she was coming from.
DBW's mother also made mention of The River Wild movie with Meryl Streep when she was describing her desire to white water raft. But Meryl didn't even do the rafting in real life. See, this is why media literacy is important.
But all it took to turn her mind back to reality was to ask, “mama, what will you do with your hair? How will you care for it when you get off that wet ass raft?” Mama: “Oh.” Yeah, mama, Morgan Freeman didn’t have to worry about his hair when he did all that stuff with Nicholson. Notice, the black woman in the movie? Well, she rarely left the house or the hospital. Beverly Todd, bless her heart, had to play Hot Breath’s wife in both that movie and Lean on Me (I know, I know, she technically wasn’t his wife in the last one but she acted the same way she did in Bucket List, so bygones).
And, before I return to the main point of this week’s entry, I just want to take a tour down Hot Breath and Beverly Todd lane. Damn you Lean on Me. Skip to 50 seconds if you tire easily of Guns’n’Roses’s “Welcome to the Jungle.”
Tell it! Sing it with me: “Soooome/times in our lives/we all have pain…” You know you know the song and how to sing the song like the woman who looks like Weezie Jefferson.
So, anyway, my point is twofold: 1) Morgan Freeman certainly does not constitute a move for BF to entertain sporting events that we don’t normally partake in.
Oh interracial friendships. Tricky things those can be. It's a love affair that began with jumping out of an airplane.
Or, you could be the black man who takes a photo of the white guy with the automatic weapon. Oh, what a bucket list.
2) The only damn reason he did that stuff in the first place was because he thought he was about to die.
I suppose if I thought I were right about to drop, I too might consider the possibility of white water rafting. Consider being the key word. Or, I might watch Price is Right and die.
This terminal event is not the immediate circumstance of the majority of us BF, thus it is highly unlikely that we’ll be standing on top of the Pyramids (we’d need Jack Nicholson to personally escort all of our asses up there for that great feat).
It may seem like I know way too much about this damn movie, but I really don't. What I do know is that a picture is worth a 1000 words and these pictures, even out of context, make me mad.
Believe it or not, this little meander through The Bucket List has a larger point. My task is to answer the question why don’t black people ride bicycles. And I think the answer is wrapped up in a bunch of things illustrated in The Bucket List. For starters, the only reason Hot Breath could do any of that stuff was because Nicholson was rich. Thereby access is a key component. Um, I don’t know the difference (or care to count the cost) for a fixed gear and whatever the other gear bicycle is. Bikes are expensive. Add to that all the amenities of biking? The outfits. The helmets. Too much ridiculousness for when you could just get in the car and fasten your damn seatbelt.
Shaking my head. Why?
Second point that I have to mention dare I be accused of being more essenetialist than I already am. There are black people who ride bicycles. I don’t know any personally but I did find online some black bicycling clubs. But, you know what they talk about on their forums? Can you guess? Let me tell you: how they’re the ONLY ones in their individual clubs.
Oh, yes, I searched google images deep for this photo. But uh, he's a model.
Yay BW on a bike...wait, this is a modeling photo too. Where the hell are the real black bicyclists? Oh, yeah, that's right.
You already know what I'm about to say: they are models. Look, as soon as the camera stops flashing mama and daughter are getting off the damn bikes
But, they gotta exist in the movies right? Well, I don’t know about that either. In film, I can think of two examples.
The first:
So, I remember as a young girl, watching this movie and seeing Kevin Bacon on his bike and thinking, “neat!” and then here comes Lawrence (he was Larry then dammit) Fishburne emerge screen right and thinking, “whaaa?” I could not understand why he was there in his “ethnic” hat on a bicycle.
Look at the hat. And the enjoyment on Fishburne's face during his bicycle race. Then, appreciate Fishburne's skills at making this character who was probably a white guy in original script more culturally specific.
(Sidenote: He was perfecting his Morpheus even then because he surely took a hit so that Kevin Bacon and Keanu Reeves could save the damn day.)
The next moment:
Friday. Hadn’t seen it in 10 years but I still remember Deebo and his bike. I’m sure if Deebo thought he could steal someone’s car, he would have preferred that over the bicycle. But, you know, when one is terrorizing a neighborhood, there are priorities to consider.
What can we take from these two small illustrations? Well, there was one bruh in San Francisco in 1985 who rode a bicycle because he truly enjoyed it and had no desire for an automobile and Deebo only rode a bike through the neighborhood because it never occurred to him to steal someone’s car. Thus, these two examples do not fully explain the answer either.
Point 3: The whole idea of back to nature? Yeah, that’s not BF.
As I sat and pondered the question, I realized that in many examples of things that require “nature” and being in “nature”, that BF tend to not partake in any of those things. Think about it: do we camp? Hells no. Here’s an article I found with a headline titled, “Wanted: African-American Campers.” You can want all day long but when people (this BW included) have notions of camping as sleeping on the ground in the rain and being chased by bears,” you damn well ain’t gonna see BF trying to camp. I’m not the only one who thinks these things. Clearly the article found some more of us. And, then, there’s DL Hughley. He describes it best (start at 4:34):
And, to see that not much has changed between DL’s days with a high top fade and the days with his locs (I personally love this set but feel free to skip to 3:05):
Ultimately it’s an issue of who wants to return back to nature? The answer is typically very white. Black folks just got to be inside with air conditioning. Why in all hell would you CHOOSE to go outside? For stars? Child, please.
Or another example: exercise. Now, DBW is an advocate of exercise…even if I haven’t quite managed to make myself participate. But, one of the main reasons I don’t: I don’t want to sweat my hair out. I have relaxed hair and pay hairdressers to keep my shit together on a biweekly basis. I do not want to as we call it, “sweat in my head” and mess my hairstyle up. Thus, I don’t work out. But you know what? While this was understood cultural knowledge, it took a researcher to make it legitimate. Indiana University fitness expert Antonio Williams said:
One of the top reasons given by black women of all income levels involves style and hair care. He said black women, particularly college-age women and women with corporate jobs, often sacrifice their health for stylish and often expensive hairdos. Fears of “sweating out” the hairstyle make lunchtime workouts unlikely and keep the women from the gym or other physical activities. Williams, a fitness consultant and lecturer in IU’s School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, specializes in fitness marketing and perception. “For years I’ve heard, ‘I can’t schedule a personal training session now, I just got my hair done,'” he said. “These women are risking their health for style.”
Make fun of us all you want—hairstyling is EXPENSIVE (see this column). We cannot just wash our hair with some Tres Semme, towel dry it and put it in a wet ponytail. It takes more time and trying to do all that we must do 4 days a week? It just doesn’t seem worth it.
Yes, this BW is sweaty. But she's also a model.
But that still doesn’t quite get to the bicycle question. Well, take the sweating one’s hair out and add that to the fact that riding with a breeze going through your hair and feeling connected to Mother Nature just doesn’t seem to be on the BF priority list. With limited access to technology and stuffs (including automobiles) for longer periods of time than our white counterparts, it stands to reason that we would probably like to enjoy the new toys first before returning “back to nature.” This also includes community gardening, farmer’s markets, cloth diapers, and homemade baby food (Diane Keaton in Baby Boom is not our role model, peoples. You can go on and make your own applesauce. I’ll trust Gerber’s.). Let’s also be honest: black folks and other people of color are always thought of as “close to the land.” We’re practically anthropomorphized nature to some white people. whereas they have to return back to Walden and live life out in the middle of nowhere lying by a pond, we are imbued with nature. While this is simply untrue, I do think it shapes the end result, which for BF may be a backlash to nature. Why ride a bicycle when you can sit down comfortably without risk to one’s hair or nether parts, turn on the a/c and drive down the street? No, no, return to nature to this BW sounds alot like a return to simpler times. Well, simpler times for black folk usually entails slavery or Jim Crow so I don’t long for those days of yore.
Dear Black Woman, 
[…] talked about the importance of visibility before with regard to BP riding bicycles or the need to be featured on the covers of Hollywood trade magazines when it comes time for the […]
I’m 56 yrs old and have been riding since I was a teenager. My high school was 14 miles away and I’d ridden to it and back several times. Over the years, I’d ridden many events and get tired of being out there ‘alone’. But that does not really matter. I get the health benefits from it. My lab results describe a man half my age. I’d ride with anyone who’d be willing but I find most people just give lip service to the idea. I don’t wait on anyone. I ride
[…] do or don’t do–it’s based on imagination and lore. Remember my example about BF not riding bikes? Yeah. That. (Sidenote: DBW knows that BP ride bicycles. Before y’all get in a tizzy about my […]
This is a subject that never popped into my mind until I read this. I belong to two bike clubs. One has three hundred members and no blacks, the other has about forty senior members and no blacks. Both are in cities where there are many blacks. I have ridden in many large tours numbering 700 to 3000 and I never saw one black in the tour. Why?
These are not racist clubs and tours, all are welcomed. Bikes are not expensive. Many new bikes for around $200 are suitable and used bikes can be purchased for $50 and up. Bikes cost very little to maintain. It is an exercise everyone can afford. I read of some black bike clubs in other comments here. Why do black bike clubs need to exist?
Aren’t the other clubs good enough? Besides exercise, biking is just plain fun and traveling on a bike is one of the world’s greatest joys. I am 82 and I love to travel by bike. I never worry about safety, if I play safe and wear bright colored clothing such as yellow and keep to the far right on the road I never have any trouble with traffic. My advise to blacks is quit trying to do everything in black only groups. Join the rest of the world How many other races belong to black clubs? Blacks quit being separtists. Join us.
Maybe you should get out more often, there are 43 black cycling clubs with over 30 members in almost every major US cities. If you need info on the Caribbean and Europe, just ask. That means your nearest black cyclist rode past your grid lock car on the way to work this morning. You many want to check out the National Brotherhood of Cyclist at nabcyclists.ning.com/. Hmmm 2000 members and tons of photos without models. Hey,they are having their third cycling conference. Didn’t you get an invite, their conference in Oakland, got lots of press. On Facebook, check out, the black cyclist at http://www.facebook.com/groups/50335817059/. 700 members, from there you can connect to the black women cyclist, black triathletes, sailors, divers and runners. http://www.knightsofmobay.com for more black cycling information. Don’t know where you googled, but black cyclist, black women ride and black cycling clubs seem to come with a lot of info.
designer@gurlsrideout.com
I assure you that I believe that black cycling clubs exist. I assure you that I believe all of what you say to be true. However, that was not my point. My point was not that this is not true–my point is that the way things are mediated? The fact that there aren’t cyclists of color depicted in much of the media? This signifies that there is an invisibility and thus an assumption based from that invisibility.
I am black and i ride, race and jump bikes. My two sons and I participate in cross country, all mountain and dirt jumping races and comps. We travel throughout the north east and into the Midwest for races. My oldest son is looking at engineering schools in Colorado just because they have a mountain biking team. He plays football and is a team captain but, would rather bike.
That’s awesome. My point wasn’t necessarily that BF don’t ride bikes in the real world but more that it’s not something that is made visible in media–which is how we learn about things.
Never truer words said. I’ve been riding and reading mags for 40+ years and black people are not associated with the sport of ‘biking’. If it’s not basketball or football, then we don’t ever get asked, “can I help you”…”? when we walk into a store . But we’re there…
Sigh.
Since when is owning and operating a car less expensive than riding a bike?? Cars require maintenance, gas, insurance etc. After you pay for a bike (the good ones are about $600 & up) they require minimal maintenance and thats pretty much it. I’ve never seen anyones bike be repo’d because of late payments. And like ‘Djata’ said; no more gym membership, less metro fare and I’m not contributing to those greedy bastard oil companies. The hair issue makes me sad. Even back when I relaxed my hair, I worked out every other day, its called a blow dryer ladies! However, I will say I do things black ppl usually don’t: I swim, I like flying, I don’t use salt, etc… I say this to say there are lots of people that ride in my city (dc) as a way of transport, but I rarely see black people (not just women) on bicycles.
That stuff about black women not wanting to sweat out their hair makes me angry.
It’s like, damnit, we’re told all our damn lives (and all through history) by whites and that our natural hair is crazy, dirty, weird, foreign, wild, unprofessional, bad, bad, bad. And so we get perms, which are expensive, especially if you aren’t affluent in the first place. And then we get mocked (Good Hair? Thanks Chris Rock! Thanks so damn much!!!) for the lengths we go to and the money we expend to keep our hair looking acceptable, and told we’re going to die because we’re so vain.
Just can’t fucking win.
Darn right. And the sad thing is that nobody wants to acknowledge or talk about that aspect of the topic (I guess it is just easier to critisize and mock Black women to death over it). Thank you very much addressing it.
aww.. don’t be pissed – I use a $20 skull cap and the worst is not so bad
Regarding bicycling:
Check out Jamey Mixon @ ridejameyride.com. He’s biking from Ohio to Manhattan Beach, CA! Wow … I’d love to do that trip some day!!!
Dee Dee
Dear Black Woman,
Quick question. In my neighborhood, there are lots of young black men in their twenties riding miniature BMX bikes (like, kids bikes). Any thoughts?
Hey Colin,
Good question. I too have seen these dudes on kids bikes. I have to admit though, I haven’t a real clue why. It cannot be because it’s thought to be sexy–cause it ain’t. It may be an issue of cost, thus making it an issue of class?
Or, they could just be emulating Deebo..
I’m no bike historian, but what I know is that BMX makes a lot of little bikes. These are very popular … part of it might simply be trendiness, but there are some practical things about the little bikes, as well. #1 they are easier to store for people who live in urban areas where space is at a premium (and few people have garages). #2 Smaller bikes are used for doing tricks.
I should add, they aren’t little kids’ bikes; they are specifically designed that small for full grown men. While it looks weird because we’re used to seeing bikes with long frames, large wheels and high seats, these little bikes make more sense for what they’re being used for. (Look at the bikes the professional BMXers use during competitions. They are smaller than the average road bike/cruiser.)
You have to be willing to look like a fool to ride a bike. It’s been my experience that most black folks are conditioned to avoid looking like a fool at all costs. (Apply this to running/jogging as well.) I think it’s a loss, though. I personally don’t ride a bike b/c I’m certain that I’ll fall and be crushed under the wheels of a car or break my wrist.
I have not been on a bike since probably 7th grade. At some point, you’re right: we do feel like we’d look foolish.
Question: Does this mean that we think white people look foolish biking, running, jogging? Or is our perception limited to us do you think?
a bike is the most affordable and energy efficient means of transportation. Its crazy that the first thing i thought about when i decided i wanted a bicycle was what would others think. well guess what $50 gym membership gone $90 mta monthly metro card gone. And black people can afford a bike every hs student i know wears namebrand clothing. and if you ride a bike you might just bag a healthy girl whos fit and in shape and if shes a sista she most likely will have natural hair.(just my preference i love all yall)
It’s worth noting for historical context that one of the first stars of bicycle racing, Major Taylor, was black.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Taylor
I’d also say that you missed one of the more essential black-dude-on-a-bike videos:
Dude,
Thanks for replying and sending me those links. Like I said, I am positive that there are famous black bike riders. But, unfortunately, Major Taylor is not a part of the conversation. I have to say I had never heard of him until this point. It’s not to say that means anything (I mean, who the hell am I?) but what it does illustrate is the lack of visibility of blacks on bicycles. And, that’s the thing I’m kinda sorta working out.
That video, while awesome, totally proves my point. If a black man rides a bike in this context, then it is of no surprise that he is surrounded by nothing but white folks. For the 2 minutes that I could stand to watch it, he was the only chocolate chip in the batter. So, what can be made of that? And, race is not important is no the answer, lol.
“… only chocolate chip in the batter.” Bwah! I will have to remember that. That is so me, 95% of the time.
quite right! Kudos to you!
Finding Forrester is another one with a brutha on a bike. In NYC, there are plenty of black men on bikes – my dad used to ride one to work daily from our studio apartment in Harlem to his job 100 blocks away. Here in Seattle where I live I see black men on bikes – often in full biking gear. But my mom once said black folks in the Pac NW don’t know how to be black.
Mostly I think black folks get no pride out of riding bikes – and they get no props from other black folk for it, either. Unlike the cookies progressive white folks hand out to each other for commuting by bike. Nope, a bike is seen as a step down from a car by many of us black people, not something to have in addition to a car or as a respectable alternative. A bike is what children ride or broke ass people ride, or people whose cars got repo’ed ride. That’s the perception.
Now I do have a bike – with lights, 2 helmets, 3 different locks, a gel seat, and a grocery bag that clips onto the rack I had installed. I haven’t ridden in a few years but it used to be my main mode of transportation. But living in a city where it’s relatively safe to ride (and cutting out the perm long ago) was a big part of that. Most black folks don’t live in cities where safe bike transit is taken seriously, and as you know, we are not inclined to the thrill-seeking sports.
Thanks for your response! Finding Forrester–yes, I remember that. I only saw it once at the theaters and forgot about it. The other two examples I used were those that for some reason are scalded in my memory.
And, as I said, I know that the premise of the question is faulty because black folks do bicycle and camp and ski and all that. But I think the larger idea and reasons for why we are thought not to enjoy it–and why it’s so hard, for example, to find pictures of black cyclists (there weren’t any or at least very few at the Tour de France) that’s worth inquiring about.
I like your idea about the lack of pride. I do think it has to do with ways that class works–it’s not hip to date a dude who doesn’t have a car but only a bicycle (at least in cities where public transportation is not as efficient or dependable).
And, you cut out the perm? I haven’t gotten there yet. It will take a couple more years of therapy I think…or just some more breakage, lol.
Thanks again for replying!
It was easy for me because I never liked the way the perm looked in my hair; I preferred my hair curly, I just had to learn how to take care of it.
I think another piece to why black people don’t do some of these outdoor sporty stuff is because they don’t feel comfortable being the only black person in the group (the only chocolate chip in the batter, as you put it). I don’t have any problem being the only black person around – it’s typical for me since I was a teen. But I’ve talked to cousins who live in black communities who cannot even conceive of taking part in an activity or event completely overrun by white people. Also, a lot of people in general (not just black people) don’t feel comfortable going to an event or being in a group with people they don’t know, period. I don’t have a problem with this, either. I’ll go out to a restaurant, a music concert, the movies, etc. by myself and enjoy myself about as much – if not more – than if I went with someone else.
One last thing: I’ve been white water rafting and it is FUN. State universities often have outdoor programs for low cost – for students and for the general public (if there’s space). The one near me used to regularly organize beginner snowshoeing, skiing, kayaking, etc. trips. Gear can be rented or borrowed for cheap.
Okay, why do you call Morgan “Hot Breaf”? It’s funny as hell, but I have to know why. Also, I laughed repeatedly throughout this entry. A+++ would read again!
I went camping once, when I had braids and that’s the only way I’d considering doing it again. I slept in a camper, but still found shitting in a makeshift pot and burying my own crap felt a bit too much like being poor – at least want some of my clients described what their poverty was like – and it seemed too appropriative to essentially go to the woods and play “homeless” for a weekend, or what folks must assume being homeless is like. Complete with George Foreman grills and battery powered everything.
Sadly Snark, Hot Breath is not my coinage. A dear friend named him that because he believes that based on Morgan’s look alone, he suffers from a severe case of halitosis. I’m inclined to believe him but more to believe that he chews lots of gum because he knows this is true, lol.
You bring up a good point with what camping essentially is. I certainly can respect those who enjoy vacationing that way but me? I’d rather be at the Super 8 than out in the woods. At least they have free breakfast.
LOL. My dad grew up dirt poor in the South, and he said, “Why would I want to go camping? I’ve gone without electricity and peed in the woods already – that is not a vacation for me.” A vacation for him definitely involves a foot rest, cable television, and the heat clicking on by itself.