Diversity in Skydiving

[flyinmedic 0]

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Curiosity regarding the tzitzit: is there some rule about having to have it visible while it's being worn? I have some long-ago memory of someone telling me this, but can't pin it down.

Do you have to wear it?

Yes we hold that when u where them, they should be hanging out. But when i go jumping i keep them tucked in my jumpsuit being that they would be useless if they get ruined.

[mr2mk1g 10]

Hey, its not my theory - I was just applying the theory that Harksaw wrote about.

I personally don't find it to be a terribly compelling theory - I dont consider the "out of africa" move a couple of million years ago was by any portion of the then society, merely a general growth of population up the East coast of africa and through the middle east that took advantage of what were excellent natural resources at the time.

There would not therefore have been any genetic difference between those who moved out and those who stayed in africa - it would simply have been those family units on the fringe of the expanding population base that were forced further and further north by the population explosion and therefore increaced competition closer to the rift valley.

[Tonto 1]

That's certainly more likely.

Sorry if I over reacted - I'm just so tired of beer swilling oafs jumping on the "I have great genes" master race band wagon...

t

It's the year of the Pig.

[mr2mk1g 10]

bollocks to em - we all have the same genes, some people are just a bit more tanned, I have NO time for anyone with racist tendancies.

Saw a great advert once for sun cream. Was this really really black guy saying how he would recommend X brand of sun cream to us poor weak whities who cant handle the sun - how does he know - cos he uses it on the soles of his feet.

[winsor 186]

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bollocks to em - we all have the same genes, some people are just a bit more tanned, I have NO time for anyone with racist tendancies.

Saw a great advert once for sun cream. Was this really really black guy saying how he would recommend X brand of sun cream to us poor weak whities who cant handle the sun - how does he know - cos he uses it on the soles of his feet.

Flip Wilson used to advertise for Sea and Ski, which was seen as a joke at the time (he was a comedian and all).

It turns out that he had gone to Jamaica and figured that he was pre-tanned, and therefore immune to the sun. Wrong.

While he was hospitalized for sun poisoning (severe burns resulting in histamine overload), the attending physician recommended that he use a good sunscreen. At the time, Sea and Ski was about the best one could find over the counter and he really used the stuff.

A friend in High School (not of European ethnicity FWIW) made the observation that has stuck with me ever since - there are only two kinds of people, US and THEM. Quite who is who depends on who is present and what is under discussion (football vs. baseball fans, men vs. women, Liberals vs. Conservatives, Ibo vs. Yoruba, etc.).

While in the Army, I once watched the line of demarcation switch half a dozen times over the course of an hour with pretty much the same group present. Groupings were almost random as the issue was Airborne/Leg, Infantry/Armor, Urban/Rural, Yankee/Southern, Homeboy/Honkey, Short-timer/Lifer and so forth.

I'm leery of people who put too much stock in one form of catagorization or another. I'm a little more comfortable with people who are slightly indifferent to cultural differences than those who are overly "sensitive."

In the skydiving world I should hope that concerns are more here-and-now than generic. I have been on skydives with any combination of gay/straight, Islamic/Christian/Buddhist/Wiccan/Atheist/Other, Narc/Dealer, Democrat/Socialist/Republican/Green/Libertarian and goodness only knows what combination of ethnicity.

As long as someone has a good attitude, I'll jump with them.


Blue skies,

Winsor

[Amazon 7]

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Airborne/Leg

. had not herad that one in a day or two...I would think it would be hard to find a leg to jump with... even after they get out I think they would be diehard wuffo's

Amazon

[Tonto 1]

Posts like that make me happy.
t

It's the year of the Pig.

[betzilla 56]

Yep, this is a pretty white sport. We have a bunch of latinos here, and one black guy who's a really good jumper. Other than that, this place is white as can be.

That was one of the first things I noticed when I started jumping too (also in Michigan, at Great Lakes Skydivers). It does kind of bother me -- I'd like to see our sport become a better reflection of the ethnic diversity in the US.

What's it like in other countries? Is there one ethnic group that dominates skydiving in Europe?

[StevePhelps 0]

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I'd like to see our sport become a better reflection of the ethnic diversity in the US.

Why? Isn't that what America is about? We CAN choose to do what we want (and not what we want).

Let's slow the NFL & NBA up by making them reflect the diversity of the USA.

[Newbie 0]

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What's it like in other countries? Is there one ethnic group that dominates skydiving in Europe?

it's pretty white in the UK, as in like 99%. Still at my dz, i see the odd Far East/South East Asian, Indian Asian, black, South American etc jumper and it's nice. I for one like diversity in what i do, and like to meet a diverse a range of people as i can in all of lifes activities, not just jumping - it's just more interesting like that.

"Skydiving is a door"
Happythoughts

[Alambic 0]

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What's it like in other countries? Is there one ethnic group that dominates skydiving in Europe?

Same in France, and in Spain... very few "coloured" (I put brackets because I am not sure of the word) people in skydiving there...

Alambic

[houstontx 0]

The bottom line is that it really doesn't make much difference if your forebears were Iroquois, Indonesian, Ibo or Irish. It does make a difference if you're a good-looking woman.


Blue skies,

Winsor

[stuartjl 0]

It always makes a difference if you're a good looking woman!

[mofo554 0]

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I'm leery of people who put too much stock in one form of catagorization or another. I'm a little more comfortable with people who are slightly indifferent to cultural differences than those who are overly "sensitive."

Hopefully, this wasn't directed towards me. If so, you missed the entire point of my post. In case there is confusion, the object of my original message was to ask if what I had witnessed during my short encounters in this sport was the norm.

[aneblett 0]

I am the only skydiver of colour at my DZ...

Age

S.E.X. party #2

..It is far worse to live with fear, than to die confronting it.

[tmontana 0]

THE ANSWER TO ALL YOUR QUESTIONS as taking from the movie "canadian bacon", just replace the words 'playing hockey' and 'ice' with skydiving and flying.


Roy Boy: How come you never see any black guys playing hockey? Kabral: Now do you think it's easy to just gradually take over every professional sport? Let me tell you something, man. Brothers have started figuring out this ice thing. Hope you enjoyed it!

Want more proof just look at all two other white dominated sports, golf and tennis. Just a few years ago you never saw blacks playing them, now the best male golfer and best female tennis players are black.

___________________________________________
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." -Benjamin Franklin

[rmsmith 1]

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One has the biggest pair Ive ever seen.

Please see the FAQ(s) regarding the uploading of JPG attachments. Thanks!

[park1231 0]

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That's certainly more likely.

Sorry if I over reacted - I'm just so tired of beer swilling oafs jumping on the "I have great genes" master race band wagon...

t

If you take it back far enough everyone who is a citizen of the USA is an African-American

[houstontx 0]

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I am the only skydiver of colour at my DZ...

Age

From your pic it looks like you get a lot of good attention.

I saw a film recently where two white guys and a black guy were eating in a restaurant. The waitress was paying extra attention to the black guy. When she left he started complaining that it was reverse discrimination. His white friend said, "I wish I was black. Maybe I would have my sandwich by now."

[aneblett 0]

LOL!!

What was the film?

S.E.X. party #2

..It is far worse to live with fear, than to die confronting it.

[diverdriver 5]

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THE ANSWER TO ALL YOUR QUESTIONS as taking from the movie "canadian bacon", just replace the words 'playing hockey' and 'ice' with skydiving and flying.


Roy Boy: How come you never see any black guys playing hockey? Kabral: Now do you think it's easy to just gradually take over every professional sport? Let me tell you something, man. Brothers have started figuring out this ice thing. Hope you enjoyed it!

Want more proof just look at all two other white dominated sports, golf and tennis. Just a few years ago you never saw blacks playing them, now the best male golfer and best female tennis players are black.

Me thinks I remember Arthur Ash being one hell of a tennis player many moons ago. I don't think this is recent and I could care less if the "blacks are taking over". Parts of this thread have really made me ill to be honest. I've seen some nasty generalizations. One of my best friends at the DZ happens to be black. Do I care he's black? No. I could care less. Taking over the sport.....sheeeeesh....What century is this?

All I have to say is which fighter squadron in WWII never lost a bomber that was under their care? The Tuskeegee (sp?) Airmen that's who. All black. If my bacon is on the line then I want the people who can get the job done no matter what. Black, white, yellow, brown, blue, martian. And you are worried about blacks taking over the sport? I don't seem to remember my ethnic background being on the apllication for my D license. So I don't think anyone can take over this sport for me. This sport is mine for me. I make it what it is. There are plenty of other golfers out there who are white. I don't think Tiger can clone himself too fast to replace all of their memberships. Taking over? That phrase is just like fingers on a chalkboard to me.

Chris Schindler
www.diverdriver.com
ATP/D-19012
FB #4125

[mr2mk1g 10]

I dont know if i've seen any racism in this thread, maybe im being nieve or not reading things right, but Ive been watching and only really seen reports of the proportions of ethnicities at home DZ's and observations. The only thing that made me smart a little was observations about ecconomic backgrounds in which I do not know how much truth there is.

I havent really seen anyone complaining that "blacks are taking over the sport" more the opposit. Whats mainly been going on here is a complaint about why this sport is so white dominated. YES complaints. I would love to see the skydiving comunity more accurately represent a cross section of the comunity in which I live. Its odd that it doesnt and im interested in why.

Perhaps there really are genetic or cultural reasons behind it. Perhaps WE as a community are doing something to ostracise ethnic minorities from our little clique. If so we need to look at what we are doing to cause this and stop it.

There is no reason why I should see a greater percentage of whites at the DZ than I do on the street. I do and it saddens me.

[Alambic 0]

Let s be realistic: it will still take years before all people in all situation get indifferent to ethnics/gender/sexuality factor... There is still a lot of attitude like
-people of the former dominant majority still with discrimination over the minority
-people from this samemajority fearing to say anything bad to someone of the minority by fear of others thinking he is doing descrimination (let s see the case of the NY Times)
-people of the minority with anger against the majority, who will call anything bad happening to them discrimination...
-without discrimination, egalization not done yet because it is not instantaneous

It exists because wa have memories, and a lot of bad things have happened and still happen... It is almost impossible to ignore it. The only thing we can say is that is still a concern nowadays, but it will be less and less...

Alambic

[diverdriver 5]

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I havent really seen anyone complaining that "blacks are taking over the sport" more the opposit.

Then reread the post I quoted from.

Chris Schindler
www.diverdriver.com
ATP/D-19012
FB #4125

[jumper03 0]

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best female tennis players are black.

I'm not convinced those two are female....


To keep up with the thread though- gravity could give a rat's ass what color you are. Why should we?

Jump

Scars remind us that the past is real