I'm Comming Out?

For all those not awake during class I am not gay. Professor Reisner much like the Supreme Being he claims to be, commanded that I attend a gay bar for my listening post project. After painstaking research which involved a Google search of gay clubs in Miami, I chose a club close enough not to waste gas but far enough not to encounter any family members.

The club I chose is called "Score Bar" and

 is located on Lincoln 

Road. Being very familiar with the club scene on South Beach I decided to jump into my project head first, con

trary to the advice given to us by the all powerful and all knowing Reisner: "research your location first!"

I went to the club on Saturday well dressed and pressed; I even took the time to match my belt with my shoes so that I would not stand out in the crowd. I got no more than 100 feet from the club when someone handed me a flyer that read: "Anything Goes Saturdays at Score." I quickly did an about face, un-tucked my shirt and ran from the idea of knowing what goes on Saturday night in a gay bar called "Scores."

After my rare case of chicken-shit-itiss, I sat at a nearby pizzeria called "Pizza Rustica," by the

 way great gourmet pizza, I recommend the bar-b-que chicken pizza. I know, I know, black people, bar-b-que and chicken, I have heard the stereotypes, but dammit they taste good.

I sat there eating my pizza and watched people pass by, I sat there interested in there stories, where they might be headed, what might they be planning, who was waiting for them, were they gay

 and were they heading to my listening post. That is when I realized two things; aside from a few exceptions I had no idea who was gay and I had absolutely no idea who I could or would meet inside the club. Unfortunately I still couldn’t bring myself to go inside, but as I was sitting at the table a guy I talked to in line while ordering my pizza spoke to me.

“How was the pizza,” he asked.

“Great you can’t go wrong with bar-b-que and chicken,” I said.

And from that simple interaction and having the score flyer on my table we spoke for a few minutes and he recommended I try “Score” on the karaoke night. By the end of the conversation dealing mostly with good food, sports, clubs and school I had a new understanding of what Reisner meant by 80 percent of success is just showing up. I did not make it inside but I have a new gay source and possible friend named Tony, although it eerily feels like a date but we going to meet at scores next Sunday night for karaoke.

My Race Implicit Associations Test Results

My I.A.T. showed that I have a slight preference towards European Americans, and especially being a young African American male my immediate reaction was to label the test as false and bias. After a few minutes of quiet reflection I began to see some correlations between the test results, my interactions and attitudes towards members of my race, particularly those who mirrored my image.

 

I hold every other male of my race to the same high standards that I strived towards. The same levels and expectations many men and women before our time achieved without any of the luxuries we've taken for granted. I make no apologies for expecting more from members of my race and beyond higher expectations I also judge them with the same criteria with which I judge myself. It is precisely this method of challenging one another that bred the extraordinary leaders that came before our generation. 

 

The fore-fathers of black pride, the movers, the shakers, the thinkers, individuals that changed

 the world: Martin, Malcolm, Rosa, Booker T., Fredrick and Drew.  Instead of spawning a new generation of leaders, many of my brothers and sister have fallen into the trap of complacency. Instead of striving to emulate kings and queens we imitate the actions of pimps, hoes, and gangsters. We glorify every negative stereotype associated with our race and then wonder why everyday we must battle for inch of success. 

 

Instead of commanding respect with intellect many choose to demand it with violence and aggression. This is not to says that these characteristics embody all African Americans, because no such blanket statement can be made about any race of people. These reflections simply describe the type of individuals who misrepresent African Americans as a whole. 

We all may know individuals who are content with mediocrity, as for myself I long for more. And to achieve my goals I have surrounded myself with like minded individuals who are driven, intelligent, and overall decent people. During my many semesters in schools I have encountered many African Americans with such redeeming qualities but we are far outnumbered, but it is up to us to lead the charge. We may not accomplish much individually but as a collective unit we change change our world one friend, one relative or one child at a time.

My Religion Implicit Association Test Results

The religion test concluded I have a moderate preference towards Judaism as opposed to other religions. These results are to be viewed with much more scrutiny, because during the exam all religions are lumped together while Judaism remained in category of its own. On the other hand, the race test placed European Americans on the left and African Americans on the right allowing for a more balanced approach. 

In the religion test, symbols representing different religions appeared on the screen, the items representing Judaism were obvious, while most of the other icons remained mysterious. 

 

Regardless of the results I have no particular preference towards Judaism. It was simply easier to recognize the symbols of the Jewish faith. But even if I did lean towards Judaism it would be understandable because Jews and African American share common fate that binds us far beyond the laws and limitations that govern our religions.