I'm watching the Discovery Health Body Challenge and one of the ladies who is participating in the program, made a comment that made me say, "Oh stop it!". She said that one of her dreams is to surf, even though black people don't surf, this black girl wants to surf! First off, more power to her, No. 1, she's getting herself healthy by doing the body challenge! Secondly, she wants to do an activity as a goal, not just go buy something!
She does do what I've heard more than one person say from time to time, so everyone of gender, or race does this, equate an activity with the race of an individual! It's like, "White boys can't jump", or "dance" we know both of those or not true, for all "White boys"! Or, "Blacks only know to play basketball", or "Blacks don't play hockey" we know that is not true either! Or "Asian, i.e., Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, don't know how to drive"! Swimming is also one of the activities that Blacks or not associated with. My cousin was a champion swimmer in his college years! My entire family loves to swim, we love the water! I'm not a great swimmer, but even I love to go in!
Where do we get these associations from? Is it because a sport or activity is done only by a particular race? Sure in Basketball, and Football, there seem to be mostly Blacks, especially in basketball; and where hockey is concerned, even I don't see too many blacks playing hockey, but I know there has to be at least one professional hockey player who is black, or who is not white? Hmmm.....see what I mean, those associations! Could it be because the opportunity never presented itself to someone of a different race to play hockey, or is it just easier, and "normal" to get into the sport you know
I prefer to think the sport activity, whether it be professional or hobby, or just for fun, done by any individual is just because of a love of the sport, or a natural curiosity and trying something new thing!
We need to get off that bandwagon of equating activities with the race of the individuals, much as we do for everything else in our society!
Just do whatever you want to do without worrying that you're going to look stupid because only "white, or black, or Chinese, or whomever" does it!