Diversity in the Kiteboarding community

[marlboroughman]

NY Times, op-ed written by Chad Sanders: “Shun Relatives Who Don’t ‘Significantly’ Help Black Protest Causes”

[fernmanus]

Woke is the new religion. No surprise that there are some adherents on this forum.

[alexrider]

My question is how we can make our sport more inclusive. Most people responding so far don’t want this question to be asked. Seems like an exhibit of the underlying issue.

Kami rightfully said "You’re trying to create an issue where one doesn’t exist."

Next, the palmbeacher will demand inclusiveness for LGBTQ people (they're a minority in the kite community) and mentally handicapped (a minority too) not forgetting albino Eskimos.

Jeez. Toby should have locked this post which brings absolutely nothing to the sport.

[BenBen]

... Now we have political bashing. What a shame it always comes down to this.

[alexrider]

Lol.

Palmbeacher must have joined the woke support group.
https://www.facebook.com/bbccomedy/vide ... 204996778/

Woke is the new religion

Bow down on your knees and repeat the following:

“As a White person I have implicit bias”

“I will believe everything I see and hear on CNN, NY Times, Huffington Post, and Washington Post as gospel”

“It is impossible for me to understand how terribly I treat people of other race, gender, age, religion or sexual orientation due to my whiteness”

“I will give all my kiting gear to that homeless African American dude by the pier and pay for his lessons”

“I will return home, post my exploits on social media”

“I will take up a more socially diverse hobby like golf or tennis”

This is the ONLY path to expiate your sins.

[prop_joe]

Arguing that kiteboarding is equally accessible to everyone just isn’t true. It’s a privilege only few can enjoy. It appears some people prefer to keep it that way, but do they realize that if it wasn’t for their skin color they would have likely not been kiteboarding?

You should have saved that shit for Facebook to get the heroes welcome you were after... as opposed to just making yourself look like a pathetic race baiting weasel amongst your kiteboarding peers! Good job

[downunder]

Jeeez,

When some Rap Artist rocked up in my old country, first question he asked was:

- where are bro's in here? (Or something like that)

Because they do not live here man!

Same with kiting. Because they don't. The doors are open tho. Let's not pretend someone closed it.

This sport is more accessible than skiing. Ask yourself how much a ski pass costs?

The sport is so tiny and niche that not sure if will ever be a mainstream with any other race. Why it does not exist in India? Billion people there...

[palmbeacher]

Just leaving this here:

https://www.surfer.com/features/stirrin ... lting-pot/

https://www.theinertia.com/business-med ... ore-of-it/

[Havre]

So whenever there isn´t equal representation we got structural racism? Those &$##&%#$&" white and asian chess players.

That isn´t to say I don´t believe society in general isn´t racist. Obviously it is. Not that I believe there will be any difference when Asian will dominate the world. Or when hopefully Africa will see a economical surge over the next 50 years. Racism isn´t a "white thing" - we just happen to live at the tail end of a European dominated world instead of a Chinese or Arabic dominated one (which would have been the case if we lived earlier). Racism as a way for humans to identify with a group I do not believe will ever disappear. And if it does we will just replace skin colour with religion or something else. As we have always done.

Well countries have made slow and steady progress both institutionally and individually, and my children are a lot more tolerant and ethnically diverse than my generation. Many of the more industrialized countries are becoming more diverse, or are electing to cease to exist (Japan).

I get it. Should those of us lucky enough to be born into a situation that enabled a better lifestyle feel guilty for it? Should someone be given an opportunity just because of their color of skin or gender?

Those are some tough questions and they elicit some strong feelings.

Most people get upset at the idea that they would be prejudiced.

I would have said there was little to no structural racism in kitesurfing but after reading this thread, I have to reconsider. Some of the comments are very borderline.

I’m a rather optimistic and positive guy but I have had to deal with situations that I thought should simply not exist in these day and age. And while I believe the overwhelming majority treat people with respect, there are some bad actors out there. And it doesn’t take many to wreak havoc.

I am not defending racism or any other sort of "us vs. them" kind of thinking, but I think even the most rudimentary understanding of history will show that it has always been that way and that any sort of identity is linked to not being something (one might say unfortunately). If I am white I am not black. I feel white because I am white, but I do not feel like a human with two ears - which is as true. To identify myself as a white person makes a lot more sense than to identify myself as a human with two ears (which is the case for most humans). In earlier times in Europe you might identify as catholic or not being a protestant. At certain points in European history that was just as deadly as the white vs. black conflict. I am not optimistic that we will stop identifying ourselves with groups and that that identification will lead to violence - racism just being one of them. This is a complex topic of course, but I think it is fair to say that the divide between for example liberal vs. conservative is a lot stronger and with far less respect for the other position than ever before in "western" democracies. Where will that lead us?

So when someone say there is structural racism in kitesurfing that just becomes one of these meaningless statements to feel good about yourself. I already mentioned the example with ski jumping. Norway and Sweden are not demographically and culturally the same, but probably as close as two nations will ever be. Not to mention having a very similar climate in much of the countries. Even so one country care passionately about ski jumping while the other doesn´t (even if ski jumping is nothing close to as popular as it used to be in Norway 50 years ago). Obviously you cannot point to structural racism here - it just happens that one group of people enjoy ski jumping while the other doesn´t. You even got enormous difference within countries. In Norway ice hockey is popular only in certain areas of the country. Again - obviously not linked to any "structural racism".

As for racists kiters I really don´t think having more black kiters will change anything.

If someone want to help someone to learn to kite. Brilliant. A bit odd of course if you decide to help out people with a specific skin colour that is actually racists (by the definition treating someone different based on their race/skin colour). Some just happen to think "positive racism" isn´t racism. And one might argue negative racism is worse, but only if you are not the person feeling you should have gotten the opportunity someone else got based on their race (unfortunately it seems like we see these kind of tendencies in for example South Africa).

I treat anyone the same regardless of their race or skin colour. I expect my friends to do the same. I would never accept any of my friends making any racist remarks. If that happen I would tell them and cut my ties with that person. Maybe it is possible to do more than that. I don´t mind showing your support by kneeling etc. these days of course, but as soon as you start to systematically force diversity on something. Being racial or based on sex for that matter I believe it will backfire longer term. And I don´t see how fighting racism with racism really works. Even if it is fighting negative racism with positive racism.

I was curious to which posts you considered borderline, but as my post became a lot longer than I intended I might not ask which ones.

[marlboroughman]

Just leaving this here:

https://www.surfer.com/features/stirrin ... lting-pot/

https://www.theinertia.com/business-med ... ore-of-it/

Surfing? One of the cheapest most accessible sports to get into. If a black men thought it was cool not only more would surf but they would kick your sorry fake pseudo intellectual white ass while at it. Your fake white guilt is not needed, it is embarrassing.