At no point does she say she was “shocked” to see a majority of white people hiking. Why deliberately misread the article?

She does say “Throughout the long process of its founding, the U.S. attempted to erase the history of the land it now occupies in order to build upon it a new identity which did not include Black, Indigenous and people of color in its narrative.” And that’s mostly (maybe not entirely) true and valid.

This linked write up is very short, and you either did not read it or are willfully misrepresenting what it said. I am going to paste a section of it (like a third of the article; it really isn't very long) so people can judge your tl;dr for themselves.

>What follows is a composite of multiple conversations over the years. A White hiker asks me,

>“Why don’t more Black people hike?”

>I struggle to determine how to approach this question, where to even begin. Some would find the question intrusive. I don’t. I know that the intent is genuine curiosity. But I’m saddened by the ignorance of it. The answers are complex, but they are easily discoverable.

>I respond by flipping the question.

>Well, hmm. Why do you hike?

>The hiker may answer: “Because I love nature! I love being outside, I love physical exertion. Because I’ve been going since I was a kid. Some friends invited me as an adult. I went on a school, group or church outing. I was an Eagle Scout.”

>These responses highlight a focus on individualism and a deep and likely unrecognized sense of belonging in those spaces. A belonging felt so deeply that some might experience it as an entitlement, as a sense of ownership. Additionally, it is a hallmark of both white cultural conditioning and our nation’s value system to over-emphasize individuality and individual choice, even in the face of ready evidence of how our environments, our families, our communities and our shared history impact our realities.

>In this conversation, some hikers would even stop at, “I love being outside” – had they never thought more deeply to examine exactly how they had developed that love? They had received opportunities over the course of their lives to have varied experiences outside, never being questioned for their interest, rather receiving affirmation that what they had just done was strong, brave, cool.

>At this point in our discussion, a humble and open conversation partner sees the direction I am headed in, and I can share some of the ways that People of Color have been historically excluded from access to outdoor sports and even simply to nature spaces. I do my best to explain some of the history and the national ideologies centuries in the making that shape policies and outcomes. I draw on the scholarship of Carolyn Finney in her seminal book, Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans in the Outdoors.

You can agree or disagree with it in whole or in part until you're blue in the face, but don't just make up a bullshit tl;dr.

From the article:

> In Vermont, 90% of the population identifies as white, and the folks who utilize the Long Trail largely reflect that number

There's people out there who care about other people in the trail?

All I care about is people not blocking the path, littering, people not yelling/being overly noisy, and dogs on leashes.

After that, I don't care about much. Just four simple things.

There are Black people sharing their experiences of harassment on hiking trails and while outdoors foraging, birdwatching, etc — what are you basing your guarantee off of? If you’re pulling from the fact that you personally wouldn’t harass someone or think anything of it, that’s great, but it’s just not the reality for a lot of Black hikers

I mean, I've seen racist POS harass black hikers before and/or make ignorant comments. It's not unheard of.

Not what the linked article is about at all.

This post is ironic right?

On the trails around Brattleboro and Putney? No one gives a hoot and will let people be. I can’t speak for other places.

Thanks for sharing your perspective. I hope others will come around to this approach!

People just being angry that this article exists is a great example of some of the things you’re talking about. These same people most likely don’t consider themselves racist in the least. I suppose privilege is looking at all these topics through the lens of their/our own experiences rather than being empathetic and understanding of other lived experiences.

“Nobody bothers black people on the trail”

“These problems arent real”

“They said something about whiteness. This is offensive”

All great examples of whiteness. All great examples of how systemic racism is alive and well.

I pass as white. I see all these privileges. I’m quite sure I participate in all these problems in ways I can’t see. But to just laugh of lived experiences of marginalized people because we haven’t experienced them ourselves is quite awful.

I'm so glad someone else is cringing as much as I am at these comments. For people who live in a predominantly white state and never encounter POC outdoors folk, they think nothing of it. I've lived in the South for nearly four years and am a frequent hiker, and do you know how many times I've encountered a POC in the outdoors? Never. And with how racist some people are, I don't blame POC for being uncomfortable or afraid of being in these spaces. Even as a woman who sometimes hikes alone, I feel uncomfortable, so I can't imagine how bad it is for them. The outdoors is dominated by white men, and a lot of them are blind to their privilege outside-- they generally don't get harassed out on the trail. A lot of the people commenting are getting hung up on the affordability of hiking, when in reality it's a safety issue.

I personally am not going to assume I know what makes strangers comfortable. When I see black people on the trail, I react as I would to anyone else, which is to say" Hello" as we're passing each other. Usually me going up, them on their way down. I think black people are as complicated as anyone else. Beyond basic decency, what makes one person comfortable may make another very uncomfortable. I'm not going to force a conversation w/ someone because of their race. Especially not in a place where most people go to relax. stuff like "prioritize their comfort" seems like empty virtue signalling.

right? really great article. mainstream group, website, blog… nah mash that downvote.

vIrTue sIgNaLiNg

Next you will tell us about wokeness.

Can you explain what point are you making?

Edit: downvoted for asking a question. This sub is such a joke.

Is that a racist pun, or are you just oblivious?

Most of your critique is fair enough, but I think you should reconsider this one:

> If you want the average white guy/woman to read your article, don't title it "Decentering whiteness..." That's just the jargon of your own cultural/professional circle.

I agree with you that the average white person would be more likely to read things if black writers went out of their way to speak a certain way, but I don't think that's a valid critique of the author; It's a critique of the readers.

It's true that academics, many of whom are black, have developed some jargon to discuss these kinds of issues, but it's not like it's hard to figure out what "decentering whiteness" means. People on this sub read and discuss all sorts of articles laden with economics jargon all the time--some of which is much more niche--and no one ever has that critique for those articles. It seems people are willing to learn plenty of economics jargon to participate in a discussion about economics, but are unwilling to do the same for issues of race.

Is it really productive to ask people to avoid the terminology of a 100+ year academic tradition of studying "whiteness" because the terminology isn't already familiar to a white audience?

edit: a few clarifying words

Folks from the liberation crowd are usually god awful at communicating to people outside of their movement.

People are looking to change the fact that many Americans do not feel welcome in parts of their own country but they are using annoying jargon therefore us white people are excused from paying attention.

What are you referencing? At no point in the article does it mention people of color being too poor to buy hiking gear.

Of all outdoor sports, hiking is pretty cheap. You don't need much in VT. Our hikes are generally not more than a couple miles from a road. You''re not going on a wilderness expidition in VT. Decent footwear and a water bottle should do it. A headlamp doesn't hurt. No need For GPS on a 2 mile out and back trail.

$20 bucks at Walmart. You don't need to go to OGE to do this shit. Stop trying to be part of the status quo. Hiking is hiking. You don't need fancy shit to do it. Our forbearers diddnt have shit and they were fine.

Who peed in your Cherios this morning? People are fatigued frome race discussions that are baseless, including PoCs. You make assumptions on the race of people who disagree yet never thought to think that is a racist mindset since you're sorting opinions by race.

Feel free to do the comment/post history to discredit me since you did that to another commenter, but it doesn't change anything stated above.

I think I get at least some of what the author is getting at, but the phrase you quoted (“a deep and likely unrecognized sense of belonging in those [outdoor] spaces") seems weird to me. There is also the following line: "A belonging felt so deeply that some might experience it as an entitlement, as a sense of ownership."

This is essentially speculation about what other people the author encounters on the trail are thinking. There's no real way of knowing what is in the minds of these other hikers unless they flat out told her.

I've gotten occasional "entitled" vibes from people on the trail, but that's just my view. After these unfriendly people passed me, I didn't stop them to ask "hey, why didn't you say hi? Shy? Anxious? Fearful? Feeling entitled? Self-absorbed a-hole? Think you own the trail? Rich and above poors like me without all the expensive gear?"

And I'm not sure I would ever describe the feelings I have while on the trail as "deep belonging" or "ownership". Far from it. Mostly I feel in awe of the place, thankful that I'm still ambulatory and able to have the experience, keeping an eye on the weather because in a short amount of time the place can become completely inhospitable and deadly. None of us (or perhaps very few) "belong" there, IMO. I'm there not because of some birthright, but just a desire to experience something beautiful. Seeing people of all types on the trail can only add to that.

People in this sub making me eat my words for claiming that Vermont isn’t racist.

How would the author know what other people are feeling? That alone doesn't make sense.

Also, a sense of belonging? People are eating too much granola. Y'all walking in the woods, this isn't connecting and being one with nature. It's walking.

I’m not allowed to feel a sense of belonging when I’m outdoors?

EVERYONE is entitled to enjoy recreation in green spaces.

Because those issues have left deep wounds in our society and we have historically ignored them. Just now we're allowing people from those groups into the discussion for the first time, and that is causing a lot of friction. Just look at the comment section of this article; the top comment in this comment section is someone willfully misrepresenting what the author of the article said, with a heavy implication that the author is stupid.

It's true that a lot of the programming can be clumsy or awkward. Sometimes, they get a little stuck talking about diversity and ignoring issues of class in a capitalist society, like in this article in which NPR talks about how we need more women Venture Capitalists. But overall, people talk about it a lot because we have a lot of talking about it left to do.

Exactly! People are so quick to dismiss this article just because of how white VT is and it’s pissing me off, it’s an issue everywhere!

Please don't be this disingenuous. What should be, and what is, in this country, are VERY different things. No, we should not be judged by the color of our skin, but we are. Constantly. And to not acknowledge that fact demonstrates either profound ignorance or possibly an issue with character - which you admit is how we should be judged.

Everything is about race because white people made it that way. You can't just ignore our country's entire racist history and decide that discussing the very real wounds that are NOT healed is "driving wedges" in any kind of good faith manner. YOU are free to pretend it's "over" and we should "move on" and unite, because you come from a place of privilege, even if it's unacknowledged.
If I was strangling you, and told you to get over it without removing my hands from your neck, that your complaining makes things worse... how would you feel? Or if I stopped strangling you and instead of getting you help, or allowing you to seek that help yourself, I told you, "shut up, you're fine, it's over," would you be so quick to put that history in the past and move on?
Please understand that the wounds of racism are not healed, and recognizing those wounds only "makes things worse" for those who inflicted them.

Bless your heart

No, it doesn't. Vermont is majority white, guess what the majority of people on the trails will be?

It's like walking on a trail and seeing a ton of squirrels and wondering why don't see more moose. There's a helluva more squirrels than moose.

This is a horrible thing to say this comment should be removed. I’m happy to talk about how entitled YOU are by saying this but I would prefer if you would learn how to spell it first.