Last night, after Gregory's fantastic reading for EARSHOT at the Lucky Cat, Laura casually mentioned that I was "too ethnic for Williamsburg." The young poetess is right, of course; I am of foreign extraction (a big holla to all my brown peoples), and nobody would ever confuse me for a hipster (tight jeans and a single tattoo notwithstanding). Anyway, her comment reminded me of a game that my little brother and I like to play whenever we attend indie-rock shows in the city: Find the Minority.
"How does one play Find the Minority, Danny," you must all be asking yourselves. Well, dear friends, it's all pretty simple: Just find someone whose coloration and hair texture suggests that the person you have spotted has inherited genes from a much lighter pool. "That game sounds like fun, Danny, but how does one win," you question. Again, it's pretty easy. Just refer to the following points system, which can be printed out for your convenience (and hidden in the pocket of your multi-colored thrift-store shirt):
Blacks = 5 points
Latinos = 3 points
Asians = 1 point
Whites with Dreadlocks = -5 points
At a recent Black Dice show (in January at the Bowery Ballroom), I scored a total of five points (two Asians plus one Latino). I probably would have scored more, but couldn't tell the ethnicity of Black Dice's former drummer, Hiram (whose skintone approximates that of export-grade cocoa), who was spotted near the front of the stage prior to the beginning of the gig.
What are your experiences at New York City rock shows? Have you ever been referred to as a "Mexican" by white punks at a Bad Religion show?
Discuss.
"How does one play Find the Minority, Danny," you must all be asking yourselves. Well, dear friends, it's all pretty simple: Just find someone whose coloration and hair texture suggests that the person you have spotted has inherited genes from a much lighter pool. "That game sounds like fun, Danny, but how does one win," you question. Again, it's pretty easy. Just refer to the following points system, which can be printed out for your convenience (and hidden in the pocket of your multi-colored thrift-store shirt):
Blacks = 5 points
Latinos = 3 points
Asians = 1 point
Whites with Dreadlocks = -5 points
At a recent Black Dice show (in January at the Bowery Ballroom), I scored a total of five points (two Asians plus one Latino). I probably would have scored more, but couldn't tell the ethnicity of Black Dice's former drummer, Hiram (whose skintone approximates that of export-grade cocoa), who was spotted near the front of the stage prior to the beginning of the gig.
What are your experiences at New York City rock shows? Have you ever been referred to as a "Mexican" by white punks at a Bad Religion show?
Discuss.
1 comment:
I ruly think that whites with dreads should truly put you in the negative. I'm not racist but I will cross the street if one approaches me!
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