Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Our physics teacher asked me once if I had been surprised to see a black physics teacher when I walked into the class the first time. I told him I would have been surprised by anyone who wasn't old, white, or male.
But I understood the question he was asking and my answer to him was, "First, I saw you as the black physics teacher when I came to class. But after a week or two, you were just Tim, our physics teacher." And it's true. I didn't see him as black, but I just recognized him as Tim. He thanked me and it took me years to understand why.
I love those situations, because again, I think differently
Would I be surprised?
Why should I be surprised that somebody is good in physics and worked hard to become a professor?
Now, it's true,
I would be a little surprised that the professor is black, because it's not common,
same as being on a wheelchair, being a short person, being a bold woman, etc, etc, etc.
They are rare, but none of those things has anything to do with a person's ability to become a physics professor.
I love those situations, because again, I think differently Would I be surprised? Why should I be surprised that somebody is good in physics and worked hard to become a professor?
Now, it's true, I would be a little surprised that the professor is black, because it's not common,
same as being on a wheelchair, being a short person, being a bold woman, etc, etc, etc.
They are rare, but none of those things has anything to do with a person's ability to become a physics professor.
How about Donald Trump? Do you see him as a WHITE man?
See how silly that sounds?
I guess if you are a BLACK man, you have to be MORE THAN JUST A BLACK MAN and practically transcend your race, in order to be accepted and considered successful or admirable like white men, huh?
Last edited by NoClueWho; 10-27-2017 at 09:44 AM..
I'm not surprised that anybody is a physics professor
but it's true, that it's rare for a physics professor to be black, on a wheel chair or short person.
I shouldn't have said "I would be a little surprised that the professor is black, because it's not common"
How about Donald Trump? Do you see him as a WHITE man?
So how silly that sounds?
I guess if you are a BLACK man, you have to be MORE THAN JUST A BLACK MAN and practically transcend your race, in order to be accepted and considered successful or admirable like white men, huh?
This was my point, exactly, when I posed the question about Larry Byrd.
The mere QUESTION about Michael Jordan's skin color speaks volumes.
I don't go home and exclaim to my neighbor that my new doctor is of X nationality or skin color because it's just not noteworthy or interesting.
Now if they happened to have a purple Mohawk or were 7'0 tall I'd be like, "wow I have this new doctor and they're super tall".
Now if I happen to run into Michael Jordan on the street or Trump or some other globally famous person, I don't call up my dad and say "Hey, I ran into black Michael Jordan or white Trump" it's just silly.
The whole discussion makes me think of the "Black Sheriff" storyline from Blazing Saddles which I think points out at least some of what the OP is getting at.
I'm not surprised that anybody is a physics professor
but it's true, that it's rare for a physics professor to be black, on a wheel chair or short person.
So again, you're not surprised that anybody is a physics professor UNLESS he or she is BLACK.
And you're comparing being black to a disability? Further, in other parts of the world, there are schools where physics teachers are NOTHING but black.
The original question was unnecessary and just plain peculiar.
i do not see Michael Jordan as a black man .. there was a time when i did not see Bill Cosby as a black man but i do now ..i will use the N word from time to time but not necessarily aimed at black people .. there are just as many white N`s today as black .. maybe even more ..to me the N word describes who and what you are and how you act much more that what color you are ..
I love those situations, because again, I think differently
Would I be surprised? Why should I be surprised that somebody is good in physics and worked hard to become a professor?
Now, it's true, I would be a little surprised that the professor is black, because it's not common,
same as being on a wheelchair, being a short person, being a bold woman, etc, etc, etc.
They are rare, but none of those things has anything to do with a person's ability to become a physics professor.
Exactly. I have a B.S. and an M.S. in Geology. That's a lot of geology courses. Number of Black students in any of my geology courses (other than the initial 2 survey courses; all students were required to science survey courses) = 0. Females...maybe 12%. Latino = 0. Asian = 0. In other words, at my college back in the 1970s, geology was a field clearly way dominated by White males. I found one article that took a modern look at who graduating geologists are today, and the male/female ratio had averaged out quite a bit -- 52%/43% (remaining 5% no data). Racially, 78% White, 7% Latino, 2% Asian, and Blacks not even listed as a separate category, but within "other" groups, including unknown.
It would be interesting to have a better understanding of why different races are more or less attracted to various fields.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.