The Colour of Things

One of the most unique guys I have ever known is Orod, a good buddy who represents everything persian in my life. His uncle owns a rug factory, he spends summers in Iran, and his wealth is veiled in secrets which I derive to be from being born into oil but I choose not to pry.

Why Oh why, would Orod's name come up in a mid friday post one might ask? Well this morning I enjoyed a lovely breakfast of peanut butter and jam on toast, and its deliciousness reminded me of a past time from years past in which Orod and I used to share.

'Rod the Persian Prince and yours truly always used to have debatable conversations about the nature of things like peanut and jam and its relationship to the modern white boys growth pattern. 'Rod would claim that something like peanut butter and jam was a traditionally white thing to have grown up with, which would naturally spawn lengthy conversations of bullet point like one liners and there embedded relationship to a particular racial upbringing.

For instance, 'Rod would argue that taking the canoe out for a paddle was a traditionally white thing to do. Though I would argue that there was a native relationship to the past time, but, he would have non of it. "White thing" he'd say.

I would then argue that coloured dresses were a persian thing. To which he would reply, ketchup on kraft dinner/kraft dinner in general equals white thing.

Over time it became this background noise towards all life while Rod and I and a few others were around each other.

• Fantasizing over old North American drama's like 90210 and melrose place = persian thing

• Paddle ball, underhanded badminton, Mario Kart = white things.

• Hiding girlfriends from parents = persian thing

• skating, cottages, chinese buffet's = white thing

Its actually quite a fun game to racially stereotype past times and low grade food stuffs. You'd never find us making a sociopolitical debate out of it, it was born and will die out of fun.

Racial comedy like the above to me is priceless. Pointing out the obvious traits of another in a compassionate mockery is what made Dave Chappelle so popular, for it was all in good fun, and not intended to put another down other than that which they know about themselves already.

Light hearted observations of the other, reaffirms the self, and in the end makes differences familiar and likeable as opposed to the much more negative ignorance towards difference in which war, hate, and verbal cruelty are spawned.

how did this become about race relations.

posted by mr. tomas ubik @ Friday, October 07, 2005