Gay ski events this winter

A snowHead

I kind of agree with Frosty. As I've suggested elsewhere in this thread I try ro treat everyone as I would like to be treated myself. HOwever I do wonder sometimes when "positive discrimination" means everyone exceot me gets better deal since I was unfortunate enough to have been born to middle class parents of anglo-saxon descent

A snowHead

Positive discrimination is a red herring: that's something else which could merit its own discussion, but I hope not here.
T Bar was talking about the failure of empathy that allows us to see others as not quite human in the same way we are or, at a lower level, simply fails to understand how our words sound to other people.
"Say it as it is!" Surely that is just what T Bar was doing, very simply and, I thought movingly. Aggresive PC? I don't know who was being refered to but it can't have been T Bar who's tone was restrained, denying that anyone involved was, by nature, "bad".

I remember waiting in the office of a garage in Yorkshire for my car to be mended and listening to the "Banter". A black guy was joking about coons and bananas along with his workmates. It was so obvious that he was abasing himself and felt humiliated but the others were oblivious. They meant no harm and probably didn't believe they were racists, and one, a motherly woman who seemed basically a kindly person said "well at least you can joke about it" and he said "Well, at least I'm not a Paki, I think I'd top myself".

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

You need to Login to know who's really who.

Snowball, you're right, it is a whole other discussion : as it the quote "at least I'm not a paki"

I went to Bradford Uni, where there is a *LARGE* ethnic community and I can honestly say that racism is not confined to anglo saxons. For instance, members of the pakistani community (mainlky the younger ones) were prejudiced aginst blacks, the older members would happily deal with anyone but didn;t want to see their kids dating white folks etc, amd that's whithout going into the whole India / Pakistan . Bangladesh issue!

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Yes, and I've heard stories about Japan. Many people there are extremely racist. I know a white person who lives there and speaks perfect Japanese. More than once he has booked a hotel room and then when he arrived and they saw he was white they told him there had been a mistake and there was no room. Also, when he is in a bath house, people get out of the water when he gets in, making "Jokes" about AIDS.

You'll need to Register first of course.

Lets just face facts: We are the top honcho species on the plant we are doing a great job of f*****g up big style. I suspect that when the history the Earth is reviewed we will get a brief and very uncomplimentary mention.

Love to you all, hope you all have a fab ski season.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Oh yeh, one final thought, would I get into trouble for organisining a white, straight, ski week. I think so, but why?

After all it is free

Well said. Though who were you imagining writing this history? I think this is my last posting on this thread.
(I wrote that before your last entry, Frosty, why did you have to spoil it - No, go ahead and organise a white, straight week if you want, I can't imagine any objection. It will just be like most other ski weeks.)

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

snowball, Hi As previously posted, one of my best ski hols was in the company of 2 outrageously gay blokes. Must say that you do not see many black people skiing. I am sure we can start a thread on that one

Only kidding

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Last last. snowHead

snow reports

deffo

If there are any more last posts on this topic the bugler is going to resign... Smile

You know it makes sense.

Amonst other things, I wonder if T Bar is saying that you earn the right to claim knowledge of appropriate humourous use of words like paki, nigger, queer etc only after having been beaten, abused and terrorised by prejudiced xxx-bashers using the words in the context shown.

And Frosty - aggressive PC or 'positive discrimination'... you're the first to bring it up and I really wouldn't go there Wink

Before that I think the discussion was just 'PC' - and in its casual sense I think it just means being aware that although you (not you F) don't find the work paki offensive; you should realise that you are not qualified to judge the degree of mental anguish (still with me AD? Wink

) it could inflict on others who have been there.

You can argue that PCness reminds us of and hence reinforces prejudice - but with a lot of highly prejudiced people still around I think we have to accept that our society isn't mature enough to do without its training harness.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

oops - I obviously spent too long typing that before hitting submit.

Anyway - who fancies chips for tea?

A snowHead

lbt, I don't think it is PC to be recommending chips - fat nation and all that ... Wink

A snowHead

I love chips me... and chapatis of course Toofy Grin

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Well, I haven't posted yet on this thread so this thread ain't yet over NehNeh

I think until you have been the victim of discrimination yourself on the basis of colour/sexual orientation, whatever, it is very hard to say how others who have been victims of discrimination should behave.

One of my best buddies at work is gay & is openly gay, holds hands with boyfriend, kissing in public - in other words, everything that a straight couple would do. He has been beaten in the past, to the extent of needing stitches in his head. Recently, a group of youths has taken to hanging around at the time he gets off the DLR to walk home - he has had stones thrown at him by them and of course name-calling. They know where he lives and he has had stones at his window. He has to put up with this as part of his normal life and this is living in London where supposedly attitudes are more liberal.

If he wished to organise or go on an event organised just for gay people - who are we to say he shouldn't & he should integrate into other events like the rest of us? If I had to live with the threat of violence as he does I'd sure want to go on a hols surrouned by like-minded people where I'd feel a bit safer.

Being gay isn't a matter of choice - he isn't gay because he wants to be but because of his genetic make-up. He can't choose to be straight any more than I could choose to be gay.

There - now this thread can finish.

PS Frosty the Snowman, M. Coins is black so there's 1 black skier for you Very Happy

You need to Login to know who's really who.

I was going to ask who was having them crinkle cut rolling eyes

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

You'll need to Register first of course.

Cathy Coins, Smile

Nothing worse than white folk wearing white ski suits, cant see the bleeders. On a serious note, have you any idea why skiing is so "white" dominated. Is it viewed as an upper class white thing?

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

richmond, I agree, but you could not advertise your critiria wheras minority groups can. DEFFO LAST POST

After all it is free

Frosty, hard to say why you don't see many black skiers - I can only go from our/M Coins' mates' experience and will probably be full of vast generalisations Very Happy

(this topic was recently discussed on SCGB forum, if you have privileged access)

It was always a bit of an effort getting M Coins to go on holiday (apart from now we've found skiing Very Happy

) & its the same with a lot of his (black) mates. Is it a cultural thing? Do we expect to have our two weeks in the sun/snow? I don't know. Are black people also less well-represented on 'normal' summer hols? There's also the cold element - many black people like the heat and the thought of going somewhere cold & snowy would not appeal.

Do more people get to try skiing whilst at school? And is it nice white middle-class schools (if there is such a thing?) that put on skiing trips more than inner city multi-racial schools? Again, I don't know.

Up shot of it is - I don't know why there aren't more black skiers, but it makes M. Coins easier to spot on the slopes Very Happy

Cathy, when we went to Whistler the other year, it was the Brotherhood of Skiers visiting one week (African American skiers) of whom the majority that I met seemed to be doctors from Chicago (wearing non-PC floor length fur coats becuse it's bl00dy freezing in Chicago apparently!).

The next week was altitude week (gay week).

I met lots of these skiers because they were in my ski lessons. It was certainly a refreshing break from the norm! Cool

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Right you lot i will keep it simple (ibt) so as not to confuse myself Puzzled

Spoke to my brother friday (the gay one) and told him about this thread and how my veiw was you should not hold a gay week or any other kind of week that is labled as such that it would make certain sections of society feel unwelcome. His response was "you are absolutely correct BUT until you have been chased from a bus by a gang of lads shooting obscene anti gay things at you when i wasn't even minceing, you will never truly understand why having a gay week is important for gay people".

So what are my thoughts now, i want it to be renamed and called,
GAY SKI WEEK FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE GAY AND FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE NO PREJUDICE AGAINST GAYS WEEK.
Infact any one who has never chased any one from a bus stop week will do.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

There is a difference between toleration, approval and welcome.

For example, I might agree that the legalisation of brothels was sensible or practical. It does not follow that I would therefore approve of brothels. Still less, that I would welcome such an enterprise setting up across the way from me.

I am aware that homosexuals flock to places such as Mykonos, but I never had a great interest in Greek islands. So it did not bother me.

I have heard of ‘gay ski weeks’ before, but when they spread to good resorts like La Toussuire, Davos and Whistler it saddens me. If it is widely advertised in the brochures etc. , then at least people are forewarned.

Perhaps they could adopt one ski resort for the season as homosexual HQ ? Les Deux Alpes say ? (never liked that one) . Selfish ? Yes -but who goes on holiday for altruistic reasons ?

Richmond says ‘It's a bit rich for old Latchigo to whine about gay ski weeks when it seems highly likely that he and his mates would stand in the corner sniggering at anyone they thought might bat for the other side; it's hardly surprising that gay people might prefer their own company to his.’

I have neither the time, nor the inclination to do that Richmond. Nor do I instigate physical attacks on people. A few homosexuals I am oblivious to. When they are mob-handed, it would change the whole atmosphere of a resort.

A gay ski week would probably make a suitable subject for one of those holiday swap programmes. Needless to say, I would not want take part myself.

snow reports

Latchigo, I hope this is some "comedy" character you are trying to develop. I think it needs more work.

You should have come to whistler with me a few years ago. I went for a fortnight, first week was an African American ski week(http://www.nbs.org/about/index.shtml), the second was Altitude, whistlers gay week.(http://www.outontheslopes.com/home.cfm)

I am a straight white guy, and had a ball! I get the feeling you would not have left your hotel rolling eyes

On Burke's principle of 'all that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing' I'll add my voice to those who have stated that Latchigo's views are objectionable and belong to a different, less tolerant, time. I have no objection to him holding or voicing those opinions, and I hope that he has no objection to other people who criticize those opinions. Is there anything new to add to this thread other than snowheads to declare their supoort of the tolerant or non-tolerant camps? Perhaps the thread should be left to retire to the forum's archives?

You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

A snowHead

Whatever happened to the self-proclaimed "Greatest ever Black Skier" that used to post on SCGB - was it Stephen Williams? I always enjoyed his posts.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Im not sure although i seem to remember him being a very opinionated chap, maybe he is amongst us but under a different name like my good self.

You need to Login to know who's really who.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Been watching this with some interest.Have known a few gay people over the years,and with something like 1 in 5 being gay,or having that tendency(not too sure about the figure?)I'm sure most of us have.Gay events in general seem,to me,as much as a celebration as anything.Surely any downtrodden minority would do the same,once the shackles are off(so to speak)Have a feeling that gay events simply reflect the often flamboyant nature of the attendee's.For me the basis of good company is interest and good humour,not sexual preference.

Black/Asian skiers?Not sure about this one.May be some truth in the cold climate thing.Certainly very hot climates have no appeal to me.May be its just not their thing.Pretty sure that the "white,middle class" tag will have a bearing.Old perceptions can be hard to shake.When my son was learning(Tamworth)there was an Asian lad who we saw fairly often.Was on speaking terms with his parents(nice people,invited us for dinner)He loved it,but ask his folks and all they said was "Nooooo,its too cold"!!Funny,lots of white folks say the same Confused

Met a black snowboarder in Andorra couple of years back.He was one of the funniest people I've ever met whilst skiing.Did a cracking impersonation of Lenny Henry.And he was a damn good boarder.Great bloke.Got on really well,so I asked him "how come you're the only black boarder I've seen?".His reply,"no idea!"

Told me he was trying to convert some of his mates,but they were having none of it.Remember he seemed equally confused by the lack of interest.

You'll need to Register first of course.

Funny you mention it snowball but i was previously snowballs on the SCGB forum very clever the BC gag, though it did take a while to sink in.

Help!!

Gay ski events this winter

snowHeads Forum Index >>> The Piste