What does that have to do with the story?

Fennel and I were at the dog park this morning hoping we would miss the rain and not require a bath because of stinky puddles. He always finds the fishiest most rancid and just lies in them like a spa treatment. I think usually I hear him do that throaty sigh like in the “I need a break” sort of commercials. Like most dog parks you get to know folks because they are there with their little companions like myself, although I’m guessing like most dog owners I only know the dogs’ names. Fennel was playing around with one of his friends doing the usual antagonize, get chased, run really fast, stop mid-motion, and then begin being the chaser. I love watching it. When the dogs are all getting along we people are able to have light conversation and sometimes light social/political discussion. I live in close-in NE Portland so for the most part it’s assumed that everyone is progressive to hyper-progressive. We’re chatting about how a few days ago one of the persons’ dogs, Joey a bull terrier mix, had run down to the kids’ play area, which is a no dog zone and he explained that a black city maintenance person started to yell at him to get his dog back to the designated area. Only rangers usually enforce and ticket and most of us in the park know to look for the green car or truck and immediately go in the opposite direction if in a non-designated area. Joey had been playing down near the swings and since there were no kids around his person really didn’t see a problem with it. Joey’s person said that kids shouldn’t be on those sort of fabricated steel, concrete, and rubber contraptions and maybe with a whole park available they should be enjoying the trees and whatnot. I think we had been talking about how our dogs will sometimes get a scent and ignore all calls, even my favorite to Fennel, which is a lot like a wrestling announcer calling for the next opponent, “FENNNEEEELLLLLLLLLL PAAANTSSS”. He totally goes crazy when I do that.

The conversation continues about whether they’ve ever been let on Tri-Met with their dogs. A couple say they’ve been on the Max and Joey’s companion tells us he’s been on the bus with no problem and he just says that Joey is a service dog and hasn’t been questioned. I lie and tell them that Fennel has been on the Max, but that I would be afraid of being rejected attempting to take a bus. Not to mention Fennel is incredibly sweet and fun, but service dog he isn’t. I don’t know why I lie about the stupidest stuff sometimes. I asked if there is ever a problem from people riding the bus that might not be keen on sitting next to a dog. He says that most people don’t care, but that there is always this one black lady in the back of the bus that has an issue with it. Joey always barks at her and I’m guessing that makes her feel uncomfortable. It’s odd that he says usually and that it’s the same lady because he tells us that he’s only done it a couple few times. Joey, he tells us, is pretty good at reading the energy of creatures great and small, so if he barks or isn’t comfortable it is probably for a decent reason. He mentions that he thinks the black lady is probably crazy in that drugged out sort of way. He looks at us when he finishes with one of those shake your head sort of smiles that says, “Who couldn’t love Joey?” The others shake their heads and smile, like most all of us at the dog park do when it comes to people who don’t want us around them with our lovelies.

I shake my head up and down a bit and take a deep breath and say what I’ve been thinking since the beginning of the story, “What does her being black have to do with the story?”

Joey’s Companion: What do you mean?
Me: I mean, what does that detail have to do with the story?
JC: I just like to give as much detail when I tell stories is all.
Me: I was just wondering because earlier you mentioned that the maintenance person who told you to come up from the kids area was also black, so I’m just curious.
JC: I don’t mean anything by it, but she and he were both black, so I guess I don’t really understand.
Zoe’s Companion: Well I think I understand what JC is saying. You know the guy that has the 3 wheeled biked and collects cans in the neighborhood, he has a white beard, older, and he’s black. Well, we were walking and he passed by on the bike and you know I never have Zoe on a leash really, well she starts to chase him. She’s barking at him doing her playful nip that she does and I’m yelling at Zoe trying to get her back and he keeps riding.
Me: I think before I had Fennel I would have totally booked it if a dog started to chase and nip at me. He was probably scared.
ZC: I don’t know how anyone could really be afraid of her she’s only a foot high. Well, he doesn’t stop so I can go get her and then he’s mad at me for taking so long to catch-up. This happens 2 other times once at Safeway and once here at the park with a guy sitting at a picnic table drinking something, I don’t know. Anyway they were both black. Twice is not a pattern, but three times definitely is.
Me: Did this happen within the same week or something?
ZC: Not exactly, but it did happen within 2 months over the summer.
(It should be noted that she has only had Zoe for a total of 5 months and when she first got her she was full of all sorts of erratic behavior, so I don’t know what is going on with this selective perception. Also, she lives in NE Portland and is at the park frequently so more likely than not Zoe within a 2 month period was bound to see more African-Americans than 3.)
Me: huh
ZC: A lot of dogs if they have bad early experience whether it is someone with a beard or someone that is male vs. female will be frightened and aggressive when they are around them.
Me: Sure, dogs are socialized similar to how we’re socialized. But what I don’t understand is that in JC’s story the maintenance person had nothing to do with his dog’s behavior and I guess that is why I wonder why it was important.
ZC: Well, I don’t know why it would be ok for a group of black people together to say this white guy or that white lady?
Me: (Without getting into white privilege) I guess I’m wondering why you think it’s ok for someone white to say that black guy in a story that has nothing to do with the story. And I guess what I’m really wondering is how I would be detailed in a story, since I’m not fair skinned.
ZC: You would be the guy at the dog park, Fennel’s friend.
Me: You can give that descriptor because you already know me and Fennel. When you tell other stories about your day do you say that fat girl or bald guy if it’s a passing character and has nothing to do with the story.
ZC: You don’t know how catty females can be.
Me: But we don’t in stories usually say that white guy or that white lady that was on the bus. What you’re saying is that there is this normal based on skin tone, size, and other characteristics that should just be assumed, so there is no reason to mention it if they’re fair skinned and Western looking.
ZC: Yeah I guess so, but that’s not what happened with Zoe, and I think it really is more about intent.
Me: Totally it is about intent, but also it becomes so normalized to mention the black guy or Korean woman or whatever that we never question our own intent because it all just seems so natural to point them out of the crowd because their not “Western”. I was really more curious about how it is that we always locate ourselves in our stories and how we do this by creating distance to those we pass by. And I was really getting at why would JC’s use the descriptor with a passing character.

The subject changes slowly back to dogs when Fennel starts to chase Joey and I have to go and get Fennel to stop humping Joey.

JC, I should say, was very, very quiet this whole time. He most likely considers himself to be very progressive, I know he does. We have had several conversations about environmental practices, the art commune he was a part of, his experience at Burning Man, and how he speaks of feeling and being in touch with people’s energy. He wears all of the symbols including dreads, patchwork pants, Rasta style hats, and a large square leather native style covering over the seat of his pants.

I know that “progressive” people of less color do not like the finger pointed at them. Nobody really does, well I guess I do sometimes because it makes me reassess. But after he mentioned it a second time I had to say something. It was really awkward because I see these people regularly and I’m going to continue seeing them and I think there might be oddness. I was getting the message from some that this really wasn’t worth discussing. And sure I can chalk it up to their ignorance or lack of sensitivity, but I guess at the same time I have to confess that I was having fun knowing that I was playing a small version of the ol’ I found a racist game at their expense, which kind of taints my best of intentions.