A couple of months back I wrote an article about how the bear community has become quite known for its racism within it and how it is a big part of its culture today. In the time since then, I have heard several different angles on this matter that ultimately brings up some really good points to think of. People seemed to have a general idea that because I am white that this article really only pertained to white people being racists in this community. That is completely untrue, that sort of a thing can happen with any race in terms of how they view a different color. The point that I was getting at in that article in particular was the discrimination that not only particular races felt but other factors such as size, shape and even attitude.
But is that really discrimination or is it just a choice in how you view your partner? Men as well all know are very sex driven, so it is almost a split second decision most of the time when we see someone else and are either attracted to them or not. If you view someone of a certain size or color and aren't attracted to them, what does that make you? Same thing goes for that as a whole, if you aren't into white guys or chasers or Asians or what not, how would you characterize yourself then? For me personally, as stated previously, if you denounce an entire race or body size or whatever based on your own preconceived notions or anything like that, it might not be racist or whatever terminology you want to call it but it is discriminatory. You don't get to know the person beyond the aesthetic, something that is a growing problem in this "need it now", "want it now" world that we live in. We don't slow down enough to get to know someone, and in that regards you might change your minds on things.
I do stand up though for what I wrote in the last article about how bears are viewed in the media- white. Every single Bear movie and series that is out there right now has an all white cast. I mean, in one particular movie they filmed scenes at Rockbar in New York City. Rockbar is one of the most, if not the most, diverse bear bars in the country and the entire scene filmed had white guys. It just really gives a bad impression.
So this can be a really tricky subject no matter how you look at it. How do you view how you choose your partners in this hectic gay world that we live in?
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