Have you seen or experienced discrimination

[mark riley]

Ah, youth! Whe it comes to experiencing REAL discrimination, you obviously haven't. Yet coming up in drum corps back in the day, we DID experience it, and the way it was dealt with taught me several life's lessons.

Example 1- I was in a corps that stopped to eat in New Jersey (where I now live). A group of us (four blacks, one white) sat at a table, and were the first to give a waitress our orders. We sat and watched as every other table (almost all white) ordered and got their meals, while we sat and waited. When our meals finally came, we all got up and left. Our director was highly upset (not knowing why we left). He came out to our bus with fire in his eyes. When we told him why we left, he went back into the restaurant with us, and roundly cursed out the owner and the entire waitstaff! They couldn't say much. He was a cop!

Example 2- A certain corps was marching a major parade in a southern city. At one of those traffic light stops, the corps is standing, waiting at parade rest. From out of the crowd a voice, clear as a bell yells, "take your niggers and go back where you came from". A certain Italian member of the corps broke ranks, walked up to the guy who said it, and went upside his head with his horn. Wouldn't you know, the light changed, he got back in line, and the corps moved on.

I could cite other examples, but the point here isn't just about racism. It's about people standing up against it when they don't have to.

And that, folks, is one reason I've always LOVED this activity.

[sburstall]

David Cross does the best take on "literally," namely when sportscasters use it.

HE LITERALLY RIPPED HIS HEAD OFF!

Ouch, wouldn't that hurt a bit??

[Studio Tan]

DUDE, IT WAS SO FUNNY, I LITERALLY #### MY PANTS!

So what did you do with them.

I #### 'EM, MAN! I LITERALLY #### MY PANTS!

No. I mean what did you do with your ####ty pants?

NO MAN, I DIDN'T LITERALLY #### MY PANTS, I LITERALLY #### MY PANTS!

[sburstall]

My corps allowed Canadians to march. I even spent time with my Canadian mallet partner before the Battle Creek show and had dinner with him afterwards. I'm proud to have marched in a corps that had such an enlightened attitude towards Canadians. I even ate with him and his parents when I visited Canada a couple years later (after I got my shots). While I didn't try the creamed squid on a sesame seed baguette, I did try the curried boysenberry marmelade. It was a bit unusual but perfectly complemented the ice cream dumplings. I even think they "threw" the match when I wrestled after the meal for the right to be the first to use the outdoor privy, which by tradition was out by the front curb.

Come on Mike, you haven't had real Canadian cuisine until you've have the poutine.

[Storkysr]

Personally experienced discrimination against super intelligent, incredibly talented and good looking SHORT PEOPLE.

[Phillygwm]

fyi. if those two corps were to let female members in. to me they would not be the same as the corps that i knew who founded their name. not trying to be dickish about it. but a all girl corps has the right to be a all girl corps and a all boy corps has the right to be a all boys corps.. again IMO

St. Ignatius would not be St. Igie to me to this day if it was ever a all gender Corps... and as a Girl /Female only Corps. they kicked ### !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

To their credit, when they DID go co-ed in the 80's, they changed their name (to New Image, if I recall.)

[deftguy]

And for every person who makes those comments about the guard unis, there is somones else who reads into it more than humanly possible and sees bigotry where there may just be a difference of taste.

That's one of the Laws of America. For every action there is an unequal and blown out of proportion reaction.

Its not really your place to decide how deep someone should read into a comment. Sometimes people just write insensitive things and people react to it. Some people just need to think before they speak or write. That would solve alot of miscommunication issues.

[Piper]

I love how times have changed and we don't have as much dealings with discrimination issues as we used to have. And having read the boards for awhile now, it is nice to see how open minded most people are, especially drum corps people. I have loved posts regarding international members, welcoming gays and lesbians, and topics of that sort.

It seems the people involved with corps are truly exceptional in regards to not disciminating, but I was wondering, have you seen instances of discrimination, whether it be on gender, race, sexual orientation, or any other issues?

Are you writing a theses for your MS?, or are you a lawyer? We're DRUM CORPS! LEAVE US ALONE !!!!!!!!!!!!

[tubamann]

Are you writing a theses for your MS?, or are you a lawyer? We're DRUM CORPS! LEAVE US ALONE !!!!!!!!!!!!

Try Decaf :sshh:

[jsualumnus]

This is what I think, and I don't care what you think of me for it:

1. I am against gay marriage because I believe marriage is between a man and a woman, but I will not judge a gay couple for wanting to be married and be recognized by the state. Look at all the screwed up kids from screwed up straight marriages!

2. I dislike the "San Francisco" liberal perception, but I think it's the most beautiful city in America. You have a right to have the opinion you have whether it be conservative or liberal. Personally, I dislike the far right and dislike the far left. I am a Reagan Conservative, or maybe a Libertarian, or maybe a ........

3. I have friends of all colors, sexual orientation, and origin and have predjudices I fight everyday, but I mostly dislike the redneck, white-trash, in-bred who can't get his yard cut, hub-caps out of the yard, or even brush his few remaining teeth. That guy was probably the guy who yelled racials slurs at the parade.

4. I think the KKK, Black Panthers, and other seperatist groups are hate filled and are the work of the devil.

5. I thank DCI for giving me the exposure to all different kinds of people as to not judge them, thus giving me the ability to raise my kids in a productive, loving, and strong family environment.

6. I'll be glad when we wipe out Al-Queda, Hamas, Hezbollah, Fattah, and other terrorist groups, but I think we need to fight our battles in America first: Kids getting raped and murdered, parents beating their kids, and child molesters getting off scot-free.

7. I worship Jesus Christ, but instead of jamming him down your throat I'd rather plant a seed and see what happens with it, or within you.

8. I support President Bush, as he has confronted terrorism, but I sure do wish he'd take the Reagan approach.

9. I never complained about snare drummers when I was playing cymbals back in 85. I just busted my ###, and my chops, so that I could play snare the next year. However, in DCI and some intense college drumlines, cymbal players have chops and would not want to play anything else. Love that former Spirit cymbal line....c'mon back ya'll, now hear?

10. I was once called a "cracker", a "french fry", a "zero bar", and a racist by a black lady one night when, after having a bad day, I spilled a drink on her and her friends while bartending in a busy restaurant. Her credit card wouldn't work, her friends had no money, and they skipped out on their bill because they felt like I purposely poured the drink on them and they should NOT have had to pay their bill. (Then why did you give me a credit card, lady?) Anyway, I felt sorry for her rather than think horrible things to call her.

That's it.....you may disagree with my comments and that's okay.......I could still sit and watch a drum corps show with you and enjoy the experience.

JSUalumnus

Edited July 18, 2006 by jsualumnus