• Welcome to Jetboaters.net!

    We are delighted you have found your way to the best Jet Boaters Forum on the internet! Please consider Signing Up so that you can enjoy all the features and offers on the forum. We have members with boats from all the major manufacturers including Yamaha, Seadoo, Scarab and Chaparral. We don't email you SPAM, and the site is totally non-commercial. So what's to lose? IT IS FREE!

    Membership allows you to ask questions (no matter how mundane), meet up with other jet boaters, see full images (not just thumbnails), browse the member map and qualifies you for members only discounts offered by vendors who run specials for our members only! (It also gets rid of this banner!)

    free hit counter

This reeks of rasicm too me, am I over reacting/over thinking this?

anmut

Jetboaters Admiral
Messages
2,528
Reaction score
2,359
Points
257
Boat Make
Yamaha
Year
2020
Boat Model
212S
Boat Length
21
Not politics but not totally unrelated to boating either. My 17 year old Son started taking our waverunners out without my wife Or I this summer (I.e., he tows, launches, pilots and recovers them by himself or with his friends. Last Friday he took them out with a friend of his and went on a food on the water run that we have done many times before without issue.

This time around he told me at least four different boaters asked him questions while he was at the guest dock. If they were general questions like what model ski is that? or how fast does it go? I would not think twice about it but all of the questions were around the legitimacy of him being there at all. For instance, whose jet skis are those? Did you rent them? How did you get them to the water? How did you get here? How old are you?

My son responded respectfully with the truth. They are my families skis, we own them. I trailered them from home to brannan island and we drove them here for lunch. I’m 17 and have a drivers license and boating card.

At first I thought they guys asking questions were just looking out for a fellow boater who might be missing pwcs but realize that no one had ever asked me such questions and I have never asked such questions of any boaters on the past, 25 plus years now. To top it off all the boaters who asked question of my Son were Caucasian. It is very clear that my Son is not Caucasian and neither is his friend that was with him that day. See the attached pic.

So am I being overly sensitive about this? Maybe it’s a good thing I wasn’t there because I’m sure I would have had a few choice questions for all of these guys, like that whose boat are you driving? How old are you? Can you prove that? Would you ask similarly situated Caucasian kids the same questions? I did not anticipate this happening to my Son so I didn’t prepare him for it or even discuss it with him before it happened. This makes the U.S in 2020 seem like the U.S. in 1960 IMHO and it all happened within 30 miles of the California State Capitol (a relatively diverse state).
View attachment 134075

What’s really frustrating, is that I don’t know how to properly advise my Son on how to handle this the next time it happens?
Sounds like you boat near some racist muthas. I don't think you're overacting.

Optional responses in the future:
1) Yes, it's my ski - wanna race?
2) Yes, it's my ski - is that your car over there?
3) Yes, it's my ski - is that your wife?
4) Naw sir, I be clean'n and polishing it for Mr. McCrackahead. You know him, right?
5) Hell no, we just stole these from the cops. But we're going to get a bite to eat first before we continue our crime spree - you good with that?
 
Last edited:

AZMark

Jetboaters Admiral
Messages
1,896
Reaction score
2,564
Points
252
Location
Phoenix, AZ
Boat Make
Yamaha
Year
2018
Boat Model
Limited S
Boat Length
21
@AZMark
a white chick pursing an African American over Caucasian with the believe that his penis is bigger is by definition racist.
Here is what the 1st definition that come up when I googled it
"a belief that race is a fundamental determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race "

a statement that says "racisms did not stop you from achieving successful and difficult career" is not the same as saying " you never experienced". When I say there is a non negative number that is less than 10, it does not mean the number I have in mind is "0".

Thank you for pointing out the legality of a first grader operating ski. Unless you have never driven over the speed limit or put non recyclable in the recycling bin, I suggest we skip over this.


If you get a chance to read my post again without the inclination to defend a fellow forum member whom you are perceiving to be the victim here, you will see that my statements make sense. It is very clear in my statements that in my opinion his kids handled superbly without having the legal obligation to do so. His kids did a good job and obviously so has Ronnie in their education. As hard as it might when it happens to your own child, you don't need to get worked up and try to maintain objectivity as much as possible.
Two years ago my daughter was asked multiple times by her elementary school teacher to tell them what tradition we have at home for Thanksgiving. Despite her consistent answer that we make turkey at home, the teacher kept asking about something that is different in our household. Until that day she was not cognizant that she is any different from her classmates, but sure enough since then she has started to develop an interest of my and my wife's background. I sent in a pure Texan to public education and I am getting back a second generation immigrant. So @AZMark, I really do not need to be told that there is hypocrisy when it comes to racism ( especially in the west coast), but by no means I think of the teacher was being racist. Incompetent maybe, but to this day I do believe she was trying to make my daughter feel welcome even her action led to the exact opposite. It is funny actually but the best way to alienate someone is by saying " I accept you for being different" when none asked your opinion.

We can debate here all day and all night, but the fact is that humans "hate" different type of humans. The south Italians hate the north Italians. The French hate the Germans, the Greek and Turks almost when to war like 2 weeks ago. As an American you don't give this a second thought, but if these feeling where to happen in the US between 2 different races it is racism. Wouldn't it be nice if we try to stop hating each other instead of saying is this kind of hate is BAD, but this other kind of hate is okay!!!!!!!
I just thought a couple of your examples were funny to bring up in this context.
If Ronnies kid was 7 he never would have posted this...I’m not trying to call you or your son a criminal, just pointing out the major difference there.
That’s unfortunate about your daughter. Teachers of all people should be more aware of their biases than that when dealing with impressionable children.
 

Julian

Jetboaters Fleet Admiral 2*
Staff member
Administrator
Messages
18,358
Reaction score
20,434
Points
1,082
Location
Raleigh, NC 27614
Boat Make
Yamaha
Year
2016
Boat Model
242X E-Series
Boat Length
24
Bias exists in many forms. To say that just because bias exists people suffering from Racial Bias should just get over it is silly. That would be like saying "There are lots of diseases, so quit whining about cancer".

Do I think we are backsliding in terms of racism in America? No. I do think that the victims of racism are now far more prepared to:
  1. Point it out in person.
  2. Capture it with technology that makes it impossible to hide from.
  3. Socialize it quickly in social media so it fans the flames of anger at such treatment
YES - and rightly so.

The above doesn't mean its happening more, just that it is now in our faces when it happens. That is uncomfortable for many. Many would prefer to say "just get over it", or "just don't react", but that does nothing to stop it from happening again and again. It is high time we all become Anti Racist vs Not Racist. Read this article to get a sense of what the difference is:


Or this article:

 

I_squared_r

Jetboaters Admiral
Messages
1,183
Reaction score
2,090
Points
262
Location
Colombia/South FL
Boat Make
Yamaha
Year
2019
Boat Model
242 Limited S E-Series
Boat Length
24
All people judge other people and it's hard to pinpoint why those boaters asked questions. It could be for a million reasons and race is possibly 1 of them. Unless they said something about race, you can't know for sure why they stopped them.

I want to tell a story about racism. I'm white and grew up in a white neighborhood just outside NYC. When I was 25, I went to NYC and I met a spanish woman. I enjoyed leaving my comfort zone and I went to live with her in a latin neighborhood. It gave me an entirely new perspective on race and racism. Being white and dating a brown girl really showed me how judgmental my people are and how they assumed things about our relationship. But i've come to realize that they have never come to learn about latin culture outside a cruise to puerto rico or narcos on netflix. I came to know about those people that wait outside home depot, those "rapists" and "murderers", as being incredible hosts, great workers, strong families, awesome parties, ceviche, and more. It really got me curious about the world so I started to find people of different cultures, ask questions, and learn about them. My friends laugh at me because I can tell you about every cuisine in the world and I love spanish and brazilian music. My latin friends call me "parcero" which is colombian slang for "colombian brother".

The other day I was just watching a scene from the movie "American History X" when Edward Norton is in the laundry room with the black guy and he starts to laugh with his new friend. It wasn't edward that broke that barrier, it was the black guy after all those days, had finally got edward to laugh. Instead of your son being defensive, I think that he should respond with compassion and understanding. "Yeah these are my dad's jet skis.. I love your boat. Thats awesome! Are you from around here?" and try to find common ground. Maybe that boater, like me, grew up in a really white neighborhood.
 

Robconn

Jetboaters Commander
Messages
605
Reaction score
744
Points
177
Location
Lake Lanier, GA
Boat Make
Yamaha
Year
2016
Boat Model
AR192
Boat Length
19
@Ronnie . You don’t appreciate my feedback. You or I don’t know what was in the minds of those boaters. You don’t know what their intent was. You made your choice on how to interpret it.

Btw, I don’t need some smuck like you lecturing me on racism, when you have no clue who I am or my background. Take that and slap it in your face
@Ronnie . You don’t appreciate my feedback. You or I don’t know what was in the minds of those boaters. You don’t know what their intent was. You made your choice on how to interpret it.

Btw, I don’t need some smuck like you lecturing me on racism, when you have no clue who I am or my background. Take that and slap it in your face.

Can we get back to boating?
@Ronnie . You don’t appreciate my feedback. You or I don’t know what was in the minds of those boaters. You don’t know what their intent was. You made your choice on how to interpret it.

Btw, I don’t need some smuck like you lecturing me on racism, when you have no clue who I am or my background. Take that and slap it in your face.

Can we get back to boating?
Opinions and viewpoints don’t warrant abrasive character attacks on those who offer counter arguments or statements. Can we assume this forum was based on community and mutual respect regardless of anyone’s background? Save that sh*t for Facebook.
 
Last edited:

djetok

Jetboaters Admiral
Messages
1,745
Reaction score
1,813
Points
262
Location
Edmond, ok
Boat Make
Boatless
Year
2015
Boat Model
SX
Boat Length
21
Thanks for all of the feedback guys, it helped me reconcile my feelings on the subject. For additional context, I asked my son if he was screwing around in or near the no wake zone while the men that questioned him were present. He said no other than not quite slowing to no wake speed by the time he crossed the marker but my a Son and his friend were the first ones on the dock and didn’t see any of the people that questioned them on the water (a good 25 to 30 miles). Additionally, not to brag, but my son is no rookie when it comes to launching, piloting, docking and recovering pwcs. I have been training him to do so for over 10 years. His skills are apparent to anyone watching him do these things. The reason he got questioned by so many people is that he and his friend decided to eat on the dock next to the skis instead of on the pizza parlor’s patio. He would have eaten on the patio but it was full with other (walk in) patrons.

In the end, I told him he reacted appropriately. He didn’t escalate the situation nor did he say anything that was not true. Which is how i should react but the lawyer in me thinks otherwise. In this case he taught me something or at least gave me a reminder. He did say that he a was tempted to continue the conversation with a few questions of his own but decided against it since they were outnumbered 2 to 1 by adults. He and his friend (an African American. I’m trying to be politically correct but he refers to himself as black/Black, my Son sometimes uses a lyric from a song to describe himself as dark white) ended up having a great time the rest of the afternoon (Friday). It was hot but not unbearable, the water was like glass, so no wind, and few other people on the water for the 25 to 30 mile ride back to the ramp.

If it happens again, which I hope it doesn’t, I told him to do what he thinks is right at that time since the circumstances may be different and it worked out when he followed his gut the first time around. I have to say it felt like a weak advice that could be paraphrased as, “it is what it is, just keep taking the hits because you can’t do shit about it anyway”. I don’t see myself as being a good father on this topic.

@Drag, again I appreciate your feedback but sometimes you don’t get to choose whether you see racism because you cannot ignore it when it’s slapping you in the face with its dick. Simply pretending it doesn’t exist by talking about other aspects of boating is not going to bring this country together either. My main concern/question in starting this thread was, what do I tell my Son who is quickly becoming a man if this happens to him again whether he is on the water (boating) or not? I didn’t tell him to stop boating or to stop going to that location to eat on the water but I didn’t tell him to implement his black belt training either. I for the most part told him to maintain the status quo (no matter how F’d up it is) when he is on the water. He knows it applies off the water as well.

If the situation were reversed would it be appropriate for me to ask the next Caucasian kids I see driving a boat or pwcs the same questions that were asked of my son? How should I react if don’t find their answers acceptable? Of course I know the answers are No and Not Applicable, respectively, but if they are not discussed how does anyone else know the correct answers? They don’t (or at least four people didn’t) which is reason this happened at all.
Ronnie whatever the intent. Its their problem, not yours. From the years reading this board and your threads. I would find hard to believe your son did anything wrong.
 

Lpennington

Jet Boat Addict
Messages
110
Reaction score
68
Points
117
Location
Raleigh, NC
Boat Make
Yamaha
Year
2018
Boat Model
AR
Boat Length
19
Thank you for posting this @Ronnie. We are in the process of building a lakehouse in rural North Carolina. Besides teaching my boys to be good neighbors to the community we are entering this story of your boy's handling of this is a good model that I will pass onto mine. We are AA and the lakehouse is in a lake community that is largely white ... while I do not teach my kids to see race, it would be negligent if I didn't prep them for the reality of someone raising an eyebrow or doing a double take at us whether it's because we're new, AA, both, or b/c I'm tall and good looking.

Having said that, our neighbors-to-be have been extraordinarily nice ... really everyone around the lake.
 
Top