Plus, of course, have you ever tried fitting a watermelon into your backpack? They be big and heavy! 
You just HAD to out-do me, didn’t you? I had the market cornered before you got here. 
Around here the homeless living in tents tend to be white, but I bet there are plenty of black people in tent cities throughout the country.
Edit: Never mind, misunderstood what tom was talking about.
I don’t know. I’ll ask my black friends when we meet in the Shenandoah National Forest to go camping on Friday and get back to you.
A black friend of mine once talked about it and said that for a black person just leaving your house is an adventure, so you don’t tend to seek it, whereas white people tend to be bored, and are always seeking thrills. I thought that had some wisdom in it.
Perhaps this video can shed some light on the subject:
Additional anecdotal evidence is of no help, of course – but I’ve camped all my life (probably 75 camping trips), in a half-dozen state and national parks. And my reaction to the OP was “yeah, I wondered that myself.”
Maybe it’s because it isn’t easy to come up with “black people camp like this…but white people camp like this…” jokes.
Marc
The people who think camping isn’t expensive are both right and wrong. On a amortized basis it’s not expensive to do 50 times. It is hugely expensive to do once. Sleeping bags, tent, camp stove, ground cloth, Coleman lantern, first aid kit, cooler for food, Thermarest pads, insect repellant, rain gear, packs, and so on. When you look at the expense of outfitting a family of four for a camping trip, it runs into hundreds of dollars.
WikiHow has a list already prepared:
Campsite
Tent
Spare tent stakes
Sleeping bags
Sleeping mats
Tarp
Camp chair
Lounge chairs
Folding table
Lantern
Tarp
Day/fanny pack
Shovel
Axe
Saw
Pocket knife
Hammer or mallet
Whisk broom
Flashlight
Rope & clothespins
Fishing rod & tackle
Other sporting gear
Camera & film
Butane gas lighter
Safety supplies
First aid kit
Insect repellent
Hat
Sunglasses
Sunscreen
Lip balm
Canteen
Duct tape
Map
Compass
Binoculars
Blanket
Signal whistle
Toothbrush
Towels & washcloths
Soap
Toilet paper
Washbasin
Mirror
Propane stove & fuel
Waterproof matches
Dishpan/detergent
Coffee pot
Cook set mess kits
Pot scrubbers
Garbage bags
Paper towels/napkins
Water container
Cooler & insulated jug
Can/bottle opener
Aluminum foil
Cooking utensils
Pot holders
Knives, forks, spoons
Salt & pepper shakers
Grill top/Rack
Charcoal
Fire starter
Waterproof storage containers & plastic bags
Plastic mugs
Food
Sure a lot of this stuff is superfluous, but most is either necessary or important if you’re going to have a good time, and without camping experience how will you know which is not required? Some of these items might save your life. Sitting huddled in the rain under green trash bags eating cold canned food is not a fun weekend, even if you don’t have an emergency.
If your family camps, you can probably borrow a lot of this stuff, but if they don’t, you’re out of luck.
Without knowing whether they would enjoy it, there are a lot of things people would do for recreation first.
Oh, man, it’s true! we are so lame!
Speaking again, as someone for whom camping was not a part of the cultural lexicon, I don’t think price was an object. My parents probably would’ve thought it was crazy to spend that amount of money on camping supplies. Which is not to say that it couldn’t have been done. But even if we had unlimited camping supply money, it just never would’ve occurred to us to want to.
WHAT? You lie. Who wouldn’t want to leave an air-conditioned house with a big screen TV and comfy bed o live on the ground at night after a day of marching in the sun. The mosquitoes alone are worth the trip.
I posted this in the other thread.
I’m still waiting to hear from Auto
White people don’t go camping.
Before you even start to debate that assertion, it’s true* - end of discussion. I started wondering why, though - why don’t white people go camping?
I think the obvious answer is “because they don’t go camping.” But why?
I have a few ideas:
-
Camping is associated with gayness. Since all Americans are homophobic (Before you even start to debate that assertion, it’s true** - end of discussion), they don’t venture out.
-
There’s a subtext in camping that it’s wet and uncomfortable. Plus you can’t bring your home theatre or have friends over to watch football.
*I have never seen a white US family camping.
**I have read about such an American. Therefore they all are.
This accusation is no more acceptable because it is oblique. Keep this stuff in the Pit.
[ /Moderating ]
Note to Monstro and her friends: Deliverance and *The Hills Have Eyes * are just movies, okay? :rolleyes:
Depends. Are you also filthy and unkempt?
If so, your official negro card is definitely history.
well here’s about 350,000 that might disagree with you.
Like any self-respecting brotha, my appearance is always on point, no matter what the activity!