We Don't Ride like That

     When I saw this picture, I had to ask myself one question; “Why in the world would someone choose to put a cheetah on the passenger side of a vehicle that they’re driving?” Don’t they have the Animal Planet channel in Dubai? If you’re going to ride with a cheetah in your car; might as well put one in the bed with you. Why not wake up in the morning and have a cup of coffee with an alligator; then take a light stroll to the greenbelt with a pet rhino? Certain ethnic groups would never be seen in such a pose. You would never hear of a black male jumping a fence, to pet a lion or cuddle with an adult tiger. Black folks don’t get bit by snakes during hiking exhibitions because we’re not looking at the mountains, river falls or wilderness scenery; but we’re looking down at the very next step in front of us. 

     While it may be risky to ride next to a cheetah in Dubai, in America, blacks find it risky to ride in the back seat of a police car, because you never know how it’s going to end. As a black male, I really don’t have a desire to seek the thrills of keeping company with wild animals because there is a certain amount of suspense in leaving my home in the morning and returning at night. As a matter of fact, as a black male, I ride with different animals that are far more dangerous than cheetahs. I ride with venomous males, who talk like I talk, walk like I walk, struggle like I struggle but will utilize the similarities we share, as a entrance point, to relieve me of my few resources, just so they can eat. We don’t have to visit the zoo in order to see the wild, I can fit the description of what “White America” considers to be dangerous and be gunned down by a neighborhood watch member. I can lose my existence, falling victim to an elderly officer, who mistakes his firearm for a taser. I can be shot several times by a police, while complying with his command to show him my driver’s license. You see, in America, the way some people watch the Animal Planet, gaining insight as to how certain animals survive; as a black male, I watch America, gaining insight as to how my race survives.