Rudimental. This song is sung in the middle of a passionate moment. That's the start and end of the lyrics: a word picture of someone's brain when everything is hype. This isn't the sort of song where the words are important.
The music video looks like Pittsburgh or Chicago or Saint Louis or Philadelphia--some sprawling city slowly ruining itself by misuse and disuse. It's certainly far enough north for people and horses to be used to snow, so I know it's not Atlanta or New Orleans. However, the video is full of people riding horses. I'm constantly reminded of the West, where horses are still useful for more than just pets. So I'm guessing Denver.
I'm wrong. I should have known; Denver isn't flat enough. I wanted to believe.
Now let's talk about the main premise of the video: black people riding horses. I worked at a summer camp in the Midwest and in the North. The camp in Missouri had very few African American campers until the Central States conference showed up to rent the camp for a week or two. Then that's all it had: black kids. It was strange and wonderful, but I would have preferred what we had in Massachusetts. There, we had a mix of kids representative of the demographics of the church in the area, because there wasn't a separation of white and black congregations. But at both camps, there weren't many black riders. If you look at the rotating photo reel on the top of the Winnekeag site, there's a picture of a riding class. Based on the demographics of the camp, I would expect 1/2 to 2/3 ethnic minorities on those horses.
So let's unpack the causes, shall we? I don't think it has anything to do with money, although privileged people will think that, especially if they're aware of their privilege. The problem with that hypothesis is that I have students who have horses in Moberly, Missouri, a town so poor that they nearly sunk themselves on a sucrose factory. If these kids can be on free and reduced lunch and simultaneously own a horse, money isn't the issue. I'm guessing that education and exposure have nothing to do with it. Unlike the heinous claims on Yahoo! Answers, I don't think any human of average intelligence has thought that milk "came from the store, instead of the farm." Kids know about horses because of films, if nothing else, where they are portrayed as machines to produce awesome chase scenes. And if you think a lack of exposure is what causes the disinterest, you don't know the first thing about shock. Horses are incredible on first exposure. I thought so when I was seven; I signed up for horsemanship every year (until I realized I really don't like horses, as a person). I was about ready to give up on debunking this Yahoo! Answer, until I scrolled down and saw the reason I had been ready to make myself.
Someone mentioned economics. I think that can play a role, however that's not the entire story.
I think a part of the issue is stereotyping. Some people think of horseback riding as something "rich white people do". It's so sad. I am neither rich nor white. I have been mocked for, supposedly, trying to act white just because I ride horses. I've also been told, "You ride horses? Black people don't ride horses!". The sad thing is, both of those came from other black people. If people fear they are going to be mocked or fear they won't fit in, they are less likely to participate.
Horses are not for white people. They aren't for blacks, Asians, or Hispanics either. Horses are for people who love horses.
But, I think the main issue the lack of diversity itself. Which makes this a circular issue. Anyone can observe that the horse world is not diverse- at all. It is true that there is a clear white majority. One can go further and get into politics and history, but the bottom line is it's not diverse. The lack of diversity can be offputting to some people. If they don't feel welcome, they will not get involved. If they do not get involved, the issue of a lack of diversity continues and the cycle starts over.
Thanks, Dreamer.
I really like this song. I wouldn't buy it. I know without thinking about it because it's not substantial enough. I would bump to it in the club and I would pump it when I wanted to get crazy, but I wouldn't buy it because it's a rental car: fun, fast, and ultimately not for me.
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