Excerpt from Chapter 7: Blackness, Fear and Booty
“Ray has a big heart for everybody. He wanted to help many people, so he came from a respectful approach. You are the same way, Jet B.” Odie starts preaching, using my nickname. Super ironic and worth noting, Paul McCartney wrote a song with his wife, inspired by their black lab named… wait for it… Jet. Odie continues, “The alpha male approach is seen in many animal relationships and works super well with us dawgs. It’s not like he said, ‘I have a black dog, I have compassion for black people and, therefore, it is very acceptable to like black people.’ Ray didn’t see color, but with me he endearingly called me ‘my black dog.’ Shit, dude, I’m BLACK!
“You know, B, you’re the same inside. The black man’s struggle in life is sad for humans. You guys and some of the other white boys in your crew always felt connected to black culture. The music, the people, Africa, street life. I’m sure you felt sorry about race issues on Earth… Jews, too. Your other best buddy was Jewish, and I knew you understood those traditional, religious differences, cuz that’s what made you you.”
I interrupt. “But hold up, Odie. Just because we white kids had black friends, kissed black girls, listen to black music, does NOT give us the platform to know what it’s like to be black. We’re talking about this so I can understand a topic of unimaginable strength and determination. It just doesn’t go away. If the Earth rotates on an axis and has evolved over millions of years, it got stuck on racism. Shine otherworldly light on this hatred.”
“B, as you can see here in this place, not even race is a factor. This is your place. Shit, Sandy, our waitress, was from a non-race integrating family and wouldn’t have accepted her interracial desires, so she gets to live her internal fantasy with me. Not to take it out on me, but to be accepting of everything, including me — black and a dog. She sees me as a black man, just a bit hairy. Huff huff.”
Odie goes on: “But, yes, something’s gotta change. Some things gotta change. I know I’ve shown Ray so much love, and nobody can take that away from us. We all need to be trained, to be corrected, be forced to see what’s good and bad. Ray taught me everything, he helped me. He saved me from dying so many times, it’s stupid. Speeding cars and dogs don’t mix, ya dig? He gave me more love than his family ever gave him, and that’s the truth! You know. Any beating was deserved discipline. Black or not black. All beings matter. We haven’t mentioned the Mexicans either. SoCal, your home, has a major equality problem there too but it’s manageable and working.
“B, you were always nice to me, but you didn’t see all the shit I did growing up as a puppy, and I did some stupid shit! I took many shits in the wrong places, I was confused. I’m sure you did the same as a human twerp. Who didn’t? As I matured I had developed selective hearing and didn’t come when I was called, so I think that drove the guy nuts sometimes.” Odie kinda winks at me.
“Hmmmm…” I wanted to dive deeper, but the band now includes Bob and Jimi again. Wow! They start playing Lenny Kravitz’s “Let Love Rule” and… wait, is that JB? James Brown? Are you kidding? Look at his crazy fro… this is so good! The best! I absorb like a sponge. JB’s feet move so fast and his teeth glow white. I’m not running away from the conversation, I just wanna ease into all of this, knowing I’ll be here for awhile, well, actually, forever.
