[christopher J Le Cou]

Why are most black people afraid of the woods? My family has always been the camping type. And I myself have always liked the woods, hiking and camping. Every time I invite friends it seems like my black friends are afraid of the woods. They always say “You won’t catch me in the woods.” The only black friend who goes camping has white parents.

I also have another strange observation. Two of my friends that are black own homes. Both have cut down all the trees in their yard. When they visit my home they say, “When are you going to cut those trees down.” So why does it seem my white friends love trees and my black friends do not?

User Detail :  

Name : christopher J Le Cou, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Disability : A.D.D. and biniontremmor, Race : white and latino, Religion : open mind, Age : 25, City : Spokane, State : WA, Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower class, 

[jim30718]

two reasons why blacks might not like trees. 1. lynching 2. more blacks in the north come from an urban background and trees are not common to them.

User Detail :  

Name : jim30718, City : huntington beach, State : CA, Country : United States, 

[Rhonda30030]

In some parts of the country, the KKK is still a very real force. Unfortunately, even today, it is simply not safe for blacks to be alone in the woods where they might become victims of hate crimes. I’m not sure about the cutting down trees in the yard. African-Americans generally aren’t as consumed with working in their yards as whites. Cutting down all the trees might be just a practical approach to avoid having to rake leaves.

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Name : Rhonda30030, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 37, City : Lansing, State : MI, Country : United States, Social class : Middle class, 

[Amanda31502]

Black people are not “afraid” of the woods. Many blacks I know, including myself, just don’t care much for camping and such because we are from the city. For me, growing up in the city has made me used to things like plumbing and beds, so those outdoorsy activities don’t appeal to me. However, I do have friends from more rural/suburban areas, and they don’t have any particular aversion to it.

Also, there are two historical things to think about that are somewhat related but don’t by any means completely explain it. First, in general, prior to the ’60s, blacks going into the woods didn’t stand a good chance of coming back out. Second, prior to the ’50s blacks usually didn’t have the ecomonic means to put up the large costs of camping equipment. This meant many parents weren’t taking their kids camping, so today’s parents don’t either.

User Detail :  

Name : Amanda31502, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 19, City : Boston, State : MA, Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Pete S.]

Gee, Christopher, let’s see why some blacks (I can’t generalize to all or most) might not be overly appreciative of trees. In their experiences in the 20th century, they were lynched from trees and the KKK like to burn things made from trees. Does that help you any?

User Detail :  

Name : Pete S., Gender : M, Age : 51, City : Orlando, State : FL, Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, 

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