Funny, the first thing I noticed upon moving to Detroit more than 20 years ago was that as soon as a black street crosser noticed I was white, he or she would deliberately slow down - exactly the opposite of the polite "trot" that may be a reflexively polite acknowledgment of a driver.
User Detail :
Name : Nate, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 41, City : Detroit, State : MI Country : United States, Occupation : Unemployed Entrepeneur, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, There is a simple reason for this: White people older than 25 try to have respect for other people in general. That is the way we were raised. I can't speak for other races, but I know that white kids under 25 are worried about image. Being considerate of others is not one of them. It is a shame that thinking of other people gets made fun of. As for the actual trotting, people who don't want to 'run' most likely 'trot' in an effort to speed up their travel time.
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Name : Andy, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 30, City : Columbus, State : OH Country : United Kingdom, I think you'd enjoy a book called 'The meaning of Liff', it's full of silly words (usually English place names) given definitions of things that currently have no name. One such is 'Sturry,' defined as 'A token run; a pedestrian crossing a road who sees a car coming gives a cheery wave and breaks into a sturry. Net effect on speed across the road: nil.' Actually I think it's a courtesy gesture; they are letting you see that they are aware that they have held you up. Think of it as an apology for getting in your way.
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Name : Adrian Petyt, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 36, City : Hong Kong, State : NA Country : China, Occupation : Drama/Writing teacher, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, I probably do that ... it gives the illusion that I'm hurrying up, which I am - sometimes. I think we believe the 'trot' is more like a jog, and jogging is generally more speedy than walking. I always feel sort of guilty when I walk in front of a car that's trying to turn or something, so I hurry up slightly.
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Name : C24902, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Lesbian, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 18, City : St. John's, State : NA Country : Canada, Occupation : Student, Social class : Middle class, I hadn't noticed anything racially specific about 'trotting' across the crosswalk. I am very guilty of this. Perhaps I would win the race by a nose.
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Name : R-Ray30347, Gender : M, Race : Black/African American, City : Dallas, State : TX Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Yes, it is courteous to acknowledge that I might be delaying someone while crossing the street and to hurry across, even if that looks dorky to others. If I were to stroll slowly across the street, that might indicate that I did not care if they even existed. And, if perhaps I crossed without even looking at the person I was holding up, that person might assume I had no regard for my own safety.
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Name : W24354, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : >40, City : Central, State : NC Country : United States, I trot, and I'm neither white nor over 25. I do it to show the driver that I'm not taking his courtesy for granted. Amusingly, my boyfriend is white and 27, and he crosses at a snail's pace under the same circumstances, because he hates cars and considers it his little act of rebellion. I find myself dragging him sometimes.
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Name : Nik, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Atheist, Age : 24, City : San Francisco, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, Ever been to New York City, C.? In all the states of the Union, the pedestrian has the right of way. Just chill and let the Samoan grandmother, with mutt-American grandkids, get across the street.
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Name : Mike, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 47, City : Hope Mills, State : NC Country : United States, It's out of courtesy. Being a white male, I do it all the time. What's funny is that, in my experience, African Americans do the exact opposite. They walk even slower - especially if they notice the driver is white. It's almost as if they feel it's their opportunity to get back at the white man for 'keeping em down.' "You sit there while I take my sweet a-- time walking across the road!"
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Name : Robert29734, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 36, City : Newnan, State : GA Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, My question is, how come black people don't?
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Name : Murph, Gender : M, City : Dallas, State : TX Country : United States, very interesting comments. a lot saying they trot as a courtesy...getting out of the way. not in downtown dc. my experience has been that they take their time and dare you to hit them. especially the tourist. my co-workers talk about it all the time. thay are very brave sometimes. all it takes is the right fool and the bumpers will not work.
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Name : tyrone, Gender : M, Age : 39, City : washington, dc, State : DC Country : United States, Social class : Middle class, As some have said above, it's out of courtesy, just like I try to stop for pedestrians. Once again courtesy. And when that pedestrian strolls slowly across the street without as much as a wave of thanks, that's rude. My question is, why do I get more courtesy trots from whites than blacks?
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Name : Naomi, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 25, City : Greensboro, State : NC Country : United States, Occupation : stay at home mom, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, This is so funny!!! I have noticed this, but I've always taken it as a sign of courtesy...thanks!!! I myself do this and I am a black female. Now to answer the question, 'Why do blacks do the opposite?' Heck, I dont know. Maybe they're tired, dont feel like running, or dont care. The next time it happens to you, roll the window down and ask them...LOL. Seriously, I love this site!!! It has really opened my eyes to a lot of issues.
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Name : Nessa, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, City : Bel Air, State : MD Country : United States, Occupation : Scientist, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, I'm a funny one, but I often break into a trot to not inconvenience the drivers. Then, when I realize I must look incredibly stupid, I stop.
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Name : Miranda30514, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Asian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 14, City : San Antonio, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, it's because the modern driver is so rude and must've slept during the part of the driver's manual that says, 'PEDESTRIANS HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY.' I was trying to cross the street one day and I glanced at the driver closest to me and she was telling me to get my fat ass out of the way. Excuse me B***h?
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Name : Dwanny, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Pagan, Age : 53, City : Springtown, State : TX Country : United States, 
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