"No, I'm not saying that," Michael said calmly, "but if it wasn't for him, there probably would be a lot more car crashes going on right about now."

"And what do you mean by that?"

"Well, my man Garret was the inventor of America's first patented street signal. His invention was used through out America until the red, yellow, and green traffic lights used today superceded his invention. Know what else he invented?"

Chris shook his head "What?" Carter asked eagerly.

"The gas mask. In the early 1900's, he made big news when he rescued several men who were trapped in an underground tunnel from an explosion because he used his gas mask. His gas mask received a lot attention after that, from the fire department and even the military; matter of fact, the military refined his masks for use in World War I to defend against poisonous gases, like mustard gas."

Chris could not believe what he was hearing, but he tried to remain calm. He didn't want to look defeated, but he began to feel it.

"Alright, man. There may have been a few intelligent black people over"

"A few?" Michael interrupted, "man, there were many more than a few. You just said blacks never invented anything significant. I only mentioned four individuals who helped save thousands of lives in World War I and II; dramatically improved traffic safety; made major contributions to high speed computer networking; and gave individuals the ability to make phone calls when and where ever they choose. Don't get me started on Benjamin Banneker, Lewis Latimer, Daniel H Williams, or George Washington Carver. One can only imagine how many other great black men and women there would've been if it weren't for racism and stupid Jim Crow laws. I can go on, though." "I bet you can," Chris said dryly.

"And how can you say blacks haven't made any contributions to society? Blacks have fought and died for this country in every American war, all the while enduring the hatred and discrimination from their white counterparts. It was like racists were saying 'yea, we need you to fight this war for us and die for your country, but we're still going to treat you like crap in the process.' The bravery of those American soldiers to fight for a country that hated them boggles my mind. Blacks were called upon to fight for freedoms they were not allowed to enjoy, and yet, they still fought. To fight and die for your country under those conditions is the ultimate contribution, don't you think?"

Chris did not answer and neither did his friends. Michael saw Chris's eyes look downward as if he wa genetic inferiority while liberals were saying the results were the results of 300 years of slavery and another 130 years of segregation and institutionalized racism."

"We're just smarter that's all," Chris said with a smirk.

"An interesting point was made in the article, one I was not aware of. It stated that the Korean minority in Japan scored lower than the Japanese majority. Japanese perceived them as stupid and violent. Same thing happened with the Polish Jews in America in the late 1800's. They were also perceived as stupid and violent. As a result of wide-spread discrimination and the lack of equal opportunity for these two groups of people, their IQ scores were lower."

Chris shook his head vigorously, annoyed by Michael's intellectual rebuttals. "Where the hell do you get this crap? Discrimination had nothing to do with it! Whites are just smarter!"

"Is that so?" Michael replied. "That same report also stated east Asians generally score higher on IQ scores than whites, sir. Does that mean whites are genetically inferior to Asians?"

Again, Chris did not answer. Carter smiled but looked away so his seething friend wouldn't notice him. He could tell Chris was highly irritated by Michael's responses. Carter secretly admired the way Michael was able to rebut everything Chris dished out to him.

"There is plausible evidence to suggest economic conditions and learning environments greatly affect standardized test scores, not genetics. But, you know what? High IQ scores does not guarantee success just as low IQ scores does not guarantee failure. I believe highlighting the IQ gaps between whites and blacks reinforces the negative stereotypes blacks deal with on a daily basis. Blacks who struggle to make better lives for themselves just like everybody else in this country are constantly reminded of inferiority beliefs. You reminded me of it today."

Darren spoke up. "Well, at least you guys are more athletic. Whites can never compete with you guys."

Michael shook his head to their surprise. "I don't think blacks are more athletic. I believe that's a myth blown up by the clearbluemedia."

"You don't think blacks are more athletic?" Carter said, aghast.

"Nope. Tell me something though: how do you define 'more athletic', anyway?"

Carter shrugged his shoulders. Michael looked over at Darren and Chris, but neither knew exactly how to answer.

"Is it how high you jump?" Michael asked. "How fast you run? How well you drive a sports car? How far you kick a ball? How can you measure athleticism when there are so many sports that encompasses different ways to perform?"

"Well," Darren said, "you guys dominate all sports that have anything to do with jumping high or running fast. Blacks dominate sports like football, basketball, and track ∓ field."

"Is that right? If you notice, you mentioned three sports that get a lot of television coverage---reinforcing the myth that blacks are physically advanced. Whites tend to dominate sports you hardly ever see on American television like Greco-American wrestling, swimming, diving, or rugby. What about tennis, hockey, golf, and extreme sports? Yes, you do see the phenomenon of those sisters in tennis and Tiger in golf, but as a whole, you guys still dominate those sports."

"Yea, but who cares about those sports?" said Darren. "When we think of true athleticism, I think people picture a gifted athlete who can do crazy things with his body. I mean, look at Michael Jordan! The man can basically fly!" "Why, because he can jump high?"

"Yea."

"Cuz he can run fast?"

"Well, yea!"

"Cuz he got mad skills, as they say?"

"YES!"

"Then how do you explain the athletic feats of white gymnasts?"

No one responded or commented on Michael's statements. Michael looked over at each of their pensive faces. No one spoke up, so he decided to continue.

"You know, so many so-called scientific studies have been used to distinguish the athletic abilities of blacks and whites. First, Hitler said the Aryan race was supposedly far superior physically than any other race, but Jesse Owens proved that wrong. Then, supposedly blacks didn't have the lung capacity for long distance running; Kenyans destroyed that myth. Then the stupidest myth of them all: blacks don't have the mental capacity to be in a quick thinking position, such as the NFL quarterback. Do you know how many starting black quarterbacks in the league now, Chris?"

"Nope." Chris replied, still acting uninterested.

"Seven, not to mention many talented reserve quarterbacks. Twenty-five years ago that was unheard of. Now, ironically, black quarterbacks are revolutionizing the role with their quickness and scrambling ability----and they can throw, too. Know what else? The incredible thing is nobody's making a big fuss about it. That myth is finally dead. Too bad that can't be said for black coaches."

Slowly Chris came back to life. The last remark seemed to really irritate him. "You know you guys always got something to complain about. If it ain't the quarterbacks, it's coaches. Soon you'll be talking about the lack of black general managers. Get over it! Be happy with what you got!" "Hell, no, I won't be happy!" Michael snapped, "the same crap happening with black coaches happens all around American companies. It's sad to see there's still a good ole' boy network out there. It's messed up when you got dozens of blacks qualified for head coaching positions, but they continually get passed over. There have been only four black coaches in the NFL and each one of them had success. Damn, how much do we have to prove?"

"I know one thing you guys prove time and time again," Chris replied, "you guys prove you can't be productive members of society. What is in your people to act violently in every situation? What's the statistic? Isn't there one in three black men in jail? Pretty messed up statistics!"

"You're right," Michael replied, "those are messed up statistics. But guess what? Two out of three black aren't in jail. I like those statistics better."

"Whatever, man. Black men seem to have a need to create chaos. You guys are always in trouble, whether it's rioting, killing each other, or raping somebody. It's almost like it's in your DNA to be violent! Black males created that stereotypical image all themselves because it's true!"

"Oh really?" Michael replied, acting surprised. "Well, is there anything in the white male's DNA that makes them serial killers? Serial killers in general are usually white males, ala Ted Bundy. And what about pedophiles? I was reading an article regarding an FBI report on child porn trafficking, and it stated the perpetuators are almost always white males --- between the ages of 25 and 45. Do I need to mention school and post office shootings and terrorist attacks on Federal buildings and abortion clinics?"

Chris grunted. He didn't expect Michael to respond so quickly as usual.

Chris also had admiration for him and was actually thinking more about what Michael was saying.

Chris took a deep breath and sighed. "Alright, man, you made your point," he said calmly, his defiance waning, "but you gotta admit, you guys seem to complain about everything. That's one of reasons why a lot of white people are so angry. Every time I turn on the television I hear about some so-called black leader calling for the government to apologize for crap that happened a hundred years ago. Or I hear about some black dude claiming racism for being fired from his job. You guys give the impression racism is the cause for all your problems."

Michael nodded his head, as did Carter and Darren. "I agree," Chris said without hesitation. "Believe it or not, sometimes I wonder if some of my black folks cry racism too much. I mean, when a black NBA player cries racism for getting suspended after choking his coach, that's bull! Anyone who cries racism when they know damn well they messed up is making excuses for not taking responsibility for his actions. I hate hearing sorry excuses from black folks as much as racist remarks from white folk."

Chris was wide-eyed with surprise. "I'm a little surprised you're admitting to that," he said. "Know what I really hate? When some black people blame all their problems on the white man."

Michael nodded. "I don't like lame excuses like that, either," he replied, "but at the same time I understand why a lot of brothers have such a negative outlook on life, especially inner city blacks. When you grow up in an environment filled with crime, drugs, and murder, I can see how a person can feel hopelessness. If you're poor and struggling to stay alive on a daily basis, you gotta do what you gotta do. Unfortunately, a lot of brothas can't see light at the end of the tunnel when there's nothing but despair. Some inner city kids see more death than a lot of people see in a lifetime. Can you even imagine being a kid knowing you may not live to see 21?"

"Pretty messed up, man," said Carter.

"Yeah. You see, there's a lot of crap you guys don't deal with purely because of your skin color. A lot of stuff you'd expect to be automatic and simple, like getting a taxi or driving on the highway in your car. That stuff doesn't always comes so easily to blacks and other minorities, man. One time in D.C, I came out of a nightclub at about two in the morning and there were taxis every where. It still took me two hours to get a taxi! I walked up to this one taxi and he actually locked the doors and drove off! I was shocked!"

"So, that happened to you too, huh? I always hear that stuff but never believed it," Chris said, surprisingly calm.

"It happens, man, whether you believe it or not. The stuff black people been 'complaining' about, like police brutality and racial profiling, have finally come to light. A lot of people are now seeing what we we've been talking about all along. If you've forgotten, there was a black man shot 41 times, unarmed. The stereotype of us as criminals still exist, no matter how educated or wealthy we may be. I got a job, go to school and never broke the law, yet I'm still labeled as innately lazy, stupid, and criminal. It gets frustrating, man."

The three young man sat still and quiet, deep in their thoughts. Michael looked down at his watch and was surprised to see that two hours had passed while he spoke with the three gentlemen.

"Oh, damn," he said, standing up, "I gotta go. Beach is calling."

None of them said a word. Chris still seemed to be consumed in his thoughts while his two friends also gathered their things. Michael looked down at Chris and noticed the reflective gaze in his face.

"Look, man," he said, "you can hate me and people who look like me a

"Saw it on your semester schedule on your notebook. You just never know who you're talking to, do you?"

The End

All rights reserved. All characters are fictitious in this story and no reference is intended to any person living or otherwise.