On one winters evening I was sitting near my fireplace with my glass of Glenfiddich and I thought to myself: How privileged am I to really be a white man, and a white man in the poker world? Inspired by John Howard Griffin's controversial bestseller, Black Like Me, I too decided to diverge into a first hand glance on what it was like to be a black man... On the internet.

WARNING: SOME IMAGES MAY BE OFFENSIVE



I started my endeavour at the beginning of December and went under skin pigmentation therapy to give my skin a genuine black colour, I also did some linguistics training to speak ebonics in which I am now fluent. The whole goal: To see what it's really like to live as a black man in the online poker world.

I chose the most reputable, user friendly poker site with the best software and customer support to conduct my studies: 888 Poker. I gave myself a fitting screen name: loc_crip , fully outfitted with an appropriately fitting avatar:

I chose not to deposit on the site, instead I took advantage of their free $8 bankroll offer too see what it was really like not only playing as a black man, but as a black man becoming something from nothing (to replicate coming from an inner-city ghetto, also such as not using a HUD, and only using their web-client not their download version). At first I was optimistic and thought that racism truly has been abolished, but things began to take a turn for the worse.

I was always my nicest and most respectful to other players as to really see how much I would be attacked unwarranted. Again, at first things went well:



To some, I'm sure I was decently well-respected; but the overtone of racism always lingered. I wasn't just a regular player, I was different, an outcast, someone not the same as the rest and to be treated differently. For the first time in my life, I felt alone in the game I loved. I felt the heartache of the many like me berated for their skin colour, or their name, or their avatar, and I felt the yearning of the masses calling to me to be their saviour. I became mad. I began to stand my ground instead of sitting on the sidelines when I was confronted.
Warning: Racist Content
But getting mad only made it worse. I began to not only feel alone, but trapped, unable to express myself in a dark deathly world of hate.


Sometimes the hate got so bad I had to take a break for some days, regain my optimism, only to come back to the same thing, over and over. I began to lose hope, losing faith in humanity as it took every last shred of optimism out of my soul. It began to be too much pain and pressure, I felt like a failure over nothing, the only difference between me and them was the colour of my avatars skin.

It became so bad that at one point I believe the site operators were full-fledged racists; taking days to respond to basic questions (I asked for my full HH because I wasn't using a HUD and they still haven't given it to me after weeks) They even did some wacky things to make my game glitch on me just to tilt me harder in hopes that I would leave quicker. This is how my tournaments would open sometimes (while the game was running - obviously showing me flags signifying white dominance and colonialism):


At one point they even went so far as to make my hole cards not show up on my name, but on another players' (the other player was white, obviously):


My last day was today, finishing a month later:


While I may have beaten some of their games, did I beat racism? I don't think anyone can beat racism: I feel as though there is something intrinsic to humans of liking similarities and disliking differences. Will we ever be able to overcome this basic human flaw? The amount of hardship and turmoil I experienced over the past month I will never forget, as I truly learned what it was like to be a minority in the majorities' world.

If you are in the majority, be thankful - and if you ever doubt how privileged we white folk really are, just come read this thread. Or read Griffin's Black Like Me.

Too much effort, 4/10, wouldn't read again

Eat a dick op

Cliffs? Is this LPO related?

i peed

lol i didnt know u still came on here

6/10, only laughed at this


also, 1200th post, im now an old hand, eat my ****

my mouse middle button isnt working anymore wtf ****

I concur with this fluffy fellow

4 stars would read again

This is actually an interesting idea. Completely the wrong place to post it though. Your language seems melodramatic/disingenuous? Maybe it's supposed to be and I'm getting leveled. Are you trying to make a parody of an issue or raise an issue?

Really?

lold at the chat. would read again

I love ******s

I'm crying.

Dis 'bout racism, not homophobia, broh!

+1

ill change my avatar back just for u polar beard

take a dick up your butt op

1/10

if it was a parody then why would i be having an interview with Oprah about it huh?

pics

Ho, and props for having the balls to bring that topic to the great cesspit that we form as BBV'ers.

Cesspit4life #yolo

lol found this highly entertaining, why would you choose that avatar if not to make people tilt to you hahaha

I needed to assimilate in my environment as much as possible just like John Howard Griffin.