There's a room full of men, barbers and clients, all ages, shapes and sizes talking about any and everything you can imagine, when it comes to news, sports, women, politics etc. The conversation is always loud and lively. I always say the barbershop and the beauty parlor are the great equalizers since everyone no matter their professional status or education has to get their hair groomed or cut. The room is a mix of people put together in the same space for a short amount of time. I remember once going to the beauty salon when I wore braids to get my hair washed and in the seat next to mine with her head in the washbowl getting her hair washed was actress Angela Bassett! Like I said, the beauty parlor and barbershop are the great equalizers since we all have to get our hair done sometime.
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| Photo Credit: Debbie Mitchell |
When I was in my 20's I used to wear my hair in a short natural, similar to now, and I would go to my dad's friend's neighborhood barbershop to get my haircut and that's when I first started to listen to what men talked about when they all sat around together. These men would talk loudly and laugh at each others jokes and argue back and forth to make a point about a topic, any topic. Most of the time I had no idea what they were talking about but they were passionate and excited about it. It was so much fun to listen to my dad be relaxed in his element. Dad had the best laugh and when he was making a point he got very serious as he smoked his cigarette and squinted his eyes listening to the other men make their points. So I was ready to hear some interesting conversation today, the day after basketball player Jason Collins announced to the world that he was gay, making history as the first active gay athlete in U.S history.
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| Photo Credit: Nick Mckie (www.kopngo.com) |
But when I got to the barbershop this week things were pretty quiet. The guys were talking but not about the BIG news. I sat for a few minutes and couldn't take it anymore when I asked my barber, Nick, what he thought about Jason Collins coming out as gay. The first thing Nick said was "that's not news. Now planes crashing into the World Trade Center that's news but Jason Collins coming out as gay that's no big deal." With one raised eyebrow I was kind of surprised with his answer until I heard what Nick had to say next. Nick who is in his 40's laughed and went on to say, "I knew he was gay you could tell by the way he played. If you look at his stats he wasn't really playing that well." Really? Well I immediately corrected Nick and told him that "you can't tell if someone is gay by the stats of his game." Nick shot back by saying "of course you can tell -he was playing horribly." I said "anyone can play horribly but that doesn't mean they're gay and one thing has nothing to do with each other." In the corner of the room a much older black man, in his late 70's using a walker was listening to our conversation when he chimed in and said "Jason Collins had "gay game." Now both my eyebrows were raised.
I don't know if it was the term "gay game" or the combination of such an older man looking very serious sitting in the corner and uttering the words "gay game" that made me laugh out loud. I couldn't stop laughing but eventually did when the older man went on to say " Collins wasn't playing his best. could you imagine carrying such a secret and having the weight of the world on your shoulder and you're trying to play a game. Of course he didn't play well he had "gay game."
But I guess I was most surprised by what the older gentleman said next. He went on to say that he was proud of Jason Collins and that it took a really strong man to do what he's done and that he was happy for him. To hear those words from someone from my mom's generation made me smile. I guess Jason Collins is going to be okay after all.
The only thing left for me to say to them was "I bet you Jason's game gets better now that all the weight is off his shoulders. I think he's going to do alright." Nick and the older man agreed and said only time will tell. I guess in the end it's all about winning points and playing your best. So Jason Collins me and the men at the barbershop are happy for you but we're still waiting to see what you bring to the game now that you've decided to come out and be true to yourself.
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| Photo Credit: Debbie Mitchell |
TV/Social Media Producer Debbie Mitchell is an Emmy nominated producer who is a member of the Producers Guild of America (PGA) and is currently a member of the James Beard Broadcast and New Media Awards Committee. If you are a brand interested in blogger outreach campaigns, a blogger or personality interested in television placement follow Debbie Mitchell @SocialTVDeb or contact TheBloggerConnection.com.
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