'Scuse me?

A couple of weeks ago my buddy RB came into town from Austin, TX for a conference on African American graduate studies and/or academia (Ok, I'm not a 100% sure on what exactly the conference was about, other than it had to do with AA in post secondary education). I think I may have mentioned his ‘announced’ visit. At any rate, everything worked out and we had a good time, yadda yadda yadda.

On one particular night, we went out to a club for a little, you know, 'clubbin.' This was after RBs conference and he indicated that he’d be with some of the people that he met. So, my new GF and I met RB at this club called Purple Martini where he was with some of his new colleagues. Meeting these new intellectuals was fairly uneventful except for this one gentleman. Follows is the brief exchange:

Conversation: Meeting RBs newly introduced associate.

Players: RB, MJ, RBA (RBs associate)

RB: Hey, MJ, this is RBA. One of the academia I met at the conference.

MJ: Hey, what’s up, man. (Obligatory hand gripping)

RBA: What’s up, black man.

MJ: *Thinking: Did he just say, what’s up, BLACK MAN?

Before I could come up with a follow up or snappy repertoire, RBA was moving away into the crowd. At the time of the meeting, my GF was away in the lavatory. RB looked at me inquiringly, as I must have had a strange look on my face, and I told him what his associate had said to me.

I was a little taken aback by the greeting and RB explained it this way:

“Yeah, he’s a little out there.”

Yes, a little out there. He further explained by saying RBA may be slightly racist. Ok, maybe, but ain't he an african american as well? Is he trying to remind me that I'm one as well?

Uh huh.

Mayhap he felt that I had forgotten the hue of my skin. Or, perhaps something I did or said set his neo-militant mindset off and the greeting was his preemptive warning? I can't be sure because we never re-encountered eachother again. It was a strange way to greet someone you know nothing about and are meeting for the first time. For instance, what if I had responded thusly:

Alternative Conversation: Meeting RBs newly introduced associate.

Players: RB, MJ, RBA (RBs associate)

RB: Hey, MJ, this is RBA. One of the academia I met at the conference.

MJ: Hey, what’s up, man. (Obligatory hand gripping)

RBA: What’s up, black man.

MJ: Where?! WHERE IS THE BLACK MAN? ARE YOU TALKING TO ME?? ARE YOU BLIND? CAN’T YOU SEE THAT I’M A LOVELY SHADE OF CARAMEL???? IF YOU MUST, REFER TO ME IN HUES AND SHADES, KINDLY REFER TO ME AS CARAMEL MAN!! YA STRAGGLY BEARDED BASTICHE!!! So glad to meet you.