Is It Worth It: "Randonauting", I Rando Think Not...
“This trend explores more than just neighborhoods, it excavates a deeply rooted racial bias.”
To summarize this very perplexing and confusing trend, randonauting is intentionally being lost around the neighborhood. This causes the mind and body to be on a high alert of the new setting, and its surroundings. The brain will adjust and make distinctions that will coincide with one’s personal belief in their life story.
There are scientific and mathematical factors behind this trend, a lot of thought has gone into generating the adventure. As these “randonauts” explore other residential spaces based on a random number generator, I can't help to look at who is participating in these adventures. It sheds light on the current social climate, people of color have a stigma due to repetitive national traumas, preventing the thought of “randomly” going into someone’s neighborhood as being fun or safe. If there’s anyone wondering what white privilege looks like, this is it in its simplest form.
Before getting down to business, if you google what randonauting is “it’s the utilization of random number generation techniques as a tool towards exploring and navigating the world around us.” A computer or a bot will do some complicated quantum based calculations and spit out some coordinates for the person looking to explore, those who take part in the random escapades often call themselves “randonauts.” With ample amount of time and gas to do these expeditions, there are reports of crazy coincidences along the journey . There are recorded experiences of paranormal activity and manifestations that happen along the trip.
I took a peep at what a typical randonaut is, and it's not extremely diverse. I do not see a lot of people of color looking to be randonauts. Based on the current social environment, there is reason to believe in a level of fear that all African Americans share after multiple cases of young black men and women were shot down without question, while strolling down their own neighborhoods or in close proximity to their homes. Cases like Trayvon Martin and the most recent case Amhaud Arbery are two of too many examples. They were walking, strolling, jogging, having their own personal adventure, when those of a different background, took it within their own hands to alter their course. Meanwhile these randonauts are traveling with no intention of knowing where they are and able to return home alive to tell the story.
So how is this white privilege? It comes down to the level of fear; there is no danger lurking from the street up ahead with a shotgun because they think the randonaught was a robber. People that randonaught don't look over their shoulders when they stop for a bag of Skittles, to see if someone will approach them with a gun because they do not fit in the neighborhood's aesthetic. The very concept of randonaughting shows the thought process behind their level of freedom compared to people of color. There is no fear in exploring territory and losing their life, they only feel a thrill of the journey which they seek without question.
Cover image via: Reddit
