I support my own as well. But I do think it's interesting that when these discussions take place, many, if not most, Black people say, or feel that "well I tried to have a Black doctor, but I didn't like him/her so I went elsewere" or "I went to a Black grocery store, but they never have what I want, so I go elsewhere."
We often add that disclaimer, that "if the service is bad, then I won't support them". I find that interesting because you'll NEVER hear a Jewish person say "Well, I support my own, but if the service is bad, then I'll look elsewhere." They don't have one bad experience w/ their own people and then decide to buy Asian, cuz the service is better (or, God forbid cheaper)--they move on to the next Jewish salesperson, or doctor, or whatever. But no matter WHAT, they will do their best to find the best among their own. Even if it cost more.
In fact, most other groups do that as well--the Black community is the only community that funds the development of other communities over its own. Claud Anderson's book "Powernomics" does a fantastic job of explaining this. So while many of us argue about why it's alright to not support our own, other communities are flourishing largely because they recognize that philosophy as harmful, and ridiculous. A classic example: A dollar will rotate for 6 days within the White community. It will rotate for 4 hours in the Black community (for those who want the specifics, this info is taken from lectures given by Claud Anderson, and I believe can be found in the aforementioned book).
Granted we have less to choose from as consumers in a Black neighborhood, but even that is largely due to Black folks integrating into other communities--something else that no other oppressed group really does. In fact, most of the behaviors that the Black community engages in when it comes to consumption, are not only harmful to us, but they are beneficial to outsiders. But that's another topic...
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