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Originally posted by DoggyStyle82:
MidwestDiva, Poplife is indeed eloquent and 95% right, but what she continues to miss when she states her case is that key 5% element that is always overlooked. Blacks are Americans, we are not immigrants. Immigrants make their money off of their own people because they have a shared culture and language where they feel comfortable doing business with. They also come from countries where the basic economic system is socialism or cooperative economics, not capitalism. We on the other hand are raised as capitalists. Best bang for the buck, quality, service etc. White America will buy from anyone for the same reasons. Jews "used to only patronize other Jews, for the younger ones, that is not so much the case now that they have fully integrated into society, as have Italians and Irish. This pipe dream of us being like an immigrant community will not happen, because we are Americans, not African immigrants of a single tribe, culture, and language without an ability to function outside of our own zenotype. Reality is much different than the lecture hall or the book store. We need to become competitive so that all American consumers will buy from us, not just us. White kids buy Fubu, Hip Hop,etc, they buy tickets to see Black athletes and artists perform because we are the best in those endeavors. When we start producing quality products and giving 5 star service, then we will compete.
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I agree with your thoughts about giving 5 star service. We do need to be twice as good as the next man, just to stay afloat. If I encounter an Black owned business with less than perfect service, I will make a nuisance of myself until they get it together. Not wait for the business to go under, so I can shake my head and say "umph, umph, upmh, ain't that a shame?"
I disagree with the rest of your post. I don't know how things are where you live, but only the Black neighborhoods have Italian owned liquor stores, and Aasian owned nail salons, beauty supply stores and chinese food restaurants on every corner. Liquor stores and weave shops may seem menial to you, but I read recently that one liquor store in a particularly impoverished neighborhood in my city grossed $800,000 last year. And that's just the money that was legally made in that store. The owner lives in a 6,000 sq ft. home on the lake. Now multiply $800,000 times the many other liquor stores in Black neighborhoods in my city and see what you come up with. There is no way in hell, White people, or any other people for that matter, would allow us to put businesses on every street corner in their communities. The only non-White owned business they allow in their neighborhoods are the nail salons and Chinese food restaurants.
When I go to my Black dentist, I don't see many white folks sitting in the waiting room with me. And they aren't exactly beating the doors down to patronize our Black real estate agents, financial planners, doctors, lawyers, tailors, plumbers, roofers, carpenters, dry cleaners or building contractors.
I too have noticed that younger Asian Americans become assimilated and are not so quick to support only their own. But they are in a position to choose not to, we aren't.
[This message has been edited by MIDWESTDIVA (edited June 29, 2001).]