African American Lives: From Slavery to the Present

[AKA_Monet]

I just got this email and wanna share it with you. I was reading another topic about folx "set trippin'" and "haters" within our organizations, but in the grand scheme of things, isn't that what THEY want us to think that is what we're doing... Tell me what you think.

Subject: They Are Still Our Slaves

Here is an Interesting Observation:

THEY ARE STILL OUR SLAVES!

We can continue to reap profits from the Blacks without the effort of physical slavery. Look at the current methods of containment that they use on themselves: IGNORANCE, GREED, SELFISHNESS.

Their IGNORANCE is the primary weapon of containment. A great man once said, "the best way to hide something from black people is to put it in a book". We live now in the Information Age. They have gained the opportunity to read any book on any subject, through the efforts of their fight for freedom, yet they refuse to read. There are numerous books readily available at Borders, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com, not to mention their own Black bookstores, that provide solid blueprints to reach economic equality (which should have been their
fight all along), but few read consistently, if at all.

GREED is another powerful weapon of containment. Blacks, since the abolition of slavery, have had large amounts of money at their disposal. Last year they spent 10 billion dollars during Christmas, out of their 450 billion dollars in total yearly income. Any of us can use them as our target market, for any business venture we care to dream up, no matter how outlandish. They will buy into it.

Being primarily a consumer people, they function totally by greed. They continually want more, with little thought for saving or investing. They would rather buy some new sneaker than invest in starting a business. Some even neglect their children to have the latest Tommy or FUBU. And they still think that having a Mercedes, and a big house, gives them "status" or that they have achieved the American dream.

They are fools! The vast majority of their people are still in poverty because their greed holds them back from collectively making better communities. With the help of BET, and the rest of their black media,
that often broadcasts destructive images into their own homes, we will continue to see huge profits like those of Tommy and Nike. (Tommy Hilfiger has even jeered them, saying he doesn't want their money. And look at how the fools spend more with him than ever before!) They'll continue to show off to each other while we build solid communities with the profits from our
businesses that we market to them.

SELFISHNESS, ingrained in their minds through slavery, is one of the major ways we can continue to contain them. One of their own, Dubois, said that there was an innate division in their culture. A "Talented Tenth" he called it. He was correct in his deduction that there are segments of their culture that has achieved some "form" of success. However, that segment missed the fullness of his work, they didn't read that the Talented Tenth was then responsible to aid the Non-Talented Ninety Percent in achieving a better life. Instead, that segment has created another class, a buppie class that looks down on their people or aids them in a condescending manner.

They will never achieve what we have. Their selfishness does not allow them to be able work together on any project or endeavor of substance. When they do get together, their selfishness lets their egos get in the way of the goal. Their so-called help organizations seem to only want to promote
their name without making any real change in their community. They are content to sit in conferences and conventions, in our hotels, and talk about what they will do, and award plaques to the best speakers, not the best doers. Is their no end to their selfishness? They steadfastly refuse to see that TOGETHER EACH ACHIEVES MORE!

They do not understand that they are no better than each other because of what they own. In fact, most of those buppies are but one or two paychecks away from poverty. All of which is under the control of our pens in our offices and our boardrooms.

Yes, we will continue to contain them as long as they refuse to read, continue to buy anything they want, and keep thinking they are "helping" their communities by paying dues to organizations which do little other than hold lavish conventions in our hotels. By the way, don't worry about any of them reading this letter, remember, THEY DON'T READ!!

[AKA2D '91]

Many of us DO NOT READ!

It's a shame to say it, but it's true!
and now that we are in an INFORMATION age, with the information SUPERhighway and all, many of our people will be left behind even more!

[The Original Ape]

Originally posted by AKA_Monet:
I just got this email and wanna share it with you. I was reading another topic about folx "set trippin'" and "haters" within our organizations, but in the grand scheme of things, isn't that what THEY want us to think that is what we're doing... Tell me what you think.

Subject: They Are Still Our Slaves

Here is an Interesting Observation:

THEY ARE STILL OUR SLAVES!

We can continue to reap profits from the Blacks without the effort of physical slavery. Look at the current methods of containment that they use on themselves: IGNORANCE, GREED, SELFISHNESS.

Their IGNORANCE is the primary weapon of containment. A great man once said, "the best way to hide something from black people is to put it in a book". We live now in the Information Age. They have gained the opportunity to read any book on any subject, through the efforts of their fight for freedom, yet they refuse to read. There are numerous books readily available at Borders, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com, not to mention their own Black bookstores, that provide solid blueprints to reach economic equality (which should have been their
fight all along), but few read consistently, if at all.

GREED is another powerful weapon of containment. Blacks, since the abolition of slavery, have had large amounts of money at their disposal. Last year they spent 10 billion dollars during Christmas, out of their 450 billion dollars in total yearly income. Any of us can use them as our target market, for any business venture we care to dream up, no matter how outlandish. They will buy into it.

Being primarily a consumer people, they function totally by greed. They continually want more, with little thought for saving or investing. They would rather buy some new sneaker than invest in starting a business. Some even neglect their children to have the latest Tommy or FUBU. And they still think that having a Mercedes, and a big house, gives them "status" or that they have achieved the American dream.

They are fools! The vast majority of their people are still in poverty because their greed holds them back from collectively making better communities. With the help of BET, and the rest of their black media,
that often broadcasts destructive images into their own homes, we will continue to see huge profits like those of Tommy and Nike. (Tommy Hilfiger has even jeered them, saying he doesn't want their money. And look at how the fools spend more with him than ever before!) They'll continue to show off to each other while we build solid communities with the profits from our
businesses that we market to them.

SELFISHNESS, ingrained in their minds through slavery, is one of the major ways we can continue to contain them. One of their own, Dubois, said that there was an innate division in their culture. A "Talented Tenth" he called it. He was correct in his deduction that there are segments of their culture that has achieved some "form" of success. However, that segment missed the fullness of his work, they didn't read that the Talented Tenth was then responsible to aid the Non-Talented Ninety Percent in achieving a better life. Instead, that segment has created another class, a buppie class that looks down on their people or aids them in a condescending manner.

They will never achieve what we have. Their selfishness does not allow them to be able work together on any project or endeavor of substance. When they do get together, their selfishness lets their egos get in the way of the goal. Their so-called help organizations seem to only want to promote
their name without making any real change in their community. They are content to sit in conferences and conventions, in our hotels, and talk about what they will do, and award plaques to the best speakers, not the best doers. Is their no end to their selfishness? They steadfastly refuse to see that TOGETHER EACH ACHIEVES MORE!

They do not understand that they are no better than each other because of what they own. In fact, most of those buppies are but one or two paychecks away from poverty. All of which is under the control of our pens in our offices and our boardrooms.

Yes, we will continue to contain them as long as they refuse to read, continue to buy anything they want, and keep thinking they are "helping" their communities by paying dues to organizations which do little other than hold lavish conventions in our hotels. By the way, don't worry about any of them reading this letter, remember, THEY DON'T READ!!

YOU DID IT AGAIN, MONET!

[PositivelyAKA]

exactly why i say we must sacrifice today for our future generations. we do spend quite a bit unwisely, we just can not afford to spend spend spend, its unfortunate but we still need to focus more on saving and education. what do you think would happen if blacks united and actually started saying "hey sister" "hey brother" as we walked down the street instead of looking down at each other because of their outfit or status, what if we did huge campaigns that instilled the desire to save and invest rather then waste money on temporary items. our children need to know that even if they dont' have the lastest clothes it does not determine their self worth as a person. i think we were more unified and willing to help our brother during those times when we were the most oppressed, but today i guess we have other agendas thanks soror AKA-Monet for posting this, makes you think doesn't it.

[The Original Ape]

Originally posted by PositivelyAKA:
exactly why i say we must sacrifice today for our future generations. we do spend quite a bit unwisely, we just can not afford to spend spend spend, its unfortunate but we still need to focus more on saving and education. what do you think would happen if blacks united and actually started saying "hey sister" "hey brother" as we walked down the street instead of looking down at each other because of their outfit or status, what if we did huge campaigns that instilled the desire to save and invest rather then waste money on temporary items. our children need to know that even if they dont' have the lastest clothes it does not determine their self worth as a person. i think we were more unified and willing to help our brother during those times when we were the most oppressed, but today i guess we have other agendas thanks soror AKA-Monet for posting this, makes you think doesn't it.

The problem with that is that it wont happen until certain entertainers become conscious enough to make the African-American clothiers drop their prices for their goods to reasonable prices, and stop promoting Hilfiger and other products free while doing videos/movies. It's going to take today's role-models to do the right thing-FIRST. They have to promote saving one's money, buying reasonable real estate, refusing to allow Beer and Wine stores to occupy the corners of our neighborhoods, etc.

[AKA_Monet]

It has been stated that we "negroes" are just consumers and white folxs are investors...

But when we invest into our communities we seem to catch more hell for it... What about "Rosewood"??? Do you think the LA riots was just an outraged, random event?? Are the Afrikan in amerikkklan communities our true soil? True to our native land?

[AKA2D '91]

This has been circulating on the 'net. If this is true...
When I searched for Tommy Hilfiger, this is what I came up with. So, I decided to post this here...



Good for Oprah!!!! I'm sure many of you watched the recent taping of The

Oprah Winfrey show where her guest was Tommy Hilfiger. On the show, she

asked him if the statements about race he was accused of saying were true.
Statements like"... if I'd known African-Americans, Hispanics, Jews and

Asians would buy my clothes, I would not have made them so nice. I wish

these people would *NOT* buy my clothes, as they are made for upper class
white people." His answer to Oprah was a simple "YES". Where after she

immediately asked him to leave her show. My suggestion? Don't buy your next
shirt or Perfume from Tommy Hilfiger. Let's give him what he asked for.

Let's not buy his clothes. Let's put him in a financial state where he

himself will not be able to afford the ridiculous prices he puts on his

clothes.

At the end of the email, it asks that folks boycott Tommy Hilfiger

[darling1]

Originally posted by AKA2D '91
This has been circulating on the 'net. If this is true...
When I searched for Tommy Hilfiger, this is what I came up with. So, I decided to post this here...



Good for Oprah!!!! I'm sure many of you watched the recent taping of The

Oprah Winfrey show where her guest was Tommy Hilfiger. On the show, she

asked him if the statements about race he was accused of saying were true.
Statements like"... if I'd known African-Americans, Hispanics, Jews and

Asians would buy my clothes, I would not have made them so nice. I wish

these people would *NOT* buy my clothes, as they are made for upper class
white people." His answer to Oprah was a simple "YES". Where after she

immediately asked him to leave her show. My suggestion? Don't buy your next
shirt or Perfume from Tommy Hilfiger. Let's give him what he asked for.

Let's not buy his clothes. Let's put him in a financial state where he

himself will not be able to afford the ridiculous prices he puts on his

clothes.

At the end of the email, it asks that folks boycott Tommy Hilfiger

this story has been around for a while and is considered an urban legend. it is interesting that it is now resurfacing.

[Sahara]

I heard (a long time ago) that this was something Donna Karan said. I guess that was an urban legend, too.

It doesn't really affect me anyway since I don't spend good money just to have somebody else's name on me.

Some clarification:
http://www.breakthechain.org/exclusives/hilfiger.html

[vanda]

I heard the same story, but Liz Claiborne was the designer in question.

[WenD08]

and Calvin Klein and Gloria Vanderbilt on Phil Donahue years ago. it IS an urban legend, it's been around since the 80s, only the designers have changed. Oprah herself spoke to this "tale" and pointed out that Tommy Hilfiger has never been on her show. i saw that episode myself. i wish folks would let that story die...

[lovelyivy84]

It's an urban legend, didn't happen. Oprah has denied it in the past.

Like Tommy Hilfiger of ALL designers would shoot himself in the foot like that- come on!

Sometimes black folks do it to ourselves- there is still prejudice in the world that we have to fight, but we don't fight it by being ignorant and buying into every rumor too.

[Honeykiss1974]

I wonder if a designer (i.e. Tommy) were to REALLY say these things , would we still continue to buyt their products?

I know this situation in particular is an urban legend, but what if?

What do you guys think would happen?

[Eclipse]

Originally posted by Honeykiss1974
I wonder if a designer (i.e. Tommy) were to REALLY say these things , would we still continue to buyt their products?

I know this situation in particular is an urban legend, but what if?

What do you guys think would happen?

Good question...I would like to think many of us would mobilize, as some folks did with the Pepsi Ludacris (or however he spells it) fiasco. I think we did a pretty good job with Texaco when the racist comments that one of their execs spoke came out. I also remember back in the 80s when apartied was a big issues most of the African Americans I know (I was in college at the time) stopped wearing Reebox. I know folks who STILL won't wear Reebox because of it too! LOL There will always be, however, that group that is only concerned about self. There was a group like that in Mongomery during the bus boycotts (although if my memory of history serves me correct, only a slight hand full ever rode the bus in that 1 year plus) and there would be a group like that today.

[LADY_1908]

Originally posted by Honeykiss1974
I wonder if a designer (i.e. Tommy) were to REALLY say these things , would we still continue to buyt their products?

I think that folks would still buy the clothes.

A little twist on this topic......The Style Channel often features designers and maybe a year or so ago, they did a story on Kate Spade. At one point in the show, she talks about her Midwest background and how her ads reflect that background. She went on to talk about having a certain set of values based on that upbringing.

I know sometimes I get in too deep...BUT, I started to really think about this statement and the fact that the ads (to my knowledge) feature NO people of color and I didn't see anyone who looked like me within her company at all.

Point of this digression?.....Based on the above I decided that I would not spend my money on Kate Spade products.