The "Blacks Buying from Blacks" Movement: Is This Reverse Racism?

[Cowlesy]

I have no problem with it. If I knew a store supported such a policy, I could choose not to support it by taking my dollars elsewhere. If enough people disagree with the policy, it'll never meet its true growth potential.

In commerce it's pretty easy. If you find something disagreeable, you have the right to take your business elsewhere. Typically if there's a market demand, someone will provide a product.

 

[disorderlyvision]

I think it's great. I am 100% for freedom of association. If blacks don't want to do business with whites, it's fine with me. Of course the opposite is true as well.

Option 4: They have every right to do it, it is misguided racism, and they will only hurt themselves.

What they need to do is focus on PRODUCTION within their community if they want to improve it. Consumption doesn't really matter.

My thoughts as well...

 

[misterx]

Sure it's racist, but that doesn't make it wrong. It doesn't hurt my feelings any. If they want to support their own that's their right. Everyone except whites does the same thing.

 

[slacker921]

Option 4: They have every right to do it, it is misguided racism, and they will only hurt themselves.

What they need to do is focus on PRODUCTION within their community if they want to improve it. Consumption doesn't really matter.

qft right there..

I have greek friends, jewish friends, european friends, etc... who all support "their own" in some way. The ones who support each other as producers (i.e. they help each other get established in business, give guidance, mentor, bail each other out in tough times, etc) and sell to the "outside" do FAR better than those who try to sell to one another.

 

[Bruno]

Its not reverse racism, its just racism. But it doesn't bother me. You just can't have it both ways, though.

 

[zadrock]

Most minority groups have historically "supported their own" in some way in this country.

There were thriving black communities in this country in the early and mid-20th century. Think of Harlem or the South Side of Chicago. Black-owned businesses were everywhere. Education was valued. Blacks were shut out of white communities and white businesses and they made their own. You had black teachers, professors, lawyers, doctors, bankers, policemen, etc. etc. You had a real community.

What happened?

FORCED integration happened. As we are all aware, government intervention causes problems and this case was no different. Govt intervention destroyed black communities, destroyed black businesses.

For decades, blacks have tried to figure out where it all went wrong. I have had the opportunity to work on two oral histories of blacks as a transcriber. I have listened to numerous interviews of blacks who lived in these thriving communities and can't figure out why the black community has imploded in recent decades. They blame drugs, they blame lack of education, they blame poor family structure. But they DON'T blame government. And they should because govt is the primary cause.

If this all seems tangential, I assure you it isn't. It is this mindset that brings about this "buy black" mentality. The proponents clearly have knowledge of the successes of the past, but don't understand why it all fell apart. They are trying to rebuild the black communities of the past. What they are missing is the need to break down the govt if they really want to reclaim their history.

Z

 

[brandon]

Most minority groups have historically "supported their own" in some way in this country.

There were thriving black communities in this country in the early and mid-20th century. Think of Harlem or the South Side of Chicago. Black-owned businesses were everywhere. Education was valued. Blacks were shut out of white communities and white businesses and they made their own. You had black teachers, professors, lawyers, doctors, bankers, policemen, etc. etc. You had a real community.

What happened?

FORCED integration happened. As we are all aware, government intervention causes problems and this case was no different. Govt intervention destroyed black communities, destroyed black businesses.

For decades, blacks have tried to figure out where it all went wrong. I have had the opportunity to work on two oral histories of blacks as a transcriber. I have listened to numerous interviews of blacks who lived in these thriving communities and can't figure out why the black community has imploded in recent decades. They blame drugs, they blame lack of education, they blame poor family structure. But they DON'T blame government. And they should because govt is the primary cause.

If this all seems tangential, I assure you it isn't. It is this mindset that brings about this "buy black" mentality. The proponents clearly have knowledge of the successes of the past, but don't understand why it all fell apart. They are trying to rebuild the black communities of the past. What they are missing is the need to break down the govt if they really want to reclaim their history.

Z

Thanks for the post, and no it doesn't seem tangential. It's really interesting actually, and the first I've heard of this idea. I'm going to research it some more tomorrow.

 

[zadrock]

Thanks for the post, and no it doesn't seem tangential. It's really interesting actually, and the first I've heard of this idea. I'm going to research it some more tomorrow.

Let me know what you find...

I'm not sure anyone has taken the time to put it all together coherently.

I guess what I mean is - it's well known within the black community that there were thriving black cities (or section of cities) during the era of segregation. But no one has really satisfactorily explained the decline.

On the other hand, there is a wealth of information from libertarians claiming that govt intervention has all sorts of negative results.

So I just kind of put the two together, though I admit I haven't done any extensive research to justify my claim. But I still think the facts support my above post.

Two authors worth noting are Thomas Sowell and John McWhorter. While they aren't libertarians, they come pretty close to havng a legitimate explanation for the decline of black society. Another interesting book is Forty Million Dollar Slaves by William Rhoden. He talks about the decline of black institutions like the Negro Leagues and especially the dominance of black colleges before "white" colleges integrated.

Here's the book I worked on: http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=4417 One interesting fact from working on that book - blacks who went to MIT before the 1960s had an AMAZING time at MIT. They loved every minute of it. Blacks who went to MIT after that had many complaints, primary among them being whether they belonged there. That's a natural outcome of affirmative action and it was a question I asked myself when I was there. (Blacks are certainly not immune to this type of thinking.)

anyway, I'm just rambling now - I really should just write a book.

Z

 

[silverhawks]

How could this be anything but discrimination -they are specifically avoiding white-owned businesses, even to the point of driving 14 miles away. If I walked into a store and said "Oh, this is owned by black people, I'll go elsewhere to buy from white people", you would be quite right to call me a racist.

This is just the latest phase of hyphen Americanism: self-segregation. Nothing good will come from this. We should be focusing on AMERICAN business, not black or white. We should focus on PEOPLE, not their ethnicity.

When I look out into my street, I don't see Mexican-Americans, Asian-Americans, Armenian-Americans or African-Americans. I see Americans. That's all. I don't have white friends or Asian friends, I have American friends.

Is it so much to ask for people to just see themselves as Americans for once?

 

[torchbearer]

Anyway, I'm sure some of the Whites of the Jim Crow era did worse.

When I saw the title, I was thinking they are doing the same.
As a free market guy, I believe a property owner can choose to not sell to someone based on anything he chooses. It is his property. He will suffer the loses of a smaller market pool.
So will these fools.
It is racist, I don't like it. But their idea is flawed and will die in its own merit.
How can a company survive by cutting off 80% of the consumers?

 

[zadrock]

How could this be anything but discrimination -they are specifically avoiding white-owned businesses, even to the point of driving 14 miles away. If I walked into a store and said "Oh, this is owned by black people, I'll go elsewhere to buy from white people", you would be quite right to call me a racist.

This is just the latest phase of hyphen Americanism: self-segregation. Nothing good will come from this. We should be focusing on AMERICAN business, not black or white. We should focus on PEOPLE, not their ethnicity.

When I look out into my street, I don't see Mexican-Americans, Asian-Americans, Armenian-Americans or African-Americans. I see Americans. That's all. I don't have white friends or Asian friends, I have American friends.

Is it so much to ask for people to just see themselves as Americans for once?

Why is grouping people together as Americans better than grouping people together by race?

Z

 

[torchbearer]

Why is grouping people together as Americans better than grouping people together by race?

Z

Geographical groupings have more to do with who you are than your skin color or origins of distant ancestors.

 

[BenIsForRon]

Everybody saying this is racist is missing the point. This is simply a method they believe will rebuild their community. Instead of buying tools from walmart, buy your tools from a local, black owned store. A better message would be to buy local, but I still think this is a good thing.

Zadrock makes some good points, but I don't think the decline of the communities is totally due to forced integration. Voluntary segregation, also known as "white flight", played a part as well. As people uncomfortable with blacks moved away from urban centers, investment capital and jobs also left. Public infrastructure was neglected and all we've done ever since is hire more police officers to hide the problem from us.

In conclusion, kudos to these black folk.

 

[torchbearer]

Everybody saying this is racist is missing the point. This is simply a method they believe will rebuild their community. Instead of buying tools from walmart, buy your tools from a local, black owned store. A better message would be to buy local, but I still think this is a good thing.

Zadrock makes some good points, but I don't think the decline of the communities is totally due to forced integration. Voluntary segregation, also known as "white flight", played a part as well. As people uncomfortable with blacks moved away from urban centers, investment capital and jobs also left. Public infrastructure was neglected and all we've done ever since is hire more police officers to hide the problem from us.

In conclusion, kudos to these black folk.

it may be beneficial, but is technically racist because it is a policy based on race.
every sociologist will tell you, this variable has no correlation to anything.
culture/geographic location- economics has more to do with who you are.

 

[zadrock]

Everybody saying this is racist is missing the point. This is simply a method they believe will rebuild their community. Instead of buying tools from walmart, buy your tools from a local, black owned store. A better message would be to buy local, but I still think this is a good thing.

Zadrock makes some good points, but I don't think the decline of the communities is totally due to forced integration. Voluntary segregation, also known as "white flight", played a part as well. As people uncomfortable with blacks moved away from urban centers, investment capital and jobs also left. Public infrastructure was neglected and all we've done ever since is hire more police officers to hide the problem from us.

In conclusion, kudos to these black folk.

I'm a big fan of buying local. FWIW, I do not subscribe to the "buy black" philosophy, but if all else is equal, I would probably lean towards supporting a black business over a white one.

Like I said in my second post, more research needs to be done. I may have oversimplified a bit in my first post.

Yes, the "buy black" philosophy can be called "racist," but so what? A free society allows us all to discriminate. Are they wrong to do it? I don't know, maybe. But in a true voluntary world, we can have these disagreements, but still live in peace.

Z

 

[RonPaulwillWin]

Wouldn't this be just racism? Reverse racism means everything is all good in the world. My head hurts.

 

[sailor]

Whatever it is, it is very bad economics. It can only hurt their wallets, it can not gain them anything.

How could this be anything but discrimination -they are specifically avoiding white-owned businesses, even to the point of driving 14 miles away.

There is nothing wrong with discrimination. I`d take out a skinny chick over a fat chick, even if I had to drive 14 miles more.

 

[clb09]

Here is the video that explains the movement:

YouTube - Andersons Living Their Experiment - Next TV

But the "experiment" is not new:

YouTube - Phyllis Hyman re Black-Owned Businesses 7/15/87

 

[Cinderella]

who fucking cares...

 

[revolutionman]

In most of the country if blacks only bought products from other blacks, they'd starve to death on the street, unable to even rent an apartment due to a lack of black landlords.

Eventually the idiocy of this will occur to the participants in such programs and it will be abandoned.

Frankly though i don't think this is such a bad thing though. the concept is good. If black people can start a campaign to get other blacks to only buy from blacks, then it should be an easy feat to start a campaign to get other local people to buy only from local shops, rather than corporate stores.

I respect the corporation and its right to exist and conduct business, but if i'm a dollar short, the corporate employee makes me put an item back, the local clerk says "Don't sweat it, I'll get ya next time!" with a smile and a chuckle. Thats where my primary loyalty lies personally.

but thats off topic.