PROLOGUE:
I am excited about the awakening in the Black community collectively. I too am experiencing an awakening. However, I do long for the day when the Black community's actions are not viewed immediately as "coonery" or "stupid" until further analysis is done. I mean, I long for the day when it's assumed wise until proven otherwise.
Thanks to people like Boyce Watkins, Andre Hatchett, and legends like Claud Anderson, the buzz for creating Black businesses is being felt and people are moving and shaking things. Businesses are getting created in an amazing array of industries, apps are getting created, the list goes on and on. But the question that seems to puzzle everyone is this: Why aren't Black consumers going to black businesses?
Many of the answers have something about "coonery" on the public's part or "stupidity" on their part, but I would like to analyse it a bit more and from a new angle.
When an entity's will goes against another entity's will, it makes for a clash. One may try to impose their will on the other one if they are small minded. This battle of the wills is the stuff that war is made out of.
Group A wants land X. Group B opposes. They go to war about it.
Group A wants product X. Group B opposes. They go to war about it.
Group A wants X. Group B opposes. They go to war about it.
You get the picture.
If not, another good example is sports. There are two teams. They both have the will to get a rare resource: the winner status. They go out screaming or some kind of battle cry and it's on. They go to war about it.
Sports is the entertainment for warlike people.
Businesses are not too different. They introduce item X. But they don't let you have it unless you yield (money). The battle cry is the marketing and advertisements. In the end, they both hope to be the victor and compete for that position.
What's Love Got to Do With It?
Now would someone one who loves another battle it out? Or would they have the same will -- to make sure item X is available to their loved ones who need it without struggle? Can you see why a Black person who loves another Black person would maybe not want to engaged in such battles, bargaining, outsmarting, etc.?
Hopefully, we can begin to see the wisdom and love in the Black collective's action. It could be they don't want to engaged in this war against their own. Whereas with other companies, other groups, they know they are in a battle and there's no love there. So they do what they can to outsmart the business or they resign themselves to possibly being the defeated one, the outsmarted one.
Once I heard that a Black woman started a detergent line. But she and her friends were offended that Black consumers felt comfortable enough to ask her what ingredient went in the making of the detergent. They asked, "would they ask Tide about their ingredient?!" No. They wouldn't. But they may wonder. However, if they know they'll be lied to, outwitted, or they have no choice in the matter anyway, so they buy without question. But it doesn't necessarily mean there are no questions!
Best Model for Paradise
To the best of my knowledge, I think the best model is how some native Indians had it. There was an area where everyone brought their excesses and those in need would rumage through and take what they needed. But everyone had to be productive and kind enough to share their excesses.
We are nowhere near recreating this self sustaining model (nor even desiring such a model possibly), and so therefore must go out and hunt. Go out and go to war and bring in resources into the community. But to chastise people for not hunting the hunter makes no sense. Let him hunt. We should all be hunting and bringing home resources until the community is self sustaining.
It's awesome that these warriors are getting created. They are needed. And when possible Black consumer should buy from them if/when they can. But one must use caution to make sure it's truly to our advantage in the short and long run.
I am excited about the awakening in the Black community collectively. I too am experiencing an awakening. However, I do long for the day when the Black community's actions are not viewed immediately as "coonery" or "stupid" until further analysis is done. I mean, I long for the day when it's assumed wise until proven otherwise.
What If Business was War?
Thanks to people like Boyce Watkins, Andre Hatchett, and legends like Claud Anderson, the buzz for creating Black businesses is being felt and people are moving and shaking things. Businesses are getting created in an amazing array of industries, apps are getting created, the list goes on and on. But the question that seems to puzzle everyone is this: Why aren't Black consumers going to black businesses?
Many of the answers have something about "coonery" on the public's part or "stupidity" on their part, but I would like to analyse it a bit more and from a new angle.
When an entity's will goes against another entity's will, it makes for a clash. One may try to impose their will on the other one if they are small minded. This battle of the wills is the stuff that war is made out of.
Group A wants land X. Group B opposes. They go to war about it.
Group A wants product X. Group B opposes. They go to war about it.
Group A wants X. Group B opposes. They go to war about it.
You get the picture.
If not, another good example is sports. There are two teams. They both have the will to get a rare resource: the winner status. They go out screaming or some kind of battle cry and it's on. They go to war about it.
Sports is the entertainment for warlike people.
Businesses are not too different. They introduce item X. But they don't let you have it unless you yield (money). The battle cry is the marketing and advertisements. In the end, they both hope to be the victor and compete for that position.
What's Love Got to Do With It?
Now would someone one who loves another battle it out? Or would they have the same will -- to make sure item X is available to their loved ones who need it without struggle? Can you see why a Black person who loves another Black person would maybe not want to engaged in such battles, bargaining, outsmarting, etc.?
Hopefully, we can begin to see the wisdom and love in the Black collective's action. It could be they don't want to engaged in this war against their own. Whereas with other companies, other groups, they know they are in a battle and there's no love there. So they do what they can to outsmart the business or they resign themselves to possibly being the defeated one, the outsmarted one.
Once I heard that a Black woman started a detergent line. But she and her friends were offended that Black consumers felt comfortable enough to ask her what ingredient went in the making of the detergent. They asked, "would they ask Tide about their ingredient?!" No. They wouldn't. But they may wonder. However, if they know they'll be lied to, outwitted, or they have no choice in the matter anyway, so they buy without question. But it doesn't necessarily mean there are no questions!
Best Model for Paradise
To the best of my knowledge, I think the best model is how some native Indians had it. There was an area where everyone brought their excesses and those in need would rumage through and take what they needed. But everyone had to be productive and kind enough to share their excesses.
We are nowhere near recreating this self sustaining model (nor even desiring such a model possibly), and so therefore must go out and hunt. Go out and go to war and bring in resources into the community. But to chastise people for not hunting the hunter makes no sense. Let him hunt. We should all be hunting and bringing home resources until the community is self sustaining.
It's awesome that these warriors are getting created. They are needed. And when possible Black consumer should buy from them if/when they can. But one must use caution to make sure it's truly to our advantage in the short and long run.
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