I guess racism is OK as long as you’re a minority discriminating against “Da Man!”
Maggie Anderson drives 14 miles to buy groceries, which might seem
curious given that she lives in bustling Oak Park. She and her husband,
John, patronize gas stations in Rockford and Phoenix, Ill. They travel 18 miles to a health food store in Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood for vitamins, supplements and personal care products.
The reason? They want to solve what they call “the crisis in the black commu- nity.” They want to, as they say, “buy black.”
The Andersons, African-Americans who rose from humble means, are
attempting to spend their money for one year exclusively with
black-owned businesses and are encouraging other African-Americans to
do the same. It is part experiment, part social activism campaign.
They call it the “Ebony Experiment.”
You know, I have no problem with discrimination. I’ve blogged about it before. It’s their money, and they should be free to buy what they want, where they want, and for whatever reason they want. I have no problem with it. Imagine, however, if it was a white pair shunning all minority-owned businesses. Imagine what would happen if they publicly announced they were only giving their business to whites. Would there be a backlash? You BET there would!
This woman tried to discriminate by putting up a sign that said she would only rent a room on her own property to whites. That didn’t go over too well with the police.
No charges were filed Sunday, but police told the woman she must
take down the handwritten sign on a fence on her property saying, “I
rent three bedrooms [at her address to] white people Niagara Falls.”The
53-year-old woman told police she put up the sign after someone tried
to break into her house and added, “I can do what I want. I live in
America,” according to a police report.Police said they
received complaints and she must take the sign down. An officer at the
scene said the woman agreed to take down the sign under protest. The
officer said the woman already had seven more signs she was planning to
hang up.
Police forced this woman to take the sign down merely because of complaints! Nothing more. Someone whined that she dared exercise her rights on HER property, and the police were there toute suite to force her to comply.
Meanwhile, these people publicly and proudly practice the same kind of racial prejudice, including creating an entire campaign to encourage others to do the same, and they’re lauded.
Double standard? Yeah. I think so.
Mar 09, 2009 @ 22:01:00
The Jews, Irish, Catholics, Russians, and virtually every other white-people group that could have ever called themselves a “community” typically do encourage inter-community commerce. There is still very strong racial discrimination in this country, look at sub-prime loans by ethnicity, or graduation rates of blacks in white neighborhoods. The person only wanting to rent a room to a white person is out-right racism by definition, and hence why it’s been illegal at the federal level. I can’t believe your defending a racist person for only wanting to live with someone of the same color, yet criticizing blacks for encouraging stronger economic ties.Look up section 3604(c) of the Federal Fair Housing Act, this woman’s racist ass should have been arrested. For Christ’s sake, if you want to discriminate, do it privately, that sign is tantamount to a burning cross. I’m glad black people are self organizing, clearly white people aren’t going to help them, something Asians learned while building the railroads.
Mar 09, 2009 @ 23:04:19
Fidelity,I’m not sure how to say this…You can’t fix stupid.Personally, I’d rather live in white suburbia than anywhere else, and I’m not even white (slightly colored). Why? LOW Crime rates, lack of cultural paintings (graffiti), etc., etc.Not that I advocate sterile communities either, I don’t. Besides, if you want to see racist? Look at Koreans. Koreans will ONLY shop at Korean marts. No matter what the price. Chinese? They shop were its cheap. Vietnamese? They shop where its cheap. Mexicans? They shop where its cheap.Personally, let her rent to only whites, its her private property. If she only rented to whites and they had a problem paying their rent and her next door neighbor rented to blacks and they paid their rent on time and in full; she’d think twice about renting her space out to blacks.I guess Tina Turner saying she’ll never date a black man again is racist too huh?Second, give it a rest about blacks and graduation rates. I don’t feel like writing a freakin retort to you (statistically) valid but flawed claim.
Mar 10, 2009 @ 00:03:33
Now, let’s turn that around on her. How would she react if white owned businesses refused to do business with her because they preferred white customers in an effort to save the culture? Therein lies the answer. We all know that lawsuit would be immediate and she would be hollering “racism”. No damn different than what she is doing. We’ve been there before, so we don’t have to guess her reaction, do we?
Mar 10, 2009 @ 03:53:31
I know this sounds cliche, but as a capitalist, the only color I give a damn about is “green”. All other colors are relatively equal in my eyes.**an asshole is an asshole, regardless of melanin content.
Mar 10, 2009 @ 06:13:54
I thought she was renting rooms in her own house, in which she lives. That’s not the same thing as having a store in the public square. Though it probably should be, more than it is. Still, no one has an obligation to let any specific person into their homes, to rent or anything else. At least they shouldn’t. So this couple buys only from black businesses for a year…what is this experiment supposed to demonstrate? Do they have a thesis? Is there something they’re looking for or hoping to achieve? Because I thought for a minute, “I would do the reverse experiment” but then I thought, “But WHY? To what possible end?” I can’t even see it generating any interesting commentary, more than enough to fill half a page. “Bought bread today at Ujama. Went home.” What are they going for?
Mar 10, 2009 @ 10:29:25
Wow, Fidelity – someone was right. You can’t fix stupid.No, I’m not defending a racist person, Sir Dumbalot! I deplore racism – FROM ANY AISLE! Yes, she’s racist. She has the right to decide whom she wants in her home. This is a room in HER OWN HOUSE, and is not subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act. Which, I believe, is why they just had her take the sign down.But that was not the point! You missed it completely, in your sputtering indignation.The point is that yes, that woman is racist. But how is her racism any different from the two people who only patronize black businesses! They’re discriminating against whites based on race. She’s discriminating against everyone else based on race. Yet, she puts out a sign, and the police are called. These people develop an entire website around their racist views and they’re lauded. There’s a double standard there, and if you can’t see it, you really need mental help.By the way, I agree with Vic. As a capitalist, the only color I give a shit about is green.
Mar 10, 2009 @ 18:08:34
If it is racist for whites to do X to hurt someone else just because of their color, it is racist for any color to do X. Period.I remember years ago a black co-worker boasting to me that she really liked the “Matrix” sequel because it featured more people of color. I didn’t say anything but I know the look on my face told her what I was feeling, which was a combination of dismay and disappointment. How am I supposed to feel bad for you when now I’ve witnessed you doing the very thing you and I know is wrong? And the commenter who notices that Koreans only shop at Korean stores, etc. It is simply true. Human nature is human nature. The harder some people try to force others to break out of their habits and silently held beliefs, to stop being “cowards” in the words of that idiot AG Holder, the harder people will simply disguise it. Ok, go support your local whoever, but if you keep making it about color instead of value, then you’re still stuck in the past.And I’m sorry, but I get to pick who lives in my house, and whatever criteria I choose to use is entirely up to me. This poor woman made the mistake of being honest and forthright.As we all know now, that’s a no-no in the land of unfettered First Amendment for ACLU but not for you. I’ll just continue to lie to you so you won’t make a scene. Are we having fun yet?
Mar 10, 2009 @ 21:26:00
Let me stupify this:If a [black] CONSUMER decides to do business with only blacks, that legal and well-established practice and defines “communities”. If a [black] OWNER decides to do business with only blacks, that’s illegal and racist. Consult your children if you’re still not understanding. Here’s the law:http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/42/3604.html
Mar 10, 2009 @ 21:34:34
I agree with letting her rent her house to only whites. You just can’t put up a sign saying you’re doing so, that’s justifiably illegal. She could have made up an excuse to any black applicant that came around, but she took the route you would expect from a racist. I gather you’re suggesting that black people are given the same advantage in this world as white people, or that black people have the same opportunities for success as non-blacks. Interesting theory. I’m not going to debate you on it, you can assume my position, and we’ll just assume you’re correct: after all a black guy became president, everything is fixed.
Mar 11, 2009 @ 02:04:20
My, my. D’jever notice how CONDESCENDING these nitwits always are when they’re talking down to you even though they can barely generate enough brainpower to remember to breathe on a regular basis? Look, fucktard, just because something is a law doesn’t make it RIGHT, did you ever think of THAT? I think most people here can distinguish the difference. Also, just because something SHOULD be legal to do doesn’t make it a GOOD thing to do. Make fucking distinctions.THINK for a second. You shouldn’t be able to tell a private business owner what to do – the proper method for dealing with that is persuasion. If a business owner is a racist dick, people can spread that message, open up a non-racist business across the street, make a ton of money and drive the guy out of business. THAT is the way it should be. Just because something is ILLEGAL while something else is LEGAL doesn’t make the illegal thing racist and the legal thing non-racist – BOTH of the cases Nicki points out are examples of racism; and in fact both are legal. So where in the fuck you’re trying to take this I don’t even know, but that shot about her kids? Was retarded, you fucking asshole.
Mar 11, 2009 @ 11:08:17
Dude, seriously. Are you for real? Do you not comprehend plain English? We’re not talking about what’s legal or illegal, moron! We’re talking about what is morally right and the double standard that is involved in said law! Just because the law calls one thing a “community” and another thing “racism” does not change the nature of either one. Both are racist concepts, whether it’s a consumer patronizing only businesses owned by folks of a certain color, or a business owner choosing to serve only consumers of a certain color. The nature of the concept is the same, regardless of how the law defines it!That’s what we’re talking about!You really need a clue bat!
Mar 11, 2009 @ 11:25:51
Oh. My. God. I know English can’t be your second language. It is mine, but I seem to have mastered at least the fine art of comprehension. You seem to be mired in your histrionic mental swamp of condemning racism, but only when it comes from one side of the aisle!WHAT THE FLYING, SCREECHING FUCK IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE ANDERSONS POSTING A PUBLIC WEBSITE THAT CAN BE ACCESSED FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, NOT ONLY BRAGGING THAT THEY WILL ONLY PATRONIZE BLACK BUSINESSES, BUT ENCOURAGING OTHERS TO DO SO, AND A WOMAN PUTTING UP A SIGN ON HER HOME SAYING SHE WILL ONLY RENT TO WHITES??? WHAT IS THE MORAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO? Don’t talk to me about what’s legal and what isn’t. The woman isn’t a business owner anyway. This was her own house, and she has the right to discriminate any way she wants. This was not an apartment complex. Tell me morally what is the difference between public displays of racism when they are perpetrated by blacks and when they are perpetrated by whites?And I’m suggesting that black people are given more opportunities, more funding and have vocal advocacy groups shaking businesses and governments down than any others.DC spends more than $24,000 annually per student. My county spends $10,500 per student. And yet, DC has some of the worst schools in the nation. There are affirmative action programs. There’s EEO requirements for hiring, which forces employers to report to the government the number of minorities interviewed and hired. The difference is that people like me are not expecting to be GIVEN any advantage. We make our own. You and cretins of your ilk somehow think that past abuses entitle black people to be GIVEN advantages over whites. And that’s complete bullshit.
Mar 11, 2009 @ 16:07:40
Let me invest my dime to this fruitless discussion by draw a parallel. You can like or not jews it is completely your privet decision, but when former president of the U.S. Richard Nixon ask his cheaf of staff : How many jews do we have in government…? , this is antisemitism. If we stop asking who is black or white or green we will stop racism from both sides.
Mar 11, 2009 @ 18:12:26
Fidelity spake:”I’m glad black people are self organizing, clearly white people aren’t going to help them, something Asians learned while building the railroads.”I can only assume you’re referring to the transcontinental railroad…Ever notice that asians don’t get any special preferential treatment but they don’t complain about it either.I wonder why that is? Liberals hate asians, because as a minority they tend to do well despite the odds.Why is it we have the United Negro College Fund?And finally, I submit for your ponderings: say the blacks weren’t slaves in America, where would they be now? War torn Sierra Leone? Diamond mines of Angola? Perhaps vacationing in the Congo?The poorest person in the United States STILL enjoys a better standard of living than most of the inhabitants of planet earth.And while we’re on poverty, there are more poor white people than there are black, mexicans, asians, etc. Go do your homework.