BLATANT RACISM ON ANOTHER FORUM

What a wonderful representation of a sorority. A group of racists. Check out this thread in the AKA forum.
http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/...ML/000509.html

Ok, Ok before I post let me acknowledge that I too am unregistered. But if you're going to post something like the crap above have the #@*^& (you fill in the blank) to post registered.

[prettygyrl]

I think it is a wonderful representation of a group of Black Women that are sick of the racist society that we live in. A group of women discussing a problem that they all can relate to, even though they live in different parts of the country, and trying to come up with a way to eradicate it. As you can see all the stories are very similar so its obvious that the problem they speak of is real. They never said ALL KOREANS, just the ones that run the type of businesses that are being discussed and that have the type of attitudes that are being discussed. I do not know your race Amazing but we as a people (Black People) are sick of other races using, walking- on, and disrespecting us. We are sick of races thinkng that they are better than us. The only way we can even begin to solve the problem is if we discuss it. If the discussion bothers you then do not even bother yourself by reading it.

[Wynna]

I concur wholeheartedly with Prettygyrl. It has nothing to do with racism; it's about a group of African American women coming together to eliminate the unfair treatment of our people by store owners who own and operate stores in our communities. It's about how some people act on the "kick 'em when they're down" theory and the fact that we should not stand for it!

[theXgirl]

Amazed, you should wear the shoes of a black person some time. Maybe then you would realize how inapproiate your comment is.

The X Girl

[AlphaChiGirl]

I, for one, didn't think it was racist. It was candid; no one minced words, but of course, it's got to be considered racist just because it didn't send off this "we are the world" vibe. Everything mentioned was true. I've experienced it all before.

[AKAtude]

I see nothing racist about the thread. We are simply sharing our experiences and discussing possible solutions to the problem. Obviously, the problem does exist if all of us in various parts of the country have had very similar experiences. So, please don't come on this forum trying to start trouble because its obvious that is what you are attempting to do. Thank you to all forum members (who are of various races) for your support.




[This message has been edited by AKAtude (edited July 20, 2000).]

[mgdzkm433]

I didn't consider it racist at all. Seemed to me to be a general observation. Most businesses have a customer service friendly atmosphere. You walk into a store, you are greeted with a smile and a friendly person to ask if you need assistance. Many customers ALSO rely on customer service friendly stores. If I walk into 2 different stores that sell the same products, one with excellent customer service, and one that leaves something to be desired, you bet I won't be shopping at the one that blew me off. Noticing a pattern of specific stores (or particular groups that run stores) and pointing them out to the public can be a great asset to those in the market for the products they sell. I would even go the distance to report them to the better business bureau, not because they are run by a particular race, gender, group, organization etc, but because they failed to provide me with the service I desire and require.

[33girl]

I just happpened upon the nail-salon thread last night. There was an article on this in, I believe, the March 2000 Vogue. (or it might be earlier than that - I can't remember) It gave reasoning for some of the type of behavior that was talked about. Some of the reasons were valid but some sounded like bull.

If you get crappy customer service at any kind of store, don't go there again. The owners will get the message when their sales figures go downhill.

I can't believe you feel that the appropriate way to respond to racism against your ethnicity is to be racist against another ethnicity. If that thread was posted about YOUR ethinicity to begin with, you'd all be going through the roof. And when you make a general comment like that about a group as a whole, it IS racist.

[-sketchball-]

"babs," you are one of the few people posting on this topic who sound rational...

[Discogoddess]

I'd like to know: how is deciding not to patronize a business or group of businesses in your area-that have a demonstrated history of poor customer service-a racist act?

The tension between non-black small business owners who set up shop (but almost never live) in working-class to poor black neighborhoods and their black customers is well-documented. For those who aren't familar with this issue, the best bet would be to read some articles about this subject. I'm sure many urban newspapers-LA Times, Chicago Tribune, Detroit Free Press, etc.-have chronicled this issue.

Many of the problems associated with this issue include, but aren't limited to:

-Poor customer service
-Inflated prices
-Low number of local residents employed by
said businesses
-Failure to clearly communicate "no
refunds/exchanges" policies
-Lack of participation in local business
associations, lack of support for local
institutions
-Lack of cooperation between residents and
businesses to address and solve problems
and tensions
-Perception that most/all customers have
predisposition to theft

I personally don't believe in the "you/they never-you/they always" school of thought. However, with regards to this issue, I have noticed a pattern with respect to MANY (not all) of the non-black small business owners I have encountered in my city. While it would be entertaining for everyone to get all flustered and resort to name-calling about this issue, I am more inclined to look for solutions. At the moment, my solution is to not patronize ANY business that doesn't act like it wants my business. If there is recourse to report bad behavior, I do it. The problem with many of the businesses previously described is that since the business owners and/or their family members are the front-line managers/staff, they seldom act on any rational, thoughtful complaints or suggestions for improvement.

I would interested to hear others' SOLUTIONS to this problem.

[AKAtude]

If anyone read the posts in that particular thread (and read them carefully), you would note that most of the people (myself included) stated that we would not patronize the stores regardless of the ethnicity of the owners and operators. That also includes businesses owned and operated by members of the the African-American community.

What was surprising to me is how many people had similar experiences. Therefore, they are not isolated incidents.

[Sexy Mocha]

Why do we even respond to yet another obvious attempt to...(be blunt)...start some sh*t and get people riled up. This will be my only post in this ridiculous topic.