100% truth.
Black Americans are far too concerned with "looking the part" as opposed to being the part.
In other words, we'd rather give off the appearance of wealth as opposed to actually working toward being wealthy.
The amount of disposable income we spend, collectively, on "looking the part" could transform our communities in a major way if invested more strategically. For example, a few years ago Converse was up for sale. Nike grabbed it for a little over $300 million. A few Black athletes and entertainers could have pooled resources and purchased Converse. They could have marketed the hell out of it, globally. Now, Converse is one of the biggest revenue generators for Nike.
It's just frustrating to see young Black kids continue to repeat the cycle.
I remember when I was in school, nikkas cared more about looking fly than they did about doing well in class. The shyt was like a fashion show.
Even in college, nikkas care more about joining a fraternity than being the star in the Coding, Investment Banking or Consulting club. Those same fraternity nikkas are graduating without a job, yet the lame Asian kid who was the star in the industry-specific club is taking great jobs at Google, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs or McKinsey.
Not to mention the Asian kid probably had his education paid for by his parents, so he isn't there to waste their money. Black kid is there on student loans, so he doesn't take the experience as seriously. The monetary investment doesn't feel as real.
So many things are backward in the Black community. Our lack of wealth, relative to other people, is a reflection of this.
We can continue to blame slavery and white supremacy all we want. But, the excuses get old after we continue to see other groups come here and do the basic things to succeed.
It's like we're still stuck on stupid.
There was a breh on here who made a thread about black men & pizza ideas. The amount of ppl who came in there trying to discourage him was pathetic. Its like, even if you are pessimistic about it, or unsure, why try to convince others that it "can't" be done? As a group, we aren't in a collective position to be so "picky" about entrepreneurship.
At this point it's more ownership or continue to be at the bottom rung.
Of course cacs make it hard for us to start businesses, but what ALSO doesn't help is that some of us aren't even willing to live below our means and sacrifice long enough to save up money to do something. It takes a selfless and dedicated person to cut back on temporary gratification and materialistic desires for a goal. l know firsthand. A lot of us are not willing to curb our spending habits, and save our disposable income, the reason many of us don't have the money saved to put towards a business is because a) we blow our disposable income on toys and entertainment like children and b) those with the money rather keep it to themselves instead of finding like minded black men to build with. Even rich famous black men with millions tend to not invest back into the community, a lot blow it on hoes, cars, coke, jewelry, clothes, shoes, etc
I've known some brothers in diff fields, one was a mechanic, who complained about working for cacs, i once asked, well how much do u have saved so far, they said they had no extra money so i asked,
after your bills are paid, what do you spend your disposable income on? Guess what answers i got?
Video games, clubbing/strip club, expensive clothes, $300 sneakers, liquor, etc. Entertainment and toys.
Seems like a lot of us want to portray that we have wealth that we don't actually have. Bragging about being the flyest and the most "swag" but really lack wealth and ownership. Want to be in the nicest whip, rock the most expensive brands, and even have kids who can't walk yet in expensive clothes and Jordans. But have an alarmingly low amount of black businesses and ownership. The fact that so many of us are "swagged out" and wearing fly clothes yet non-black own the vast majority of businesses in/near our communities says it all. "All dressed up with nowhere to go" oh yeah, to work for cacs, and to the club. But no businesses.
We consume, and don't produce.
So many of us spend money to floss and portray a false sense of wealth, and have nothing to show for it except these material possessions. Instead of laying low, making sacrifices, and stacking for a greater goal as a group, we want instant gratification, flashiness and individualism.
A lot of us rather spend our disposable income on entertainment and flossing instead of investing. If i were to ask some of the same exact dudes who complain about discrimination against black men, black men's economic state, etc if i were to ask them what do you spend yor disposable income on, there's a good chance they'll say entertainment/toys, instead of saving up for a business, making investments, etc.
If your goal is to eventually open up a store, then you just start saving money to open it up. Cut back on spending so much on entertainment, eating at expensive restaurants, clothes and sneakers, clubbing, etc.
In general, we are huge consumers. Despite what some ppl will claim, a lot of us DO have disposable income. We just don't want to sacrifice (stay out of the club so much, stop splurging on liquor, video games, expensive clothes/shoes, stop tricking so much, etc) in order to try to reach a greater goal. We love "looking"/dressing/portraying an outer appearance of wealth, without the actual wealth.
"
yeah that's what matters, swag, not group economics.
And not even 15 yr old boys, more like 27 yr old men.
