The Reader's Money Quote is a statement that is of such insight and importance that it merits frequent and loud repetition. This Reader's Money Quote is from Beverly, blog host of My Crazy Cool Life. http://mycrazycoollife.blogspot.com/. I strongly urge everyone to check out her blog. You might learn something that could enrich your life!
Beverly has brilliantly laid out a long-term strategy for our people to economically survive AND thrive. The participants at this think tank have been discussing how African-Americans can survive the emerging, RACIST to the core, Latino dominance of various fields of employment in the US since the post entitled "Geostrategy Nerd: What Would Mexico's Sudden Collapse Mean for YOUR Prospects in the U.S.?"
I am truly grateful for the contributions of those audience members who participate in the blog discussions here. Especially when we come together, reason together, and find practical solutions together! My reply to her comments are in blue. Beverly said:
"Aisha said: 'I think the only thing individual Blacks can do is make sure their education and personal achievements are top of the line, so they won't be competing for jobs that a non-English speaker can do.'
[I believe that what Aisha has suggested is a brilliant basic self-defense move. We have to start somewhere; and most of us have NOT sought out "top of the line" preparation for anything.]
My response: I think this is a necessity; but it is a temporary solution at best. You see, what is happening is that Hispanic people are coming here and their goal is to achieve and become full-fledged white Americans.
[Yep. And it's working because White people are cooperating with identifying Latinos as "White." Whites also cooperate with categorizing half-Asians as "White." (Such as Keanu Reaves, etc.) They won't do that with the offspring of Black folks.
What confused Black folks who are the parents of "Don't Call Me Black" self-proclaimed "biracials" refuse to understand is that we and our offspring are the ONLY ones permanently locked out of "becoming White" status. No matter how frantically these Black parents of "biracials" clamor to have their half-Black children categorized as White.]
What will we do when their children are born here and speak English fluently (native speakers) and have a couple of degrees under their belt? They will still have the same mentality. Many of them will still only hire Hispanics and exclude Blacks. I saw this dynamic in Los Angeles ( I lived there for 7 years). In Los Angeles, you already have professional black people being excluded from jobs WITH the collusion of silly//self-hating blacks.
[If we don't do something quick, we'll be S-O-L. This is why it's imperative for every Black person who's in a "gatekeeper" position to keep Latinos and Asians OUT, and NEVER, NEVER hire them! I've noticed that once Latinos and Asians get a toehold in a government office, or the private sector, they quickly work to develop an ethnic monopoly. They will even freeze White people out of employment when they get the chance. Everybody else is playing for keeps. We need to do the same. After all, we're talking about our very survival as a people in this country.
This is contrary to the "kumbaya kool-aid" that most of us have been quaffing, but the reality is that the odds of African-Americans being hired are better with WHITE gatekeepers than with Latino or Asian ones. We must always remember this.]
I have thought about this issue for a long time. My conclusion is this: Black people as individuals and small groups need to position themselves as dominate powerbrokers in whatever they do. AND they must operate on an international scale. This is not as difficult as it sounds. It can be done on a small or large scale.
[YES! YES! YES! Dominance over something, anything, is the only way to long-term prosperity. {DEEP martial arts bow in salute}]
For example: A black secretary living in Miami may be experiencing discrimination and unable to find work in the Hispanic stronghold. One thing she might do is using the internet and her skills offer her services to others around the country and world. Let's say she's a wizard at MSExcel. She could specialize in creating Excel documents for companies small and large around the world.
Also, since English is an international/bridge language (not Spanish) she has an advantage as a native speaker.
[Despite all the hype, we must keep in mind that Spanish is NOT a "money language" of international finance and business. ENGLISH is.]
That's just one example of how we may want to operate in the long-term. And of course this example is a small, simple one but I want to use it because it illustrates that anyone can use these strategies."
Beverly, thank you for providing this Reader's Money Quote with a detailed explanation of how our people can economically survive and thrive under current conditions! I'm sure that you've helped save the futures and lives of many of our people who are silently reading these conversations.
*ACTION PLAN* I know that some of you are assuming that what Beverly's talking about is not possible for you. Before you limit your possibilities based on untested assumptions, at least take the time to read the following materials: Tim Ferriss' book The 4-Hour Workweek (which explains how to do what Beverly is suggesting). And check out the following news story about a married BLACK couple who are using these sorts of ideas to run a micro-multinational company out of their home! http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2008/07/08/mom-and-pop-multinationals-how-to-go-global-plus-call-with-me-and-david-allen-at-12pm-pt/
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78 comments:
I wrote this same response on Lisa's sight. DO NOT waste your time learning Spanish. Learn German,Mandarin, or French. In that order.
German businesses have a stronghold in the US. And if you know Mandarin, the potential to be hired increases greatly.
Greetings, Anonymous & Kiara!
Those are some great ideas! THANK YOU!
Peace, blessings and solidarity.
Regarding relocating to a new environment I think it is very important to take into account natural disasters that might affect the area you want to live in and how the government responds to it. I live in Houston and some of the hurricanes can be disastrous. It is an advantage to have a car here because Houston is a very car dependent city. I plan on moving to a different place in the near future because I don't want to be around here when the government becomes less resourceful about fixing severe weather related damages to the city.
I wrote this same response on Lisa's sight. DO NOT waste your time learning Spanish. Learn German,Mandarin, or French. In that order.
From my little experience, this is quite true. I actually live in the UK, but to any AA's reading this, spanish is not the no 1 language you should think of learning if it is for success and job prospects purposes. The only place (excluding South American countries) where Spanish is spoken as the main language is in Spain. Languages like German, Mandarin, French and possibly even Arabic are much more sensible options. Not just because they are more widely spoken but the vast majority of multinational companies are situated (have headquarters) in countries where these languages are predominantly spoken. Also, if you are a business owner, the biggest consumer markets outside America is most probably China. As a black person, trying to get help or favours in a country like China will be harder for you than non-blacks so having significant knowledge of the language will be a plus. Also, you would probably come across as warmer, more adaptable and most of all respectful. In the West, it may not seem that way but I can tell you, you have no idea how much good speaking someones native language with them (when you are of a different ethnicity) can do for you in business in other parts of the world. It could be he difference between you getting or not getting a contract or business deal!
Greetings, Dotiez!
Thanks for sharing!
Peace, blessings and solidarity.
Greetings, Foxycleopatra!
Thanks for sharing! Actually, this think tank could use more correspondents reporting in from Europe. After all, we're stepping up to claim our rights as GLOBAL CITIZENS who are entitled to reap the bounty of whatever this planet has to offer!
What you've said is interesting, because I had the obviously mistaken impression that French was on its down-swing as a "money language."
I stand corrected.
Let me ask you, and the rest of the audience, the following questions:
1-Of the European "money languages," which comes first in your opinion: German or French?
2-Of the Asian "money languages," in which order would you rank them:
Chinese? Korean? Japanese? [Although, we don't hear so much about the Japanese anymore. I've still seen articles touting the South Korean economy for the past few years, though.]
I suspect that Arabic will quickly lose whatever non-religious glamor it has during the next few years as the world's most industrialized countries try to shift away from oil-dependency. Although, I'm sure the CIA and FBI will still have uses for Arabic-speakers. LOL!
Peace, blessings and solidarity.
Let's not knock Spanish too much I think that it is still a viable language to learn. Yes French is so very important too. English is the way of business.
Greetings, Anonymous!
Oh...I'm not knocking Spanish. It's just that this "learn Spanish to increase your employability" hype is yet another example of how things almost NEVER work "as advertised" when it comes to AAs.
From what I've observed, the odds are that Spanish-language fluency will probably NOT be of much meaningful benefit for most AAs in terms of getting hired in the US.
Here's why: These bilingual job requirements are NOT motivated by a desire to facilitate communication. Instead, the REAL purpose of bilingual job requirements is to create an ethnic employment monopoly for Latinos in this country.
Another reader confirmed my Chicago-based observations about this when she described how job ads in Miami actually say: "NATIVE SPEAKERS ONLY." This practice shows that the ultimate goal is NOT about communication, it's about reserving certain jobs for Latinos ONLY.
Too often, AAs naively take things at face value. As a result, we fall for the okey-doke.
Other people have traditionally lied to AAs. They tell us that if we just had certain (ever-changing and ever-shifting) qualifications, then we would be hired. In many of these cases, it's not about credentials. It's about employment discrimination. Let's be real about this.
This "if you just learn Spanish then you'll be okay" hype is pure bull****. It's just another lie in a long series of lies that we've been told as a cover story for employment discrimination.
Latino racists don't care if an AA is fluent in Spanish. Whenever they can get away with it, Latino gatekeepers will only hire NATIVE SPEAKERS (i.e., other Latinos). Miami is a good example of that. And a sneak preview of the employment practices that Latinos will enforce once they get in power in other areas of the US.
If they aren't already reserving jobs for "native Spanish speakers only" in a particular area, it's because they aren't powerful enough to get away with it. YET.
So by all means, anybody who's interested should learn Spanish! [I'm studying Spanish.] Just don't have the delusion that being fluent in Spanish will protect you from employment discrimination from Latino gatekeepers.
Peace, blessings and solidarity.
Just a thought...Maybe wp had a point when some of them did not wish to allow too many foreign born into the U.S.? Maybe they were not being racist?
lyn
btw...Did anyone see Oprah today? Lisa Ling interviewed homeless people. These people were middle class before they lost their jobs and could no longer afford their homes. If you are in school think about majoring in engineering, nursing, biology and then on to medical school.
lyn
Hello there, Anonymous/Lyn!
Sometimes even a racist is factually correct about a situation. Even a stopped clock is correct twice a day.
Whites are beginning to wake up [too late] that it was a mistake to let so many Latino illegal aliens in. And it was a mistake to allow so many of them to STAY in this country [with amnesty programs, etc.].
The main problem [from the perspective of most Whites I've talked to about this] is that Latinos generally refuse to assimilate like the previous waves of European immigrants.
Instead of immediately learning English, like everybody else, they insist upon being catered to in Spanish.
And they are using the benefits of OUR dead civil rights martyrs as a tool to force everybody else to cater to them!
For example, I've seen several Mexican immigrant foster parents in court who are caring for White-American, English-speaking foster children. The state is paying them foster parent subsidies to do this even though they do NOT speak English!
In one case, the Mexican-American caseworker and the Mexican-American prosecutor looked at me as if I had grown horns when I cross-examined the foster parents about this. I wanted to know how could they possibly help their school-age, English-speaking foster child with his homework since they do NOT speak or read English.
These particular foster parents testified that their adult daughter [who purportedly speaks English] comes by to help the foster child with his homework. I got the dirty stares again when I commented that this adult daughter is not the person officially responsible for this child's welfare.
Keep in mind that this particular couple have been living in this country for 15 years and they have not bothered to learn English.
[Incidentally, ALL of the official court Spanish interpreters that I've met are of Latino origin.
Over the years, I've met TWO White-American caseworkers who are fluent in Spanish that were hired by a Latino social service agency. Certainly, there are more than TWO non-Latino social workers in Chicago that speak Spanish.]
I was amazed to notice a similar thing when I was in Canada last summer. It appeared that every 3rd person walking the streets of downtown Vancouver is Chinese.
Demographics is a country's destiny! Just look at what's happening with the Tibetans. They are becoming (if not already) a minority within their OWN borders. This is because the Chinese government is deliberately flooding Tibet with ethnic Han Chinese.
This pattern of ethnic Han Chinese overrunning indigenous populations is how China got so large in the first place! Historically, they have numerically overwhelmed the other neighboring ethnic groups.
Peace, blessings and solidarity.
I watched a portion of the Oprah show today. The early segment was too depressing for me and I fast-forwarded it until I saw a Black woman. And after reading this blog and Evia's I could see where this woman's choices have put her in jeopardy. She has 2 kids, lost her higher-paying job, isn't married to the kids' father and he isn't as educated or as high an income earner as she was. Plus they hadn't saved any $$. So now she's out of work with a toddler and older kid and she stated that if not for an understanding landlord she'd be in big trouble. She hasn't worked in 2 years but it doesn't seem to occur to her that she should consider moving. She also mentioned how the boyfriend is working really hard at multiple jobs...except it still appears to me that he still isn't bringing in enough $$$. So all in all I started to feel much better about myself and my life choices after hearing her story despite areas I'd like to improve.
Greetings, Faith!
This is a good time for me to say "I told you so!" And I mean it in a good way. *Smile* Let me repeat something I said to you earlier:
"Where there is life, there is hope. Also, you made the best decisions you could with the information you had. And please keep in mind that you've done MUCH better than many others."
Faith, there are ALL SORTS of negative things going on with the masses of our people. We're just not always aware of all of the gory details. Often, we only see the problem when it has landed on "front street" for all to see. But a lot of semi-hidden mess went down before it landed on front street.
MOST AA women have bet their lives, and their children's lives on a foundation of shifting grains of SAND. Grains of sand like out of wedlock childrearing. Grains of sand like no-savings. Grains of sand like being totally dependent upon ONE income stream (aka "a good job").
Unfortunately, the plight of the BW you saw on Oprah will be multiplied by millions during this 2nd Great Depression. There will by HUGE numbers of BW and children living in the condition that Min. Farrakhan described as "naked, hungry, and out of doors."
Most of us are totally unprepared for reality. Most of us are refusing to take heed of the warning signals all around us. Most of us are not just asleep, but COMATOSE at the wheel. It's unfortunate.
People, Get Ready.
Peace, blessings and solidarity.
I just wanted to point out that one out of four employees at the Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services (formerly known as the 'welfare dept.') in Cincinnati, Ohio have been layed off from their jobs in the last three or so months. More lay offs may be coming.
An entry level position at the HCDJFS didn't pay a whole lot but it used to be a secure position with good benefits. A savvy person with a four year college degree (or more) could rise in the system if they stayed long enough. People with 30 years of service could retire with a substantial pension and good benefits for life. That job security seems to be a thing of the past at the HCDJFS and at other county/state government jobs. This is happening in other counties throughout the state of Ohio and I'm sure Ohio is not the only state where this is happening.
I brought this up because most black children are born out of wedlock and many (most?) of these black children spend some or most of their childhoods on some type of public assistance.
Black women having out of wedlock children by black men of no means HAS TO STOP. The welfare system these black women have depended for decades may not always be there for them and their children.
Greetings, Anonymous!
Yep. "Good" gub-mint jobs are no longer safe bets. The gub-mint in general is no longer a safe bet.
The following quote is this blog's first Reader's Money Quote. It came from Pioneer Valley Woman, host of the blog Episcopalienne. She said the following:
"This is a capitalist society and although certain institutions, like the government and education, in the past, could act as though they were above and beyond all that, those days are over. Everybody has to hustle. . ." (emphasis added)
True that.
Peace, blessings and solidarity.
Hey you guys! Great discussion. Khadija, thanks for featuring my comment (blushing). :-)
Here are my thoughts on what languages will be most valuable.
Chinese and Arabic, imho will be the most valuable over the next 10 years. I say ten years because that's as far as I can predict. So many factors can change after that. Yes, I am learning French; but mostly because there are fewer people who actually speak it in the US than say Spanish. Also I love France. LOL But there may be other reasons (economic, social etc.) that one should learn French; but I don't know them.
Regarding Welfare...that is going to go the way of the dinosaurs if our economy doesn't get better. Folks depending on welfare or traditional employment are going to be really hurting financially. You've got to get creative. Sending your resume to a job posting along with 5,000 other job seekers is not a smart way to find employment. I know this because I've been in that position. Being self-employed or a business owner is a challenge and has its on unique risks. But the long-term benefits are great. Unfortunately, most of us will not choose to give it a try, for some legitimate and some not so legitimate reasons.
Khadija,
I Also think that black women need to stop limiting themselves in the type of jobs they want.
For example, I am majoring in Zoologye at my college. When I told people the first thing they said was 'That's a white persons' job.'
I don't think black people realize how many jobs are availible in the scientific commnity. Even in the recession you don't see biologist, environmentalist, or etc. losing their jobs, because we're needed.
It seems to me that black people limit themselves to being in cosmotology, nursing, the food industry, construction, and a few more that I can't think of.
Did you know that their are so few black FEMALES in the sciences that the government will pay for us to go to college?
It is something every AA women needs to think about.
Hello there Khadija,
This is a great discussion and I appreciate all of the input!
I should mention that it "sounds" great to tell black women to learn Mandarin Chinese but the reality is that the Chinese are spending a lot of money attempting to ANNIHILATE black people on the continent of Africa... think that a white corporation is looking for a black person to send over to China to make inroads?
Yes... learn the language in order to be competitive globally but we need to also understand that racism IS STILL alive and well even if you speak TEN languages.
I don't think that we should feel that racism is a barrier but we can't assume that being fluent in several languages is absolutely a strength but certainly not going to eliminate sexism and racism that is fully operative in many major foreign companies...not to mention the U.S. corporate bosses who pretend to have evolved.
You mentioned government jobs! *LOL* I still can't understand why so many black folks think it is just sooo prestigious to have worked for the government in a paper-pusher type of role. I could see if they were APPOINTEES...but come on....
Peace, blessings and DUNAMIS!
Lisa
1-Of the European "money languages," which comes first in your opinion: German or French?
2-Of the Asian "money languages," in which order would you rank them:
First of all, just to let you know that I am a young woman so I am not speaking from a long life of experience but from a few experiences, talking to and learning from people who I know know much more than me, and most of all, learning from the mistakes of others (they say experience is the best teacher but I believe that I do not need to make a mistake before I know it is the wrong decision; I look at those who have made those mistakes and avoid following the same path). Anyway, I am just saying this because I don't want anyone to think that I am an expert on any matter I give opinion on. I most definitely am not.
To answer your question,
1. They probably rank equally but if I was making the personal choice, I probably would go with German. This is because if you are working in the technology/engineering/sciences fields, Germany would probably have a higher number of career prospects than France. If you are in the financial sector, Germany and even Switzerland (with their notorious banking system), still out rank France. France still comes close though. The advantage of learning French would be that outside Europe, French is much more widely spoken than German but this is mainly in Northern African Countries and unless you see yourself working there (I don't), then German would be a better bet.
Although French is a much more romantic language! (lol).
2. Of the Asian languages, I definitely would rank Mandarin no. 1. This is the main language spoken in China (excluding Hong Kong) and Mandarin is also spoken in some other Eastern Asian countries like Malaysia and Singapore (which is beginning to make its mark on the financial world). I would rank Korean as second but South Korea has been talked about for quite a few years now and they seem to keep falling short. Also with the economic crisis, South Korea is one of the worst hit developed countries so bouncing back for them is probably going to be quite task.
I would have said Cantonese (spoken in Hong Kong) but I would really see the point. This is beacuse in HK, the official language is English (as they were a former British Territory).
Japanese might be a good idea but I wouldn't really be very good for me to comment on that seeing as I am not that knowledgeable of Japan. Compare to other Eastern Asian countries, they are quite homogenous and not the most welcoming of foreigners (this though is not from experience but heard from sevaral sources). So if they are not too friendly or welcoming of pple who look somewhat lik them (non-Japanes Eastern Asians) or of Caucasians, only imagine how they might be with blacks.
I would just bet on Mandarin ( I've already informed my sis that I will be learning the language).
On the Latino issue, AA's really need to wake up and see what is happening. I am just glad that there are people like you, khadija who are willing to speak up and be frank about it. AA's and blacks in general really need to learn how not to let people use them. I will give two examples of this in the U.S.:
1. In formerly all-black communities, the population of Latinos in the less-down trodden working class neighbourhoods has been on the increase. Some places it is split 50-50, in some places Latinos have outnumbered blacks and blacks have even had to leave these neighbourhoods. One might say thet it is a good thing because it is a sign of integartion but anyone with 2 cents worth of common sense would see that this is bull. Why? Well if it was just integration and a result of good mixing and relations between blacks and Latinos, then shouldn't the proportion of blacks in Latino neighbourhoods be increasing as well? I know that other factors such as a much higher influx of Latinos into the U.S. would increase their population percentage but I should still expect to see Blacks being integrated into Latino communities. Also, in these formerly Black neighbourhoods, a lot of the time, blacks are concentrated in one area while Latinos are in a different area. That is definitely not just integration or good mixing.
2. Chinese/Korean immigrants coming into Black neighbourhoods, opening and operating business there (but not actually living in these neighbourhoods) and black-owned businesse being driven out of business. These people end up using the money blacks have handed to them to send their own children to Ivy League Schools while these blacks are still suffering to pay rent. The money never comes back into the community. I here foolish blacks complaining that when they go to these Chinese/korean stores, they are always being direspected. I then ask them 'then why do you go back to those stores again and again?' They just look at me with blak stares. Why would they respect you? You've given them no reason to not disrespect you. My own belief is that if you don't respect me, then you don't respect my money and if you don't respect my money, why the heck do you want it and why therefore, should I hand it over to you?
Now I will give some examples of this here in the UK:
1. Black people (Afro-Carribeans and Africans) buying black products (like haircare, food, skin care etc) from shops owned by Southern and South-Eastern Asians (Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and those Indians who claim to be from Africa i.e. Kenya/Uganda but ALL thier loyalty seems to be towards only Indians). I've seen this especially with Afro-Carribeans. It is not like there are no shops owned by their fellow Blacks but for some reason, their money seems to predominatly end up in those Asian-owned stores. About four years ago, in a city here where there is a high black population, tensions rose between a black community (I think it was an Afro-Carribean comunity but not too sure) and an Indian/Pakistani comunity. What happened was that a local black pirate radio station had reported that a young black girl was raped by a group of five young Asian men. These men were apparently still at large and this was basically what broke the camels back. Blacks began randomly attacking Asians and Asians began randomly attacking blacks. But what actually made me bow my head in shame and be angered by these blacks was that the Asian community ONLY began to even bother to address the tensions when some local black 'leaders' said that blacks should stop patronising Asian-owned stores. Then all of a sudden You saw these asians coming out and having the audacity to complain. They could not care less when these tensions were simmering. They could not even care less when a young black girl (can't remeber exactly but she was either 5 or 12-13, but she was definitely a little child) was apparently raped (they claimed that it was a fabrication but subsequent events lead me to believe that it could have happened) by 5 of their men, yet when blacks all of a sudden decided to begin witholding their money, they (the asians) all of a sudden were interested in reconciliation. Initially they used tac tics such as calling the blacks racist in the press, but the the blacks pointed out that the Asians NEVER come to their black-owned stores...sorry store ( I doubt they bothered to open more than one) so they are just doing what the asians have been doing all along. Also, not a SINGLE one of the SEVERAL asian-owned stores employed a black person yet in the SINGLE black owned store, i think there was atleast one asian person employed. You might ask that well why was I angry at the blacks and not the asians? Well I was angry at the asian community for one thing only which was their lack of cooperation concerning the rape case. The rest of my anger was directed at the black community involved.
- Why, when they knew that Asians never ever came to their store did the blacks go to theirs? why did they have to wait to be told. It wasn't like they hadn't already seen what the asians were doing. Some blacks who lived closer to the black-owned store would still cross it and go to an Asian store (a few were actually dumb enough to admit this when randomly interviewed on TV and in local newspapers). Seemed like the idiots felt that it would show them as some sort of 'i don't see colour i see people' kind of person. All it did was make black pple look foolish. And do you know that a few weeks after the incident when the community 'elders/leaders' had 'reconciliatory talks', these foolish blacks started patronising the asian-owned stores again. The asians by the way, still never came to theirs! UTTER MADNESS. It just makes me think, what has to happen before black people en masse actually wake up from this sleep of foolishness?
Don't get me wrong, there are blacks who go out of their way to patronise only or mostly black-owned shops but I have noticed that they tend to be mostly African especially West-Africans and West-Central Africans. A lot of them come here and open shops to sell African/black products. In the city I school in (university), the black population is very high. There are a lot of mostly Afro-Carribeans who reside here. Most of the Africans (i.e. British but of direct African decent) or Africans are mostly students in the two main universities here but only a few actually live in this city (have no idea why). Anyway, despite the ridculously high number of blacks in my university city, I know of only 2 black owned shops in the city centre. Yes I said it. Only 2 and they are in the same shopping centre about 20 metres from each other. One sells hair products (creams, extensions etc), African food, Carribean food, black-oriented cosmetics. The other sells Hair products as well and does a hair plaiting service. They are both Carribean-owned (think both are Jamaican). Do you know that right next to them, this elderly Indian couple opened a shop and began selling black-oriented cosmetics and some hair as well. I remember the very first day I saw them and I was like 'what the heck'. Thinking of it now, I am not surprised they believed they as ASIANS could come and take the BLACK customers away from these BLACK-owned stores even though they were selling the exact same product at similar prices. I do have to say though that in this case, it didn't work but that was most probably because one of the black-owned stores (the one that was there first) has a very loyal clientele who have been coming there for years. I bet that if the asian couple were up only against the other store (who had been set up only about a year earlier) they probably would have succeeded.
On a last note, although I sometimes get a bit uncomfortable with your stance towards some Africans, any African who comes here to tell you that things in Africa are rosy or perfect is either a liar or has no idea of what they are talking about. I read the blog of a nigerian-american girl who was shocked to find out that there was significant armed robbery in Nigeria. I initally thought she was joking! Pls I do not mean this as any offence to Nigerians or people of Nigerian decent who might be reading this. I am a proud Nigerian myself and would never insult my country but I will call BS out when I see it! There is a lot of misogyny in African countries. It is practically a culture (I grew up there and only came to th U.K. for school so nobody should tell me that I do not know what I am talking about). Africa is not what you see on tv i.e. mud/thatch houses, everybody is illiterate, skeletal kids who never bathe and have flies flying in and out of their mouths etc. Those images are mostly nonsense (something we Africans call 'disaster pornography') but it definitely is not peachy. Our problems may be differnt but there are problems all the same. Let me not even start on the corruption which is just rife.
Sorry about the long post. Just had to get it all in.
Greetings, Khadija!
I see you called me out! Glad to be reading--I've been lurking lately, a busy time.
But it is so important, all these points being made.
I can discuss some examples from my sector, higher education.
My students usually go onto law school and law practice. This is an interesting issue to think about--pursuing professional education, but of what type?
This is controversial, because numbers of students are graduating now in the midst of a recessionary economy, and jobs are evaporating, in the government sector and elsewhere...Beyond that, the seasoned lawyers are fighting for those same jobs.
Various influential sectors in the legal sector have been collapsing, ie., corporate law practice. Those who are around and are being strategic, are pursuing international credentials, the same way students from overseas have been pursuing opportunities here in the U.S. More and more US schools are offering summer abroad programs.
American lawyers are now trying their hand at going overseas, and some law students are doing the same. Business schools have been talking about this possibility for years--flexibility not just in terms of jobs, but in terms of where one lives.
As you said, it is all about being a global citizen...
Khadija
I should be thanking you for starting this wonderful topic.
Some good career ideas can be found in the book Middle-Class Lifeboat: Careers and Life Choices for Navigating a Changing Economy. You can go to the Amazon.com webiste and click on the book image to look inside the book. The table of contents provides a list of career ideas to consider. For example: family child care; translating and interpreting services;tutoring/adult education; private investigation; alternative energy installing, servicing and consulting; microfarming; repair and restoration services etc... I personally haven't read the book but I have requested a copy of it book from my local library. If you want to read more of the pages from the book you will have to do a google search of the title of the book and click on the books.google.com link. The information the author provided was very informative.
''I don't think black people realize how many jobs are availible in the scientific commnity. Even in the recession you don't see biologist, environmentalist, or etc. losing their jobs, because we're needed.''
This is so true. i recently attended a seminar about science and engineering and its future. We were inormed that despite the economic crisis, demand for engineers, research scientists, and people in the science sector is still increasing and there are still several jobs up for grabs. This would also run true for the medical, health, pharmaceutical sectors as well.
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''It seems to me that black people limit themselves to being in cosmotology, nursing, the food industry, construction, and a few more that I can't think of. ''
This is very risky. These are the sectors that tend to get laid off first and/or get contracted out to cheaper foreign labour.
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''Did you know that their are so few black FEMALES in the sciences that the government will pay for us to go to college?''
Please please, tell the black females you know about this. If these young black women don't take advantage of such opportunities, it would be a total shame and I can bet you someone else will be more willing to do it.
Greetings, Beverly!
You said, " Khadija, thanks for featuring my comment (blushing). :-)"
THANK YOU for sharing your thoughts! They've been most helpful and enlightening.
You said, "Folks depending on welfare or traditional employment are going to be really hurting financially. You've got to get creative.
Sending your resume to a job posting along with 5,000 other job seekers is not a smart way to find employment.
I know this because I've been in that position. Being self-employed or a business owner is a challenge and has its on unique risks. But the long-term benefits are great. Unfortunately, most of us will not choose to give it a try, for some legitimate and some not so legitimate reasons."
THIS (especially the part of your comment about being 1 of 5,000 job seekers) is what our people need to get through their heads! The days of being a passive, "I make the donuts and don't think about anything else" type of employee are OVER.
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Hello there, Kiara!
You said, "I Also think that black women need to stop limiting themselves in the type of jobs they want.
For example, I am majoring in Zoologye at my college. When I told people the first thing they said was 'That's a white persons' job.'"
You're right. We need to take a fresh look at things, and expand our thinking.
As Min. Ava Muhammad (one of ministers in the Nation of Islam) says in her book "A New Way of Life": "Our lives are only limited to the extent that ideas are limited." She mentioned as examples how many of the old R&B singers were exploited because their thinking was limited:
"Someone makes money off us until we burn out and they throw us away. The night [Frankie Lymon] died, he was trying to make a comeback. He went to his agent, the White man, the only way he knew to get into the business. It never occurred to him to go to someone else." A New Way of LIfe, pg. 54.
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Hello there, Lisa!
You said, "I should mention that it "sounds" great to tell black women to learn Mandarin Chinese but the reality is that the Chinese are spending a lot of money attempting to ANNIHILATE black people on the continent of Africa... think that a white corporation is looking for a black person to send over to China to make inroads?"
A few thoughts in response:
1-Aren't pretty much ALL of the multinational corporations present in Africa "spending a lot of money attempting to ANNIHILATE black people on the continent of Africa.."?
With that in mind, does it really matter which multinational corporation a Black person works for?
2-I'm at the point where I feel that spending mental energy on what multinational corporations are doing in Africa is a task for AFRICANS. THEY can concern themselves with all of that.
What's in it for me or any other AA to get ourselves in a lather about all of that? Specifically, what are Africans in the affected countries going to do for AAs in exchange for us investing our time and effort into their problems with multinationals?
After Nelson Mandela pimped AA supporters who struggled on behalf of divestment and getting him freed from prison, I vowed to NEVER be used again. I don't recall hearing of any joint business ventures between the newly-liberated SA govt. and AA businesses. As far as I can tell, AAs got NOTHING in exchange for our efforts on behalf of Black SA's freedom.
I won't do "freebies" anymore. There has to be some RECIPROCAL benefit coming my way (or my "tribe's" way) for me to get involved.
3-Are Africans from the affected countries leading efforts to alleviate their OWN plight with these corporations? If not, then it starts to sound like the lyrics from one of my favorite 80s songs ("Sweet Dreams Are Made of This" by Eurythmics):
"Sweet dreams are made of this
Who am I to disagree?
I travel the world and the seven seas
Everybody's lookin' for somethin'.
Some of them want to use you
Some of them want to get used by you
Some of them want to abuse you
Some of them want to be abused"
If Africans from the directly affected countries are complacent with the status quo regarding these multinationals, "who am I to disagree"?
You said, "Yes... learn the language in order to be competitive globally but we need to also understand that racism IS STILL alive and well even if you speak TEN languages."
I agree. In fact, this is my whole point about studying ANY foreign language. I feel that BW need to take a step back, look at our strategic situation with fresh eyes, and do some fresh thinking about all of this.
AAs have fallen into a LOT of stale mantras/thinking regarding these issues. I haven't been raising the above-mentioned concerns in order to "dog" Spanish. Or to discourage anyone from learning it, or any OTHER language.
My concern is that we've got a LOT of faulty assumptions in our heads about the potential benefit of each of these languages. Specifically, in terms of Spanish, Latinos have been marketing the notion that it's advantageous for non-Latinos in the US to learn that language.
I believe that Latinos have been pushing this notion for their own benefit: to further promote the perceived, imaginary "need" to employ LEGIONS of Latinos in preference to non-Latinos. You have frequently explained that part of dominance strategy is to foster among other people a perception that they NEED the dominant person for something.
It's a very clever strategy on their part. And this marketing blitz/strategy/trick has worked!
Most (non-bigoted) non-Latino Americans don't question whether or not learning Spanish will really enhance their employment prospects. This idea is now ASSUMED by most Americans, including AAs.
I'm saying that this is not necessarily true. I'm saying that my personal observations have shown that Spanish language fluency does NOT have the much-hyped benefit to an AA's employment competitiveness that we've been lied to about. [For the reasons I've mentioned earlier in this thread.]
Specifically, no...I've never sat down and calculated the probable positive employment impact of an AA learning Mandarin Chinese. I believe that we need to keep Mandarin Chinese on the table (along with the rest of the "money languages"), and examine it like everything else.
In a very long-winded way (LOL!), I'm saying that we need to re-examine ALL of our assumptions about what learning various languages might do for our personal competitiveness.
Peace, blessings and solidarity.
Hello there, Foxycleopatra!
You said, "First of all, just to let you know that I am a young woman so I am not speaking from a long life of experience but from a few experiences, talking to and learning from people who I know know much more than me, and most of all, learning from the mistakes of others....Anyway, I am just saying this because I don't want anyone to think that I am an expert on any matter I give opinion on. I most definitely am not."
Humility is a good thing. However, one does not have to have lived a full life to have valuable ideas. You've demonstrated that with your comments. Let me also add that the fact that you're aware of, and thinking through these issues is proof that you're part of what I've heard called "the cognitive elite."
Too many Black folks of ALL ages have nothing in their heads except tv, finger-popping and rump-shaking. It's refreshing to hear from the thinkers among us. It does my heart good to hear from the YOUNG thinkers among us.
Thank you for your input about the usefulness rankings of various languages. I've played at learning Spanish and French throughout grammar school all the way to college. German looked hard to me, so I left it alone. I may decide to re-think that. *Smile*
The overall impression I've gotten from talking to Asians and Asian-Americans from all 3 ethnic groups under discussion, is that the Japanese are the most racist and xenophobic of those 3 ethnicities. They are perceived as not even being able to get along with other Asians.
[I suspect in part because of the historical animosities caused by their brutal past conquests of China and Korea. These historical grievances have not been resolved.]
As far as the situations you described in the UK regarding Afro-Carribeans and South Asians: These are depressingly familiar tales. Just substitute the city names, and Arabs/Koreans in place of South Asians, and these are the SAME patterns.
You said, "On a last note, although I sometimes get a bit uncomfortable with your stance towards some Africans, any African who comes here to tell you that things in Africa are rosy or perfect is either a liar or has no idea of what they are talking about."
I'm just being frank about my experiences and observations concerning SOME (not all) Africans. The same way I'm being frank about my experiences and observations involving Latinos. The same way I'm frank about my experiences and observations of my own ethnic group.
Like I've said in earlier conversations, I simply want reciprocity in ALL of my interactions.
You said "Africa is not what you see on tv i.e. mud/thatch houses, everybody is illiterate, skeletal kids who never bathe and have flies flying in and out of their mouths etc. Those images are mostly nonsense (something we Africans call 'disaster pornography') but it definitely is not peachy."
Quite frankly, I'm sick of the "disaster pornography" characterization of Africa as well. And I notice that they don't do it for other places (like China, which I'm sure has plenty of disasters that could be on display). I am disgusted by the way that many bigoted, non-African voyeurs (including some AAs) get their kicks looking at "disaster porn" from Africa.
"Disaster pornography" is a perfect phrase to describe exactly what's wrong about that sort of focus and interaction.
Now that you've generously shared this terminology with me (and the audience), perhaps I can better describe what my issue has been with SOME, not ALL---and not even MANY---"foreign" Blacks who visit AA blogs:
There's a similar bad-faith thing that often happens regarding AA problems. I would call it "ghetto pornography." The dynamics of ghetto pornography are exactly the same as those with African disaster pornography!
These "ghetto" problems do exist, and are prevalent in most AA residential areas. I have no problem freely admitting to that. In fact, that's why I've been sounding the alarm for AAs to FLEE from AA residential areas! The bulk of my blog posts discuss the many manifestations of AA dysfunction.
But I object to outsiders leering at the very real problems that exist among AAs. The same way I object to anybody (including AAs) leering at disaster pornography involving Africans. The same way I would assume that Africans object to outsiders (including AAs) leering as disaster pornography. Wrong is wrong. Across the board.
THANK YOU for giving me more precise terminology to use when discussing this issue!
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Greetings, Pioneer Valley Woman!
Thanks for de-lurking! LOL!
Law school is a BAD idea right now. And actually, has been a bad idea for at least the past 5-10 years. There have been far too many lawyers for a while. (And for those who don't know, I'm saying this as a lawyer.)
As you mentioned, all those law jobs are evaporating. Unless somebody is mentally prepared to hang out their own shingle and hustle from the very beginning, I would urge them to leave law school alone. And pick something else.
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Hello there, Dotiez!
You're welcome! And THANK YOU for elevating this conversation by your participation!
Peace, blessings and solidarity.
@ FoxyC 3:45pm...Sounds like an AA community. Some of these stores begin selling their products cheaper than blk. store owners; but, eventually the other race(s) all raise their prices by then the majority of the blk. own stores have moved or they simply went out of business. When we support other stores we are only hurting ourselves.
Racist Latinos now that is hypocrisy...but true. How lucky are they to be considered a minority and white both at the same time. The smart latinos will reap the benefits from both sectors.
lyn
When will the MADNESS end?
l
I can honestly kiss all of you ladies. The information that is being passed along here is incrediable.
For example, I was planning to change my major from English to Sociology because I figured I could work as some sort of social worker and still do my writing on the side. After listening to you ladies talk, I decided, why NOT try the science field of sociology. I'll admit the word science has an intimidating feel to it, but at the same time, I'd imagine this field would be very interesting and challenging for me. And the really ironic thing is that my daughter wants to go to school to be a marine biologist. Who knows where this field could take our family? Maybe we could end up being a family of scientists.
As of today, I've decided to dedicate one hour each day to brush up on my typing skills. And I've also decided to revisit a business opportunity that use to bring me a few hundred dollars during the summer months when I lived in Georgia. I was waiting until I graduated college to bring it back out, and dust it off, but you ladies have made it clear the time is NOW.
Thank you all.
Greetings, DeStouet!
You're welcome! THANK YOU for taking heed, and thinking through some things. Fewer economic casualties among our ranks = less heartache for those of us who do survive AND thrive.
Peace, blessings and solidarity.
Everyone: Please check out the news story I've linked to in the addendum to the "sudden collapse post" underneath this particular Reader's Money Quote post.
During the last few days, I've seen increasing numbers of news stories about this scenario. I wonder what's up with that...
My concern is that we've got a LOT of faulty assumptions in our heads
Exactly, Khadija, and this is the understatement of the decade. LOL! These faulty assumptions are ACROSS THE BOARD among blacks--in EVERY area.
African-descended women need to forget about all of the polyanna public relations of the Press and these governments: the world is primarily a tough, vicious, cut-throat place where I want bw to realize that opportunists are always looking for an opportunity to prey on you, your gender, your group, your country. But don't be paranoid; be prepared.
The West would demolish the Chinese government if it could and and take over Chinese resources and the Chinese knew that and that's why they let their people starve while they put billions of dollars into creating nuclear weapons. Also, the Chinese would wipe out the West if it could and take its resources. India and Pakistan have used the bulk of their resources to develop nuclear weapons for the same reason.
That may sound depressing to some, but I want bw to get tougher and shrewder in their thinking. I don't want bw to BEHAVE in tough manner, but I want them to BE tough and shrewd in their ***thinking*** and move shrewdly and with stealth (thanks to sista-blogger CW for stressing the importance of "stealth")--and always with a smile. LOL! Y'all would be amazed at how you can disarm folks with a simple smile. Other groups of folks smile at us all the time (manipulating AAs) and many foolish AAs think it's because they like us.
The Chinese are doing a lot of smiling in the wealthier African countries right now because those countries represent fresh prey to them. Pretty soon, blacks will start blaming the Chinese and calling them imperialists, but these major African countries have opened up the continent to the Chinese who are billions of shrewd, desparate people who have ***RACIAL PRIDE.*** So that's a foregone conclusion. As the world is presently structured, this basically represents the final blow for Africa. But this is yet another self-inflicted problem.
As you've urged, Khadija, The Prince should be REQUIRED reading in all homes of African-descended people. Thanks for recommending it. As a matter of fact Machiavellian philosophy needs to be broken down and re-written at an elementary level so that very young black children can read it and understand it. ALL of them.
Hello there, Evia!
You said, "These faulty assumptions are ACROSS THE BOARD among blacks--in EVERY area.
African-descended women need to forget about all of the polyanna public relations of the Press and these governments: the world is primarily a tough, vicious, cut-throat place where I want bw to realize that opportunists are always looking for an opportunity to prey on you, your gender, your group, your country. But don't be paranoid; be prepared."
It amazes me how our people buy into other groups' public relations marketing. Hook, line, and sinker. With no questions asked. This "becoming bilingual in Spanish will help AAs get jobs" trick is just ONE of many examples of this uncritical acceptance of other people's agendas.This behavior is not conducive to survival because as you noted:
"the world is primarily a tough, vicious, cut-throat place where I want bw to realize that opportunists are always looking for an opportunity to prey on you, your gender, your group, your country. But don't be paranoid; be prepared."
Yes. There's no need to be mentally agitated. Just be prepared. There's no need to fuss. Just be prepared. Being prepared solves most problems before they occur.
You said, "The West would demolish the Chinese government if it could and and take over Chinese resources and the Chinese knew that and that's why they let their people starve while they put billions of dollars into creating nuclear weapons. Also, the Chinese would wipe out the West if it could and take its resources. India and Pakistan have used the bulk of their resources to develop nuclear weapons for the same reason."
Yep. Everybody EXCEPT AAs is clued into how reality works. And they prepare accordingly. BW MUST learn how to do the same.
You said, "That may sound depressing to some, but I want bw to get tougher and shrewder in their thinking. I don't want bw to BEHAVE in tough manner, but I want them to BE tough and shrewd in their ***thinking*** and move shrewdly and with stealth (thanks to sista-blogger CW for stressing the importance of "stealth")--and always with a smile. LOL! Y'all would be amazed at how you can disarm folks with a simple smile. Other groups of folks smile at us all the time (manipulating AAs) and many foolish AAs think it's because they like us."
The need for stealth is a CRITICAL point. I strongly urge everybody to read your latest post. Among other VITAL messages, you point out how the woman who's suing Morgan Freeman has executed a shrewd, SMOOTH, strategy. AA women: WAKE UP! And start taking notes from other women who are WINNING the game of life!
You said, "The Chinese are doing a lot of smiling in the wealthier African countries right now because those countries represent fresh prey to them. Pretty soon, blacks will start blaming the Chinese and calling them imperialists, but these major African countries have opened up the continent to the Chinese who are billions of shrewd, desparate people who have ***RACIAL PRIDE.*** So that's a foregone conclusion."
Yep. I read news reports a few years ago about how the Sudanese government had invited Chinese security companies [aka the Chinese Army] to guard their oil fields [I would assume to discourage the US from launching military attacks on these fields].
Well, when I read that, I knew that the Sudanese leaders had never read The Prince. In using foreign troops to protect their assets from one threat [the US], they have handed these same assets over to another predator [the Chinese government].
Really now: Once you've invited the Chinese Army in to "protect" your oil fields, how will you EVER get these troops OUT of your country, and AWAY from your oil fields? Especially if the Chinese refuse to leave. The Sudanese are too weak to force the Chinese troops out. So, they've basically just handed their oil fields over to their new Chinese "friends." Oh well.
You said, "As the world is presently structured, this basically represents the final blow for Africa. But this is yet another self-inflicted problem."
I came to the same conclusion after first reading about the inroads that the Chinese were making in Africa. That's unfortunate.
You said, "As a matter of fact Machiavellian philosophy needs to be broken down and re-written at an elementary level so that very young black children can read it and understand it. ALL of them."
I agree.
Peace, blessings and solidarity.
" Anonymous said...
Also look into teaching English overseas too. If you want to live and work in Asia or Latin America. Get a job as an English teacher. They need them in Vietnam, Korea, Thailand and China. The schools pay very well. I am looking into the Europe /Latin America market.Beverly is right on"
Good luck with that one. I would, however, get some advice from other blacks who have gone to those areas fro the same reason(especially in Asia). It is quite common for them to actualy turn you back(after you have come to an employment agreement and landed on the ground), when they find out that the 'new English teacher' is black. I've heard too many stories of how they(especially the Chinese and Koreans) were expecting a white woman, and didn't care that one had given up their life and travelled half way round the world, they have no problem turning you away. Make sure the job offer is an iron-clad agreement!
"What you've said is interesting, because I had the obviously mistaken impression that French was on its down-swing as a "money language."
If you ever plan on doing ANYTHING in France, DO NOT SPEAK ENGLISH. Speak 'American'. The only people the French despise more than Americans are the Brits. (Yes, there IS a difference between English and American, not just the accent).
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"1-Of the European "money languages," which comes first in your opinion: German or French?"
My answer is going to be biased, as I grew up in Austria, so I'll go with German. But I don't think either has a greater benefit over the other. E.g, in America, speaking Spanish would probably be more beneficial than German or French, especially if it is in a Latino populated area. However, in Europe, both French or German dominate.
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"2-Of the Asian "money languages," in which order would you rank them:
Chinese? Korean? Japanese? [Although, we don't hear so much about the Japanese anymore. I've still seen articles touting the South Korean economy for the past few years, though.]"
Chinese, definitely. Ofcourse, there Cantonese and Mandarin, learn Cantonese first, as it is the more spoken of the two. Korean? The North Koreans are broke, the South Koreans are not much better, so I doubt you'd be moving to either of these countries for financial reasons. Learning Japanese would be a good idea. Forget what the papers say, Japan is always going to be a significant player in business matters. However, their country is probably the most homogenous of all eastern Asian countries(and they seem to pride themselves on this), so speaking Japanese might not really impress them, as you are not Japanese.
"I suspect that Arabic will quickly lose whatever non-religious glamor it has during the next few years as the world's most industrialized countries try to shift away from oil-dependency. Although, I'm sure the CIA and FBI will still have uses for Arabic-speakers. LOL!"
I'm learning Arabic at the moment. I'm still in University(Chemical Engineering), and I have made a point of fluently speaking any language spoken in a region where there is alot of oil. Forget what Obama says for the moment, America will still be very dependent on foreign oil for a long time. And whatever America does, it seems the rest of Europe does as well.
I agree with JaliliMaster that it's imperative to check with other Black folks who are doing (or attempted to do) whatever it is that you're interested in pursuing.
Since things almost never operate "as advertised" for us, it's best to gather as much information as possible.
Let me stress that I'm not saying this to discourage anybody. Sometimes, you really do have to be the trailblazer/"Jackie Robinson" if you want to pursue certain things.
Let me also warn everybody of the folks that my Dad calls "The Discouragement Fraternity." These people are also known as "crabs in a barrel." Because they lacked the courage and/or smarts to do things that nobody else around them have done, they DON'T want to see you succeed at it!
For example, I'm wondering how many "haters" just can't believe that Beverly actually relocated to Paris. I wouldn't be surprised if she left behind some "swole" [a friend's made-up term for swollen--LOL!] colored people in her slipstream.
Investigate. Research. Be Prepared.
Peace, blessings and solidarity.
Greetings, JaliliMaster!
Thanks for your input!
Peace, blessings and solidarity.
"Black women having out of wedlock children by black men of no means HAS TO STOP. The welfare system these black women have depended for decades may not always be there for them and their children."
Black women having out of wedlock children with black men has to stop, whether these men are of means or not.
Sidenote: Wouldn't it be a good idea to get a job in a job centre/unemployment office. It occured to me while wacthing a news story about two months ago when many people had to start reapplying for jobs. Afterall, in thich current climate, such services are bound to be needed, eh?
"After Nelson Mandela pimped AA supporters who struggled on behalf of divestment and getting him freed from prison, I vowed to NEVER be used again. I don't recall hearing of any joint business ventures between the newly-liberated SA govt. and AA businesses. As far as I can tell, AAs got NOTHING in exchange for our efforts on behalf of Black SA's freedom."
I will always admire Mandela for what he did, but it annoys me when I get the stink-eye for pointing out that blacks in SA are now financially worse off than they were during the last years of Apartheid. It is so sad to think about. Granted, he had to make some concessions, but even he has now admitted that it was a mistake to let whites 'keep' the financial industry, while only handing political power over to blacks. White SA's even laugh that they are still the ones with power, as they control the industry/economy. Despite the fact that they are barely 15% of the population, they still engage in VERY racist behaviour. Can you believe that when the former president, Thabo Mbeki, said that there was still alot of racism in SA, especially when it came to employment opportunities, he was attacked by......black journalists!
I am wondering why no one is keen on Africa.
A lot of the systems are broke down (if there are any to speak of), but then it also means that things are not set in stone and major players have not cornered the markets and regulated the system to their own advantage. Anyone can get a foothold at this point unlike many places in europe and the 'developed' world where certain markets and outlets have been 'secured' and shut tight.
There is a huge chance of setting up the systems in africa (these will emerge regardless of clueless people at the helm because there are forces penetrating africa which will ensure this) or influencing the systems in your favour.
Asians have historically taken advnatage here and are still very much so, in fact when i was travelling in africa a recent while ago, i was amazed how many super electronic stores, had been opened up by Asians to cater to the tastes of rich africans and status conscious ones who had to have the latest gadgets and 4x4 cars.
yes you have to have money to invest but exchange rates mean a little means a lot. Solar energy, construction, land development, consultancy, training, African exports, security companies, are key areas.
Africa is a good opportunity especially as it is still being shaped politically and economically, in fact it represents one of the only exapnding markets for the likes of tobacco companies and gas guzzling cars. sadly this is because there is hardly any regulation in many parts of the continent to protect the citizens.
Wow! The conversation is HOT! LOL :-) Well I have one last thought about Black women's ability to make money. This is what I think Black women should be doing.
1. Work in a field that utilizes your BEST qualities and skills. For example, I have a way with words, so I became a writer. My family wanted me to be a lawyer, they thought it would be better financially. Well maybe they were right in a way. In the short-term taking on a traditional "money" career can be financially advantageous. But unless the field you choose utilizes your natural talents, you will NEVER become dominate in that field. For example, a lot Black women become lawyers. The field of law requires a very developed ability to think logically and present a viewpoint in an objective but convincing way. If logic/analysis and verbal communication ( in the case of litigation) is not your talent, how will you ever become dominant in the field of law? I know we want to all make sure that we choose work that will make "the money" but make sure you think long term. Does this field utilize your natural talents and abilities? Because if it doesn't you WILL be passed up by others who are in the same field but have a natural talent for it. Those who choose work that utilizes their natural talents are better poised to rise to the top than those who simply choose a field because it pays well. I've seen this in action.
2. Black women need to have at least two sources of income.
3. Black women need to know how to run a small (or large) business. Traditional employment will be a thing of the past. IMHO.
4. Black women need to develop generational wealth so that our children do not have to beg (white/latino/arab/asian/african etc.) people for a job.
Concerning the points made by Jalilimaster, the issue of consulting other SIMILAR MINDED black folks who have done things similar to what you intend is very true. For eg, I know an AA woman who went over to China to be an English teacher. She was employed directly from the U.S. All the interviews were done by phone. Her speaking was impeccable and she had very impressive and reliable references. Her employers in China were very eager in anticipation of her arrival. When she arrived at the airport, they treated her like some VIP, not because she was American (the ones who do go out there never get the kind of treatment she got) but because of how learned, experienced and appealing she was. The institution that employed her really thought that they had hit the jackpot. They sent a private car to pick her up (they don't usually do this as far as I know), had arranged ALL her accomodation and other needs for her. Do you know that the first day she turned up to the school, they were absolutely shocked. They never knew that she was black. Within ONE week, this woman was out of her job. They terminated her contract. This woman had given up everything she knew and had in her whole life to travel all the way from America to China and it all ended within a week. It was very unfortunate. I will admit that if I was in her shoes, I also wouldn't have thought it would happen that way because even if it occurred to me that they may be racist, I would have thought that my being such a desirable candidate would have eased their issues somewhat. I know her personally and she is a very educated and experienced woman. The way she spoke Chinese (Mandarin) was the way a native speaker born and bred in the country would speak it and for anyone who knows anything about some of these Eastern Asian languages, you would know that you could learn the language for years and still speak it like a foreigner. Also, i was on a message board a few months ago and a bw (she was AA) also told a similar story in which she had been employed in China but all interactions with her employer were by phone and when she got there and they found out she was black, it didn't take too long before they removed her and she had to come back to the U.S.
So it is very possible that these are not isolated cases because I know quite a number of black people who travel round the world for teaching purposes yet I have only ever seen one woman who was doing this successfuly in an eastern asian country, and I don't even know her personally but I saw her story on TV. She was a young AA woman who moved to South Korea (with her fiance who was South Korean) to work as a missionary and she decided to begin teaching as well. That is the only story I know of where a black person has been able to enter the teaching field in eastern asia.
p.s. this is not me trying to discourage anyone but just wanting to make sure that if you do decided to go to those places, you are fully prepared.
side note: all these cases where in the teaching field though. Other sectors are possibly different. An option might be to get employment in your country (with a company with either branches, subsidiaries or affiliates in those asian countries), and then try and get posted to one of those countries.
I have some catching up to do here. I glanced over the posts and if anyone is interested you can get a free ebook of The Prince here:
http://www.planetpdf.com/ebookarticle.asp?ContentID=6174
Here is a page with some free German lessons:
http://www.deutsch-lernen.com/
Here is a page with some intro Mandarin:
http://learnchinese.elanguageschool.net/
And here is a page with some free Spanish lessons:
http://www.cicclapaz.com/spanishonline.html
I just thought you guys would want to see this:
http://www.youtube.com/user/intro2the1
THis is the link to a vlog by a black woman who is living and teaching in Japan. She used the JET program to travel abroad if anyone is interested.
Greetings, Halima!
You said, "I am wondering why no one is keen on Africa...
...Asians have historically taken advnatage here and are still very much so, in fact when i was travelling in africa a recent while ago, i was amazed how many super electronic stores, had been opened up by Asians to cater to the tastes of rich africans and status conscious ones who had to have the latest gadgets and 4x4 cars...
...Africa is a good opportunity especially as it is still being shaped politically and economically."
My response: I suspect that Africa is much like AA residential areas, as well as what Foxycleopatra is describing of Black residential areas in the UK.
If so, this means that Africa is a good opportunity for anybody who is NOT Black.
Speaking in reference to my own ethnic group only, the reality is that AAs don't and, for the most part, WON'T support a business if we know that it is Black-owned.
I always knew that if I wanted to start my own firm, I would need to hire a White attorney to pretend to by my partner, and to be the main public "face" of my firm.
It is well known by other ethnic groups that AAs WON'T patronize Black professionals. Over the years, I've had several White [Jewish] colleagues approach me and offer to be the White "front" if I ever decided to start my own practice. [For a percentage of the fees, of course.]
I always knew that if I ever wanted to open a grocery store in the Black community, I would need to hire an Arab to be the "front person." Or, as my friends would tease me, I needed to wear hijab so that my hair never showed, and try to pretend to be an Arab.
The successful Black businesses located in Black areas (that I'm aware of) tend to be undercover about being Black-owned. If the owner is actually working on the premises (such as with a gas station, laundromat, etc.), he pretends to be just an employee.
This is the informal "rule" if a Black person wants to operate a SUCCESSFUL business in Black residential areas in the US. The only exceptions to the rule are hair salons and barbershops.
Most AAs will only patronize a business if they think that it's NOT Black-owned.
Other than hiding the fact that it's Black-owned, the other route to success for a Black business is to have a "faceless" business such as selling e-books, etc. online. These sorts of businesses do NOT depend on Black support and are geared to get some of everybody's money.
Bottom line in the US context: For the most part, non-Blacks won't patronize a business if they know that it is Black-owned. And Blacks won't either.
If the same behavior pattern is true of Africa, then an enterprising Black business person would probably need to hire an Asian to "front" as the owner to gain African customers.
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Hello there, Beverly!
You said, "Work in a field that utilizes your BEST qualities and skills....
...Black women need to have at least two sources of income...
...Black women need to know how to run a small (or large) business. Traditional employment will be a thing of the past. IMHO....
...Black women need to develop generational wealth so that our children do not have to beg (white/latino/arab/asian/african etc.) people for a job."
raised fist salute}
The days of "good jobs" are OVER. BW will have to be creative and find ways to building successful businesses DESPITE the ever-present racism. Including the self-inflicted wounds of Black folks' aversion to patronizing Black-owned businesses.
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Hello there, Foxycleopatra!
You said, "So it is very possible that these are not isolated cases because I know quite a number of black people who travel round the world for teaching purposes yet I have only ever seen one woman who was doing this successfuly in an eastern asian country, and I don't even know her personally but I saw her story on TV."
Oh no...I doubt that these are isolated cases. The same way that the "native [Spanish] speakers only" job ads in Miami are not isolated cases. I don't really believe in "isolated cases" when it comes to things like racism.
Things almost never work as advertised for BW. That's why we can't afford pollyanna-type thinking. We have to be creative, clever, and shrewd to seek ways around the VERY REAL racism that is out there waiting for us.
Again, the main type of insulation against that sort of thing is to have a "faceless" business---internet sales, being a "virtual assistant," etc.
You said, "In Nigeria, we have 3 Oil refineries. They have been non-operational for quite a while now. Our pathetic government, rather than fixing them, decided to sell 2 of them to the Chinese. The 2 the chinese bought are the ones right in the middle of where the most oil is (in the Southern part of Nig.) while the one left with our government is the one thousands of miles away from any drop of oil somewhere in the desert regions (in the Northern part of Nig.)"
Lord have mercy.
You said, "I am of the belief that there is something seriously wrong with black people."
I've come to the same conclusion.
You said, "There is this attitude among black people that you see irrespective of want country/culture/society that they grew up in. There is this lack of self-pride. It can manifest itself in different ways and come from people you might least expect."
Yep. The behavior pattern is quite consistent.
You said, " you will see that they still harbour this thing that Africans tend to call 'black man way of thinking' (I will explain this in my own words below).
black man (or person) way of thinking:
1. Anything created by a white person will always be more superior/reliable/trustworthy/of more quality than that created by a black person."
The AA version is called "the White's man's ice is colder." As in, a bag of ice sold by a White person will always be colder than the same bag of ice sold by a Black person. Anything from a White person will be better than the same item from a Black person.
You said, "The concept of African time (a.k.a Black Man Time)."
The AA version is called "C-P Time" [Colored People's Time].
You said, "My neighbour/friend should not be more successful than me. Any suffering I go through, my neighbour/friend should suffer the same (note it is in reference to a friend not an enemy or foe)."
AA version = "crabs in a barrel." When one AA "crab" sees that another nearby crab is attempting to better their life ("climbing out of the barrel"), the 1st crab pulls the climber down! Of course, the crabs that are easiest to snatch down are nearby ones such as friends, spouses, and relatives.
You said, "I will describe this via a very popular story that has been passed down by a lot of African parents...
...The man said ''oh, well no''. he continued asking for nice things (car, mansion, beautiful wife) and each time, when the angel reminded him that his neighbour would get twice as much (two cars, two mansions, a wife twice as beautiful), he changed his mind. Well, the man thought and thought and fianlly came up with an answer. He told the angel ''well, my wish is that you make me blind in one eye!''"
Oh, my God. A shocking fable, but unfortunately an ACCURATE description of many Black folks' mindsets.
You said, "Add this to the fact that Babyphat is headed by someone (kimora) who has complete disdain for black women yet they keep buying her trash."
I try to ration my ranting about Blacks supporting Black-hating creatures like Kimora Lee. [LOL!] I've exceeded my limit for a while, so I'll just concur with your observations.
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Hello there, Aphrodite!
Thanks for the information!
Peace, blessings and solidarity.
Hello there, Kiara!
Thanks for the information!
Peace, blessings and solidarity.
@Jallimaster..., but even he has now admitted that it was a mistake to let whites 'keep' the financial industry, while only handing political power over to blacks."
I thought all of the wht. S. A. were ordered to give up their property?
Yes, the change of power in S. A. was more peaceful than I thought it would be. However, I am so disappointed in Nelson Mandela
for divorcing Winnie and he did it rather quickly and remarried soon after his divorce. I am not saying Winnie was a perfect woman.
IMO, Winnie kept his legacy alive. Mr. Mandela seemed to have thrown Winnie under the bus. Winnie lost her husband. N. Mendala gain a hero status. Mendala was in jail and not out freeing the world.
There is another survival strategy that I haven't seen mentioned on this blog as of yet: cultivation of intuitive abilities.
It's common knowledge that we as human beings (and animals) are blessed with a "sixth sense." Intuition often defies logic because our intuition goes beyond our normal five senses. To me this is a shortcoming of most people-they try to use their logic to validate their intuition, which is often impossible.
I think for Black women in particular it is important for us to use our intuitive gifts in all areas of life, now more than ever, when you can't trust what the outside world is saying. Our ancestors (such as Harriet Tubman) had to rely on intuition to help them out of various dangerous situations. Pay attention to those nagging feelings, dreams, coincidences, etc. I've found that the more you listen to it, the stronger it gets. My intuition has NEVER failed me.
Meditation, even for short periods of time, can encourage mental clarity. (I need to follow my own advice more, lol). Perhaps you are thinking of starting a business and want to know how to proceed-meditation can clear the way for important information to come through. At the very least, it can reduce stress.
I think it's also important to know about the universal laws that exist, such as the Law of Cause and Effect and the Law of Attraction I know this may sound like kooky new age foolishness, but it isn't.
I believe now is a time to pull out ALL the stops-physical, mental, spiritual, etc. There are many helpful books out there by Sonia Choquette, Wayne Dyer, Sanaya Roman, etc. I understand that I may be on shaky ground here due to people's various religious/spiritual backgrounds. I can only offer this information with the best of intentions.
The AA version is called "the White's man's ice is colder." As in, a bag of ice sold by a White person will always be colder than the same bag of ice sold by a Black person. Anything from a White person will be better than the same item from a Black person.
I agree that black people tend to view white products and services as superior but is there actually a real and logical basis for this?
in the uk for instance I have noticed that black people have essentially opted out from the general competitive markets, and are almost always set up in the niche trading spaces. One of the effects of this is that they are shielded from the competitive forces that tend to drive the quality of products and services upwards.
Lets face it, in the general market, you have to ensure that you are operating at a high standard to sustain trade but by opting for nitche markets etc many black folk can afford to put up any ol kind of service and are not forced to improve.
I am not generalising here but I often notice a distinct lack of good service and quality when i visit the black owned stores, in fact I am dreding going to buy my weekly treat of coconut sweets from the african store near by because I can just see the face of the man behind the till, unwelcoming and bored.
I think the effect is that black people themselves have begun to loose faith in their own busineses because we know ourselves and even if we could fool others, we kind of are not fooled by our own spin (its the white man preventing us from XYZ).
I think when a group of black people distinguish themselves from the dysfunction inherent in the way we think and go about things, and as a result, create stellar black businesses across the country, patronized by whites and others (and if necessary fronted by others), we might begin to claw back some confidence in our businesses.
This one reason why I do not encourage excuse making and shifting the blame, because ultimately the person doing it will end up not believing in themselves even if they manage to fool others and get some handout. and i'd much rather have my self-belief than some handout i managed through blaming wm.
lastly I think in order to sell to people you must understand their psychology, so i agree with using others as a front face. its sad but thats were black folk are at the moment. hopefully a good number of us will grow up at some point!
Hello there, Aisha!
You said, "I believe now is a time to pull out ALL the stops-physical, mental, spiritual, etc."
I agree.
You said, "I think it's also important to know about the universal laws that exist, such as the Law of Cause and Effect and the Law of Attraction I know this may sound like kooky new age foolishness, but it isn't.
One thing that I don't care for about that sort of material is that it justifies unjust status quos: Just imagine if the slaves or concentration camp prisoners were training their minds "to attract freedom into their lives."
The other angle that bothers me about that sort of material is its lack of recognition that oftentimes God denies people's wishes for the sake of their own individual well-being as well as overall humanity's survival.
If everyone was permitted unfettered abilities to "attract" their greatest wishes into reality, then life on Earth would end very quickly. This would be the result of the cumulative effect of most people's selfish and unwise desires being granted.
Furthermore, life on Earth would literally be a living HELL during the time period before it came to an accelerated end. Most people wish for things that are harmful in and of themselves. Most people wish for things and circumstances that are harmful in the aggregate.
For just one example, just imagine if God allowed everyone to "attract" the car of their dreams into their lives. There would be so many Hummers, Escalades, and SUVs rolling around in general that it would hasten the planet's demise.
You said, "I understand that I may be on shaky ground here due to people's various religious/spiritual backgrounds. I can only offer this information with the best of intentions."
I do understand, and thank you for offering the information. My belief that such materials serve to deny God's sovereignty does NOT mean that they are of no use to others. THANK YOU for sharing this information.
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Hello there, Halima!
You said, "I agree that black people tend to view white products and services as superior but is there actually a real and logical basis for this?"
There are often many REAL problems that can be observed with Black businesses (lack of professionalism, no customer service, business operates purely to serve the owner's "escape" from working a job as opposed to providing something of value to customers, etc.).
HOWEVER, AA consumer decisions are NOT driven by quality considerations. AA consumer decisions are purely driven by dysfunctional emotional motives. If AAs cared at all about the quality of goods or service, then we would not be jam-packed in FILTHY, RUDE, sometimes literally LIFE-THREATENING Arab/Korean stores buying INFERIOR products.
These are simply convenient justifications that we raise when questioned about our consumer habits.
Let me give some examples.
1-An Arab-owned mini-grocery arrived in my childhood neighborhood during the invasion of Section 8 recipients. I wandered in there one day (not knowing that it was Arab-owned). What did I see?
The Arabians had their German Shepherd pet/guard dog (yes, that's right, a D-O-G) sitting on the floor in the meat section. His nose was pressed against the glass in front of the "mystery meat" counter.
Of course, I flew up out of that joint. But I noted that the store was CROWDED with colored slaves in there eagerly shopping. Several colored adults were petting the D-O-G. Let a Black store owner do some mess like that. The colored slaves would have been in an uproar and immediately called the health department.
2-Colored slaves will shop at Korean/Arab stores even though these places are literally life-threatening. Over the years there have been many cases of nervous Korean/Arab store owners shooting AAs that they say they "believed" were about to rob them.
There are legitimate fears of violent crime in AA residential areas. However, many of these store owners are EXTREMELY trigger-happy when it comes to AAs.
I'm thinking of a case out of Los Angeles where the Korean store owner's wife was caught on security videotape shooting a 13 year old AA girl in the back of the head as she walked away from the counter. Apparently, the child had argued with Mrs. Korean about something.
IIRC, the woman was sentenced to probation instead of prison time. This was by a White female judge who said something to the effect that Mrs. Korean having to live with what she had done was punishment enough.
Colored slaves continued to shop in Korean stores in LA. They most likely continued to shop in that particular store. I've seen us continue to spend money with Arabs/Koreans who commit atrocities against us.
My last example:
When I was in college, my boyfriend had organized a picket and boycott of the Arabian grocery store in his neighborhood.
Apparently, one of the owners had offered a 12 year old AA girl money in exchange for sex. When the girl refused, Mr. Arab assaulted her and fondled her against her will. The girl escaped out of the store; the police were called and Mr. Arab was arrested.
As I walked my boyfriend's picket line, I watched MANY colored slaves from that neighborhood cross the picket line to shop in that store. This was after I and others had told them in great detail what had happened.
[They already knew what had happened. They lived in that area, and word had gotten around. But they were pretending not to know. Some of these slaves were my boyfriend's neighbors whom he had gone to their homes to TELL them about the whole incident. He pointed out several neighbors who were pretending not to know.]
I recall that one Negro told me that "just wanted to get a taste." ["buy some alcohol"] When I pointed out the OTHER non-Black-owned stores a COUPLE OF BLOCKS away, the Negro said that was too far to go. This store was more convenient.
I will say this in fairness: From what I can tell, the Koreans are all about the money and not "extra pleasures." I rarely hear tales of Koreans attempting to grope, or exchange sex for groceries with "the natives." I also don't hear of Koreans allowing gang members to sell drugs out the back of their stores. Arabs do all of the above.
And AAs will continue to shop with these people.
Speaking of my observations of my own ethnic group:
AAs don't care about quality. If we did, we wouldn't shop in the Korean/Arab businesses in Black areas. We shop in these stores for the following emotional reasons:
1-Crabs in a barrel/jealousy of Black business owners. It's the same farmer's fable that Foxycleopatra recounted.
2-Shopping with Black businesses feels like segregation. In our minds, shopping with non-Blacks = FREEDOM. This is the twisted message that we took away from Dr. King's efforts.
Peace, blessings and solidarity.
My memory finally clicked in. The AA girl who was killed in LA was named Latasha Harlins.
From Wikipedia:
"The South Los Angeles store, Empire Liquor, was normally staffed by Du's husband and son. However, on the morning of the shooting, Du was working behind the counter because her son had received death threats from local gang members against whom he was testifying in court and her husband was out resting in the family's van.
In a video captured by the security camera in the store, Latasha Harlins was seen putting a bottle of orange juice into her backpack. Du observed this action by Harlins, but apparently did not notice that Harlins had then approached the store's counter with money in her hand. Empire Liquor had experienced frequent incidents involving criminal activities such as shoplifting and burglary. Du physically confronted Harlins by grabbing Harlins by the sweater and attempting to confiscate her backpack by force. Harlins defended herself by striking Du three times, knocking Du on her bottom. Du then threw a stool and immediately reached under the counter to retrieve a handgun. Harlins threw the orange juice that was the source of the conflict onto the counter, turned and started to leave the store. Du fired at Harlins from behind and shot her in the back of her head, then claims she fainted.[1][2]
Du's husband, Billy Heung Ki Du, heard the shot and rushed into the store. After speaking with his bruised wife, who falsely[3] claimed to have been robbed before fainting, he dialed 9-1-1 to report the shooting and supposed theft. Paramedics soon arrived. However, it was too late; Harlins was already dead, her two dollars still in her left hand.[4]
Du testified on her own behalf, even claiming that it was self-defense and that her life was in danger, but her words were contradicted by the videotape and the statements of the two witnesses present at the time.[5] Du was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and was subsequently sentenced to five years probation, four-hundred hours of community service, and US$500.00 fine. The sentence was decided by Judge Joyce Karlin. The jury in Du's trial had recommended a 16-year jail sentence."
And, to this day, Negroes across the US continue to shop in Korean stores.
Khadija said:
For just one example, just imagine if God allowed everyone to "attract" the car of their dreams into their lives. There would be so many Hummers, Escalades, and SUVs rolling around in general that it would hasten the planet's demise.
My response:
This is not what the Law of Attraction is about. The law of attraction is not just about "wishes." I have used and continue to use the Law of Attraction and other laws to create the life I want to live. The law of attraction is about using your attention, focus and energy to create the life you DESIRE. The law of Desire is another law that is often overlooked (and misunderstood) by many of those who say they want to achieve something. The law of desire states that if you expect something to happen you need to have a deep, cutting desire, longing and want for it to happen a desire so deep that it knows no defeat and demands satisfaction. This type of true desire manifests itself as the willingness to do WHATEVER (the law of action) it takes (without hurting others lol) to get the the object of your desire.
Those slaves that you mentioned...many of them used the law of desire and the law of attraction probably without knowing it. Allow me to prove it. Harriet Tubman, escaped from slavery and freed many other slaves (sometimes at gunpoint) while other slaves simply WISHED they could be free but remained enslaved. Why is that? She was born a slave just like them, and probably believed many of the negative things about herself that they believed. She also faced the same punishments. So why was she able to free herself and not the others? Well I'm going to put myself out there to be flamed by saying that those slaves who remained enslaved while Harriet Tubman freed herself and others did not "wish" to be free ENOUGH. People who truly desire something find a way to bring their desire into reality no matter how dire their circumstances. This FACT is often rejected (because it is politically incorrect LOL and has other implications); but I will testify here, that this very fact is one of the keys of my ability to be successful at things others believe are impossible.
There are many laws that I live by and the Law of Desire, The Law of Attraction and The Law of Action are just three of those laws.
I recommend reading "Think And Grow Rich: A Black Choice" by Dennis Kimbro. I believe that he takes many of these laws of success and does well at explaining them.
I also want to state that there are things in the this world that ARE out of your control and there are things that are IN your control. I have heard people say for example that "if someone robs you, you attracted it." This is a COMPLETE misunderstanding of the law of attraction. I know, because I have studied and consciously applied these laws for the past 18 years of my life. (although sometimes we can attract negative things to us; but this is not always the case)
I'm sorry for the long post; but I truly believe that people NEED to understand these laws if they want to achieve BIG things.
One last point: No matter what happens in your life YOU are ALWAYS in control of your response to that situation. Make sure that what you say you "wish" for is truly what you want and be willing to do whatever it takes to achieve that thing. If you find that you are not willing to pay the price then you DO NOT want it enough. And as you try to figure out how to achieve your goal, remember, there are often an infinite number of ways to achieve any goal, "wish" or desire.
Okay, I'm going to shut up now. LOL Stepping off my soapbox. :-)
I feel sorry for the girl and her family.
I agree the store clerk should have done time in prison. The people in that area should not re-elect that Judge. Yes, the owner lied to cover for the murder. What the girl did does not fit with being shot. Sometimes young people make bad judgement calls.
On the other hand, why put unpaid merchandise in your bags? That action is only asking for trouble.
When I walk into any store I am assuming there are cameras watching what I do and the same goes for these corner stores...who are TOO DARN HIGH IN THE FIRST PLACE. No one should be at the local corner store shopping(basket full) for groceries. And, I have seen people buy a few days worth of groceries at the corner store- that is not spending ones limited resources well. Pay someone or get a cab and go to a less expensive store. I hear the excuses why one cannot do this and save themselves a few dollars. Also, the meats in those corner stores are not always the best quality.
And, yes "we" still patronize other race stores in masses...knowing that many of these people have disdain for most of us.
I was in a seafood store one evening and this blk. guy was complaining(a bit nasty) about his food. And, he gave the food back to the clerk so that she could straighten the order out. All I could think about was after that type of behavior you do not know that clerk is doing to your food.
A few years ago I bought some Chineese food that smelled like urine.
Recently, another restaurant I could almost swear I smelled a little urine. Maybe it is time for me to stay out of those types of restaurants.
I have noticed when the restaurant owners are eating their foods they are not eating what we are eating...makes you think. Actually, I do not buy those foods as much as I once did because they are full of salt, empty calories and unhealthy oils or grease.
just my opinion
@ Foxycleopatra,
I am tripping that the people went back to that store after all that happened.
I am in a quandry as all the local stores/gas stations in my moms neighborhood are owned by someone else.
I have to shop miles away for groceries as it is overpriced and poor quality locally and I have personal issues with some of the gas station owners (sexual harassment).
There was only one shop I felt comfortable going to and it is run by Africans, but I think they may be closing.
@ Khadija,
You have messed me up with the non black front person. LOL Gosh, that is so sad, but true. I guess subconsciously that is why in designing both my web businesses I am using race neutral pictures and trying to conceal my identity as much as possible. I know that some businesses have about us info and have pics of the owners, but I think that would be a bad idea.
I am concerned about personal safety as I am one person (I don't know if that is valid or normal) and I am concerned about being pigeonholed.
I can do a google of my name alone or my business cell and in addition to my few professional credits I can find my fullname, age, dob, former addresses, and people who used to live with me growing up.
That scares me.
I remember the girl that was shot. I was young at the time, but I do remember seeing the store video. I would have driven them out of my neighborhood. I couldn't have dealt with that.
"2-Shopping with Black businesses feels like segregation. In our minds, shopping with non-Blacks = FREEDOM. This is the twisted message that we took away from Dr. King's efforts."
I used to have a Jamaican male friend who felt the same way. I wanted a pedicure and I found a salon owned by a woman from Cameroon - they needed some serious work though, but he told me the exact same thing - that I was segregating myself by seeking her out.
Hello there, Beverly!
What you're articulating is not what is being disseminated by many Black folks who have told me about these sorts of books.
A few thoughts:
What you're saying is sensible and logical. I've heard the same message phrased in other ways. I'll quote my favorite expression of that particular message: "You have to be as dedicated to meeting your goals as a crack addict is dedicated to getting their crack."
My previously stated objections to what I've been told about these books still stand. I will add that AAs are inclined to distort certain types of messages due to our cultural issues. Also, certain types of messages lend themselves to our style of mental distortion.
To sum it up, AAs love metaphysical ideas because we love magical thinking. And we have a tendency to convert any metaphysical message we hear into "magic." As one NOI minister described it, AAs love "pie in the sky, after we die." We generally don't like what's "sound, on the ground, while we're still around."
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Greetings, Anonymous!
You said, "I feel sorry for the girl and her family.
I agree the store clerk should have done time in prison. The people in that area should not re-elect that Judge. Yes, the owner lied to cover for the murder. What the girl did does not fit with being shot. Sometimes young people make bad judgement calls."
Making bad calls is the nature of childhood and adolescence.
You said, "On the other hand, why put unpaid merchandise in your bags? That action is only asking for trouble."
This statement of yours goes a long way to explain why things are as they are. NO other race of people LOOK for "reasons" to try to minimize the abuse, molestation, or in this case the MURDER, of their female children BY OUTSIDERS.
You said, "A few years ago I bought some Chineese food that smelled like urine.
Recently, another restaurant I could almost swear I smelled a little urine. Maybe it is time for me to stay out of those types of restaurants."
Do ya think?
___________________
Hello there, Aphrodite!
You said, "@ Khadija, You have messed me up with the non black front person. LOL Gosh, that is so sad, but true."
Guurl, you know this is true. That is, if the Black owner is SERIOUS about getting the money.
I've seen too many Black businesses fail in large part because the owner had romantic notions about AAs having Black pride. Many of us don't want to admit to ourselves that our people are that deranged and self-hating. But we are.
As Evia said, we have to "...to get tougher and shrewder in their thinking. I don't want bw to BEHAVE in tough manner, but I want them to BE tough and shrewd in their ***thinking*** and move shrewdly and with stealth (thanks to sista-blogger CW for stressing the importance of "stealth")--and always with a smile."
This means leaving Fantasy Island. Including the fantasy that "if I offer AA consumers excellent goods and services, then they will support me as a Black business owner."
NOT! As I said earlier, AA consumer decisions have next to nothing to do with quality. It's mostly about dysfunctional, emotional thinking.
And yes, BW also need to be tough-minded and shrewd about protecting their personal safety. There are a LOT of criminals and lunatics out there on the loose.
Peace, blessings and solidarity.
Khadija said:
"One thing that I don't care for about that sort of material is that it justifies unjust status quos: Just imagine if the slaves or concentration camp prisoners were training their minds "to attract freedom into their lives."
The other angle that bothers me about that sort of material is its lack of recognition that oftentimes God denies people's wishes for the sake of their own individual well-being as well as overall humanity's survival.
If everyone was permitted unfettered abilities to "attract" their greatest wishes into reality, then life on Earth would end very quickly. This would be the result of the cumulative effect of most people's selfish and unwise desires being granted.
Furthermore, life on Earth would literally be a living HELL during the time period before it came to an accelerated end. Most people wish for things that are harmful in and of themselves. Most people wish for things and circumstances that are harmful in the aggregate."
You hit the nail on the head, which is the main reason I don't like "The Secret." It doesn't give an in-depth explanation about the Law of Attraction. According to "The Secret," if you don't get what you want, it's because you're doing something wrong. It makes life sound like a shopping list, which is ego-based.
However, there are far superior books on the topic that go more into the complexities. For example, in "Creating Money" by Sanaya Roman, it states that if something is not for your higher good, you won't be able to manifest it. Your soul will block it from happening. Or the timing may not be right. Also, you cannot override another person's free will. People sometimes attract seemingly negative events because their soul is gaining something from the experience. Of course, the soul and personality are often in conflict, lol.
Sonia Choquette teaches that you are a "co-creator" with God: you can't force things to happen on your own.
All of this is left out of "The Secret." In my opinion "The Secret" is dangerous because it only tells half the story, leaving out very important parts.
Hello there, Aisha!
You said, "However, there are far superior books on the topic that go more into the complexities. For example, in "Creating Money" by Sanaya Roman, it states that if something is not for your higher good, you won't be able to manifest it...
...Sonia Choquette teaches that you are a "co-creator" with God: you can't force things to happen on your own.
All of this is left out of "The Secret." In my opinion "The Secret" is dangerous because it only tells half the story, leaving out very important parts."
THANK YOU so much for mentioning higher-quality books that deal with these same topics.
I've heard so many Black folks run wild (and off a spiritual cliff as far as I'm concerned) with The Secret. Which made this particular book immediately suspect, in my eyes. This is because, as I noted above, our people have a penchant for magical thinking, and things that support magical thinking.
I'll have to look into the Creating Money book.
Peace, blessings and solidarity.
Hello All,
I have a massive library with these types of books in them. I literally have 2 40 gallon plastic tubs full.
After I left missionary Baptist, I drifted to various denominations until I found my last one - Unitarian.
I bought everything Hay, Price, the transcendentalists....you name it.
I think there is value in it, but I feel that some people take it too far and have no business dealing with/trying to heal wounded people.
It is so funny that Mr. mansharing, cheating is ok as long as he doesn't disrespect you to your face, I love sex workers and more BW should be that sexually open, Michael B the radio personality has been hyping this big time. As if someone that irresponsible and wacked out needs to be teaching spirituality.
In addition to the magical thinking I think it can force BW into self hatred/loathing, and self blame.
On the mild side I have been blamed for my inability to have a successful relationship with BM because apparently I have a leaking cesspool lurking somewhere in the inner crevices of my being/aura etc and I am attracting what I put out. Luckily I didn't go for the okey- doke.
And I say mild because I had the presence of mind to reject this out of hand.
But I am sure that lots of BW who are already beaten down and feel flawed - won't. They will get stuck and I am sure all kinds of dysfunction can follow.
In another instance I have had people blame me for the sexual abuse and other abuses I endured. Saying that I attracted it into my life to teach me something or that I agreed to it before I arrived on earth to teach me something.
These people suggested that I try to improve/mend/heal my abusers by changing my vibrations/thoughts to ones of love and forgiveness.
Reaching a point where you forgive is one thing but suggesting that I have a relationship with my abuser, or that they are the way they are because of me, or that it is my responsibility to heal them - is just beyond me.
It threw me for a loop when I heard this, but eventually I rejected it.
But again, I am sure that there are many BW who won't and who will get bogged down in a pointless holding pattern or start beating up on themselves more.
Hello there, Aphrodite!
Thank you for generously and bravely sharing your experiences with us. What you've described are unfortunately perfect examples of the dangers of these sorts of materials.
Let me drop the "diplomacy speak" for a moment; and finally say straight up what I feel about the bulk of this stuff: Most of it is EVIL because it actively helps promote Satan's agenda.
You said, "I have a massive library with these types of books in them. I literally have 2 40 gallon plastic tubs full.
After I left missionary Baptist, I drifted to various denominations until I found my last one - Unitarian.
I bought everything Hay, Price, the transcendentalists....you name it.
I think there is value in it, but I feel that some people take it too far and have no business dealing with/trying to heal wounded people."
I've heard of accounts where people have harmed grievously ill, desperate people with these materials (i.e., cancer patients).
You said, "It is so funny that Mr. mansharing, cheating is ok as long as he doesn't disrespect you to your face, I love sex workers and more BW should be that sexually open, Michael B the radio personality has been hyping this big time. As if someone that irresponsible and wacked out needs to be teaching spirituality."
There are various warning signals about ideas and materials. The fact that the masses of Black folks are actually reading something is one warning signal. That's a tip-off that whatever we're reading is probably harmful.
I know this sounds harsh, but let's consider it for a moment. Is there anything at all that's POPULAR among AAs that is actually healthy and life-giving? Nope. We DON'T gravitate to good, healthy, or wholesome things.
Also, note that most self-proclaimed Black Christians do NOT actually read the Bible. Most self-proclaimed Muslim Blacks do not actually read the Quran on a regular basis. We are sick and have an aversion to that which could actually heal us. Instead, we gravitate toward things that help maintain our sickness.
The other huge warning signal is when OPEN and NOTORIOUS predators like Michael Baisden are promoting certain materials. They only promote ideas and materials that support their "hunt."
You said, "In addition to the magical thinking I think it can force BW into self hatred/loathing, and self blame."
Like I said earlier in this thread, these materials tend to support unjust status quos. Those who are oppressed are blamed for their oppression. Those who are victimized are blamed for their victimization. Those who are gravely ill are blamed for their illness. This is evil.
You said, "On the mild side I have been blamed for my inability to have a successful relationship with BM because apparently I have a leaking cesspool lurking somewhere in the inner crevices of my being/aura etc and I am attracting what I put out. Luckily I didn't go for the okey- doke.
And I say mild because I had the presence of mind to reject this out of hand.
But I am sure that lots of BW who are already beaten down and feel flawed - won't. They will get stuck and I am sure all kinds of dysfunction can follow."
MOST BW DON'T have the presence of mind to reject messages that are anti-them. They're already beaten down; and this stuff is used as opening up yet another can of "whoop-a**" on BW.
You said, "In another instance I have had people blame me for the sexual abuse and other abuses I endured. Saying that I attracted it into my life to teach me something or that I agreed to it before I arrived on earth to teach me something.
These people suggested that I try to improve/mend/heal my abusers by changing my vibrations/thoughts to ones of love and forgiveness.
Reaching a point where you forgive is one thing but suggesting that I have a relationship with my abuser, or that they are the way they are because of me, or that it is my responsibility to heal them - is just beyond me.
It threw me for a loop when I heard this, but eventually I rejected it."
This is an example of Satan speaking through his agents. We need to understand that evil is REAL and actively promoted by its agents.
Even if we don't believe that an entity named "Satan" exists, we need to understand that there IS something (by any term that one wants to name it, bad vibes, etc.) loose in the world that WANTS to HURT us!
This is one reason why I can't stand the modern tendency to make everything into a psychiatric, psychological, mental health issue. Satan likes this modern tendency because it helps enable his agents to get over.
We need to recognize that some people are simply evil and ENJOY harming others. Period. Full stop.
You said, "But again, I am sure that there are many BW who won't and who will get bogged down in a pointless holding pattern or start beating up on themselves more."
This is true. There are many BW whose suffering is being increased by the use and misuse of these materials as we speak.
Peace, blessings and solidarity.
It's interesting. Foxycleopatra's African fables have really hit a chord with me. Because they are accurate descriptions of how many humans actually behave. Especially the 2nd one where the man is willing to be blinded in one eye to ensure that his neighbor will be blinded in both eyes.
All of this reminds me of an Iraqi parable told by a Sunni cleric:
There were 3 men competing to see which one of them was the most evil.
Man #1 said that he would beat a woman. So, Man #3 found a woman for him to beat.
Man #2 said that he would was do something even worse, and rape a woman. So, Man #3 presented him with the same woman so he could rape her.
The first two men asked Man #3 what evil deed he would commit that could possibly surpass what they had done.
Man #3 said, "That was my mother that I gave to you."
...Wow...
The Iraqi cleric specifically compared Man #3 to the Iraqis who are collaborating with the US military in Iraq; but unfortunately, this sort of evil behavior can be seen across the board in real life.
For example, mothers who allow their sexual predator boyfriends to molest their children, etc.
Peace, blessings and solidarity.
Even if we don't believe that an entity named "Satan" exists, we need to understand that there IS something (by any term that one wants to name it, bad vibes, etc.) loose in the world that WANTS to HURT us!
Girl, this is SO true! It doesn't matter the entity's name. I became acutely aware of this "IT-force" about 15 years ago. In my family these days, we refer to the IT-force as the MANEATER, represented as a large feline-appearing life-form that sits off in the shadows of a person's life watching and waiting patiently for the opportunity to pounce. I've explained to my children that the maneater is a lurking, opportunistic "force" or predator that takes advantage or exploits of human weaknesses, fears, insecurities, confusion, needs, ignorance, and various base emotions to devour a person emotionally, physically, spiritually, etc. whenever the person allows the maneater the opportunity to do so.
I don't think I ever subscribed to the notion of "evil" as it's conceptualized and presented by AAs BECAUSE of the passive way AAs deal with "evil." Lawdy, black folks will be praying loud and hard for the Lord to get rid of the evil around them, but will allow the evil thing/person to to sit right next to them on the church pew or live right in their house or neighborhood. They can KNOW that a person (of whatever race or group or even a neighbor or family member) is doing foul things, just as the way you've described the interactions of many AAs with Asian merchants, yet they'll keep complaining and praying (in some cases) but keep on going back for more foul treatment instead of showing that foul person the door, or showing them their backside and never going near them again. Obviously, their self-hate, cowardice, or feelings of helplessness or whatever is more intense than the disrespect/pain they feel from the Asians or these other offending/destructive folks, many of whom are black.
Anyway, re AA folks views about evil and being proactive to solve problems, I was at a meeting yesterday with some hoity-toity bw and one woman said she told her sister (a woman who hasn't done well in life) that if you pray to God to do something, you don't need to do anything else or worry anymore because you've given it to God. SMH This is the kind of thinking that sadly flourishes among too many AA women of all income groups. This is why so many of them are miserable this morning. Yet, they will tell me that I'm "lucky," for living the way I do--when in actuality, any "luck" I've had comes from paying close attention to my decision-making skills, so that I can make decisions that protect and promote my interests, at least the overwhelming majority of the time.
BTW, I also got into a heated exchange with a couple of them at the meeting about the connection shown by research between overweight and terrible diseases--with two of these sistas claiming that the research is HYPE and that bw are just fine the way they are because bw are naturally BIG. (One of these women was way overweight and the other one wasn't that far away from the first.)
(sighing) I know, Khadija--I know that I should have learned by now to keep my mouth shut about the weight issue-LOL!-but I obviously still haven't learned my lesson. I'm trying though because I realize now that there's a LOT more than weight involved with the weight issue.
Anyway, as they finished their meal with large hunks of cheesecake for dessert, I apologized to them because apparently I really shook up their magical thinking world. Maneater was all up in that cheesecake and surrounding us there. I could just sense a part of Maneater grinning at me and saying "You lost; I won." LOL!!
Anyway, MOST AA women I encounter do NOT think things through and therefore they're constantly at the mercy of Maneater. MOST of their problems and misery these days is self-inflicted.
So that force--whether it's called "evil" or "maneater" or the "IT-force" is always lurking, looking for any little opportunity to bring a person low. And if you belong to a family, community, group, etc. that has no effective, organized and ongoing PRACTICAL way (socially, financially, culturally, politically, etc.) of combatting the force, then IT can claim a lot of victims and this is what we see happening among AAs now and throughout the black world where so many blacks "claim" to be aware of "evil," but do not understand the wily ways of the Maneater.
I've vowed to Maneater many times in my life: "I will not let YOU win," because I'm just that determined. I've taught my children about the ways of Maneater, but I tell them not to ever talk about it because others (who are being devoured by Maneater will think they're crazy.)
Now this may really sound crazy, but I don't look at Maneater as being bad; it's just opportunistic and hungry. IT, too, is trying to survive but it can only survive and thrive if we give it opportunities, so in my little neck of the woods, we've DECIDED to not give it opportunities to bring us low.
Hi, Evia!
If I had a dime for every time I've heard a victimized Black person ask: "Why did _______ do that to ME? I never did anything to _______." I would be rich.
What many of us refuse to understand is that "IT" and "IT'S agents" don't need a "reason" to hurt people. They hurt people because they LIKE hurting people! They hurt people because they CAN.
In its own way, "IT" serves God's purpose. That's why He allows "IT" to exist. Humans are supposed to be actively working to protect ourselves against "IT." In fact, God instructed the believers to do so. If we choose NOT to do so, then that's on us.
"IT" is very patient, and will use any and all means to hurt us. You pointed this out when you said:
"In my family these days, we refer to the IT-force as the MANEATER, represented as a large feline-appearing life-form that sits off in the shadows of a person's life watching and waiting patiently for the opportunity to pounce. I've explained to my children that the maneater is a lurking, opportunistic "force" or predator that takes advantage or exploits of human weaknesses, fears, insecurities, confusion, needs, ignorance, and various base emotions to devour a person emotionally, physically, spiritually, etc. whenever the person allows the maneater the opportunity to do so."
Another angle that I've noticed with "IT" is that "IT" seems to prefer following the vampire-fable-tradition of being INVITED IN to people's lives. "IT" doesn't like to have to kick-in the door to somebody's life and perform a home-invasion. Now, "IT" will kick in the door at times, but "IT" prefers to be invited in. Which is what most AAs do with our passivity.
You said, "Anyway, re AA folks views about evil and being proactive to solve problems, I was at a meeting yesterday with some hoity-toity bw and one woman said she told her sister (a woman who hasn't done well in life) that if you pray to God to do something, you don't need to do anything else or worry anymore because you've given it to God. SMH This is the kind of thinking that sadly flourishes among too many AA women of all income groups. This is why so many of them are miserable this morning."
"Maneater/IT" also works overtime to distort religious doctrines. Maneater has many, many agents within many houses of worship. Maneater will use anything at all to further its agenda. Maneater is very resourceful.
You said, "Yet, they will tell me that I'm "lucky," for living the way I do--when in actuality, any "luck" I've had comes from paying close attention to my decision-making skills, so that I can make decisions that protect and promote my interests, at least the overwhelming majority of the time."
More Maneater-inspired thought-patterns. You've been using your God-given common sense and brains! These are blessings that God gave us. He wants us to use them!
This is something else that Black folks need to truly understand. Not all of our thoughts are our own. Some of our thoughts come from us. Some of our thoughts come from God. Some of our thoughts come from Maneater. If we take a moment to reflect, we can often tell which thoughts are coming from which source. That is, unless our minds are too weak from lack of use. Or unless we've come under the sway of distorted doctrines and ideologies.
You said, "(sighing) I know, Khadija--I know that I should have learned by now to keep my mouth shut about the weight issue-LOL!-but I obviously still haven't learned my lesson. I'm trying though because I realize now that there's a LOT more than weight involved with the weight issue."
You told them right! And may God bless you for bothering to do that. I know how tiresome it can be. More of us who know better need to speak out about the obesity issue and all the issues surrounding it. Obesity-related issues are the reason why so many BW are dropping like flies!
You said, "Anyway, as they finished their meal with large hunks of cheesecake for dessert, I apologized to them because apparently I really shook up their magical thinking world. Maneater was all up in that cheesecake and surrounding us there. I could just sense a part of Maneater grinning at me and saying "You lost; I won." LOL!!"
Oh, you never know. You might have planted a seed of some life-saving ideas in their heads.
You said, "I've taught my children about the ways of Maneater, but I tell them not to ever talk about it because others (who are being devoured by Maneater will think they're crazy.)"
Yep. It's NOT PC to talk about the existence of evil nowadays.
You said, "Now this may really sound crazy, but I don't look at Maneater as being bad; it's just opportunistic and hungry. IT, too, is trying to survive but it can only survive and thrive if we give it opportunities, so in my little neck of the woods, we've DECIDED to not give it opportunities to bring us low."
Yep. Maneater is serving the purpose that God has allowed for it. Humans are SUPPOSED to be actively resisting it. Instead of passively watching it take huge chomps out us and everybody around us. Instead of whining about "Why's this happening to me? I never did nuthin' to nobody."
Peace, blessings and solidarity.
Wonderful information here ladies from an eye-opening topic. Black folks better recognize as the young folks say these days. Get what you can, learn what you can in order that you may compete with the best of them when the time comes in this US/Global village.
Anyway, here are some job links to those who may want to explore teaching English overseas. I believe that one needs to at least have a BA. Many people teach English during the day and take on contract assingments in the evening (in Japan & Korea especially) to earn extra money. Passing on ladies.....
Jacob Peebles / ESLemployment.com jpeebles@eslemployment.com
Please tell anyone else you may know as well to check out the available jobs (just forward them this E-mail). We've separated them out by region to make things easy to browse.
Jobs In Europe: http://www.eslemployment.com/esl-jobs/europe/
Jobs In North America:
http://www.eslemployment.com/esl-jobs/north-america/
Jobs In South America:
http://www.eslemployment.com/esl-jobs/south-america/
Jobs In Middle East:
http://www.eslemployment.com/esl-jobs/middle-east/
Jobs In Korea:
http://www.eslemployment.com/esl-jobs/korea/
Jobs In Asia:
http://www.eslemployment.com/esl-jobs/asia/
Jobs In Africa:
http://www.eslemployment.com/esl-jobs/africa/
Jobs Online:
http://www.eslemployment.com/esl-jobs/online/Thanks as always for being part of our ESL/EFL community. Warm regards, Jacob Peebles ESLemployment.com http://www.eslemployment.com
http://www.esl-lesson-plan.com
http://www.esl-school.com
http://www.esl-jobs-forum.com
[-560.528214-]
A good friend of mine is a respiratory therapist making super $. The company she went through was Helen Zeigler & Associates. http://www.hziegler.com/
You will need to register and apply with all these places. It will take time to go through all of them, but you should check them all out. Most are for Middle East connections, but they also have Asian and European job info too. As US expats, $85,500. per year is all you can make tax free. After that, you will be taxed on perks too, but housing and transpo should be included. You have to check with each company. Good luck to all. Lorraine
http://www.teleportmyjob.com/dubaigoxaec.aspx?ref=g1u
http://www.expatfocus.com/middle-east-expat-jobs
http://www.expatfocus.com/expatriate-saudi-arabia-employment
sign up with ideed http://www.indeed.com/ I get jobs from Puerto Rico everyday.
http://www.expatfocus.com/expatriate-jobs All countries
http://www.expatwatercooler.com/
http://www.expatwatercooler.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=48&Itemid=55 mid east job listings from above site
http://www.expatua.com/index.php?id=178 great jobs in the Ukraine
http://jobs.shanghaiexpat.com/index.html shanghai, china
http://www.expatitjobs.com/ expat IT jobs
http://www.expatmedicaljobs.com/ medical jobs
http://www.expatnetwork.com/
http://www.expatforum.com/articles/jobs/ forum with info
http://www.learn4good.com/jobs/asia_expat_employment_search.htm
http://www.expat.us/
http://expat.job-quest.net/
http://jobs.theexpatdirectory.com/
http://www.expatwomen.com/job/expat_assignments_are_you_addicted.php
For all RNs.....Here is all the information on the DNP or Doctor of Nursing Practice programs. The general thinking is that the master programs (MSN) leading to positions such as Nurse Practitioner, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Nurse Anesthetist, Nurse Midwife, Nurse Administrator, and Clinical nurse leader require as much credit as a doctorate program anyway so why not grant a doctorate for all that education?
This degree differs from the Ph.D. and DNS (Doctor of Nursing Science) programs in that those are research focused. The newer DNP has clinical focus and offers the highest level of skilled nursing to be obtained. This is great info. Anyone considering a master's level nursing programs should skip it and go straight to the DNP. The model is for BS or MS or Ph.D direct transition to DNP. Check with your local schools to find out the right path for you depending upon your credits. There are scholarships at various schools and maybe the different nursing associations offer some too.
It would be so nice for some of the HBCUs to get with the program and offer the DNP as well. That is beside the point and I say get the education where you can. Worth checking into! From RN to Doctorate? That's allright.
Good luck all the takers!
DNP General Information
Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_of_Nursing_Science
DNP Detailed Information
American Association of Colleges of Nursing info on DNP (this is how it got started) http://www.aacn.nche.edu/DNP/factsheet.htm
More from AACN regarding DNP Boards and other need to know info http://www.aacn.nche.edu/DNP/index.htm
George Washington University Program http://www.gwumc.edu/healthsci/programs/dnp/index.cfm
All the schools/universities that offer the DNP program http://www.aacn.nche.edu/DNP/DNPProgramList.htm
Hello Khadija,
No problem with sharing. I hope it helps someone.
" There are various warning signals about ideas and materials. The fact that the masses of Black folks are actually reading something is one warning signal. That's a tip-off that whatever we're reading is probably harmful.
I know this sounds harsh, but let's consider it for a moment. Is there anything at all that's POPULAR among AAs that is actually healthy and life-giving? Nope. We DON'T gravitate to good, healthy, or wholesome things."
Wow now that is a deep analysis. I never would have considered that angle, but your point is valid in light of the facts that if a group of people who have deep dysfunctions and are not doing anything to deal with those dysfunctions begin to gravitate towards something then it needs to be critically examined.
" Also, note that most self-proclaimed Black Christians do NOT actually read the Bible. Most self-proclaimed Muslim Blacks do not actually read the Quran on a regular basis. We are sick and have an aversion to that which could actually heal us. Instead, we gravitate toward things that help maintain our sickness."
Interesting points. The not reading/studying for yourself reminds me of the stories I heard where the minister was the only one who could read and thought to be the definitive source on all matters religious.
I guess that falls into magical thinking as well. People are trusting too much - that the minister/leader has studied, is moral, has their best interests at heart and that everything will be ok.
I think I drunk a bit of similar kool aid when I converted to an African religion. I think I threw the baby out with the bathwater when I left Christianity, but I won't go back because I have so many horrible abuse based triggers that I would have to work through just to get through one service.
But I think that somewhere in the back of my mind I romanticized African traditional religion and thought that because it was different that it would be absent of dysfunction. Yes, fantasy island. I now see that people take their dysfunctions and degeneracy with them when they come into the religion and that Africans have issues too.
My religion is different in that it exists in a system of eldership/mentoring and it is oral, with very few credible translated texts. Also there is no corporate body that effectively monitors the deeds of its elders/teachers across the ocean.
I feel that the way it is set up probably worked well in among the tribes/traditional societies that it was created in, but it simply won't fly in the West and opens the door to all kinds of well, unchecked evil.
Especially when you compound it with the fantasy island thinking, support a BM no matter what, defending the indefensible, and I am seeing this happen before my very eyes.
I am still very drawn to my religion, but I make sure that I have my thinking cap on when dealing with people and I see all relationships as a contract which I expect to be reciprocal and which must be held to a high standard.
" The other huge warning signal is when OPEN and NOTORIOUS predators like Michael Baisden are promoting certain materials. They only promote ideas and materials that support their "hunt.""
The scary part is that many see this guy as a 'thinker' and as 'helping people'.
" Those who are oppressed are blamed for their oppression. Those who are victimized are blamed for their victimization. Those who are gravely ill are blamed for their illness. This is evil."
Very true. Once I turned my back on this - I did it completely. I just couldn't stomach it.
" This is one reason why I can't stand the modern tendency to make everything into a psychiatric, psychological, mental health issue. Satan likes this modern tendency because it helps enable his agents to get over.
We need to recognize that some people are simply evil and ENJOY harming others. Period. Full stop."
You know you are right. When it comes to crimes I have noticed that everyone is quick to say that the person was ill or not in their right mind and that is the end of the story. I can remember arguing about this when a woman killed her newborn a while back. I was of the mind that I didn't care whether she had post partum depression or not. She killed a baby.
Re Evia's post
" Anyway, MOST AA women I encounter do NOT think things through and therefore they're constantly at the mercy of Maneater. MOST of their problems and misery these days is self-inflicted."
I can look back over my life at long periods of needless suffering in one area or another with both amusement and anger because all I was missing was good information and timely right action.
I also think that BW are being lulled into not thinking. I think that there are campaigns all throughout the BC that encourage BW to shut off their brains. I can remember reaching out to others when I was going through some things and being told I think too much, not to dwell, and plenty of turn it over to God. It can be challenging to go against that when everyone around you is saying the same thing and they are all confirming and affirming one another. It made me feel like I was the crazy one.
" So that force--whether it's called "evil" or "maneater" or the "IT-force" is always lurking, looking for any little opportunity to bring a person low. And if you belong to a family, community, group, etc. that has no effective, organized and ongoing PRACTICAL way (socially, financially, culturally, politically, etc.) of combatting the force, then IT can claim a lot of victims and this is what we see happening among AAs now and throughout the black world where so many blacks "claim" to be aware of "evil," but do not understand the wily ways of the Maneater."
Well that about sums it up.
" Now this may really sound crazy, but I don't look at Maneater as being bad; it's just opportunistic and hungry. "
Interesting point of view I have found a similar view in my religion from my own research.
Pasing on sisters...Want to study or live abroad? Here's a few more links for universities overseas. Most offer free tuition for those would want to live and study abroad.
FYI -- this is the tuition free- exclusively English program offered in Finland for the Masters of International Development and Cooperation. I suggest you contact them directly for information on living, working while a student and other expenses. Could prove very worthwhile. I have about 3 African female friends living and going to school in Finland. A friend from South Africa is the one told me about this program. She just went there from Korea and will be there until she finishes the program. Except for those of us who got scholarships, most Americans don't even know of these opportunities for free education as we drown in student loans. Spread the word.
http://www.jyu.fi/ytk/laitokset/yfi/oppiaineet/intldev/en/
http://www.jyu.fi/ytk/laitokset/yfi/oppiaineet/intldev/en/studies
Most universities in Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Poland, UK and some others offer offer free tuition and all of Sweden's schools are, so you may want to check them out as well.
http://www.studyinsweden.se/templates/cs/GoogleMapsPage1____15312.aspx They offer programs in English too. You have to contact them for logistics but I am assuming there is housing and maybe even some work permits available to foreigners/foreign students. Germany is no longer free, but I think the tuition is still kinda low.
Here is info on the CELTA course that a friend took and upon passing the exam, she went to Poland. Another friend is in France right now having passed the exam too. We are on the BWIE (Black Women In Europe) and WAD (Women of the African Diaspora)networks.
http://www.cambridgeesol.org/exams/teaching-awards/celta.html
BBC Broadcast Journalism training program 2008-2009 (may be for UK residents only, not sure)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/jobs/jts/faq.shtml
Here is a link to the BBC where you can get a 12 week language course for free. They offer up to 36 different languages. Great stuff!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/
If anyone is interested in learning Greek and visiting or living in Greece, a friend who is desperately trying to get black students to enroll in the university where she has taught in Athens for the last 10 years. My friend is very disappointed because in all of her time there, she has only seen 3 black students. It is not free, but it is opportunity. http://odyssey.uindy.gr/ this website will give you information about the program as well as previous students experiences.
My friend has contacted the HBCUs, (one of the first things she did) but did not have much success in developing a partnership (I wonder why?) She thinks it may be a question of institutions not wanting to lose money even for one semester, also finding that the emphasis is placed on either the Caribbean or Africa.
Aphrodite wrote: "I can look back over my life at long periods of needless suffering in one area or another with both amusement and anger because all I was missing was good information and timely right action.
I also think that BW are being lulled into not thinking. I think that there are campaigns all throughout the BC that encourage BW to shut off their brains. I can remember reaching out to others when I was going through some things and being told I think too much, not to dwell, and plenty of turn it over to God. It can be challenging to go against that when everyone around you is saying the same thing and they are all confirming and affirming one another. It made me feel like I was the crazy one."
I've lived the identical experience! In fact, until I turned 30 this was how my entire life went down. No black woman in my environment had dared to analyze the toxic patterns that are endemic to our community. They simply existed, ignored or grouped together and lied to each other that all was well.
I'm sure I live 1000's of miles from Aphrodite, so to hear someone else describe this is really a trip.
As a young woman I instinctively knew that the group of older women who were over me were 'off'. So I hung back, and never clamored for their approval or for the chance to join their cliques like the other young women.
As a result, I can honestly tell you that some of the cruelest treatment I have ever received in my life was meted out by middle aged black women.
Thankfully, two older female relatives of mine have been wonderful mentors. They have helped balanced my opinion of women in that generation by not being afraid to speak the truth and refusing to play the games.
Regardless of if you agree with the content of this blog or not, this is why blogs like this and writers like Khadija are so important in this hour.
There is some truth going on here, and games are not tolerated. And it acts like a 'voice in the wilderness' to many black women who do not hear these sorts of teachings in their environments.
I can only imagine the difference it would have made in my teens and twenties to have been exposed to such empowering teachings. Lord knows I was searching for it.
As for the Maneater analogy, its actually quite scriptural. The bible states that Satan is as a roaring lion, seeking whom he can devour.
And yes, I too have seen and expressed my disgust at those who jump and holla about Satan, yet turn a blind eye to Lusty-Larry-With-The-Fast-Hands sitting up grinning in the pews each Sunday.
For this and many other gruesome reasons we are church homeless and are not being led to join up anywhere at this time.
Studying the bible and instructing our children ourselves has become standard practice.
In addition to the women here banding together to enforce wrong/non thinking, they also banded together to eat. Huge women with all the deadly diagnosis: hypertension, diabetes, depression, heart disease. But don't nobody try to tell them different, they just know "Jesus is going to do something" (actual quote here) to remedy their situation.
So they waddle off to the pastor who preaches about sowing seed money for miracles, but will not ever preach on the Seven Deadly Sins, one of which is gluttony.
With a title like the "7 DEADLY SINS" (say this in your Darth Vader voice) you'd think pulpits all over North America would keep this topic in heavy rotation.
However, if black people really started to analyze the effects of lust, envy, gluttony, sloth, greed, anger and pride in their lives- whole industries could be out of business.
This includes more than a few pastors.
Let the magical thinking continue, I guess.
Thanks again for this blog,
JJ
Greetings, Lorraine!
{standing ovation for the EXCELLENT information you've shared with for us}
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
____________________
Hello there Aphrodite!
You said, "... but your point is valid in light of the facts that if a group of people who have deep dysfunctions and are not doing anything to deal with those dysfunctions begin to gravitate towards something then it needs to be critically examined."
It ALL needs to be critically examined; but ESPECIALLY if large numbers of AAs are gravitating toward it!
You said, "The not reading/studying for yourself reminds me of the stories I heard where the minister was the only one who could read and thought to be the definitive source on all matters religious.
I guess that falls into magical thinking as well. People are trusting too much - that the minister/leader has studied, is moral, has their best interests at heart and that everything will be ok."
Exactly! And it's not just the minister/imam/priest that we MUST NOT blindly trust---the same applies for the mostly MEN who translated our various scriptures. The same applies for the mostly MEN who wrote almost all of the scripture commentaries, etc.
This is why I compare multiple translations of the Quran. Including a few modern ones that were translated (alone or with co-translators) by women. I would like to learn Arabic for myslef, but in the meantime I read several translations and commentaries. I don't blindly trust ANY religious professional.
First of all, even if their intentions are good, they are only human. And therefore fallible. Second, most male religious professionals' (who form the vast majority of the religious professional class) intentions are NOT good when it comes to women. Many of them are predators themselves. And the rest tend to be, at best, indifferent to the oppression of women.
You said, "I now see that people take their dysfunctions and degeneracy with them when they come into the religion and that Africans have issues too.
My religion is different in that it exists in a system of eldership/mentoring and it is oral, with very few credible translated texts. Also there is no corporate body that effectively monitors the deeds of its elders/teachers across the ocean.
I feel that the way it is set up probably worked well in among the tribes/traditional societies that it was created in, but it simply won't fly in the West and opens the door to all kinds of well, unchecked evil."
I'm happy that you can see this for yourself. I wasn't going to say anything, but since you've raised these issues yourself I feel more comfortable mentioning these angles.
I've met several BM who were involved in what they called traditional African religions. From what I could tell, their motives were all wrong.
There are particular dangers, and "styles" of exploitation, with traditional African religions that women must watch out for:
1-The lack of a credible written scripture enables self-proclaimed babalaos to make things up as they go along. The religion becomes whatever these men say it is. And who can say otherwise if there's very little to compare their proclamations with? What if the other elders that might be asked are in league with, or AFRAID of, the predator-babalao? Which enables the exploitation of women.
You said, "Especially when you compound it with the fantasy island thinking, support a BM no matter what, defending the indefensible, and I am seeing this happen before my very eyes."
2-There is a danger with any faith system that fosters the belief that its priests have the PERSONAL power to curse or bless others. This creates a situation where believers are frightened into seeking the babalaos' pleasure and fearing the babaloas' displeasure. This also enables the exploitation of women.
I've seen for myself (from a distance) how petty and vindictive these men can be. I've seen how they use the belief that they can curse others to instill FEAR (of THEM) in their followers.
You said, "I am still very drawn to my religion, but I make sure that I have my thinking cap on when dealing with people and I see all relationships as a contract which I expect to be reciprocal and which must be held to a high standard."
I hope you find peace and comfort in your religion. Let me stress that I am NOT trying to dissuade anyone from whatever spiritual path they feel works for them.
I am simply telling the truth as I see it, to the best of my ability. Across the board. I have pointed out the many, many avenues of exploitation within Islam. I am saying that women need to be aware of the particular dangers and "styles" of exploitation associated with each faith system.
Peace, blessings and solidarity.
Greetings, JJ!
You said, "For this and many other gruesome reasons we are church homeless and are not being led to join up anywhere at this time.
Studying the bible and instructing our children ourselves has become standard practice."
These are similar to the reasons why I haven't found a mosque to attend after my imam retired. That was years ago. And it's not like I'm actively looking. Oh well.
You said, "In addition to the women here banding together to enforce wrong/non thinking, they also banded together to eat. Huge women with all the deadly diagnosis: hypertension, diabetes, depression, heart disease. But don't nobody try to tell them different, they just know "Jesus is going to do something" (actual quote here) to remedy their situation." [emphasis added]
It was WRONG of me, but I was horrified and chuckled at the same time. This is mindless, SHARED craziness that you're describing here. Like lemmings. That's what would make it comical if it wasn't so tragic. These women are literally digging their graves with their forks. And they're doing it as a group. Sort of like a chain-gang.{shaking my head}
You said, "So they waddle off to the pastor who preaches about sowing seed money for miracles, but will not ever preach on the Seven Deadly Sins, one of which is gluttony.
With a title like the "7 DEADLY SINS" (say this in your Darth Vader voice) you'd think pulpits all over North America would keep this topic in heavy rotation.
However, if black people really started to analyze the effects of lust, envy, gluttony, sloth, greed, anger and pride in their lives- whole industries could be out of business.
This includes more than a few pastors.
Let the magical thinking continue, I guess."
And there you have it. A LOT of people and entities make their money off of our CONTINUED suffering. When various problems of ours get solved, certain people and entities either have a drastically reduced cashflow or they stop making money altogether. So, they have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. Even if it literally kills us.
You said, "Thanks again for this blog..."
You're welcome! And THANK YOU for your participation, encouragement and support!
Peace, blessings and solidarity.
Well I will just have to tell all of you that Lorraine is right on the money about opps abroad. BW must flee these hell holes and places of mediocrity. Many have but do it right. I know of one who tried without a plan she is know looking for help online. BW must get out of these holes we dug ourselves..babymama drama, drugs, single motherhood, low-pay jobs,obesity, lack of education and resources. We are always scrambling for something. Going overseas for some may be a good idea. Also one must leave all of this negativity behind to start new and fresh. Don't worry about your neighbor or friend just do it. Most black women will not get out of the ruts they are satisfied with their lives. Some of these sisters will get left behind.
By the way their is post on BWWDI about bw going to Vancouver for the 2010 olympics because there will be but-loads of Euro men there. She also suggested the single black women go to cultural events in Europe like jazz and blues fests because alot of Euro men go there too.
"A few years ago I bought some Chineese food that smelled like urine.
Recently, another restaurant I could almost swear I smelled a little urine. Maybe it is time for me to stay out of those types of restaurants."
There I was thinking that all Chinese food smells ike urine. I actually thought it was normal. Good Lord, what have I been eating???
"I have noticed when the restaurant owners are eating their foods they are not eating what we are eating...makes you think. Actually, I do not buy those foods as much as I once did because they are full of salt, empty calories and unhealthy oils or grease."
The same goes for the restaurant employees as well. I always wondered why the restaurant food they ate at lunch break always looked 'cleaner'.
I just wanted to agree with those commenters who were talking about evil. However, I just come out and say it.....it is the devil/satan/lucifer/prince of darkness/whatever you want to call it. My memory of scripture is quite rusty but I'm sure it goes something like: "The devil is like a roaring lion, roaming about, seeking whom to devour." He may come in the form of a human host, most times, people we know. Afterall, where do you think all this 'dodgy' advice comes from? These people aren't always stupid. Sometimes, infact, alot of the time, they are just evil. And I know where evil comes from.
That's why even though I cannot stand Palin, and as funny as I found the idea of her being prayed over against "winches and weezaads" (in my best Nigerian accent, yes I know, the pastor was Kenyan), I couldn't really blame her. If I was entering politics(or any other venture), I'd do the same.
I've seen evil walking around with my own eyes. Alot of our battles are not only in the physical but in the spiritual as well. I stopped beleiving any of the stories my Dad would tell of witches and 'native doctors' and 'dibia's' when he was growing up, but in the back of my head, I know that these folks were engaging in some ish. Because I was used to seeing children with autism or some behavioural problems being treated as if they were possessed by demons, I was always eager to ascribe some mental problem to any culprit who commits an evil act. But we have to realise that some people are just...plain evil.
That includes many of the DBR men walking about AND their female enablers.
Wow Lorraine those are a lot of links. I will have to set aside a day to go through all of that. Wow.
I am wondering though are degrees gained abroad recognized everywhere?
Hello JJ.
"No black woman in my environment had dared to analyze the toxic patterns that are endemic to our community. They simply existed, ignored or grouped together and lied to each other that all was well."
The killing part was that it took so long for me to realize that these were toxic patterns. I thought it was me the whole time. That I was messed up and toxic and that was the reason why all the "advice" I was getting wasn't working. I had no idea that there were all these layers and that people give bad advice because they don't know or don't care.
"As a result, I can honestly tell you that some of the cruelest treatment I have ever received in my life was meted out by middle aged black women."
I guess another fantasy belief that I need to examine is that "people who are older than you - always know better and should be trusted as well as have your best interest at heart."
I have heard "Now I won't tell you anything wrong" 5.2 million times and every time - they were wrong and my butt was in the hot seat for it. :)
It is so jacked up because I was raised to be respectful to my elders and to respect authority and so when I started seeing cracks in people and that things were not they way the seemed/or as people said and realizing there were layers - I was enraged to put it mildly.
Not that I would be disrespectful, but I just wish that someone had taken away the kumbaya kool aid and told me the real.
Hello Khadija,
"This is why I compare multiple translations of the Quran. Including a few modern ones that were translated (alone or with co-translators) by women. I would like to learn Arabic for myslef, but in the meantime I read several translations and commentaries. I don't blindly trust ANY religious professional."
Good point. Excellent point. The few texts we have were all done by men and the majority of those men weren't even AA or African - which enrages many in the religion.
"And the rest tend to be, at best, indifferent to the oppression of women."
I have seen this too - too often.
"I am saying that women need to be aware of the particular dangers and "styles" of exploitation associated with each faith system."
Agreed.
Hello there, JaliliMaster!
You said, " He may come in the form of a human host, most times, people we know. Afterall, where do you think all this 'dodgy' advice comes from? These people aren't always stupid. Sometimes, infact, alot of the time, they are just evil."
Yep. I've been horrified to see several examples of BW deliberately giving bad advice to confused, younger BW. It was all quite foul.
Peace, blessings and solidarity.
Here is an article I came across this morning,
http://encarta.degreesandtraining.com/articles.jsp?article=featured_the_new_global_skill_set>1=27001
A friend of mine has had her mind opened to the many possibilities that exist for her careerwise, and personally, by this blog.
She is making plans and using her creativity and talent to make plans for taking control of her own destiny. Her plans are COMPLETLELY realistic. As she told me, she now sees possibilities and avenues to which she was previously blind.
I am so proud of her and so thankful that I was able to refer her to such a great resource as this and other blogs.
She told me that at first, all the info was kind of overwhelming and sad, but she got over that and accepted reality. Of course, this is reality that she has largely always known yet not acknowledged. (like so many of us!)
After that, she got excited about what could be if she was more proactive about her life. I am excited for her and everyone else out there, that I don't even know, who is drawing inspiration from these blogs.
ForeverLoyal,
You said, "A friend of mine has had her mind opened to the many possibilities that exist for her careerwise, and personally, by this blog.
She is making plans and using her creativity and talent to make plans for taking control of her own destiny. Her plans are COMPLETLELY realistic. As she told me, she now sees possibilities and avenues to which she was previously blind.
...She told me that at first, all the info was kind of overwhelming and sad, but she got over that and accepted reality. Of course, this is reality that she has largely always known yet not acknowledged. (like so many of us!)
After that, she got excited about what could be if she was more proactive about her life. I am excited for her and everyone else out there, that I don't even know, who is drawing inspiration from these blogs."-
I'm so happy to hear that! Yes, these ARE exciting times. It's the worst of times for the unaware (who will do a LOT of suffering). But it's also the best of times for those of us who are able to see and seize the possibilities!
I understand the initial shock and sadness that people feel when presented with certain types of information.
In some ways, I would compare it to the waning time of my childhood when I stopped believing in Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny. I was disappointed, and suddenly the world was less magical and special. But I was better off in the end. Letting go of childish pleasures and beliefs is the admission price for access to grown-up pleasures.
Peace, blessings and solidarity.
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