Hotep

According to the National Black Business Leage's Reserch..."We" Africans in America spend more than $20-billion dollars per year on personal hygine items. Now as we all know the "hair-weave" is big business and growing. All or mostly all the sisters and some brothers think they must have extentions, weaves, wigs or some other form of "Hair-Straighting" product to make it look more pleasing to them self and to others (of like mind) at a finominal cost that is make-ing mostly asians very rich at "Black" peoples expence. And we don't even care who is getting paid because we (give them all our mone) have totaly forgotten what it is like to be a "Nation"...so we happily, willingly give our "Money" away to who ever demands or ask for it. What does a asiatic person know about your black hair? The answer is...they don't have to know anything about your black nappy hair because you are going to mess it up and do every thing to change your hair to look like theirs or even worse...white folks. There is nothing more sick, ignorant, discusting, discraceful and out right foolish than to see a "Black" person with white, stringy, weak europen or asiatic hair stiched into their scalp or some other nappy hair straighting process to ruin your "Natural-Appearance"...but Why?? Does a people is they knew them self...$pen $oo much money make-ing other$ rich with out any concern of ware their money is going...out-side of their communities and control??

Ase`

Part #1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p96aaTSdrAE
Part #2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWeLiXHcSyU
Part #3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azfEeDRvdlc
Part #4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m67P2kT7TzQ

Thanks. Repugnant, indeed.

*Edit* What's worse than the fact that we throw our money away to the Koreans is that we feel the need to throw our money away at all.
And what's worse than that is that the Black Woman is the primary source of the child's ideals.
In most Black families, She is the sole voice of reason (or lack there of).
So, if the Woman is promoting that the child is not complete as she was created, then how secure of a Being will that child grow up to be?

We can sit around and convene all we want about how the dollar needs to stay in the Black community. And I am the first to state that it's a step in the positive direction. But the truth is that it has less to do with money than it does with women wanting to look like the same people they are trying to take the money from.
If Koreans wanted afros then we would be in the front of the picket lines insisting that we be the ones to manufacture said wigs/products since the idea of such came from our original design.

Just stop buying the **** altogether! Kill two birds with one stone.

(And I don't feel there is need for me to articulate the Brothers' role in this foolishness, as I have repeatedly done so).

All respect given Sefirot...

Simply put... it is not as simple as 'stop buying the stuff altogether!'

the fact of the matter is that there was always be a portion of Black women who want their hair straightened. The Korean community is only meeting the ancient law of supply and demand. Typically as a whole they look at enomically depressed and repressed areas and see gold mines and dollar signs. The first time we, as a group, get a little money we quickly leave the area and go to more 'desireable' parts of town.

Heck! One of the most up-and-coming expensive housing areas and business districts in my city... three years ago it was all black and all impoverished. The average property was bought for less than 15,000 and now those houses and businesses are going for well over 200,000. what the people who took the money and ran, justly so, didn't know is that the same loans avaiable to the contractor for these historic plots were also availiable to them.

we cannot be upset for people seeing what we are unwilling or unable to see. if a people can be exploited they will be exploited. if black people can be exploited there is money to be made!

and also... i do not believe that sisters wanting to straighten their hair is a form of self-hatred or anything else. it's simply a preference. i am not my hair. she is not her hair. we are not our hair. why do we continue to put so much focus on something as small as that. a few weeks ago when i was faced with a cancer scare the last thing i thought of was i'm loosing my hair. hair never even crossed my mind. brothers and sisters in the grand scheme of things hair is NOTHING!

Excellent post brother Moor,

And great point sister spicy this should not be about getting mad at the koreans.
And it is not about black woman desiring to have these products due to self hate per say.

What this really boils down too is our own inabilities to deal with reality.
This situation in the hair care industry has come about because black people have been sold on a fantansy of not seeing color.
We don't want to be racist so we let any and everybody come into our nation and invest and sale to us.

Know those very same people who operate as a nation are a race.
Recognized this and moved on it.
You see these people where operating as a race of people.
There leaders and organization was not teaching them to deny there race and ethnicity.
No these people where not concerned about hurting another races feelings.
They were not concerned about being loved by all people especially Black folks.
These people were not operating on some useless notion that race does not exist.

The Koreans did not deny there racial identity.
They actually used there identity as a source of power that motivated them to act out in particular ways that would benefit there group.
know look what they are doing afther they have used the blackman and woman's money to build themselves up.
They used that very same money and power to politically and economically force us out of the industry all together and create a monopoly for their own people.

And you see us again in the same position whining and complaining about how bad someone is treating us.
But the reality is that the only reason why this situation can acquire in the first place is because we have failed to educate ourselves on the importance of racial identity.
We have let other people sale us on the idea of multicultralism and racial harmony.
We have bought into this fantasy and in our own crazy attempt to bring this garbage into reality. We have opened up our nation and other nations have learned this and have taken advantage of our mistakes.

One of the key moments in the film was when he asked the young sister whether are not she would buy from a korean store if the product she was purchasing was two dollars less than a store owned by Black people.

You all heard what her answer was and that one scenario speaks directly to what I'm trying to say.
Because that sister did not see the value and importance of race. She could not see the damage her decision to continue to give another race your money would have on her family and race.
Because she does not see color she just spends her money where ever she feels like.
She does not see that her spending her money where ever she feel like and not seeing race.
Will mean that her children and her people's children will starve and will go without jobs. Because we cannot support them properly and use our money to build the institution we need for our people.
She cannot see that her spending her money with other races will mean that her children will have less economic opportunities so therefore they will be more inclined to get involved in criminal activities.

This woman will actually complain about the lack of good blackmen and the joblessness of blackmen. While at the sametime continue to spend her money in such away that this scenario that she continues to complain about will never change.

Know I wonder what type of response you would have gotten from a Korean if you had of asked them that same question?
Well we already know the answer to that one folks.
These people will walk ten blocks in another direction before they go and spend any money with you.
You heard what they were saying they refused to sell are buy from us.
They are reproducing products and basically telling all the black manufactures that they don't care how good your products maybe.
We are not going to sell them in our retail stores.

I heard a few blacks say that this was racist, and it may be racist on a certain level but so what.
These people our exercising there power in away that will benefit there people.
And they are not going to change are apologize to you are anyone else for it.

I said it before but this is what and African education is all about. To train us and prepare us to be able to develop and exercise our powers. To bring about a desired end for our people "Period"!

i don't know about all of that young. i really don't know... these stores are set up in the community.. a lot of people don't have transportation so being able to walk or catch the bus to these stores is mightly appealing. and please believe they are set up in the busline. they sell all kinds of hair, wigs, products, clothing, shoes, jewelry, and some sell lottos tickets. this is a one stop for the people that the business targets.

i really don't see the 'jobless' black man's problem being a korean black hair care store. and if it's that simple then these brothers should open up the store.. cause the truth of the matter is that some black women are going to always want to get their wig shook. there will always be a sister getting her grind on doing hair in her kitchen. and since she can't buy hair from professional hair stores or directly from the distribuitor she will more than likely shop in these neighborhood stores. i doubt, seriously doubt, if they care who owns the store. and a lot of these folk ain't looking for the proud lady on the brand but the price on the sticker. they're buying alcohol based products that are cheap! that's the game. that's the game. i see it. maybe some of ya'll don't see it but i see it.

look at bonner brothers hair show and all the other hair shows. the black hair care industry is booming. first and foremost this is about making money--making money! and black women are going to get their hair done. i think people are more concerned if things are made for them as opposed to by them--that's ALL people. shoot! on oprah today this misguided sister, even though her family was in over 170,000 in debt, refused to give up her weekly hair appointments for her and her child. this is bigger then we dare to think!

The problem is so much greater than how a Sister wears her hair, or spends her money.

We continue to blame each other, for the devastation we as a people face.

How a Sister wears her hair, is not the end and be all, for why we are where we're at.

Nor is the fact that a Brother prefers the characteristics found in white women, the heart of the matter.

No ... none of these are the problem ... they are all symptoms of the problem.

When we attack each other, blame each other, we perpetuate the problem ... we support and uphold white supremacy.

It's a trick, and a trap ... it's how they expect us to respond. They will attack each other, just watch, and we do.

Never looking at them and the generations of psychological warfare put upon us all ... including our children yet to be born.

If we were truly focused on the problem, how another wears their hair, would be the least of our concerns.

:heart:

Destee

The stores you speak about was not just setup in our communities by accident.

If a particular group of people who represent 13% of the population, but they are buying over 30% percent of a particular product.

If you decide to establish a business in that particular areana where are you most likely going to setup shop.

Know let's look at the facts because we have to look at the political and social realities of both groups.

Koreans knew from the jump that these white folks where not going to allow them to just come into their communities and setup shop and just take their money.

You heard them in the film the major white distributors and manufactures where not going to allow it period.



Know us black folks in our forever long quest of wanting to be loved and liked by all people did not see the dangers in allowing another group into our markets.

This is a market we cannot make any excuses about allowing others to come in and take from us.

Because the health and beauty industry is very personal.

I mean who can tell us better about the care and beauty of ourselves better than us?



But you see when you don't see any real value in yourselves and therefore you are more than willing to attach yourselves to anyone who smiles at you and pretend that they like you.

You are going to set yourself up for things like this.



The Koreans got into this industry knowing already what their intentions was.

They saw in us and inability to identify with race and move on that identity.

So when they started to setup retail stores in our neighborhoods.

We did not see it as another nation moving in on our territory.

No we welcomed it with open arms.

Alot of us made it a point in showing the Koreans we were not racist.

We showed them with our money that we did not see color.

We wanted to show them that we would accept all people into our community irregardless of what their intentions were.



You talk about us spending ou money in these store out of pure conviencency, but it is a little deeper than that.

Because as I said before these very same people that we freely give our money too.

Would rather walk ten miles out of their way than to have to spend their money with us.

These people meant they are not going to spend their money with us and yet we still want to make excuses why we have to spend our money with them.



You see they are not looking for excuses to spend their money with us.

I don't care what the situations is these people are not going to spend their money with us.

And they do not apologize for it.



You see the very fact that you see the social and political situation setup in away that seems to favor these people is because the way they think.

Do you think if we setup shop in one of their communities on the busline.

That this would change their behavior as far as them spending money with us instead of their fellow Korean business people?



Heck no these people would just figure out away to change that social situation so that their people would be able to get to the korean markets even it it meant they had to go out of their way.



You see we get caught up in the social circumstances and just stay stuck on that because it gives us and excuse to not have to think on how we can change that reality for something that would benefit our group.

So we will get into the argument of how the banks will not give us loans, and yet this is the very same dilema the Koreans faced.



But you see they saw the value in themselves and their racial identity. They moved on that identity and remembered that back in their country the people did not rely on financial institutions to give them loans.

No, they remembered that the had a tradition in their culture called a gye.

Where they would save money and collectively give loans to one another to start a business and buy homes.



You see the problem with us is we do not see that value in ourselves and our African traditions because if we did we would recognize that this was also a tradition in our African culture.

You see the Korean recognized that they are operating in a foreign business culture that was designed and maintained to represent whites best interest.

They did not boycott white folks bank because they recognized that would be a waste of time. And in doing so they created a situation where they were forced to think and come up with ways that they could feed themselves and their people.



You see this is where we come in because the Koreans saw the complecency in us because we have been trained in away that keeps us from thinking for ourselves. Therefore we forget that we have the capacity to solve our own problems without having to do the things we see ourselves doing sometimes.

We have to recognize as well that we are operating in a foreign business culture.

You understand what I am trying to say Soft?

So what if these stores our on the busline.

If it means that giving our money to these people will ultimately help in destroying us.

Then that means we have to come up with away where we can get our people to our stores are we are going to have to bring our stores to the people.

So that we can use our wealth for our best interests.








It all ties into one another Soft.

They way we spend our money has a direct relationship to our inability to solve alot of the problems in our communities.

Look at it like this the two billion are so dollars we spend annually to these people.

How much of that money goes into the Korean community to provided jobs and investment opportunities for their men.

You see this is way other nation refuse to just freely give there money away to other nations. Because they know in doing so there very actions will have a very negative effect on their communities.



That's why the Koreans are very aggressive in their efforts to control this market.

There saying to us that they wnat to control this market and invest and make money in it. Not just to be able to buy nice things for themselves.

No they want to control this market because they see it as away to gain economic power that they can use to provide the jobs and the means of production for their people.








You see that is were you are wrong and this is why we are in this position we find ourselves in today.

Because we are not thinking in terms of our reality.

This is not just about making money for the Koreans.

They see this as and oppurtunity for the advancement of their race at the sametime they are going to make some money.



Know we on the other hand have merely saw it as just and oppurtunity to make money and there is a big difference in the two perceptions.

Because the people who are thinking in terms of seeing and opportunity to help advance the interest of their race. Will operate and think in terms that will eventually run over the people who merely saw it as away to make money and be able to buy nice things.



These people are organized in their thoughts and behavior because they are not ashamed to move on their racial identity.

Know afther being taken over by these people we want to talk about organizing ourselves on the terms of race.

But this should have been the motivation from the get go and if it was we would not be having this problem.



No but at the time somebody had sold us on the silly notion of multi-cultralism and you see were it has gotten us!

The problem is so much greater than how a Sister wears her hair, or spends her money...

Never looking at them and the generations of psychological warfare put upon us all ... including our children yet to be born...

If we were truly focused on the problem, how another wears their hair, would be the least of our concerns.

:heart:

Destee
Agreed.

I think that not how one chooses to wear his/her hair is the problem so much as why one chooses to wear his/her hair in that fashion.
That "why" is indeed indicative of the "psychological warfare put upon us all."

I am convinced that we are asleep, and the devil is dreaming of us all. And we, of the devil.
While even those considered the more conscious among us are merely experiencing periodic lucid dreams. Some longer and more lucid than others.

In order to strengthen ones own will, one needs to cease to pursue or enact his stronger desires (for perhaps it is not he who is willing at all).
Therefore, I still maintain that to stop buying the **** altogether would be a step in the right direction of strengthening ones will and helping to retain our divinity.

Divinity does not sleep.

If money is the only concept of freedom we know, we will never be free. This goes beyond economy (class), religion, sex race etc. That is what freedom means to me.

But

Oh well.

Hotep

Once the problem is discussed and argued over the situation still presist while we are at the check out counters handing over (spending) our ($20+Billion Dollars per Year spent for Hair Care Products and Personal Hygine alone by Africans in Amerikkka) monie$ out side of our community making others as Rich as they want to be at our Expence. Of course there are exceptions but the exceptions are not the real problem...are they? Some but too few of us only shop and will even go out of the way to support our brothers and sisters. But the rest don't even seem to care one way or the other what goes on in their communities or do they? Update to the above:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PT-nX25UrsI&search=blackhair

Ase`

look black people it's like this,ANYTIME that you spend money buying a product SOMEBODY is gonna get rich be it the inventor,the distributor ect,so whether it's the koreans,chinese,spanish,african,martian,if they have the product that we want at that given time we're gonna buy it...see how easy that was,it ain't rocket science.

Asian's have set up co ops to make it feasible for them to operate in the black community. They purchase their goods as a group for large discounts, they are also manufacturing their own products to make it even more feasible. Some Asian governments are behind these businesses. They make loans to set up these shops, and a lot of the money is set back to their countries to support families there. It's foreign aid from the "hood".

I operate my business in the hood also, but I belong there, because I care about the people there. We may need to do what the Arabs are doing. We may need to start teaching our kids the value of a dollar, and show them how much more valuable it is, if it stays in your community.

The next thing we'll see will be "Soul Food" restraurants owned and operate by another group of people who don't live in the black community. It's not about going back to Africa, it's about bringing Africa here to the black community. Let's call the "hood" "Little Africa" instead.

But, again, the problem with me isn't so much the people we pay, as it is the reason we pay them.

I was out this weekend (a rare thing as of late), and I was literally sickened by the gross number of women wearing wigs and awfully apparent weaves. It used to be considered a shame (by some) that we all were wearing perms, but now it's just ridiculous. We must be the laughing stock and butt of all humor outside our own community. And for good reason. I could certainly understand if women switched up styles, like from weave to fro, to wig, to dreads...etc. That would at least imply that she just prefers varying styles and chooses not to be cornered because of what others think (obviously a pathology could still be argued here). But this "straight and long by any means necessary" is just way out of control. I mean, it used to be that some women would at least take pride in attempting to make it look as though the hair were really hers (still so strange), but this is awful.

I've entertained the thought of "V for Vendetta"ing it and blowing up "beauty" stores around town. But I came to the realization that if no more weaves were available, these grown women would resort back to wearing towels on their heads, or maybe even mop bottoms because they so hate the ORIGINAL hair with which they were blessed. No one but US are able to grow hair that defies death in the grave of gravity and grows upward toward the sun for which it is a natural antenna. We are sick I tell you. And the sad part is that it is of such importance to some women that there are those who would insist that I must be attacking the Black Woman when I say this. Deplorable, indeed.

US=>:spin:

When will WE ever return to greatness?