Friday is National "Blackout Day" -

[restored2x]

"Black Americans are being urged to keep their money in their wallets Friday to protest injustice and racism."

Report: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/11/01/national.blackout/index.html

First I've heard of this. Sounds like it may come out to be more symbolic than anything else.

An interesting part of the article says that "Asians, Arabs, Hispanics, Jews and whites in the United States generally spend money among themselves, "bouncing" dollars an average of six to 18 times before the money leaves the communities, he said.

"The black dollar does not bounce, not one time in America," Anderson said."

Why is that?

[bokworker]

If the "black dollar" does not "bounce" then this protest will have zero effect... Mr. Anderson might be careful what he asks for...

[RecycleMichael]

I think "voting with your pocketbook" education is a very good social change tool. I am not sure how effective they are, but they really do focus on the issue.

I am not black and to be honest, I usually don't know the color of the owner's skin of places I shop (except for McDonald's...that Ronald dude has yellow skin).

How we spend and where does have a dramatic effect on our world. Bringing this to the attention of his target audience is a good idea (and CNN must have thought so too).

[izmophonik]

So, the message is don't buy gas, don't buy breakfast, don't buy the things you normally buy as a protest to racism.  It's really pointless.  If you think about the plan it is nothing different than boycotting gasoline for a day.  You're just putting off a purchase that you need.  If I am black and I don't get groceries today then I am going to get groceries tomorrow.  If I don't buy gas today then I have to buy it eventually.  All this is doing is delaying the inevitable....buying goods and services that we all need everyday.  If they want to send a message then a march on the Capital might be more effective.

[RecycleMichael]

You are correct in a macro-economic world.

Don't buy gas on Friday means buy twice as much on Saturday. But the message can be still heard if done properly. The point isn't to harm the economy, but to let merchants know the purchasing power of your audience.

Back in my college days, I was one of about three hundred of us who wrote soap companies, demanding concentrated laundry soap. When you used to buy Tide, it would come in a box the size of furniture. You put in two cups per load.
Now you put in a few ounces for the same size load. Same results, smaller box.

Before that, Cesar Chavez organized a grape boycott to illustrate the wages to grape-pickers. I wouldn't even drink grape kool-aid (I am sure it has no real grapes). That really hurt the grape and wine business.

Asking certain groups of citizens to avoid purchases for a single day is a passive way to get a message across.

[izmophonik]

I agree it is a passive way to send a message but I still believe it accomplishes nothing.  The guy running the donut shop is just bummed out that he lost some business that day.  I guess I think there are a lot of innocent victims with this example of protest.  Hell, the guy running the donut shop probably doesn't even know what is going on.  It just seems like an ill thought protest.  Oh well...my .02

[MichaelC]

There's definitely something to be said about promoting "bouncing" dollars.  The message seems to be, spend your money at African American businesses.  Make your own neighborhoods, and your own businesses thrive, rather than spending money across town at white-owned businesses that are going to make it anyway.  

We talk about spending money downtown, that's exactly what "bouncing" means.  Spend more money downtown, there's more money floating around, and you end up with more businesses to catch it all.  Make downtown thrive, I don't see what is so different.

It's also the reason I was so anti-Casino when they brought those bills online, several years ago.  The Casino was an economic dead-end for Tulsa, money "bounced" right out of the economy, with no guarantees that there would be enough new money generated to replace it.  Sure wasn't a moral thing, I find it as fun as going to Disneyland.

[izmophonik]

That tactic while might make sense at a glance really seems devisive.  It gives a minority the mindset of some sort of a seperatist state of mind.  Our money is our money and our business is our business.  Meanwhile the caucasion folks are mad because they are being punished by losing business because a bunch of people are convinced that they are discriminated against 24/7.  I can't think of too many more ways to split a community.  pledging to buy Oklahoma goods like home grown honey or meat etc.. I can see but convincing one race to keep their money in their own community because some white people are racist is just silly and really unfortunate.

[MichaelC]

quote:Originally posted by izmophonik

That tactic while might make sense at a glance really seems devisive.  It gives a minority the mindset of some sort of a seperatist state of mind.

Maybe, from an outside perspective.  But, internally, the economics are hard to ignore.  Take North Tulsa, how many people in North Tulsa spend vast amounts of their money in South Tulsa or Midtown, then go on to complain about how there's not enough economic opportunity in North Tulsa?  

Same could be said for West Tulsa, but West Tulsa DOES spend a lot of it's money there and in Town West, and West Tulsa (depending on definition) is somewhat smaller than North Tulsa.  In ways, West Tulsa is more economically sustainable than North Tulsa.  WT has a significant barrier, the river, which helps keep money in WT.  NT isn't handling it the same way.

Downtown businesses couldn't possibly survive on downtown population only.  It takes a concerted effort of people to spend money downtown, to keep them afloat for now.

I see where you're coming from with the divisiveness issue, but understanding this from geographical/regional perspective it makes perfect sense to promote "bouncing".  If you want economic opportunities in your area, you probably should promote it.

[izmophonik]

Ok, you've pursuaded me to at least understand why they are doing it.  Speaking of development in North Tulsa.  Does anyone know what happened to the "Northwest Passage"?  My wife and I looked to live there last year because the homes were nice, big and had a hell of a view of downtown.  When we asked for lot information and how to get construction started we got snubbed.  We would call to talk about putting money down and they would seem interested but then never call back to do a deal. We noticed that it is a mainly black populated development but never really thought we'd get ignored because we were white.  My realtor buddy doesn't know any white people who have bought in that development thus far.  We ended up staying in Swan Lake but were totally baffled by the whole encounter.  Anyway, the developers were supposed to build a massive shopping area around the neighborhood and really gussy it up.  Anyone got any news on that stuff?