Bigotry through Low Expectations

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen 

In the formerly United States, today is the conclusion of Black History Month. Some things I want to say will rile a few folks. (Of course, those will be the ones who "think" with their emotions and are less concerned with actual thought.) This material came together for me in a big box store.

Like many places, our shopping experience is allegedly enhanced by the music system. The store had several announcements about being proud to support black-owned businesses. They also exhorted people to buy items made by those businesses.

Limestone near Rosendale, NY railroad trestle, Photo by Cowboy Bob Sorensen (modified with FotoSketcher
The messages on that radio rubbed me the wrong way — they struck me as manipulative.

Conservative talk show host Chris Plante refers to the "soft bigotry of low expectations." The messages sound like "white man's burden" because they need the help of white people in order to succeed. Blacks also need to be prioritized in anyone's patronage. (Interesting that there is little to no mention of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month or patronizing their businesses in May.) Stuff is in the store for Easter and St. Patrick's Day, and some of the glitz says "Women owned."

Let's be blunt here. Blacks, women, other groups supposedly cannot make it on their own, they need the help of those who are assumed to be more successful. (If you assume I'm successful because I'm white, guess what, Wilberforce? That's racist!) They cannot compete.

Not hardly! Such a coddling attitude will keep any of those groups down and decrease incentive to succeed. Those who are indeed successful most likely grabbed the reins and galloped to good business practices and competition.

"You're being racist, Cowboy Bob!"

Nope. As biblical creationists have pointed out for a mighty long time, there is only one race! Racism is an evolutionary construct. Let's get back to it now.

Long ago, I picked up some directories (small booklets) with listings of Christian-owned businesses. I was enthusiastic and wanted to support my own kind. However, there were some in there that I knew did not have Christian business practices, they just wanted the publicity. Today, if I saw one of those directories, I might pick one up for curiosity.

My loyalty is to my wallet. So is yours, admit it. We want good items at fair prices that will meet our needs. It just now occurred to me: How many black and women-owned businesses want to receive special treatment instead of earning their successes? That's a good ending point for this article. Hope I gave you some things to think about.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Amazing Super Powers of the Mighty Atheist™

Image
by Cowboy Bob Sorensen Years ago, I wrote "atheist" on Twitter, and one cautioned me about using that word because I risked "calling down the thunder". We know that they can be ornery cusses even on their good days, but I was unaware of the intellectual prowess and wisdom of The Mighty Atheist™, dwarfing that of a mere theist. What I had yet to learn, however, is that they also have super powers that are even magical at times. Now I know better. Christians and creationists, I hope you heed this warning! Graphic modified from  Clker clipart As with other super powers, those of The Mighty Atheist™ are difficult to categorize. Not all atheists and evolutionists have the same powers to the same degree, and there is no special school for gifted atheists under a professor so they can develop their abilities. Like logical fallacies, powers often blend and overlap. Let's saddle up and ride over yonder to Deception Pass where the atheists, atheopaths, anti-crea
Read more

Where Does It Stop?

Image
I was going to give these topics a rest, but something came up. On a previous post, Zach made a comment, and I am excerpting it here. His first sentence is an answer to a question I had asked him. Hope you're not embarrassed, but I want to give you a more complete response than the comments section would allow: My lack of belief in the supernatural is pretty much complete - I have never seen any reason to attribute a supernatural cause to phenomena. I suppose I rule out supernatural explanations because once you let one in, where do you stop? I look at an event I do not understand and go immediately to natural causes. Even if I can't figure it out, I still would assume it had a natural explanation. I'm worried that if someone started attributing causes to supernatural events, they would skip over the whole 'natural cause' thing and go straight for the supernatural, because technically everything is potentially explainable by an omnipotent being, no?
Read more

Keeping My Wife at a Distance Online

Image
by Cowboy Bob Sorensen  Although nobody asked and I am under no obligation to explain myself, I will anyway. In several places, I have mentioned that I have a wife. (At Piltdown Superman when I'm writing in my cowboy character, I do not.) However, I never named or described her. The reason is quite simple: atheists and leftists. On more than one occasion, I have been physically threatened by them, especially angry misotheists. This only happened online, but some have stated they wanted to come over here — especially because I staunchly present creation science. Charlene at Niagara Falls in 2007 (?) EDIT: It occurred to me later that I left out a secondary factor. Years ago (and I am leaving off the sequence of events that led me to my reluctant conclusion), I could not have a Fakebook account under my real name. Apparently atheists in power there kept deleting my accounts, so I became someone else. She didn't call me by my real name when I was using that account. Although I la
Read more