"By some estimates, the U.S. economy could lose millions of dollars if the more than 40 million African-Americans keep their wallets in their purses and pockets Friday"
The downright hilarious part of this whole thing, which seems to have completely escaped the notice of the event's organizers, is that what this whole boycott idea actually highlights is the economic success of blacks! If ol' Mr. Ballentine is convinced that black consumers not spending money will have such a negative impact on the economy, isn't he in effect completely invalidating the whole premise behind the boycott? Blacks are so financially successful and influential that we need to use them in a boycott to highlight how, uh... you know, poor and uh, oppressed they are.
President Eisenhower defended the Little Rock Nine, President Kennedy protected the Freedom Riders and President Johnson stood up for voting rights, "but this federal government has done nothing for the Jena 6 or to stem the rising tide of hate that includes a proliferation of nooses and swastikas," Sharpton said.
Nevermind the fact that these are isolated incidents among millions of black Americans, elevated to the level of an "issue" by a media that thrives on controversy, not on reporting the truth.
"The history of our country is about what I'm calling for," Ballentine said. "If the federal government is not doing what it's supposed to do, we protest."
And what exactly is the government failing to do? Blacks have had the right to vote since 1870, further solidified by the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Anti-discrimination laws make it illegal to deny housing, employment, bank loans, public services etc. on the basis of race. Yet people like His Holiness Al Sharpton of the Immaculate Victimhood would have us believe that at any moment there will be fire hoses in Birmingham again.
There's a black Supreme Court justice and a black candidate for President for heaven's sake!
What if he's right? What if there is some sort of backlash against the black culture? Might it actually be a backlash against the perpetuation of an angry rap culture that sows every bit as much division between the races as "hate crimes?" Rap stars who glorify shooting cops, who legitmize drug use, who blame everyone but themselves for problems within black communities? Why does the "racism!" crowd bemoan racial and cultural stereotypes against black people as violent, drug-using gang-bangers...and then support a multi-billion dollar music industry which portays this exact thing as mainstream black "culchah?"
Tell me, did the term "Baby Daddy" come out of the white or black culture? A "baby daddy" is a guy with whom I have no other association than the fact that he's the genetic father of my child. Is the rampant failure of the nuclear family in today's black community somehow the fault of white people? Or the government? Why not place the responsibility firmly where it lies?
Instead of blaming the US government for "failing" to combat discrimination, why doesn't the black community look within itself to identify some potentially much more damaging problems? Why do victimhood perpetuaters like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson get so much more press time than Bill Cosby and Morgan Freeman? Why are those who attempt to suggest that blacks look within for root causes of some of their social and economic woes so often labeled as either "Uncle Toms" (if they're black) or racists (if they aren't)?
"Ballentine, who goes by the radio handle "the people's attorney," said he also is dismayed by issues like shoddy imports from China, the outsourcing of jobs overseas, the housing market's flood of foreclosures and President Bush's request for $196 billion in war spending and his veto of a children's health insurance bill.
The latter two issues are particularly disappointing, Ballentine said, because they send a message that the U.S. doesn't care about its next generation."
That's right, let's roll it all up in one giant chalupa of the failures of a white president to properly provide for black people, children, the working class, poor financial decisions, and poorly written socialist legislation to redistribute the wealth of America...
Which, according to the first few paragraphs, is coming more and more from members of the black community! I would think that if you knew that so much of your hard earned money was going to pay for other people's poor lifestyle choices, you'd be a little less likely to give the likes of Al Sharpton the time of day.
But then, I'm white, upper middle class and privileged. What do I know?