Malcolm and Morpheus

Separated at birth?

Malcolm X on Economic Philosophy

"My personal economic philosophy is also Black Nationalism, which means that the black man should have a hand in controlling the economy of the so called, "Negro Community." He should be developing the type of knowledge that would enable him to own and operate the businesses and thereby be able to create employment for his own people, for his own kind."
Malcolm X interviewed in 1964

Bling: Consequences and Repercussions

This documentary on conflict diamonds focuses on the savage nature of the diamond trade. It connects the dots, or rather it shows the disconnect between rappers' promotion of "Ice" and war in Africa (specifically Sierra Leone).
It is worth the 11 minutes it takes to watch.
Diamonds aren't the only good that has a bloody economic history of course. We could just as easily speak of "conflict oil" or perhaps "conflict sugar and rum."
A fundamental economic tenet is that the existence of scarcity implies conflict. A scarce good (economic good) such as diamonds require a sacrifice or cost in order to obtain them.
As the documentary shows this cost is more than money.

The Rich and The Super Rich

Written in 1968 by Ferdinand Lundberg and subtitled, "A Study in the Power of Money Today" the Rich and the Super Rich does make one or two observations concerning Negroes.

When discussing the system of private clubs which the elite use to mark themselves off more precisely from the rest of society the author contributes. "It would be erroneous to say Negroes are barred. They are simply not noticed."

"...Negroes not only lack titles to property...but no one of them seems to be within 250 years of ever having them in any significant proportions. Who would a Negro be likely to inherit from?"

"As large," think Bush, Kennedy, Turner "property holdings are now mainly inherited and hard even for an occasional white nonproprietor to come by, it would seem that Negroes are forever circumstantially barred from becoming considerable American property owners."

Can this be true?

to understand and protect our home planet

The black economist cannot claim to have known that part of NASA's official mission statement was, "to understand and protect our home planet."
That mission statement was changed for political reasons because data from NASA satellites apparently fall on the wrong side of the argument concerning whether western civilization affects the earth (the home planet in question) adversely.
The Black economist can envision a scenario wherein the question was raised as to whether they had to eliminate "understand" being that they are scientists and all.
Jokes aside, this reshuffling of euphemisms is a side argument in a much larger debate concerning not particularly natural resources but mostly markets and their shape. If there is strong evidence that present levels of carbon emissions are leading to the extinction of the human race then a reasonable mind could conclude they must be stopped.
Another ,equally reasonable mind, could conclude that humanity has always adapted to an uncertain world, that speculation is imprecise and that no change is needed.
Both minds, especially if they were politicians, would agree that Americans would vote them out of office if they dared even suggest they reduce consumption levels. That's why our president recommended Americans shop rather than sacrifice after 9/11.
So prices rise. Wars are fought. The present lurches toward the inevitable shock.

The Cristal Boycott

Rap music was truly only a music of black folks for a short while. It's commercialism led to content changes that degraded its ability to be a positive force in the black community. Most rappers are little more than slaves selling lyrics written by whites who have no interest in promoting black culture, unity, or any type of healing or positivity to the descendants of
colonization.
If anything, most rappers are race traitors and deserve what they inevitably get, which is ripped off and pimped.
That's nothing new.
What is interesting is that black folks , for whatever reason, believe that money can shield them from prejudice and that certain companies care about their business.
Jay-Z's boycott of Cristal is a case in point. It's too late to advocate a boycott of a product when you have millions of recordings that reference the popular drink.
Rappers routinely endorse products produced by groups of men and women who would call the police or kill them outright if they ever attempted to associate with them or saw them where they live.
Why do black folks demand to give their money to people who hate them?

Data Mining and the Matrix

The Black Economist (as one might imagine) has a great deal of interest in data mining and the resulting predictive analytics. Blackness is a quantifiable (as well as qualitative) variable after all.
Recent revelations of it taking place on a grand scale with data provided by phone companies is the very tip-top of a large iceberg running head long into civilization as we know it.
There are no constraints on the government asking other entities for the same assistance. That, given the large amount of information they already compel and possess, can lead the mind into conspiracy theories far beyond any imagined in the Matrix (Hal Varian's or the movie, take your pick) if only because they would be 'real.'
Many large corporations base critical business decisions on analysis of customer and market data so it is no surprise that the government does the same thing. The governments use of such techniques is far more dangerous however because while you cannot be forced to patronize a business the government does compel you to participate.

American Coup

This is the story of the only recorded overthrow of a lawfully elected American government. The elected officials were, of course, black.

A World Cup of Terror?

May be, just not from whom you think. The black economist has come across other references to social intolerance and european racism brought about by low economic standards. When it was tied to soccer and stock markets I thought it novel enough to comment upon.

Fuzzy Math @ Duke

Many commentators ,such as Kathleen Parker in her article "Fact and Fiction Duke it Out," are making much of the fact that acording to FBI records 15.5 percent of rapes against white women are perpertrated by black men whereas "while less than 1 percent of black victims were raped by white males." Before providing these sensationalized, questionable figures Parker does say that, "though sample sizes are considered too small to draw any solid conclusions." She still goes on to report what must be unsolid numbers.
The black economist issue lies with the fact that much the same way black women were sexually exploited by whites for hundreds of years with no fear of repercussions, black men were most certainly often killed and maimed for false accusations made by white women. As a result , even in 2006, most black males are extremely cautious in their dealings with white women. No writer has dared tackle that in their "analysis." In fact judging how often we hear that DNA evidence is not present in most of these convictions its not hard to imagine many a black man sent up the river by a white woman or judicial system that needs a conviction but not justice.

Black Tax Avoidance

If a majority of african-americans could be convinced to not pay taxes they could affect real change within the public policy framework. There are numerous justifications for this. Why should we pay taxes to a government that uses that money to build prisons, ghettoes, and ineffective public schools?
An organized campaign of tax avoidance would put an end to the reparations question as well as fit neatly into our culture of nonviolent peaceful movements. It could also work.

Ignored to Death Part Two

The National Urban League Policy Institute has issued a report entitled "Sunday Morning Apartheid" that examines the dearth of black commentators on the critical-to-public-opinion Sunday morning talk shows.
What the report doesn't mention is that these talk shows are more the result of organized propaganda operations than an attempt at diverse discourse. It also fails to mention that many of the guests of these programs hold important positions within our society. It's no surprise then that Kofi Annan, Colin Powell, and Condaleeza Rice are the only ones to pop up with any regularity.

Black Gold or why Duke Lacrosse Players prefer Black Women

The beauty of the black woman has been admired, lusted after, and desired by white men throughout known history. The photo at the left shows contempraries of the infamous hottentot venus. Paradoxically the popular media image (in America and elsewhere like Brazil) is of the buxom, blue-eyed, blonde. This the tell-I-vision directs is the model to pursue. Consequently, Korean women dye their hair and engage in painful surgeries to meet this standard and Fela Kuti sings of the yellow fever that grips the African woman as she tries to turn from black to white.
Stunning is that at the same time you have white women tanning, injecting fat into their lips and buttocks, and learning dance moves from the latest rap videos. It's not uncommon to hear white women tell each other, "you go girl." An english phrase that originated with black women.
The black woman is the forbidden fruit to the white man. White women know this and in seeking to satisfy their mates adopt some of their attributes.
The black economist believes all women regardless of race, age, personality, or other attributes possess an inherent beauty that the masculine can appreciate if the blinders of sexual physical attraction are removed.
Why did the Lacrosse team hire Black strippers and not White?

Dancing on the Ceiling in Libya

From the truth is stranger than fiction section, Lionel Richie gave a concert in Libya to mark the 20th anniversary of a bombing in that country by the American Military. Is he on the terrorist watch list now? Has Lionel Richie been "radicalized"? Was Billy Ocean unavailable?

The Battle of Ideas

There have been many recent articles on the plight of black men. Of course if you look at american history at what point are black men not in some state of crisis?
There is the time of the Olmecs of course, but from 1500 on things pretty much went downhill.
While Dr. Kambon's remarks were sensationalized by the media the essence of them was ignored. Rather, the fact that ideas are needed is known to a large number of black people the world over. Bill Cosby certainly knows it and said as much. The black economist knows that human capital is the greatest commodity. So did the slave traders, so do the politicians, so do the managers of "sweatshops" the world over.
How can we save the black man?

The Wu-Tang Manual

The Rza has written a pretty good book. It is raw and razor sharp like the music of the Wu-Tang. 36 chambers long it explores the mysticism, the reality, and the inspiration behind one of hip-hops most prolific clans.
It is not an actual manual however.

Minority $cholarships

Wisdom is better than silver and gold the proverb goes. Contrary to the popular supposition; it's what you know, not who you know that really matters. Ph.D holders as a group are the least likely demographic to be unemployed.
Knowledge is power. Not-so recent attacks on affirmative action in higher education in America have taken a change in policy by allowing all students to apply for funds previously designated for minority scholarships.
Conversely, in France we find there are plenty of degrees to go around but no jobs available to minorities. That is because no statistics concerning race are kept and thus despite race riots the french power structure can ignore the issue.
So you're saying america is turning into france? No, but there is a definite attempt to avoid the subject of racial discrimination and economic impact using the "content of character" card.

A most evident truth...

"A most evident truth is that color prejudice is not natural to man but is the result of economic and social rivalry, the desire to hold certain groups available for exploitation."
Joel Augustus Rogers writing in "Nature Knows No Color-Line"

Reparations and the Good Life

A few years ago Thomas Sowell noted and Walter Williams echoed that if you compare current african-american income to that of black africa, "...we would owe them money." This was all in the context of a discussion concerning reparations that had gripped the headlines. On the surface they are correct, it's simple mathematics. On the other hand if you calculate what was lost the case tends once again in the favor of positive reparations.
The salient issue to the black economist is that African-Americans enjoy an exceedingly high quality of life compared to their brothers and sisters overseas. We are far more wealthy by most (if not all) comparative standards. We have access and leverage within the political system. We can own assets, assemble freely, organize at will for whatever purpose suits us, own spacious homes and luxury cars and enter into business. Even the poor among us do fairly well considering third world ghetto conditions.
The paradox is that we must do far better.

Ignored to Death

In "A New Black Power" by Walter Mosley the longtime crime author observes the pitiful state of the criminal justice system in the US and advises that a new black voting bloc be constructed to bring democracy back to america. He notes that the issues concerning african americans have not been predominant with the Democrats for a long time, at least three decades. He doesn't directly say it in his article but his point is that africans and african americans are being ignored to death.
Contrast this with the recent passing of Coretta Scott King and Rosa Parks and we see that doesn't have to be the case. No one ignored them.