I would not have responded to this piece if the author did not include African Americans in his simplistic analysis. African Americans have made considerable contributions to America. Some of the things the authors listed below can be attributed to our innovations. Just look at the following Website if any of you want to know the truth about our (African Americans) contributions to the U.S and the world: http://inventors.about.com/od/blackinventors/ We’ve invent things such as streetlights to the machines to performing the first open heart surgery. If any of you want to believe this stuff about Africans and Africa, go right ahead, but this certainly does not apply to African Americans. Recently, I discovered that African American combined economy is the eight largest in the world. The evidence doesn’t support that we don’t have an economy. The author also failed to mention in his comparison of African peoples with other non-white groups, that we are the only non-white group that have completed abandoned their traditional religious beliefs for somebody else’s ideologies and allowed others to convince us that our ways and traditions are pagan. Any good psychologist will tell you that this type of behavior will have a profound negative effect on the majority of the people. There are other factors contributing to the state of affairs for African people that the author either neglected to mention or just plain unaware of the facts. Such as, when the U.S was experiencing the Great Depression, Blacks were thriving in this country. We had our own Wall Street, which were eventually bombed using airplanes by the local authorities and set the streets on fire so that those people who were running from the bombs would be burned to death. Many more things could be cited about the economic states of African Americans, but I will stop here. In spite of all the adversities that have faced us, many of us have still manage to be productive… Take care... P.S. - I'm sorry about whomever got offended with my language, tone, etc.... Cynthia ==============Original message text=============== On Wed, 05 Jan 2005 9:32:51 am CST "Ceesay, Soffie" wrote: A bit lengthy but worth the read. Soffie -----Original Message----- From: [log in to unmask] [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: Wednesday, January 05, 2005 1:30 AM To: [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask] Cc: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: [ChatAfriK] BLACKS ARE ECONOMIC SLAVES BLACKS ARE ECONOMIC SLAVES By Chika Onyeani There is nothing like State of Black Economy. It does not exist in Africa. Neither does it exist in any other part of the world. It is an illusion to think there is such a situation called State of Black Economy. Blacks are economic slaves. There is no group of people in this world who have abandoned any ambition of being economically independent from the grip of others as the Black race - whether Africans from the continent, or Africans from the Diaspora - Black Americans, Caribbeans or migratory Africans. We are more slaves now than when the Caucasian conquered us and sold us into slavery. The word slave means we are serfs, chattels, paupers, peons or vassals. There is nothing in Africa that is owned by the people. We are owned stock and barrel by people of European-origin, Japanese, Chinese, the Indians and any other people that has decided to become economically viable. In fact, I believe that the only possession in the world that the Black race could lay ownership to is the free air we breathe, and that might be in question and jeopardy if the present trend of consolidation of our conquerors continue. There is no Black entity that is economically independent in any part of the world. Africa is the second largest continent in the world. It has been established that it was the cradle of humanity and civilization. Africa possesses the largest percentage of the world's natural resources - gold, diamonds, silver, uranium, plutonium, manganese, coal, oil. But unfortunately, Africa is today economically under occupation although I would have preferred to use the word militarily than economically. The fact is that none of the natural resources Africa is blessed with is under African control. We don't even understand the value of the natural resources we possess; otherwise, we would know how to cultivate them. If we did, we would own the avenues through which these products are brought to be utilized in the world. The United Nations has year in, year out, declared Africa as the world's poorest continent, despite its enormous natural resources. The fact is that the world is moving so fast that Black people stand the chance of being wiped off the face of the earth by a Hitler or Mussolini - could you just imagine what would happen if a David Duke were to become the President of the United States of America, the country with the most weapons of mass destruction. Imagine! Oil has become one of the most important products in the world. It is what created the fortunes of people like the Rockefellers; it is what created companies like Standard Oil which was broken up to become the juggernauts like Exxon, Mobil, Texaco, etc. A lot of the African countries possess oil in abundance, including countries like Nigeria, Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Libya, Equatorial Guinea and others. In fact, it has become the economic life blood of most African countries. But, we as Africans don't have an iota of knowledge of the process of finding the oil and bringing it to use. To discover the oil, a Caucasian has to bring in his equipment to survey our land or shores. If there is oil, he estimates the amount of oil located in that area. We award him the contract of drilling for the oil. He brings his own men. Unlike in his own country, whatever environmental damage the drilling does is none of his concerns. All he wants is that oil. When the oil comes out from the ground, we also award him the contract to take the oil from us. He brings his tanker, loads the oil and brings it to his own country where he refines it. He pays less than $12 per barrel for the crude oil. He refines the crude into several different products, which are then sent back to us at more than $65 per barrel. In the l998 year, Exxon generated revenues of $100 billion, Mobil $47 billion, Texaco $32 billion and Chevron $27 billion. The revenues of these four companies almost outstripped the revenues of all the 50 Black African countries south of the Sahara combined. Let's take a country like Nigeria for instance. It is the so-called giant of Africa, the leader of the Black world. Nigeria is the seventh largest oil producing country in the world. Nigerians pride themselves as one of the most educated people in the world. It has all kinds of engineers, including petroleum and geological engineers. Oil was discovered in Nigeria in 1948. But you know what? Nigeria still imports refined oil at exorbitant rates. It does not have engineers who prospect for the oil; it does not have engineers who drill for the oil; it does not have engineers who refine the oil. It imports the oil. Nigeria has two oil refineries - all built by foreigners. To maintain these refineries they must import the experts (Caucasians) who built the refineries to repair any minor problems. When one of the refineries was out of production for a long time in 1998, over $475 million was awarded to repair it. Despite the fact that the refinery has been in existence for more than 15 years, Nigerians had not learned to repair the refinery. That contract of $475 million would have gone a long way in spreading the wealth of that huge amount across all strata of the society. It would have created over $10 billion of wealth in the country, which similarly was the amount which has been created in the country that received this award. As we enter the 21st century, Africans don't have the capacity to discover oil; they don't have the capacity to drill for the oil; they don't have the capability to refine the oil; they don't have the capacity to transport the oil to the destination where it would be refined; they don't have the vessel to transport the oil back to us for consumption. At a time when Indians and the Pakistanis have both detonated the atom bomb, when China is providing the technology for quick acceleration of launching satellites into orbit, Africans still don't have the capacity even to refine the oil for themselves. In Black America today, the situation is the same as in Africa. Blacks make up the second largest group of Americans. Economically, Black American communities are under occupation by others. I have been spending a lot of time lately in Harlem - the so-called capital of Black America. Boasting about such a place as a capital of Black America is one of the greatest insults that could be bestowed on African-Americans. It is an insult. From the hub of Harlem, 125th Street, you can understand what I am saying. Here is a so-called capital of 36 million people. Going from one establishment to another in Harlem, all the people I saw behind the counter were not people of my color. Approximately 95% of the people who live in Harlem are blacks. Conversely, only 10% of the buildings in Harlem are owned by Blacks. If you are a slave, you cannot be independent and distinct from the whims and caprices or dictates of your conquerors. The present generation of Africans has mortgaged the future of the following generation of Africans by the huge debt they have accumulated. Africa owes the world $375 billion. It means that the average African - man, woman, or child - will have to repay upwards of $5,000 in their present life time. This is not a $500 question or debt. We are talking of $5,000 for every African living to repay the $375 billion in debt. Yet, all we do is ask for more debts. We beg all the time for the West to come in and take more control of the iron hand they have already clasped on us. But travel from one end of Africa to another. Go from one country to another. The story is the same. $375 billion, and there is nothing to show for it. Africa spends more money servicing its debt, in other words paying interest to the Western world, than it spends on infrastructural development. If you are talking of a state of Black economy, you have to talk about a people who are able to create products from its inception to market. You cannot talk of an economy where the people are mere consumers. Take a walk through the theaters of the marketplace. When you wake up in the morning, what is the first thing you do? Of course, you turn on the light - electricity. There is no electric utility company owned by Blacks either in Africa or the Diaspora. Even the lanterns which are still used in most African villages, are imported. You shower. You show me a water company owned by Blacks. Though Africans have water companies, they invariably still have to be built and maintained for them by Europeans. In the Black community, all the products they use are produced by other people. That is not an economy. This is a lesson we should learn. When the Caucasian needed slaves to work in their farms, they made Blacks their machines. They found these machines much slower when they invented the horse-drawn plough and they became superfluous. When they found the cold unbearable, they invented heating systems. When they found summer heat unbearable, they invented the air conditioner. When they needed a way of talking to one another without visiting each other, they invented the telephone. When they stopped the practice of town-crier, they invented the radio. When they found writing with pens too slow, they first invented the typewriter and now the computer. When they needed to get to a destination faster than riding on the horse, they invented the automobile. They invented the ship to be able to cross wide expanses of water. When the need arose to get somewhere even faster, the Wright brothers came to the rescue and invented the airplane. Every other people of "color," the Japanese, Chinese, the Indians - assuming white is not a color - have appropriated all the technology and made them their own. In fact, they have learned so well that they produce these products better than the people who orginally invented them. That is the mark of intelligence. There is the reality check for a Capitalist Nigger. He is not in the habit of deluding himself about the grandeur of his ancestors. He acknowledges it. He does not live on it. His reality check is that the strong must inherit the earth. He understands that the world is a jungle. It is kill or be killed. He understands that if you don't produce what you eat; if you don't manufacture what you use; and if you don't understand how to articulate and conceptualize your concerns to your people, there cannot be a solution. He understands that the State of Black Economy can only be created when a group of young Black men and women decide to dare to be successful. Yes, we have to dare to be successful. When there was segreation, there was an Black economy. There were thriving Black banks, insurance companies, hotels, convention centers, stores catering to Blacks. The Black economy thrived. Blacks were forced to buy from Blacks. The meager salaries that they earned stayed in the Black community and created jobs and a stabilized community. All that is gone. Blacks knew how to patronize one another. Segregation does not have to rear its ugly head again for Blacks to know it is time that they started patronizing Black businesses again. There has to be a parallel to Citigroup; there has to be a parallel to MCIWorldcom; there has to be parallel to Apple Computer. All these are attainable goals. It would be foolhardy to talk of creating another Microsoft, a General Motors, an AT&T. The largest black bank - the Carver Bancorp Inc. - had assets of $420 million; while its Caucasian counterpart, the Citigroup had assets of $668 billion - that's $168 billion more than the combined revenues of all Blacks in 1998. Yet, out of the $500 billion that Blacks generated, the total assets of the largest 25 Black banks amounted to only $4.5 billion. If you cannot buy African, there is absolutely no way you are going to create a Black economy. We must have to learn from East Indians, who have done so well in integrating their economy in this country. In another section of this book, we discussed how the East Indians had taken over the newsstand business in New York City, and its taxi and limousine business. Apart from these, they have also taken over the motel and medium sized hotel business through the country, as well as most of the gas stations. They have been able to do so through combining their assets and creating a totally integrated community. From the food he easts to the shoes, and any other thing he needs, he can get it from another Indian. In this way, they keep the money they make from others circulating only within their community. It is what I call the "Spider-Web Economic Doctrine." In economic terms, when you invest a dollar in another community, you have immediately created $8.000 for that community; and that $8.00 will eventually result in creating $164 for that community through the multiplier effect. You can calculate this and see why the East Indians who have recently made America their home, have been able to accumulate money and wealth so quickly to become a force in the economic and political playing field. East Indians control their community economically. They own the houses they live in. The money they used to buy those homes was either generated independently or borrowed from an Indian mortgage lender. All the businesses conducted within East Indian communities are totally owned by Indians. They have learned the lesson of never allowing their money to get out of their community. They found a niche, and they seized it. They took over businesses which were already running successfully. They didn't have to build a new mouse trap. They found a way to use an already existing mouse trap. Through the absolute control of their economy and the "Spider-Web Economic Doctrine", they are now playing in the bigger leagues by taking over existing major companies just as they had done with the small ones. A Capitalist Nigger understands that for the Black economy to be created, he must have to create a niche for himself. The movement to restart the Black economy must be planned with absolute focus, with each individual focusing on how he can contribute to making it a reality. There are some Capitalist Niggers who have already begun the movement. One night, I was watching Jay Leno of NBC's Late Night with Jay Leno. One of his guests that night was Michael Jordan. Leno wanted to know why Jordan did not proceed with his purchase of the NBA franchise Charlotte Hornets. Jordan replied that the owners had a different understanding of what he wanted his investment in the club to do. "I cannot put my money where I don't have total control," said Jordan. Michael Jordan, in this case, understood what it means to be a Capitalist Nigger. This war to restart the Black Economy must be fought by educated consumers and capitalists. Take a moment to take cognizance of your surrounding. Make a mental note of all the things within that surrounding. Calculate how much those things cost you. Remember from whom and where you purchased the products. In purchasing those products did you enhance or deter the creation of Black wealth? If you had to do it all over again, how would you change what you did earlier? The Mercedes-Benz or Lexus or Jaguar you have parked outside. Where did you get it from? What exactly did the purchase of such a luxury car do for you? If it was a necessary purchase, would it have served your interest and the interest of the community better if you had checked throughout the country to find out which Black automobile dealerships carried the brand. Was it necessary to have purchased a brand from a company which has consistently shown disrespect and insult to you and your community? If you answered no, then you have it within your power to change things around next time you have to make such a purchase or any purchase at all. Whether it is a dollar purchase or a million dollar purchase, the thought process must be focused on maximizing the interest of the community. We must assess every option. The re-education of our people is the first step in the Capitalist Nigger's arsenal to begin to reclaim and rebuild a State of Black Economy. We must start individually, conquer the urge for frivolous purchasing without first applying the litmus test. The whole of the African race is under economic occupation. You cannot achieve a true political independence without at the same time achieving economic independence. The so-called political independence we think we have now is merely an illusion. It is meaningless. It is not supported by any solid foundation. A house without solid foundation is bound to crumple sooner or later. Without economic independence, sooner or later, we will be recolonized politically. Culled from "Capitalist Nigger: The Road To Success - A Spider Web Doctrine," Chapter 5 - "Blacks Are Economic Slaves," pages 43-51 by Chika Onyeani Hardcover - $24.95 (Sold out) Paperback - $14.99 (Available at Amazon.com or wherever books are sold) Published by Timbuktu Publishers Tel.: 973-675-9919 Fax: 973-675-5704 BLURB: CAPITALIST NIGGER excels as an explosive and jarring indictment of the Black Race. The book asserts that the Negroid Race, as naturally endowed as any other, is culpably a non-productive race. The Black Race is a consumer race and depends on other communities for its culture, its language, its feeding, and its clothing. Despite enormous natural resources, Blacks are economic slaves because they lack the "devil-may-care" attitude and the "killer-instinct" of the Caucasian, as well as the spider web economic mentality of the Asian. CAPITALIST NIGGER contends that only as "Economic Warriors," employing the "Spider Web Economic Doctrine," can the Black Race escape from their victim mentality. Disclaimer: Please note that views and opposing views expressed in ChatAfriK forum are the rights of individual contributors. Mutual respect for people's views is the corner stone of our forums. 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