Who's the racist?

[Atreus21]

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/black-barbie-sold-white-barbie-walmart-store/story?id=10045008

Apparently white barbies are outselling black barbies at Wal-mart.

It's no surprise that people see a problem with that. I don't. How about we stop reading racism into every act.

Wal-mart wants to make money, as any business does. So kids buy white barbies more. So the hell what?

If we truly want to move past racism, we might begin by not caring about the color of people's skin.

 

[Schadenfroh]

This looks like a business decision rather than racism. Heck, this price change was probably determined by a computer algorithm.

 

[Cogman]

Its because white barbies are more rare, rarer things have higher prices... right?

Ok, yeah, its because people buy more white barbies, that doesn't mean racism, it means people have a preference for white toned dolls (at least the people with are spending their money on barbies do.)

 

[Atreus21]

This looks like a business decision rather than racism. Heck, this price change was probably determined by a computer algorithm.

Obviously.

But still the lady, whom I admit acknowledges that Wal-mart clearly acted with no malice, finds room to complain.

She says that kids are very susceptible to stereotypes in their formative years. To which I respond, "yes, so let's not put forth the stereotype that black people are distinct from white people. It's a doll, not a statement."

 

[UberNeuman]

It's stupid for anyone to get pissed over it - as it is stupid that it's a story to be reported on...

\I buy my barbies on ebay....

 

[Tristicus]

Please, don't call me a bigot- I hate all races equally.

 

[rchiu]

Heh, instead of teaching kids all these political correct crap, it's 100x more practically to teach kids what the real world is about. Yeap, racism exist, discrimination exists, world is a cold and unfair place. Learn to deal with it rather than be ignorant and pretend like everything is okay.

 

[Atreus21]

Please, don't call me a bigot- I hate all races equally.

My wife, who is asian, keeps telling me that. I thought she was joking, but she rips on other vietnamese with the nastiest slurs reserved for that nationality. She wasn't joking. She was lying through her teeth.

Seriously, I'm beginning to think she's got a certified case of Moonbeam-variety self-hate.

She calls me her great white cross. I call her my yellow ball and chain.

The best defense against racism is humor.

 

[PieIsAwesome]

In a given area, if there are more white people, chances are there are going to be more white doll sales. Same if there were more black people.

If I were to buy a doll (hypothetically), I would get the one with which I, or the person receiving the doll, would identify with the most, or the doll that would otherwise be most appealing. I'm not black, so it wouldn't be the black doll. It isn't racism to prefer one color over the other, there must be some sort of preference. Trying to pretend all is equal is silly.

Talking about myself buying dolls is weird, so something more applicable to me: When I make a character in games like Fallout 3, I always make a white character. Oh noes racism!

But I am also a cheap bastard, and 50% off is always tempting, perhaps even enough to overcome my preference of one doll over the other.

 

[dwell]

Newsflash:

White persons, percent, 2008 (a) 79.8%
Black persons, percent, 2008 (a) 12.8%

 

[Zebo]

I was listening to NPR and they said black women have it rough in RL life too. Black men don't even want them. They were having these get black woman single togethers/conferences on dating outside race maybe and where to find decent black men. Sucks there seems to be some serious racism towards black women maybe it extends to barbies or this lady is just taking it personel.

AT guys: find out where those conferences are, they're desperate! :::bulb:::

 

[Kirby]

I was listening to NPR and they said black women have it rough in RL life too. Black men don't even want them. They were having these get black woman single togethers/conferences on dating outside race maybe and where to find decent black men. Sucks there seems to be some serious racism towards black women maybe it extends to barbies or this lady is just taking it personel.

AT guys: find out where those conferences are, they're desperate! :::bulb:::

I found the reason why.

 

[elitejp]

haha this sounds like an english class i had in college where we read a poem by some famous black lady and it talked about racism. The teacher then took fbi stats and shared how in dc more black people were arrested than white people. Well i wasnt the naive 18 year old but was already a naive 23 year old and knew better than to take that crap. Since the school was in Va and ive been to dc more than once at night I quickly remarked that the high majority of people that live there are black. Ive been places where I couldnt even see a white face. And I suggested that it would make sense to assume the district police force to also be mostly blacks. So you got black people being racist against black people. Stupid statistics. I bet you in alabama more white people get arrested, and in mexico more mexicans

 

[BigDH01]

haha this sounds like an english class i had in college where we read a poem by some famous black lady and it talked about racism. The teacher then took fbi stats and shared how in dc more black people were arrested than white people. Well i wasnt the naive 18 year old but was already a naive 23 year old and knew better than to take that crap. Since the school was in Va and ive been to dc more than once at night I quickly remarked that the high majority of people that live there are black. Ive been places where I couldnt even see a white face. And I suggested that it would make sense to assume the district police force to also be mostly blacks. So you got black people being racist against black people. Stupid statistics. I bet you in alabama more white people get arrested, and in mexico more mexicans

Although, logically, it would've made more sense to simply tell the professor that in DC, most crimes are committed by black people. I live in an area that is largely rural, and the only murders we've had in the past few years involved minorities in the population. Your argument wouldn't have made much sense here even if the arrests were not racist.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

Would the people who are crowing about discrimination feel less discriminated against if the price of the black dolls were made three times as expensive as the prices of the white dolls? Couldn't white people argue that they are really the ones being discriminated against since they have to pay more money for white dolls?

 

[mattpegher]

Its actually interesting to question why Walmart had purchased a surplus of brown-skinned barbies. Usually, minorities have problems finding dolls that reflect their race. Here we have a big chain that simply purchased more of the dolls than they were able to sell and therefore are discounting them to increase sales. I think the woman is reading into this with her own insecurities.

 

[Tab]

I'm boycotting wal-mart, fucking racist dbags.

 

[MotF Bane]

I'm boycotting wal-mart, fucking racist dbags.

Oh, so you're still around, and still living in your little fantasy world.

 

[daishi5]

Although, logically, it would've made more sense to simply tell the professor that in DC, most crimes are committed by black people. I live in an area that is largely rural, and the only murders we've had in the past few years involved minorities in the population. Your argument wouldn't have made much sense here even if the arrests were not racist.

But, I would bet the the majority of the population makes up the majority of your location's arrests, which is what he said. You are looking at murders which are a tiny fraction of total crimes committed.

 

[BigDH01]

But, I would bet the the majority of the population makes up the majority of your location's arrests, which is what he said. You are looking at murders which are a tiny fraction of total crimes committed.

But also the one getting the most attention.

 

[Tab]

Oh, so you're still around, and still living in your little fantasy world.

at least im not a racist like you

lol

 

[Analog]

. .

 

[james1701]

I think everyone has it backwards, WM is sticking it to the whitey, and keeping the price of the other doll affordable. Hence reverse discrimination.

 

[KMFJD]

Al Sharpton, America's most beloved racist

 

[StageLeft]

I think everyone has it backwards, WM is sticking it to the whitey, and keeping the price of the other doll affordable. Hence reverse discrimination.

I had not seen it that way but you're right. In fact, what if the black dolls were more expensive than the white? How would it be perceived?