Last night I got some Chinese BBQ Ribs which is one of my favorite meals when I'm on the road and feel like crashing in the hotel room instead to checking out the local flavor. So that means I need a UCR, a Utility Chinese Restaurant. There's a good one in Philly, I have yet to find a good one here in Houston. But I did notice something in the one I went to last night, an advertisement for exchange students.
As you know I talk about black culture and politics a lot. I've known some black exchange students - by that I mean Americans who have gone abroad, but I don't think I've known any black exchange students from abroad who end up here. At least I am not aware of any African friends who told me this about themselves. I am almost positive I don't know any black families who have sponsored an exchange student.
There's a big hoohah about whether or not Obama's daughters ought to get Affirmative Action. I think it's a stupid question on its face. When Pops is a Senator, even a State Legislator, there are lots and lots of doors that open up that Affirmative Action counselors don't even know exist. Whereas most blackfolks (I guess) have never even had their friendly neighborhood cop or fireman over for dinner, Obama could have any number of hotshots over. It's a class question. Who feels privileged to be invited to your house?
I have to confess that if there's anything at all that I might come close to regretting in my life it's not having bought a condo in LA back when I lived at the beach. I did manage to save a little money but I've always hated the idea of living in complexes. So instead of buying a studio condo in Culver City where some of the cool folks hung out, I rented a duplex two blocks from the ocean where the ubercool folks hung out. Socially? Great decision. Economically? Dumb as dirt. So I'm equity poor and don't have a great big mansion of the sort a man of my distinction deserves.
No au pair, no exchange student, no nanny, no butler.. just a part time maid.
I think this is an excellent class indicator, and I've long thought about such matters in the context of organics. So let me throw out a controversial question. As a black on black uplift strategy (since we all agree with Carol Swain) shouldn't we make efforts to offer such jobs to our less fortunate brethren? The implied snarky question is or are we too crabby and hateful to allow other blackfolks to do this kind of work?
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