The Sleaziness of White Privilege

 

If Brett Farve had not become a successful NFL quarterback, I believe he would've been just another good ol' southern, blue collar country boy.  Some might've even labeled him as "poor white trash." 

Favre was born in Gulfport, MS in 1969 and raised in the unincorporated community of Kiln (just outside of Gulfport).  Kiln, with a population of around 2200, once had a reputation for being known as the "moonshine capital of the world." It's also important to note that less than one percent of blacks live there.  One report indicates there were only 2 black residents:  Kiln, MS stats

 Of course, we all know Favre went on to make millions in the NFL and kept making $$$ with endorsements after his  career ended.  It's safe to say Brett Favre benefitted from being a white male and he knew how to use his executive white privilege card to get things accomplished.

He used that privilege card to allegedly siphon funds from the Mississippi Welfare Fund to build a volleyball facility at Southern Mississippi University, where his daughter just happens to play the sport.  This good ol' boy also reportedly leveraged his status to secure funds for a start-up biotechnology company that ended up going belly up.  Of course, Favre claims he had no idea the money was being taken from the poor to give to the greedy and he hasn't officially been charged with anything as of this moment.  Text messages, however, implicate him on just about every level including the one he sent asking the woman, who allocated the funds, if the media could ever find out where the money came from and how much.  Wow! Just Wow!   

So now our attention has focused on the Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka (who happens to be black with NO privilege card) and his scandalous sex scandal, while most of the media continues to remain relatively silent about the man robbed from the poor to give to the rich.  Why isn't the NFL up in arms over one of their own abusing his power?  I say kick him out of the Hall of Fame but I have learned that there is nothing in the Pro Football Hall of Fame bylaws that allows the  removal once enshrined.  (That's probably why O.J. is still there). 

That's what white privilege can do for a good ol' southern country boy.

Selling Out

I must admit, TikTok can be filled with a lot of foolishness but every now and then you come across a video that makes you feel the need to do a deeper dive into the information being given.  Recently I saw a video of a young woman talking about all of the black business entrepreneurs who ended up selling their products to white companies. That led me to do further research and I was shocked to discover she was absolutely on point.

According to an article in Newsweek,   more than 30 products, which were black-owned at one point, are now controlled by white companies.  The one that sticks out the most for me is Carol's Daughter.  I remember seeing an interview with the woman behind the black hair care products (Lisa Price) who was so excited to see her brand being picked up by Target for the first time.  In 2014, however, she reportedly sold her business to L'Oreal for $27 million dollars. One might argue that's probably more money than she could ever make on her own as a black entrepreneur but Carol's Daughter fits into a pattern of how black entrepreneurs become sell-outs to the white corporate structure.  

Who remembers Nadinola skin lightening cream?  How about blue magic or sulfer8 hair grease? These, coupled with a long line of other ethnic hair and skin care products, are owned by J. Strickland and Company, which was founded in 1936 by a white man named George B. Long.  Now you and I both know that in 1936, Long  wasn't partners with a black man or woman.  It is more likely that he stole the idea.

Then there's Softsheen, which was founded by a Black couple in 1964, but sold to L'Oreal in 1998 and Shea Moisture, which was founded by a woman in West Africa in the early 1900's, but is now owned by Unilever.

It is hard to comprehend why someone would work so hard to create and market their product and then turn around and sell it to a white corporation.  It's also hard to comprehend how deeply rooted racism has been in every aspect of our lives and kept all things from being equal.

If all things were equal, these transactions would never be necessary.

On the other hand, if someone wants to pick up my Vocabulary Bingo game, I, too, would become a sell-out!