This is a legit question, so holster your flamethrowers. It is my impression that black people as a community are more willing to accept that Y2K may have severe consequences than the general population is. I have seen at least three Y2K shows on "Tony Brown's Journal", as well as Jesse Jackson's CNN show, and the Cosby show did an episode on it recently. I would like the input of any African-Americans on the forum as to if this is true, and if so, why? Are Blacks less willing to take what the government tells them at face value? Do they have the attitude that "bad" things really can happen in this country because of the history that they have experienced? Any and all inputs are appreciated.

-- cavscout (cavscout@fix.net), November 15, 1999

Answers

In my area I don't believe blacks are anymore prepared than whites judging by my "man of the street questions" to people I pass in stores or the mall.

-- the Virginian (1@1.com), November 15, 1999.

About 8 months ago, there was a y2k meeting at Wake Forest. The speaker told us a few horror stories, then reassured us that 'everything would be okay.' When I questioned him on the apparent contradiction he didn't have a good answer.

Anyway, the point. Wake Forest is about 80% white. The participants at that meeting were about 80% black. There had been a speaker at their church and quite a few of them GI. Just my observation.

-- John Ainsworth (ainsje00@wfu.edu), November 15, 1999.

I do think blacks are more receptive from people I spoke to in NYC-- including bank tellers!

-- Mara (MaraWayne@aol.com), November 15, 1999.

No offense cavscount, but this has already been covered here 2-3 times in the past month. Search archives, probably under misc.

-- ~~~~ (~~~@~~~.xcom), November 15, 1999.

Here's an older thread on this topic:

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=001A6F

[snip]

"The poll of 1,008 adults, conducted for the AP by ICR of Media, Pa., found that women (38 percent) were much more likely than men (23 percent) to stock up on supplies. In addition, 42 percent of blacks planned to take precautions, compared with 29 percent of all others."

[snip]

-- Linkmeister (link@librarian.edu), November 16, 1999.

This may sound a little slanted and generalized, but I grew up on the lower east side of Detroit, on welfare and foodstamps, and now live in a so-so area of Chicago (without any aid from our gvmnt, thank you). The people who generally have the most food already on hand tend to be working poor families. All you need to do is spend a few hours at an Aldi's (a local budget food store favored by the less- than-affluent) to see that. So the one's who will really have a hard time initially are the people who eat nothing but takeout...yuppies basically. Not that I particularly think that "the poor" are somehow more lofty and deserving than the upperclass, but it's an irony that anyone who has to do real work for a living can appreciate.

-- Ludi (ludi@rollin.com), November 16, 1999.

I live in the middle penninsula of Virginia, you know the area ravaged by carpet-baggers at the end of the Civil War. This is a rural area. About half the local population is black but about 70% of the wealth and property is in the hands of the white population...

Far be it from me (as I am what is called a "come here") to speak about how things are (or have been) done here. One thing is certain in my mind, though; the black folks in this area are better prepared than the white folks and everyone here is better prepared than the 'city folks'.

The bigger they are, the harder they fall.

-- (...@.......), November 16, 1999.

One of my almost neighbors has been working at building his own garderning service. (A mood he is in presently.) Anyway we all hired him in my immediate area. He is African American and I don't think he has prepared. I don't really chat with him to know this for sure. He's terrified I'll offer him a kitten. (I had.)

-- Paula (chowbabe@pacbell.net), November 16, 1999.

The two most prepared people I know are black. They GI in 1995 and set me on my present course shortly after. An interesting aside to their story is the fact that they live in an industrial section of a very big city and have set themselves up in such a brilliant and discreet way that they are more likely to survive a worst case scenerio better than anyone I can imagine. When my buddy downloaded his y2k discovery to me (and it was a heck of a presentation...) I gathered my severely shaken wits together and asked him if he and his wife were going to pull up stakes and move to the country. He looked at me like I'd lost my mind and said "When this all comes down white country folks will start shooting at the first sight of a black face. They'd reckon we were the initial wave of urban looters and they'd force us into a firefight". So, they built a mind-blowing but virtually invisible fortress in the heart of a potential graveyard. With all due respect to Paul Milne, they live less than a mile from the nearest 7-11 and they will outlast us all.

-- Choirboy (choirboy@hellzchoir.edu), November 16, 1999.

YEAH... You are all corrrect! The blacks are very prepared to RIOT and LOOT during any disruption.

Remember the "Rodney -crackhead- King" unrest? (of course they were just looking for milk for their children but found televisions etc..)

-- Slick Willie Clinton (president@whitehouse.com), November 16, 1999.

I think that "slick willie" should be called "sick willie." Go get a life, racist!

-- JoseMiami (caris@prodigy.net), November 16, 1999.

I personally the people of color would be more prepared and be more receptive of the "message" as they have been persecuted and "tortured" both mentally and physically to a much greater extent than the more pampered, historically, white population.

Regarding the racist posts above, those are the truly clueless ones, even if they do GI...

"A narrow mind is a terrible thing and needs to be wasted" - yours truly

snarlin' at the narrow mind...

The Dog

-- Dog (Desert Dog@-sand.com), November 16, 1999.

What difference does it make which racial group is more prepared than others?

-- cody (cody@y2ksurvive.com), November 16, 1999.

It makes no difference Cody.

The opinion poll reported above ill translate into something like the following:

whites who will be sufficiently prepared for whatever happens-15%

blacks who will be sufficiently prepared for whatever happens-20%

If it gets bad enough, these percentage differences will be pretty meaningless. There would be a world of hurt for everyone.

-- nothere nothere (notherethere@hotmail.com), November 16, 1999.

Don't know- but- my state is almost "lily white" so to speak. But- the big paper in the state did a cover story recently on y2k preps, and the picture they used to illustrate the story was of a black woman sitting in her well-stocked pantry, with a big smile on her face. Way to go sister! So- could be....

-- farmer (hillsidefarm@drbs.com), November 16, 1999.

--it's been my experience, while still living in atlanta, that the black folks get it really easy. I have given "the rap" to quite a few of the guys I used to work with, and then various strangers at stores, etc. i was quite the y2k evangelist while i was living there. anywho, they DO NOT trust the government to tell them the truth, and the same for big biz. they get it if they have heard the "word". the churches there are doing a fine job, as communities go. A LOT of extra garden food got put up in cans this summer, that I can guarantee. --also, just to be really fair, they most severely trashed their own sections of town during the rodney king riots, and whites and orientals caught up in it either got scared witless, or actually attacked and beaten. myself, they (a mob) attempted it, but I was able to "persuade"them to look for another "sport" target, with the help of my two friends, mr. smith and his buddy mr. wesson.... i remember one scene on the tv after i was able to finally get home from downtown(a real pleasant commute that day...), a news copter was hovering over a store over by clark university/morehouse colege/spellman college area. the (I think)korean store owner had locked himself up on the roof, while his store was being looted below him by "apparently"-to my eyes- mostly college age blackpeople. about 150 yards away, in full darth vader gear, were about 20-30 of atlanta's "finest", just standing in neat little rows and watching this old geezer. and his store just disappearing around him. they did nothing.at.all....nothing. he(the old korean) was shouting and waving his arms, first at the "peace" officers, then he'd look up at the copter. No telling what was going through his mind at the time, but I bet if he's still around that HE get's it. --I keep trying, I talk to anyone, I think everyone deserves a chance to hear a condensed view of the risks and potentialites, but for me, I'm still glad i bugged out to rural. Lots mo better here, I'm thinkin' zog

-- zog (zzoggy@yahoo.com), November 16, 1999.

Getting in on this late but here is the first hand view. We (the african-american population) GI quickly because most of us come from people that have had to know how to survive in all types of situations regardless of what type of people we are we will always look different and that seems enough to cause the ruling class to constantly find new ways to keep us out....out of a nice neighborhood i live in a 99% white area, my home looks no different than any other well kept house on the street except my son is playing in the yard.... out of the schools....my children are the only blacks in their classes and they are left out of many social events, and are last to be picked for teams, are called out of name and i could go on, but they have a right to a good education and we pay taxes just like everyone else with property....out of the jobs....apply for a job that takes a skill and find out that the job has suddenly been filled...take a manual labor job and do better that everyone else and find out that your work is being double & triple checked because you 'must' have been cheating to do so well....allow you into their churches with open arms only to act like they don't know you in any other public place.....always looking at you if something is missing as if stealing was your middle name and you don't know any other way to get what you want......SURE we distrust government, industry, law enforcement, the courts,etc. After you have experienced this day in and day out you learn survival fast. Walk in my shoes for a little while and find out just how unAmerican America can be. Black areas will be the last to get help and the first to be policed. Survival means trusting yourself and the Lord to make a way for you and yours. Rant off!

-- kitten (kitten@vcn.net), November 17, 1999.