The Priorities of Black Folks

I got an e-mail today at work and it was one of those e-mails that have been around for years. It was something that a white person "supposedly" wrote about the spending habits of African Americans. It talked about the things that we value and it was quite unsettling. I think it was most unsettling because most of it was true, at least in my opinion.

I know some people don't agree and I know some people do agree. And just as I was about to debate my point, someone came along and made it for me.

I have a co-worker who is younger than me. She is a great person, fun and very responsible, but her priorities are not where they should be. Now I am not one to tell young folks what they should or should not do, but in this case I just could not stop talking about it.

This weekend is my co-worker's birthday celebration. Her and her friends are flying to Vegas for All Star weekend. And the conversation went a little like this:

"So what are you guys planning besides parties? You know its gonna be a crazy amount of people out there."

"Yeah, I told myself that I wasn't going to spend more than $200 to get in a club."

"What? Are you serious?"

"Yeah."

"Girl if I pay $200 for anything it better come and sit in my house. What is the most you ever paid to get in the club?"

"When All Star was in Atlanta, I paid $1500 for me and my friends to get in a club."

"That is how I know you are not over 30. You know you can feed a small African Village with $1500?"

Do you get where I am going with this conversation? I have been thinking since this conversation, why would you pay that much money to get in a club? I mean do you get a date with Gilbert Arenas or Allen Iverson when I pay extra money? It just made no sense to me and I STILL cannot wrap my around it. But this conversation was an indicator of why I feel distanced from this generation.

I need somebody to talk about this. Why do young people feel that the more money they spend on something makes it more valuable? You have a Big Body ride, but you own nothing and have no savings. I hope you got space to live in that ride. But how do you guys feel about the priorities of Black folks?