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Blatant racism toward black dancers in New Orleans
Before Katrina, there were not ever any problems for black dancers to get hired at any one of the many clubs on Bourbon.
Sadly, that has all changed dramatically.
3 top flight dancers I know all went to 6 clubs including the Hustler, Penthouse and the like and from 2 black doormen, they were told the truth. Black dancers will not be hired by management. And funny thing is, I've worked at the Hustler before Katrina had hit without any problems.
These are girls that have national exposure from magazines like Smooth, XXL, and King too. But yet, the couple of white dancers that were auditioning at the same time as they were got hired immediately. Go figure!
Inside one club there were 40 white, blond girls; 2 black girls; and 1 latina.
Though that doesn't really surprise me, its pathetic.
The blatant racism ethnic dancers face will never change.
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Re: Blatant racism toward black dancers in New Orleans
:( Bummer. Should my Mexican ass be prepared to be given a hardhat, hammer & nails to build some NOLA homes instead of shaking my sweet sweet ass in the French Quarter if I show up in town to work?
I'm more valuable as a laborer than a sex machine if I come to the Big Easy?
Weird....:-\
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Re: Blatant racism toward black dancers in New Orleans
Well, I woudln't say I'm not surprised...alot of people who were evacuated from NO after Katrina were of low economic status which for the most part were African American residents.
That being said, since Katrina, many have not returned back. I think during the reconstruction of New Orleans, they dont want it to turn back into a "poor black town"
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Re: Blatant racism toward black dancers in New Orleans
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Originally Posted by
cinammonkisses
....they dont want it to turn back into a "poor black town"
I hate that that is the underlying unspoken excuse for the fact that the reconstruction has taken so long to complete. No, can't be a "chocolate city" either. It was everyone's city. It was everyone's history, culture and memories that was there before Katrina.
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Re: Blatant racism toward black dancers in New Orleans
As long as we all say things like "black girl" "white girl" and "latina" it will never change. How about there were 40 girls and some didn't make it? And I'm not referring to you in particular but everyone globalwide.
All you hear in Louisiana are those phrases. We're all still taught down here as children to not get comfortable with people of other races. It's a shame really. I couldn't even watch The Cosby's.
Louisiana is already at least 30 years behind the rest of the world anyway, and anyone who's been here and gone elsewhere knows that it is true. Get out of the South and the world is different.
I lived in Washington state for awhile with a friend and one day her son came home from going to the corner gas station where most of the employees are Asian. He said he met a new friend and his dad had just started there and gave them free candy. Well my dumb southern ass said is he Aisan too? Zack replied no he's American like me and into the living room came a little African American boy.
Why can't it always be like that?:-\
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Re: Blatant racism toward black dancers in New Orleans
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Brandy420
Zack replied no he's American like me and into the living room came a little African American boy.
Why can't it always be like that?:-\
That's beautiful, and sadly it's the truth. Children don't see color, they learn to view the world the way they do through their family and friends.
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Re: Blatant racism toward black dancers in New Orleans
I would surmise that the reason management won't hire Black dancers is because they are afraid that they will attract Black customers, who management ( rightly or wrongly ) is assuming will bring less money and more headaches to the club than a "whiter" crowd. If they thought more Black dancers would bring in more high-rolling white guys, they'd fill the club with Black girls. Its more about maximizing profits while minimizing problems. Up North, clubs try to keep out what they perceive to be the "bad element" by banning hats after a certain time. This is probably more akin to that than to picking on Black dancers because they are Black.
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Re: Blatant racism toward black dancers in New Orleans
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Re: Blatant racism toward black dancers in New Orleans
To bem: only an idiot would change a formula that's brought success. Re read it. They were successful with the mixed lineup and now want to change it for personal bias.
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Re: Blatant racism toward black dancers in New Orleans
I never said it was a good idea or I supported their policy. I just offered a possible explanation for it. Pleas re-read what I wrote. I only spoke to what management might be thinking, not what I think.
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Re: Blatant racism toward black dancers in New Orleans
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Originally Posted by
cinammonkisses
So in your eyes white women = more $$$, black women = scummy, problem-filled customers >:(
He's not saying that's what HE thinks, he's saying that's what CLUBOWNERS think. Reread what he said.
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Re: Blatant racism toward black dancers in New Orleans
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Originally Posted by
Brandy420
As long as we all say things like "black girl" "white girl" and "latina" it will never change. How about there were 40 girls and some didn't make it? And I'm not referring to you in particular but everyone globalwide.
I don't mean this offensively or to start an internet race riot, just that not saying "black girl" "white girl" or "latina" is a leeeeeetle too PC....come on now, what should we say? Black girls refer to themselves and others like that, so do white girls, and so do latinas, and all that means is is a female + latin-- that's not accurate? Saying caucasian and african-american ALL THE TIME is silly, blackgirl/whitegirl/latina are not racist terms. I see what you mean about "generalizing" but imo that's different from generalizing. One of the things that really seriously bugs me about how ppl "deal with racism" is otherwise well-intentioned ppl treading way too fucking lightly around "topics" like this. Please don't take offense, just expressin'.
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Re: Blatant racism toward black dancers in New Orleans
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Re: Blatant racism toward black dancers in New Orleans
So what do you think of the policy? No one is so obtuse as to need you to tell us your theory of what they think. The OP already did a good job of that. Get off the fence and tell us what YOU think. BTW, you should share the PM you sent as it shares your opinion of what's going on.
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Re: Blatant racism toward black dancers in New Orleans
^Who me? There was no PM to or from me on this subject, I was just clarifying what previous poster said. Someone on here ALWAYS misinterprets and gets their feathers ruffled every time anyone says that clubowners do this stuff because [clubowners] feel it's best for their business - basically shooting the messenger.
As for what I think, I've stated my opinions on the subject more than enough and I don't think I need to rehash it again. This comes up what, every month or so?
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Re: Blatant racism toward black dancers in New Orleans
Nooo! I mean bem. She or he had a good comment but I don't have permission to share it.
In my opinion the ruffling in this situation comes from people not getting naked and sharing how they feel about it. There is an injustice in the OP's communtity that is a life or death matter--the ability to work for a living wage. These people are forced by cruel bullshit to leave their CITY. That's no small thing. People stay up in their heads and muse. FEEL HER PAIN. Feel her betrayal. FEEL HER FEAR. you are cut off from makiing it to your next week's pay with no warning a not a fucking care from the world. Join her in the mud for a moment. Don't stay so above it that whatever you share is meaningless and nearly a shrug of the shoulders. DON'T be the messenger. No one needs the obvious broken down. Be SUPPORTIVE.
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Re: Blatant racism toward black dancers in New Orleans
I would transfer the PM as Optimist suggested but I don't know how. I just explained I was only trying to offer a reason other than blatant racism for this policy and was not justifying the policy. I do not see things in a racist light but I do know clubs in my area aim for a certain clientele and staff accordingly and offered that that is probably the case here.
Now, I don't live in the South so I can't comment on any lingering racism there but I would think the only color that should matter to a business owner is green. If he is staffing his club according to what he feels will be advantageous to his bottom line, he can hardly be faulted. If he is doing it for racist reasons, he deserves all the criticism he gets.
I can empathize with the unfortunate situation some dancers in that city might find themselves in but people lose their jobs every day in every type of industry. No one has a monopoly on being in the wrong place at the wrong time. If one's talents and skills are not in demand in a particular area, there are only two choices of action: either go where the demand is, or do something different. It's really quite simple. It may sound harsh, but life isn't always fair. That being said, I hope the the affected dancers manage to come through this OK.
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Re: Blatant racism toward black dancers in New Orleans
here are some post-Katrina business / marketing stats re New Orleans ...
One undeniable change since Katrina was the exposure of rampant police corruption and widespread drug related crime ... both of which have been significantly reduced after Katrina (by a continuing federal presence, by the expatriation of a lot of former New Orleans residents etc). For better or worse, eliminating some proportion of drug related crime has also reduced a major source of 'discretionary income' for many New Orleans residents ... most of which were 'non-caucasian' based on New Orleans crime statistics.
Thus the argument that a financial model which worked in the past should also work today ignores the fact that the 'discretionary income' of some New Orleans club customers has been significantly reduced ... or those former New Orleans club customers no longer live in New Orleans, and cannot afford to move back even if they wanted to.
And while I don't mean to minimize the aftermath of Katrina on New Orleans, for a fact the end result on strip clubs is in the same league as many other cities which have seen their 'core industries' devastated by layoffs, which have seen club business devastated by new anti-strip club ordinances etc.
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Re: Blatant racism toward black dancers in New Orleans
^I'm not gonna argue that, but most French Quarter stripclub business always came from travellers, not locals. However I would say that since the storm alot more of their business comes from locals, all those temporary workers and such. So, it's still safe to assume that whatever former business model they used is no longer good because the clientele has changed.
On a side note, I don't remember most NOLA clubs having many black girls ever. 40 white girls to 2 black girls doesn't seem like much of a change to me, if any.
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Re: Blatant racism toward black dancers in New Orleans
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Alaska
I don't mean this offensively or to start an internet race riot, just that not saying "black girl" "white girl" or "latina" is a leeeeeetle too PC....come on now, what should we say? Black girls refer to themselves and others like that, so do white girls, and so do latinas, and all that means is is a female + latin-- that's not accurate? Saying caucasian and african-american ALL THE TIME is silly, blackgirl/whitegirl/latina are not racist terms. I see what you mean about "generalizing" but imo that's different from generalizing. One of the things that really seriously bugs me about how ppl "deal with racism" is otherwise well-intentioned ppl treading way too fucking lightly around "topics" like this. Please don't take offense, just expressin'.
ITA. Those terms don't bother me the least bit. There are many more words out there that are far more offensive.
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Re: Blatant racism toward black dancers in New Orleans
As I always say, as long as black people choose to work for whites instead of running large scale structured businesses like white males do, we will always get the short end of the stick.
We can't continue to wait for a white man to give us a bone. we've got to control our own meat.
I was born in the South (Memphis) and you have a slave mentality black citizen there, as well as whites who intend to keep us "in our place".
Then you have the opposite extreme club in parts of the rural Midwest. All white customers, and a club with over half the dancers who a black. And the type of black girls who work in those clubs make their money "dating" after hours and use the clubs to line up dates, and the owners know it.
Why do you think NO hasn't been rebuilt? The racist machine (Bush and all those like him) want to steal the land for their crony white rich developers at the expense of the people. THIS IS A FACT!
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Re: Blatant racism toward black dancers in New Orleans
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Originally Posted by
Tina
As I always say, as long as black people choose to work for whites instead of running large scale structured businesses like white males do, we will always get the short end of the stick.
We can't continue to wait for a white man to give us a bone. we've got to control our own meat.
Yeah, you tell 'em sista! We don't need that white man's bone, we can get our own damn bone! Let's go get our own black meat!
We shall overcome
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Re: Blatant racism toward black dancers in New Orleans
again going back to economic realities - three main reasons that the rebuilding of New Orleans has been so slow and limited ...
#1 - serious economic analysis being done re the total costs of doing business in New Orleans versus other cities. Statistically, New Orleans has high taxes, high crime, high insurance premiums, high 'political costs' etc. on the expenses side, and has a vastly reduced pool of 'customer dollars' on the income side.
#2 - official income levels and creditworthiness of most New Orleans residents is statistically 'appalling' - meaning that already troubled subprime lenders don't want to touch new New Orleans loans with a 10 foot pole ... and when they do make loans they want higher interest rates + mandatory insurance coverage
#3 - official loss risk in New Orleans is also statistically 'appalling' ... from the probability of another flood to the probability of a car being stolen ... meaning that insurance companies do not want to write new policies for New Orleans and can charge two arms and three legs when they do.
From an economic standpoint, the Katrina disaster merely forced a 'magnifying glass' to be put on the actual situation of the New Orleans economy. In essence, the economic situation in New Orleans isn't all that much different than a lot of other large cities (check out homeowner and car insurance rates in LA for example). But what IS different about New Orleans is that unlike other large cities it did not have a diversified economy but essentially had all of its eggs in the two baskets of energy and tourism - both of which got slammed by Katrina.
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Re: Blatant racism toward black dancers in New Orleans
I kinda think NOLA will eventually get rebuilt into a "rich man's playground".
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Re: Blatant racism toward black dancers in New Orleans
In NOLA before the storm ( and they knew it was coming, but thats a different story ) all of the jails were opened. I mean it's the humane thing to do.. think about that. Rapists, murders, child molesters, the entire gauntlet of the worst offenders to humane society were set free. Couple that with the oppressive poverty stricken bad or ghetto parts of the Quarter. Anyone who has ever been to N'awlins knows exactly what I'm talking about..
Everything was basically wiped out. It was a third world country for a while. Some parts still are! Plus, the individuals that were set free from jail were never recaptured.
Flood all of this with the political BS of N'awlins mayor, inept police force, corrupt to the bone and yes, individuals are going to be a bit shell shocked.
It's not about color or race, it's about people that are still freaked out. Even now.
Clubs on Bourbon street are floundering, like dying fish..
Even people ( like me ) that live close-by don't DARE venture there after dark. Thats just crazy.
I understand that some people might find the race issue offensive, then again I understand WHY it is the way it is. Once again, this is the south. Values and beliefs that are hundreds of years old can't be changed overnight. Personally, I could care less. Pink, purple, green - whatever. As long as I treat others with respect, I expect the same in return.
It doesn't always work out that way. Ignorance, small-mindedness and pettiness seem to rule some individuals.
It's like Melonie said, the spotlight has been focused on the cities problems and Katrina split it open like rotten fruit.