Sometimes I go to Whole Foods (a "natural, organic" type of food store in the U.S.). And I've noticed that virtually all the shoppers there are white. A very few Indian immigrants. I have only ever seen one black person there, and that appeared to be an actual African immigrant as opposed to an African American. Oh, and every employee I have ever seen there, without exception, has been young and white.
Does that imply some kind of racism? Seems that ethnic minorities all shop at Wal-Mart and the regional discount grocery store in this area.
2007-03-20 01:43:30 · 7 answers · asked by KevinStud99 6 in Social Science ➔ Economics
Hey P.C. crowd -- you'll note I stated a couple of quite accurate observations and asked a question. I haven't actually accused anyone of anything, have I?
Oh, and blacks as an ethnic group certainly do make less money as a socio-economic class -- you can go ahead and acknowledge well-verified statistic that without tripping over yourselves.
2007-03-20 07:17:46 · update #1
NO
2007-03-20 01:49:15 · answer #1 · answered by anne j 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As far as I know, there are no laws prohibiting anyone from shopping anywhere. Those laws were destroyed in 1964!
There are many other explanations for what you are observing. What is the composition of the neighborhood that you live in? Is there a correlation betweeen being poor and being black or Hispanic? Does the Whole Foods store carry certain foods that an ethnic group might be looking for -- like curry paste or black bean sauce?
Keep an open mind, and don't look for racism without thinking it through first!
2007-03-20 02:44:09 · answer #2 · answered by Allan 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
That's a strong charge to levy, and there's not much evidence. If you want to say a store is racist, you need to point to something that the store is actively doing to promote that racism.
I would not call Def Jam records racist because it signs generally black artists, nor would I call Tooth & Nail records racist because it signs generally white artists from California. These are more facts of subculture than anything.
Bear in mind that a non-proportional racial mix participating in some public consumption exercise MAY imply the existence of structural factors, but it does NOT imply the incidence of such structural factors.
In English: Blacks in your area may shop at Wal-Mart, not Whole Foods, for a number of different reasons:
1) Whole Foods is MUCH more expensive than Wal-Mart and therefore one would expect only high-income persons to shop there. Note that this does not imply blacks to be low-income persons; you said nothing of the number of whites shopping at Wal-Mart. However, statistics show that in many areas, blacks are disproportionately less affluent than whites; a proportional distribution of incomes should reflect the underlying proportional distribution of racial background of those income groups.
2) Whole Foods doesn't really advertise in many areas; instead it relies on viral marketing, which has a strong focus on internet and email methods. If fewer black households have access to the internet (another statistically demonstrable conclusion, in many urban areas anyway), then it is to be expected that they may not be exposed to the news feed.
3) Consider locations. Most households don't drive farther than they have to in order to buy groceries. If the Whole Foods is located nearer a population that is more predominantly white, one should expect the local shoppers to be predominantly white.
The above are alternative causalities which must be at least partially overcome before beginning the case that Whole Foods is racist.
2007-03-20 05:41:25 · answer #3 · answered by Veritatum17 6 · 3⤊ 1⤋
You stated "Seems that ethnic minorities all shop at Wal-Mart and the regional discount grocery store in this area.".
Doesn't this imply economic racism? Not that Whole Foods is racist, but because of their pricing, only the more wealthy can buy groceries there. And, in our nation the more wealthy are Whites.
2007-03-20 02:27:06 · answer #4 · answered by justin_at_shr 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Unlike you, I have visited Whole Foods and seen employees of several different races.
As for the shoppers, I think that because healthy organic food is expensive, you would be more likely to see people of upper socio-economic "classes" shop there. With that said, it is sad to say that that the US "upper socio-economic class" is still dominated by Caucasian individuals....in other words, better and healthier food is often only affordable by those who have the money to spend for such luxuries. Until our country begins to make serious strides in equal education for all and begins to take on the serious social issues that prevent people of all colors to succeed, these divisions between the haves and have-nots will continue.
2007-03-20 02:05:20 · answer #5 · answered by Iguanab 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No it does not imply racism. Why is everything viewed as racist? Did you see a sign that said "Only young, whites need only apply"? There are plenty of places that I go where there are only blacks, hispanics or indian workers. Does that mean they are racist to whites? No. Certain things appeal to certain people. There are instances when racism is a factor, and it is unfortunate. Enjoy life and enjoy your fellow Americans and stop playing the race card. We are all here to enjoy life...at least most of us are...blacks, whites, and all other cultures here.
2007-03-20 02:01:31 · answer #6 · answered by HandsumAntsum 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
gezz...You are kidding right? .. The racist here is YOU for even thinking such a thing.
When I go into a market or ANYWHERE, I dont notice (like you) who's white - black or whatever. I just notice people.
2007-03-20 01:55:36 · answer #7 · answered by Mike E 3 · 1⤊ 2⤋