Will Obama Have to Spend More Than His White Rivals?
Will Barack Obama have to spend more than a white candidate would to secure the Democratic Party nomination? It seems preposterous, but actually, across the board, African Americans pay more for almost everything.
Just before Christmas, I decided to give my granddaughter one of the big items on her Santa wish list: Baby Alive. She talks, she pees, she poops! Once I resolved to honor the grandkids' wishes, I assumed that one click of the mouse would secure me a Baby Alive, ready to ship.
But alas, there were choices. The first item to appear on Amazon was Baby Alive Caucasian for $32.99, who came with special extras: a "bonus diaper bag and diapers." Aside from the fact that she looked like a Stepford wife, with hideously unnatural blonde hair, I wanted to at least add to my mixed-race granddaughter's collection of variously complected dark-skinned dolls.
I clicked again. Two more came up: Baby Alive Hispanic and Baby Alive African American. Other than skin color and hairstyles, they appeared exactly the same as the white doll. (Baby Alive Hispanic, with her straightened hair, looked like a Junior Supreme.) But these two dolls of color were $39.99 each and came with minimum accoutrements: no bonus diaper bag, no extras.
Should I pay a $20 premium to buy a darker doll with paraphernalia that, if bought separately, would cost another $14.99, for a whopping 70% price differential? (After Christmas the accessory pack cost grew to $17.99.) For two days my thrifty upbringing warred with my social conscience. In the end, I bought Baby Alive Hispanic.
But wow, I reflected: from redlined neighborhoods, with their premium mortgages and inflated house costs, to higher grocery store bills, Buying In Color costs more. A lot more. (After Christmas, when Baby Alive's prices jumped, the disparity increased further: the white doll, who still comes with "bonus diaper bag and doll diapers," now costs $44.99, while Baby Alive Hispanic is $79.99--no extras--meaning she costs more than double, if you include the stand-alone accessory pack, and Baby Alive African American, also with no bonus bag or extra diapers, is a bewildering $69.99.) Like fractals, a pattern which repeats throughout nature in varying sizes, this premium pricing permeates every aspect of U.S. life--even to the presidential primary, where Barack Obama spent more on Iowa advertising (about $7.5 million) than any other candidate, Democrat or Republican.
On Christmas Day my excited granddaughter called to tell me about Baby Alive's gastrointestinal delights, but she did acknowledge, "We only have two diapers and they're used up. Mommy is taking me tomorrow to get more." So they'll buy those bonus diapers that came free to white Baby Alive.
We've long said," A person of color or a woman has to be twice as good as a white man to succeed." Should we add: "And spend a lot more, too"? If Barack Obama does secure his party's nomination, let's hope it won't cost him a Buying While Black premium to get it.
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just hours left in our Spring Campaign, we're still falling short of our make-or-break goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Will Barack Obama have to spend more than a white candidate would to secure the Democratic Party nomination? It seems preposterous, but actually, across the board, African Americans pay more for almost everything.
Just before Christmas, I decided to give my granddaughter one of the big items on her Santa wish list: Baby Alive. She talks, she pees, she poops! Once I resolved to honor the grandkids' wishes, I assumed that one click of the mouse would secure me a Baby Alive, ready to ship.
But alas, there were choices. The first item to appear on Amazon was Baby Alive Caucasian for $32.99, who came with special extras: a "bonus diaper bag and diapers." Aside from the fact that she looked like a Stepford wife, with hideously unnatural blonde hair, I wanted to at least add to my mixed-race granddaughter's collection of variously complected dark-skinned dolls.
I clicked again. Two more came up: Baby Alive Hispanic and Baby Alive African American. Other than skin color and hairstyles, they appeared exactly the same as the white doll. (Baby Alive Hispanic, with her straightened hair, looked like a Junior Supreme.) But these two dolls of color were $39.99 each and came with minimum accoutrements: no bonus diaper bag, no extras.
Should I pay a $20 premium to buy a darker doll with paraphernalia that, if bought separately, would cost another $14.99, for a whopping 70% price differential? (After Christmas the accessory pack cost grew to $17.99.) For two days my thrifty upbringing warred with my social conscience. In the end, I bought Baby Alive Hispanic.
But wow, I reflected: from redlined neighborhoods, with their premium mortgages and inflated house costs, to higher grocery store bills, Buying In Color costs more. A lot more. (After Christmas, when Baby Alive's prices jumped, the disparity increased further: the white doll, who still comes with "bonus diaper bag and doll diapers," now costs $44.99, while Baby Alive Hispanic is $79.99--no extras--meaning she costs more than double, if you include the stand-alone accessory pack, and Baby Alive African American, also with no bonus bag or extra diapers, is a bewildering $69.99.) Like fractals, a pattern which repeats throughout nature in varying sizes, this premium pricing permeates every aspect of U.S. life--even to the presidential primary, where Barack Obama spent more on Iowa advertising (about $7.5 million) than any other candidate, Democrat or Republican.
On Christmas Day my excited granddaughter called to tell me about Baby Alive's gastrointestinal delights, but she did acknowledge, "We only have two diapers and they're used up. Mommy is taking me tomorrow to get more." So they'll buy those bonus diapers that came free to white Baby Alive.
We've long said," A person of color or a woman has to be twice as good as a white man to succeed." Should we add: "And spend a lot more, too"? If Barack Obama does secure his party's nomination, let's hope it won't cost him a Buying While Black premium to get it.
Will Barack Obama have to spend more than a white candidate would to secure the Democratic Party nomination? It seems preposterous, but actually, across the board, African Americans pay more for almost everything.
Just before Christmas, I decided to give my granddaughter one of the big items on her Santa wish list: Baby Alive. She talks, she pees, she poops! Once I resolved to honor the grandkids' wishes, I assumed that one click of the mouse would secure me a Baby Alive, ready to ship.
But alas, there were choices. The first item to appear on Amazon was Baby Alive Caucasian for $32.99, who came with special extras: a "bonus diaper bag and diapers." Aside from the fact that she looked like a Stepford wife, with hideously unnatural blonde hair, I wanted to at least add to my mixed-race granddaughter's collection of variously complected dark-skinned dolls.
I clicked again. Two more came up: Baby Alive Hispanic and Baby Alive African American. Other than skin color and hairstyles, they appeared exactly the same as the white doll. (Baby Alive Hispanic, with her straightened hair, looked like a Junior Supreme.) But these two dolls of color were $39.99 each and came with minimum accoutrements: no bonus diaper bag, no extras.
Should I pay a $20 premium to buy a darker doll with paraphernalia that, if bought separately, would cost another $14.99, for a whopping 70% price differential? (After Christmas the accessory pack cost grew to $17.99.) For two days my thrifty upbringing warred with my social conscience. In the end, I bought Baby Alive Hispanic.
But wow, I reflected: from redlined neighborhoods, with their premium mortgages and inflated house costs, to higher grocery store bills, Buying In Color costs more. A lot more. (After Christmas, when Baby Alive's prices jumped, the disparity increased further: the white doll, who still comes with "bonus diaper bag and doll diapers," now costs $44.99, while Baby Alive Hispanic is $79.99--no extras--meaning she costs more than double, if you include the stand-alone accessory pack, and Baby Alive African American, also with no bonus bag or extra diapers, is a bewildering $69.99.) Like fractals, a pattern which repeats throughout nature in varying sizes, this premium pricing permeates every aspect of U.S. life--even to the presidential primary, where Barack Obama spent more on Iowa advertising (about $7.5 million) than any other candidate, Democrat or Republican.
On Christmas Day my excited granddaughter called to tell me about Baby Alive's gastrointestinal delights, but she did acknowledge, "We only have two diapers and they're used up. Mommy is taking me tomorrow to get more." So they'll buy those bonus diapers that came free to white Baby Alive.
We've long said," A person of color or a woman has to be twice as good as a white man to succeed." Should we add: "And spend a lot more, too"? If Barack Obama does secure his party's nomination, let's hope it won't cost him a Buying While Black premium to get it.