Allow me to play Devils Advocate:
what I find so funny and ironic about this ubiquitous and never-ending issue is this:
the black gents who are offended by the NBA policies are very quick to use labels like "prejudiced" and "racists" to describe the providers who won't see them... but on the flip side, they don't prefer the company of an AA provider! no one calls the black hobbyist who doesn't see black providers as an "Uncle Tom" or anything ugly! If you as a black hobbyist don't want to see black women, why is it so hard to understand that maybe a white/hispanic/asian provider doesn't want to see YOU?
*Opens umbrella for imminent shit storm*
Originally Posted by KaraLynnKelley
You make a strong point....any takers....?
Originally Posted by sofiaofhouston
I'll take a shot, sofiaofhouston.
Out of curiosity, I once asked a charming provider (who was, herself, a very lovely and progressive Latin American lady) about her "NBA" policy. Her response was that she was
very active socially (she frequented the black/latino "club scene," attended lots of parties, etc.) and she didn't want to risk potentially encountering clients during her "off hours." According to her, the chances of a surprise encounter with a Caucasian client were minimal (almost nonexistent) due to the ethnic composition of her "social circle" (she primarily socialized with Latino/African American men and women). Prior to this conversation, I had never really considered the issues that providers may face regarding "chance encounters" with clients
outside of the work environment. Thus, I felt that the policy made a lot of sense
for her.
Obviously, we all still live in a very
racially charged society (despite the election of Obama, the United States is
a far cry from being "post racial," LOL!),
there's no denying that fact. However, the lady that I'm referencing was not at all "racist,"
in fact, the opposite was true in her case. I'm certain that for some providers, and some clients, bigoted beliefs do play a part in their choices, but this is
not always the case.
Accordingly, KaraLynnKelley, perhaps this same line of reasoning may explain why some African American
clients are wary of seeing African American
providers,
i.e., they may be a tad uncomfortable at the proposition of "doing business" with a provider who might just run in their same "social circle." After all, as a group, Americans do tend to socialize in "cliques" which are racially homogeneous (of course, there are always exceptions, I realize that). Think about it ... it makes sense (just like it did for the provider that I mentioned above).