Color and Widgets
Let’s imagine for a moment that we live in a world where owning a widget is damn near mandatory for each household to run. Imagine there are only three widget companies in your city. Imagine each of those companies offers widget delivery, widget insurance, and widget warranties. Now let’s imagine that your city only has two sides of town. Like most real cities, one side of town has a higher crime rate than the other. Now, let’s go a step further and say that one side of town has a population that doesn’t have English as their first language. But keep in mind, all widget instructions, warranties, and general widget related materials are written in English. Confused?
Check out the diagram below:
You see there are three widget companies but only one has a store in the blue section of town. And guess what? This Widgets R Us location only delivers widgets to homes in a 5 mile radius. As a result, the people in the blue section who live farthest from that Widgets R Us location usually go over into the red side of town to buy widgets. The messed up thing is that the Widgets R Us location at the top of the city, in the red section, delivers to the entire red section, not just a certain radius.
Because crime rates are higher in the blue section of town, widget insurance premiums are damn near double what they are in the red section of town. Also, the blue section has a higher widget replacement rate because widgets are often mishandled and/or left on back porches where they suffer damage due to rain, sleet, and snow. But since the red section of town has bigger homes and speak English, they can read the widget directions and store their widgets inside.
Let’s say you are the owner of Widget Depot. You only have one location and you’re competing with the other two big names in widget sales, Widget Express and Widgets R Us. So what do you do?? You could start catering to the people in the blue side of town. Maybe translate all of your widget related documents into Bluese. Maybe develop and sell a widget security system. But all those things require investments and you just don’t have the money.
Now, let’s put ourselves in the shoes of someone living in the blue section. Wouldn’t you be pissed?? You’re paying higher rates and can’t get anyone to deliver. One night, you’re at your local house of worship. People are sitting around doing what they do and you all start talking about the trouble getting widgets and those high widget prices. Then all of a sudden, a blue person who happens to live in the red section but worship in the blue section says that he pays a very low rate for his widgets. You get pissed. You and your group decide to sue the widget companies. You believe you are being discriminated against because you are blue.
I haven’t gone to law school. However, I call their case bullshyt!! They live in a crappy section of town. They have high crime rates. So I, owner of Widget Depot must charge them more. Otherwise, I will lose money. Or I would have to raise prices in the red section. Why should I do that when that section of town has low widget replacement rates? That wouldn’t be fair to them. As owner of Widget Depot, I’m making decisions based on zip code, not who lives there!! Is it my fault these people don’t speak the language and don’t read the fine print and end up breaking their widgets?? Is it my fault there’s more crime over there because their main source of income, a large widget factory, moved to India?? Nope.
What do y’all think?? Do the blue people have a case? If you were owner of Widget Express, what would you do?? Would your decisions be based on your bottom line or helping the widget deprived citizens in the blue section of town?
thinking… be back later…
Comment by glory — December 22, 2005 @ 3:e pm
I feel for the Blue widgets because I suffered through that growing up, but the Widget company can easily gain some good will with the blue side of town by having the instructions translated into bluese.
If I owned Widget express I would look into the community/government funding to get back into the blue section of town not using my own money to invest and I’d eventually get my bottom line up. If I was Widget Depot, I’d look into the same gov’t programs and get myself into the middle of the blue section, translate my instructions into bluese, and not offer lower prices but offer convenience and something on the widgets that catered to the blue folks a little bit more. I’d make a killing left and right.
OK. But do you think the blue people have a case worth taking to court? Were they discriminated against based on race?
Comment by E to the Dwige — December 22, 2005 @ 3:e pm
Girl you gonna lose you “blu-etto pass” if you keep thinking and writing like this.
Do the bliggas (or blixicans?blicanos?…ooohh blutinos!) have a case? Depends on how busy I am, lol. The reality from the standpoint of a litigator is, the bad publicity would prolly be worth a check, so you bring it. But that is not what you asked.
Ethically, no, there is no case here. Those who believe that there is a case are subscribing to a socialistic belief that a company has some sort of duty to the community it does business in. I do not believe in this philosophy because the costs bourne by the company must be passed somewhere-that’s right-to the rest of its customers. So those in the red side of town, or some other state, pay the costs. Or-gasp-the company must lay-off workers, thus adding to unemployment.
For instance, Edwidge suggests that the costs of doing business be passed to the government. But those costs get passed on to us as well, in the form of taxes, to pay for the subsidy. Not picking on you Sis, just making a point.
The answer is that the blu folk need to go read my blog and better their community. Unless there is some sort of vast Red-supremicist plot to destroy blu folk.
Comment by arauh-e-double-d — December 22, 2005 @ 3:e pm
I don’t think they have a case in court (waiting on O and SonnyCrimson to weigh in), but it does smell like a little bit of discrimination. But I see both sides of the coin. If I were a small business, I think that I’d go with the tried and true formula of catering to the Reds ‘cause that $$ is consistent.
But if you really think about it -crime aside- the company could make a pretty good grip if they were more friendly to the Blue community. Granted I live down south in Mayberry, but up in Blue majority areas like Gwinnett, I see a lot of blue folks patronizing large companies that cater to their needs and many of them don’t bother to venture over to the Red areas of town.
So maybe if I were a large company and had money to juggle, I may take a chance on the Blues. It worked for Walmart.
Walmart is the work of the devil!!!! Let’s not mention their name!
Comment by Beloved — December 22, 2005 @ 3:e pm
lol @ Beloved, cause I had a very well written response that was eaten by this new here thingy. One more time.
First, as a litigator, you would take the case because the bad publicity is prolly worth a check from the company. Sad, but true. The fact pattern would survive a motion to dismiss, and no company wants discovery done on interoffice memoranda-particularly those NOT in the blu area.
But that doesn’t answer the question, does it Hostess? (what do we call you by the way?) With that said, ethically, no there is no case here. Here’s why- Those who believe that this is somehow unfair subcribe to a socialistic philosophy that a compnay must provide thigs at a loss if people need them. Now, a company MAY-and Most do- provide things to charities or at a loss, but they should NOT be compelled to do so. If you compel a company to provide things at a loss to a certain group, the cost of the loss must be bourne by someone…any guesses who? That’s right, ALL of the other consumers of the product, thus raising the price (and value) of widgets. Not fair. Or, the company lays off workers-Not good.
Edwidge, the beautiful sister that she is, suggested that the company turn to the government for ways to subsidize the expense. But then the government will pass that cost on to the entire country (or region) in the form of taxes. So the cost is still bourne by people who have nothing to do with the plight of the bliggas (or Blexicans?Blicanos? Blutinos!). Still not fair.
The solution, aside from the blu-folk reading my blog, is that some enterprising Blufican-American walks into the corporate office of Widget warehouse and says, look here, I’ll hustle these widgets, you just supply me. Then, blu-folk everywhere have control of their own destiny-as it relates to widgets.
Commerce! I love it.
btw-Hostess, hand in your “Blu-etto pass.”
Oh and I do hope this Hostess thing catches on.
Comment by arauh-e-double-d — December 22, 2005 @ 4:e pm
your comment blocker wont let me comment
They were held in moderation and I don’t know why. I posted the two that looked slightly different. Only after I read it, I see they’re saying essentially the same. As for my pass, I shall keep it. This is all for the sake of discussion.
Comment by arauh-e-double-d — December 22, 2005 @ 4:e pm
I do think they should still take their case to court just to rattle the cages a bit and so that the public is aware. Will they win, probably not, should they win probably not although there is a stench of discrimination private businesses have the right to charge whatever they want as long as it’s not breaking any federal “insert consumer protection law” here. The stench is primarily of poor economic status and not race. Money is green .
The only thing I think they might-could say is that both Widgets R Us should have the same delivery policy. But even with that Widgets R Us could say their first responsibility is to their staff and that the staff is safest within five miles of the store.
Uh and white people, don’t be afraid to comment on this!!!!
Comment by E to the Dwige — December 22, 2005 @ 4:e pm
I think they do have a case. Why is that the blue people have to pay more even when they are going in the red section to buy? Do the owners of the red automaticall charge the blue people more becasue of their color? Now, i don’t think the companies should be force to move to the blue section, but I don’t think they should charge people who travel outside of their area to patronize them more money.
They are getting charged higher insurance premiums because in the blue section of town, it’s more likely that the widget insurance providers will have to pay out due to loss resulting from their higher crime rates. What the blue folks should be doing is rallying their police dpeartment and community to help clean up their neighborhood. Then if crime numbers lower and insurance premiums don’t then they might have a case.
Comment by Cool AC — December 22, 2005 @ 4:e pm
I saw “widgets” and thought you had taken law school contracts. I hear some folks are gonna be suing cable companies for not having programming in Spanish and charging them the same rates. If that works, I may sue for a disccount because there are at least 10 Spanish stations I rarely watch because I prefer to listen to English.
I think that it is horrible, because the legal fees could run him out of business and blue won’t have anything, once again, in their neighborhood.
Well hell!! I should sue my cable company for wasating a channel on BET!!
Comment by c2a — December 22, 2005 @ 4:e pm
@ R uhh I see what you mean dude but I was thinking more of tax breaks and such to companies that invest in lower income areas. I guess I should have made my point a little clearer. Although your point about the cost still being borne by the people probably still holds true in this case.
Off to read arauh.
I wonder if the new Target being built in Columbia heights in D.C (ghetto however quickly becoming a fully gentrified neighorhood) received any tax breaks or what sort of deals did D.C give them to open up on the border of the blue and red sections of town.
Comment by E to the Dwige — December 22, 2005 @ 4:e pm
E- The tax breaks are great incentives, and I think should be used more. The problem is that politicians hate them because community groups hate them. Vicious cycle really. It is always good for a target ot walmart to open in poorer communities, and these stores generally do better than their counterparts. Except- Ed, remember Iverson Mall, and what it once was vs. what it is today? (I may be dating myself, but Iverson was like the Pentagon City of black folks once upon a time). Blu folk, just like everyone else love the new and shiny, and over time, the blu stuff just ain’t that nice- not cause it’s blue, but because it has been around 4eva.
I disagree. Look at that Landover area. They got all shiney and new, even gave em a metro. And by summer 07, it will be the new PG Plaza!!! Now, Bowie Town Center, which happens not to be metro accessible, is still clean and calm!! I’m telling you, those blue people don’t know how to act. They tear up their own stuff!!! *clutching my blue people membership card before Sonny snatches it.*
Comment by arauh-e-double-d — December 22, 2005 @ 4:e pm
there are no grounds to force the business to alter their business practices to take a hit for the blue folks in court. as sonny explained, there’s no duty to the blue folk that the widget companies have breached, but maybe if you have some convincing evidence of for real for real discrimination, maybe you could get a class action going, provided you can show some kind of actual loss for the blue folks. hey sue ‘em and take the settlement, but trial will be a beast. getting bluese instructions should be no sweat, a little public pressure should do it, but so far as widget prices and insurance are concerned - that’s the way of the world. too bad. which is why the one grocery store in my hometown is making a killing. i think the municipality should find ways to attract widget (and other) business to the blue area - tax breaks (i.e. empowerment zones), but that will take the support of the blue folk, and that is solely up to the blue folk. i think that trying to retain blue folk that are moving to the red area and attracting people from the red area to come home is a good idea too, which may improve the blue area’s stability, provided the blue folks’ concerns and the blue folk themselves are involved in the process. all that takes time to show improvement. no change would happen overnight.
Comment by glory — December 22, 2005 @ 5:e pm
Ok, Thanks for the explanation. I figured that I totally missed the idea of this post. Sorry.
Now thatI understand, I don’t think they have a case. You are right the blue people should be doing some community rallying instead of complaining and wasting time and energy on a law suit. The blue people will never rise as a dominate color if they stop complaining and take responsibility for their actions.
But the Blues don’t want to dominate. They just want their widgets!!! Remember widgets are needed to have a successful household.
Comment by Cool AC — December 22, 2005 @ 6:e pm
Just read the rest of the comments…
Especially the blue people in Landover!!!! We’ll never get a Cheesecake Factory!
LOL!
Although, they are adding 150 cops to PG’s force! Yay!
Ha!! You know they have a new one at the Columbia Mall!!
Comment by Cool AC — December 22, 2005 @ 6:e pm
Hmm… Interesting. Just ‘cause it’s red doesn’t mean it’s any less of a cra…. damn. That was ignorant. Let me start over.
Umm… yeah, the company is discriminating however that doesn’t mean they won’t be able to justify it in court. It’s the unjustified stuff that’s easiest to sue for. Not the “I know it’s justified, but still… discrimination is just WRONG” argument. Shyt. So is arthritis, but it seems to aggressively and systematically target one group of folks much more than other groups…
Here’s a question though: what if you KNEW that one of the biggest reasons things weren’t going so well in the blue community was because there was a centuries old conspiracy by folks in the red community? What if folks in the red community conspired to keep folks in the blue community in social conditions that fostered the high crime rate, etc. that is so rampant in the blue community? What if the problems affecting the blue community started spilling over into the red community and ONLY THEN did the folks in the red community not mind spending their tax dollars to contain the problem…
Just wondering. Nice post. Peace!
Booo-hiss!!! If I’m selling widgets, all I care about is my bottom line–right? I could care less what color the people are in the blue section of town. This isn’t about crime spreading to the red community. It’s about widgets!! And the owners of all the widgets spots don’t live in the red section. They live in the GREEN section way over in another state!!
Comment by Massander — December 22, 2005 @ 7:e pm
@Massander- If the folks in the Blue community knew (or thought) that there was indeed a conspiracy to entrap them in these conditions, and ALLOWED themselves to live in these conditions and follow the trap, can the Blusies blame the reds?
If you knew there was a cop with a radar gun waiting to catch blu people sppeding down blue hwy, and not red people speeding down red road, wouldn’t you-as a blue person- either (a) not speed down blue hwy or (b) just take red road. If you sped down blue hwy anyway, cause it ain’t fair, isn’t the resulting ticket a result of blue dumbness?
Hypothetically speaking?
(and yes, Hostess, your card is suspended pending a review. Somebody betta vouch for your ‘blu-ness’, cause you don’t sound like no m0t0wn chick. You wearn pink gators today? Do you even HAVE any gators? Your baby hair greased and near your forehead? I needs some references. Blu-Check!)
No he d’int!!! *eyeroll* First of all, I’m
redcrimson!! So this whole discussion doesn’t even apply to me!!! I told you already this post is for the sake of discussion. Did you think Spike Lee was pro-riots just cus he had a movie that ended with riots?? Naw!!! You just took it for what it was. Why can’t you do that with me?? (I’m trying to figure out a way to infuse Do The Right Thing in this comment but I can’t…Oh well.)Comment by arauh-e-double-d — December 22, 2005 @ 7:e pm
Blu-ness confirmed. Cause only a blu would be anything (and er’thing) before blue. Like, ‘I’m crimson on my great grand daddy’s side’.
Pass restored. Happy trails christmas eve @ the blu-mall.
And you know this man!! I’m 5/17th green on my daddy ‘nem side. Can’t you see it in the color of my eyes and how my hair won’t get nappy enough for an afro??
And you gotta be kidding about the Blue Mall!!! I only go to Columbia Mall. They have valet. You know how us uppity crimsons are!!!
Comment by arauh-e-double-d — December 22, 2005 @ 7:e pm
Puh-leze…I shop the old fashoned way when I’m in DC. G-Town, Pentagon, and Tyson’s II. Y’all can have Y’all Bowies and Columbia’s… I’m old school.
Comment by arauh-e-double-d — December 22, 2005 @ 8:e pm
All I’m saying is that SOMEBODY is setting the bluesies up and it’s ONE OF the biggest reasons why everything is so messed up for them. I didn’t say it before, but I think there are other signigificant reasons why things are messed up for Bla-blue folks, much of which have to do with a failure to be resilient, creative, work together, etc in large part by the blues. But I think the reds are wrong for not helping with the solution, especially ’since they helped - bump that, CREATED - the problem for the blues.
I just hate the fact that blue folks stand out in ways that red folks don’t for dumb ass reasons. It’s not as if there aren’t lots of red folks and neighboroods that look just like the blue folks’ conditions, etc, but they are much better hidden. That’s all. red folks - if given the hand blue folks are given - would phuckin cave in a heartbeat. I keep saying it - whi-red folks ain’t special! They just working with the opportunities they’ve both TAKEN and been given, etc.
Anyway, as for Mr. Widget Man or whatever-the-hell his name is, I understand his plight. He’s not single handedly ‘causing a problem. Rather he’s playing into the dynamic that’s been set in motion long before he came along. I think it would be cool if he at least employed a few folks from the blue part of town. And while he’s doing his little part to “help” (not a requirement, but would be nice), I’d be with the folks protesting the red consipiracy to keep the blues down! And I’d be volunteering at the neighborhood joing trying to help the blues fight for themselves - ‘cause even though the red man overwhelmingly contributed to the problem, it’s the blue man who will have to bring the answer. life ain’t fair. doesn’t mean we should sit down and suck it up. just means we gotta work the war on two fronts.
My two cents.
But the Blue side of town had a widget factory. It was closed and the workers were pretty much laid off. Remember their jobs were moved to another country.
Comment by Massander — December 22, 2005 @ 8:e pm
My point, Massander, and the point that has been raised countless times in countless places by many far more qualified than I to make it, is that to expect the oppressor to free the oppressed is as silly as to expect the reds to start to care about the blues AS MUCH as they care about themselves. Not.Going.To.Happen.
The blues must seize their own advantages. “doesn’t mean we should sit down and suck it up. just means we gotta work the war on two fronts.” I respectfully disagree. Complaining that the Reds don’t treat Blues fairly is like complaining that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Reds don’t treat anyone fairly. What is ‘fair’ anyway?
Crying about ‘fair’ is why so many fail to even try. Why try if it ain’t fair?
It ain’t fair. It has never been fair. It wasn’t fair in Eur-red, and it wasnt fair in Blafrica or Ble-met, or whatever the heck they call it.
Think it was fair when the Zulus invaded a village? Or when the Huns pillaged a city? Or when the Romans sacked Carthage? Wasn’t fair when Edi Amin was eating cats in the 70’s, and it wasn’t fair when Stalin or Castro were handling their enemies.
THERE AIN’T NOTHING ABOUT LIFE THAT IS, WAS PROMISED TO BE, OR IS SUPPOSED TO BE FAIR, EXCEPT…
that at the end of the day, YOU and only YOU, can directly decide how hard you will work at your own success. While lazy people hit the lottory (unfair); and industrious people have strokes (unfair); making the choice to be one or the other is the final extent of fairness in this country.
The blues take care of themselves, they won’t have any problems. They keep waiting to be treated fairly by the reds…well, I won’t hold my breath. Cause I know if the shoe were on the other foot, the blues wouln’t treat or think of the Reds any better than the reds think of them.
I’d like to know, if much of the industry in Blue town was based on the widget factory that closed, why come the blues haven’t tried to create their own widgets to meet that unmet widget needs?? They have the skills. Hell, they even have the factory. I bet if they pooled their resources, they could get their widget on. I also be that some of the workers could manage it since they’ve been prpbably passed over for promotions in the past–based solely on color and not skill.
Comment by arauh-e-double-d — December 22, 2005 @ 8:e pm
arauh, I agree that it’s pointless to wait for reds to change while blues sit by idly. Moreover, I realize that the reds have a vested interested in maintaining the status quo. I understand and accept that life is not fair. Whenever I hear issues like this debated, however, it seems like the focus is always on how badly the blues are doing as compared to the reds . If we accept that shyt ain’t fair, why compare in a way that suggests the blues are simply phucking up? That’s the part that most rubs me the wrong way. While the blues are indeed missing crucial opportunities to do better without the help of the reds, and while it is pointless to forego personal responsibility simply because they’ve been bamboozled by the reds (gotta stick with the Spike Lee references), I’m not gonna knock anyone for acknowledging that the reds have actively participated in the blues problems without as actively participating in the solution to those problems. Moreover there are many reds doing just as poorly as blues – but it’s only the reds who have inherited similar disenfranchisement as did the blues, but no one is pointing that out. It’s a set up.
By the way, I think it’s fair to say there’s a difference between “complaining” and “venting” or perhaps even engaging in a dialogue around these issues so that we can critically examine our roles in them and our responsibility for addressing them. To quote Nathan McCall, shyt like this “makes me wanna holler” and throw up both of my hands.
Last thought - if we didn’t all buy into some idea of fairness there would be no public schools in this country. It seems to me that the question is about where we draw the line when it comes to responsibility for working to eliminate disparities.
No you d’int just attribut that to Nathan!!! Hello!! Marvin Freaking Gaye!!!
Comment by Massander — December 22, 2005 @ 10:e pm
So mad I’m joining this discussion late. And mad that Sonny has stolen all my damn thunder. Though having read his blog I am unsurprised seeing nearly my view in print already.
I will say that I hate frivolous lawsuits, and this is unquestionably one. This is a private business and, like it or not, until Congress does another fancy trick with the commerce clause that the court will swallow, there is nothing illegal about the practice. In fact, I doubt it’s even unethical. My rental insurance rates are higher now than when I lived in NoVa, that’s what happens when I move to a higher crime area. I think it’s perfectly fair, ain’t nobody require me to have said insurance. Sonny has beaten the economic analysis point right into submission so I won’t dwell on it here. For the sake of argument, though, let’s just assume that the widget was presecription drugs and that the maker received huge gubment subsidies in the form of R&D grants and administrative process waivers so that the cost of production came way down and was born by the taxpayers anyway. In that scenario, I would expect that the Blue folks, if organized enough, could at the very least press their lawmakers to tie strings to that money in the way of mandatory translations and the such. In fact, many private companies are so enticed. But this is hardly required. They can simply pass on the money and keep right on, ahem, being selective.
We, well not us per se, but lots of folk, lack a basic understanding of how free enterprise works. That is not the fault of the system and I would love to hear about a legitimate alternative that doesn’t come with just as many drawbacks. Hmm, nice post good discussion. Off to work (seriously).
Comment by O — December 23, 2005 @ 2:e am
coolcoolhu coolhu
Comment by coolhu — January 21, 2006 @ 11:e pm