"Selling to the Negro," (1954) one of the Most Interesting Videos I've Seen in a While

[Seymour Flops]

I assumed it was posted as a joke, but it is a very serious look at how salepeople should market their products to American Black people. You have to get past the repetitive use of the word "negro," which grates on our 21st century ears, but was used by every polite American of any race in those days to describe what we now call "Black Americans," or "African-Americans."

The not-so-surprising advice: Sell them high quality products, not cheap goods that they assume will be pushed on them. They will ask for name brands, and don't try to downsell them. They won't think you're helping, they will think you're being condescending. Respect them, and treat them like anyone else, but without assuming the kind of familiarity you might with people who look more like you.

I was impressed to hear the advice that "the negro family operates as a unit, including in shopping. Sell to one and you may well have sold them all." What a great time for Black children that must have been! What happened between 1954 and now that has made such a disaster of the family life of so many Black Americans? I think I know. In fact, I think everyone knows.

I see the same with recent immigrant families, as far as the family togetherness, though they tend to look for bargains and volume, rather than high quality. I rarely see kids in a Lowes, for example, except Latino kids with their parents while their parents shop for tools and construction supplies.

Anyway, watch it and see if you have the same impressions. Keep in mind the makers of this video had no axe to grind. They were helping people to sell more product, not making any grand political statement.



Black people's power in the U.S. was, is, and will be economic. Not a few wealthy performers and athletes, but a strong middle class that votes in its own interest will be powerful. Economic like every other group's power. It will not come from pandering politicions of any party.

 

[IM2]

I assumed it was posted as a joke, but it is a very serious look at how salepeople should market their products to American Black people. You have to get past the repetitive use of the word "negro," which grates on our 21st century ears, but was used by every polite American of any race in those days to describe what we now call "Black Americans," or "African-Americans."

The not-so-surprising advice: Sell them high quality products, not cheap goods that they assume will be pushed on them. They will ask for name brands, and don't try to downsell them. They won't think you're helping, they will think you're being condescending. Respect them, and treat them like anyone else, but without assuming the kind of familiarity you might with people who look more like you.

I was impressed to hear the advice that "the negro family operates as a unit, including in shopping. Sell to one and you may well have sold them all." What a great time for Black children that must have been! What happened between 1954 and now that has made such a disaster of the family life of so many Black Americans? I think I know. In fact, I think everyone knows.

I see the same with recent immigrant families, as far as the family togetherness, though they tend to look for bargains and volume, rather than high quality. I rarely see kids in a Lowes, for example, except Latino kids with their parents while their parents shop for tools and construction supplies.

Anyway, watch it and see if you have the same impressions. Keep in mind the makers of this video had no axe to grind. They were helping people to sell more product, not making any grand political statement.



Black people's power in the U.S. was, is, and will be economic. Not a few wealthy performers and athletes, but a strong middle class that votes in its own interest will be powerful. Economic like every other group's power. It will not come from pandering politicions of any party.

How about ending the white paternalism?

 

[Seymour Flops]

How about ending the white paternalism?

I can't end it, im2. That's what you dont' understand.

Only blacks can end white paternalism. They must do so with economic power and strong black families. If this video is any indication, they were well on their way to doing exactly that.

What happened?

 

[IM2]

I can't end it, im2. That's what you dont' understand.

Only blacks can end white paternalism. They must do so with economic power and strong black families. If this video is any indication, they were well on their way to doing exactly that.

What happened?

Whites are the only ones who can end their paternalism. Whites need to work n their own families and shut the **** up about everyone else. Some old ass video shows that you really don't know shit about what we have done, or the real obstacles we still face. In short, shut the **** up white ---.

 

[excalibur]

Whites are the only ones who can end their paternalism. Whites need to work n their own families and shut the **** up about everyone else. Some old ass video shows that you really don't know shit about what we have done, or the real obstacles we still face. In short, shut the **** up white ---.

Back to Africa, then.

 

[Seymour Flops]

Whites are the only ones who can end their paternalism. Whites need to work n their own families and shut the **** up about everyone else. Some old ass video shows that you really don't know shit about what we have done, or the real obstacles we still face. In short, shut the **** up white ---.

In order for Whites to be paternalistic, Blacks have to volunteer to be dependent.

That they have done by being tolerant of their young men refusing to take responsibility for their out-of-wedlock children, and of young women for going along with the plan that a young man gets them pregnant and they turn to government.

They have also done it by tolerating black leaders who beg the white establishment for tokenism/affirmative action/dei, or whatever name they assign to it that particularly smarmy type of paternalism next.

Black families of the fifties understood that economic power was the only way away from dependancy, and that education was the surest route to economic power.

Contrast that with today's black parent who sees their child accuse a studious black person of acting white and tolerates it.

Luckily, many blacks - as individuals - are seeking and attaining that economic power. You think Barrack Obama sent his kids to Chicago public schools and told them not to act white by studying hard and planning for college? No, and neither do any of the well-known successful black politicians, lawyer, doctors, and scientists. They know better, whether you do or not.

 

[airplanemechanic]

I assumed it was posted as a joke, but it is a very serious look at how salepeople should market their products to American Black people. You have to get past the repetitive use of the word "negro," which grates on our 21st century ears, but was used by every polite American of any race in those days to describe what we now call "Black Americans," or "African-Americans."

The not-so-surprising advice: Sell them high quality products, not cheap goods that they assume will be pushed on them. They will ask for name brands, and don't try to downsell them. They won't think you're helping, they will think you're being condescending. Respect them, and treat them like anyone else, but without assuming the kind of familiarity you might with people who look more like you.

I was impressed to hear the advice that "the negro family operates as a unit, including in shopping. Sell to one and you may well have sold them all." What a great time for Black children that must have been! What happened between 1954 and now that has made such a disaster of the family life of so many Black Americans? I think I know. In fact, I think everyone knows.

I see the same with recent immigrant families, as far as the family togetherness, though they tend to look for bargains and volume, rather than high quality. I rarely see kids in a Lowes, for example, except Latino kids with their parents while their parents shop for tools and construction supplies.

Anyway, watch it and see if you have the same impressions. Keep in mind the makers of this video had no axe to grind. They were helping people to sell more product, not making any grand political statement.



Black people's power in the U.S. was, is, and will be economic. Not a few wealthy performers and athletes, but a strong middle class that votes in its own interest will be powerful. Economic like every other group's power. It will not come from pandering politicions of any party.

Narrated by Robert Trout, who worked for CBS at the time and was the voice you hear in the now infamous announcement of the end of WW2.