BLACK RELAX

Greetings to those who care enough to dedicate five minutes of your day to being black by reading the following discussion concerning, THE BLACK RELAX.

I've coined the term as such because it is directly connected to capital amounts.

In the movie Wall street, Michael Douglas tells Charlie Sheen, "It's not a question of enough, pal. It's a zero sum game, somebody wins, somebody loses. Money itself isn't lost or made, it's simply transferred from one perception to another." This quote is the benchmark for understanding how business is conducted, deals are transacted and economies build or topple. I digress, I mentioned the movie because it reminds me of HOW opportunity is gained or squandered solely based on initial interactions. In my line of work, financial lending, I meet with a wide variety of persons, all of which are eager to position themselves in a manner that will skew favor toward their particular project. Keep in mind, I have the final say concerning whether they are/are not awarded funds; not necessarily based on credit scores, but on "perceived integrity". I measure integrity based on a particular litmus test which includes the superficial (dress), project vision (planning) and articulation (the way in which they interact). The latter is the deal breaker, especially when it comes to black folk. Now there have been times when overzealous whites have spoken to me in a stepandfetchit condescending manner, causing them to be denied, however, those instances are too far and few to mention in detail.

Back to the point, there have been numerous time when I have met astute, articulate African Americans who are well informed, well represented and well connected--problem is they are too well relaxed. Case in point, I recently scheduled a meeting with Mr. BeingBlack, who arrived early, presented me with a brief of his financial goals and then proceeded to tell me, "Man, I'm glad WE are represented up in here. I was worried I'd have to deal with some cracker who wouldn't understand the plight, purpose of our role in the community." He went on to further say, "Son, this is a nice office, I wonder how many fine ass sisters work here; I don't know how you do it, but if it was me, I wouldn't be able to focus on working."Astonishing is the first word which comes to mind. Now don't get me wrong, I understand experiencing a feeling of being comfortable when dealing with African Americans in the corporate world, however, I have yet to view it as an unspoken advantage or a black Good Ole Boys Network which affords me the privilege to speak in a candid manner whenever I chose.

Funny thing is, the BLACK RELAX also occurs when I play the role of consumer as well, not just at fast food restaurants, car dealerships, jewelry stores, hospitals or colleges, I'd wager to say it happens with great frequency where ever there are African American buyers, sellers. In addition, the BLACK RELAX typically occurs when only WE are present, which makes it worse.

There is almost an assumption that WE can be LESS professional in the presence of ourselves than we can be amongst any other exclusive group of people. I hold US to a higher standard assuming we know better, however, I might need to reconsider. Aside from the BLACK RELAX, the looming issue is whether I should intervene in an attempt curb the behavior by taking advantage of the "teaching moment" or should I just mind my own business an politely relocate to a business where the BLACK RELAX doesn't exist?