Two Quickies

No - NOT what you think!  Heh heh heh.

I am still inundated with "that which I must do."  So - no time for long blogs.

But, quickies?  You bet!

First, incredible long odds on something.  Today, I "enjoyed" continuing education for my real estate license all day.  In the afternoon, our class consisted of watching DVD's of focus groups.  Buyers and sellers who purchased in the past year reflected on their experience, their realtor, what they liked, did not like, etc.  Most of us sat there, slack jawed (myself included) until suddenly, I realized that one of my clients was on the screen!

I was a bit fearful at first that he would say something unpleasant.  Indeed; he began with a statement that "My Realtor said that newspaper advertising was ineffective, and did not use it.  I was unsure about that...."  But - virtually all that he said following that was positive.  I particularly was happy that he repeated what I tell all my clients:  "Buying and selling a home is a very personal process.  If you do not feel comfortable with me, for whatever reason, even after we have begun, let me know.  If you wish to change to someone else, then that is what we should do."  Who wants to force someone to be their client?!  Not I. 

Anyway - while I'm sure the odds are low that I would be in a class where a DVD with 8 buyers and sellers show up - here is what contributes to the miniscule odds.  My client purchased a townhouse - and - the Realtor who represented those sellers was sitting next to me at the seminar!  There are about 12,000 Realtors in the Twin Cities, and obviously tens of thousands of buyers and sellers each year.  What are the odds that two of us, connected to this individual, would be sitting next to one another today?

OK - second quickie!  My friend Professor Keith Burgess-Jackson links to this new blog which should have you rolling in the aisles.  The professor links to his favorite.  Of the ones I have read - this one is mine.

White people spend a lot of time of worrying about poor people. It takes up a pretty significant portion of their day.

They feel guilty and sad that poor people shop at Wal*Mart instead of Whole Foods, that they vote Republican instead of Democratic, that they go to Community College/get a job instead of studying art at a University.

It is a poorly guarded secret that, deep down, white people believe if given money and education that all poor people would be EXACTLY like them. In fact, the only reason that poor people make the choices they do is because they have not been given the means to make the right choices and care about the right things.

A great way to make white people feel good is to tell them about situations where poor people changed how they were doing things because they were given the ‘whiter’ option. “Back in my old town, people used to shop at Wal*Mart and then this non-profit organization came in and set up a special farmers co-op so that we could buy more local produce, and within two weeks the Wal*Mart shut down and we elected our first Democratic representative in 40 years.” White people will first ask which non-profit and are they hiring? After that, they will be filled with euphoria and will invite you to more parties to tell this story to their friends, so that they can feel great.

But it is ESSENTIAL that you reassert that poor people do not make decisions based on free will. That news could crush white people and their hope for the future.

Comments

[Bill]

Wonderful satire. Thanks for the link.