In recent years we've been exposed to the term 'black diamonds'. Mainly believed to be the 'BEE's & coconuts who are living the South African dream and making things happen for themselves. Although the term itself actually refers to the emerging middle class (LSM 4-6), it's quite interesting to see how some of us have come to embrace it as a compliment to be referred to as 'Black Diamonds'.
But having sat through a number of Black Diamond presentations I'm shocked and appalled by what I see. Basically all they are is a group of people who have more money at their disposal and have zero financial management skills. So what corporates do is exploit their ignorance by sucking them dry and leaving them in debt. From the Truworths card that you're given when you turn 18, to the many calls from Edgars, Vodacom, SAA all offering credit cards.
What is sad is how we see the 'credit' as a gift and start seeing all we can do and have with the new-found riches.
After reading Capitalist Nigger I've become more aware of just how much black people are preoccupied with looking rich instead of accumulating wealth. We drive the Bentley's & Hummers but at the end of the day, we have no wealth as a people. The business sector knows this and are making billions by marketing products that are 'bling' and like lambs to the slaughter we fall hook line & sinker.
The weirdest thing for me is seeing the so called 'BEE' types. All their homes are alike from the leather couches to the plasma screen to the playstation/DSTV. It's as if there's a small voice there that says, you're not really rich or succesful until you're driving that BMW and renting a townhouse in Sandton.
I had an interesting conversation a while ago with a couple of people. About this guy who's young, lives at the Michaelangelo and drives one of these 'panty-dropper' type cars. Hearing them speak of him I realised that to some people that's the ultimate success. But then I made this statement: 'besides getting him chicks, I think his life is really boring'. I don't think my idea hit home because the response was, at the end of the day we are all after the fancy car and the hot penthouse, if we weren't we wouldn't be here...
But my point is that if we see something to be proud of in having a reputation for spending what we don't have and being evaluated on the size of your TV set, we're more slaves now than in the days of apartheid. At least then we knew the enemy and were collectively focused on one thing. These days we've become so preoccupied with getting, taking, expressing and showing off just how rich we are, but the irony is that this is taking us back to poverty. Even worse now is the huge debt that people end up in, chasing ideals that ultimately don't make you happy, but as a friend of mine would say, i'd rather be miserable in a mansion than happy in a shack!
I'm not totally immune to brands & wanting to live La Dolce Vita, but each time I see people who have to know your job title and what car you drive before they decide whether to speak to you or not, I find myself pitying them because I believe there's so much more to life than this and that's why places like Newtown are amazing, it's all about the art, poetry, hip-hop, theatre, graffiti. Over there, you get more respect for the length of your dread-locks than the size of your car.
I'm not a black diamond, I'm a new age african who's living her own version of the South African dream
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