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Comment by fmitchell0 | Hacker News Reader

Why does this seem like the VC version of "...but I have Black friends"?

On a less cynical note, I guess it has to start somewhere and these folks have demonstrated how to build a business and a brand. Well, maybe not Durant, but we'll see.

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The language used in the post just feels so mechanical, like "black people are great because they've contributed to culture a lot, and we want to get involved with more culture, so it's a good reason to get together with black people".

Maybe I'm alone in reading it this way, but it comes across as treating black people as this "other" that can only be approached through "culture" and not as neighbors, friends, and people you know and work with.

I read it in the same way, and it just felt really off to me.

Also just factually incorrect. I'm fairly certain "most fashion" in the US has not come from the Black American community. A lot, sure. Most? Name me a top 10 fashion brand that is run / was started by a person of color.

I think the idea is that fashion is innovated by black people and then commercialized by the (white) fashion industry? Not really sure myself

You're not the only one. It came across as cultural fetishisation to me.

From my point of view, this is a PC-washed way of folding Black wealth into the venture capital behemoth. I'm also pretty uncomfortable with the identification of "cultural leaders" with "media celebrities with plenty of coin". Yes, they are very accomplished people, but the term "cultural leadership" is a bit too strong o use primarily for folks who made their living catering to popular tastes.

> Why does this seem like the VC version of "...but I have Black friends"?

Well, if some VC wanted to do a version of "...but I have Native American friends?", I don't think there would be many objections.

I think the worst thing in life is just being ignored.

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