Created with me in mind?

Here's the post that was in the making for way too long...
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Ok, so I live in Durham. This was not exactly our first choice of habitat location. It just fits the bill - close to my work in Chapel Hill, accessible for Alexa and her students, and moderately priced for this area. And Durham, at least in the area we live (read: not SouthPoint) has a reputation for having a predominantly minority population. If that sounds like a contradiction in terms...it is. Anyways, although diversity should be the buzzword around here, there are those who would make sweeping generalizations about us. I submit the following exhibits:

Exhibit A: (click on picture to see full-size)

This mailing from AOL was received by the Carter household last year. I saved it because it makes me laugh whenever I see it. In case you, like AOL marketers, have never met us, we are blond and blue-eyed - about as white as they come. I'm pretty sure that AOL BlackVoices was not "created with us in mind" and "with more of what we want". That's not to say (reading the small text) that I don't enjoy a little R&B, gospel, and self-help material, but something tells me that I'm not the intended audience here.

Anyways, on to Exhibit B:

Yes, this is a mailing that my sister received recently. We cannot figure out how she made it onto the mailing list for "Black exPresSsions", other than the fact that she lives in Durham and has fallen prey to the sweeping generalizations discussed previously.

Exhibit B2:

Contrary to the statement that was displayed prominently on the front of the book catalog, "Black exPresSions" is not all about us. Anna, can I get some verification there, did you feel that it was all about you?

So what's my point here? Well, it obviously calls to mind certain questions such as, "How does this represent diversity and equality? Could there be an AOL WhiteVoices?". I think we all know the answer to that. But there's a deeper issue here that is briefly visible in these mailings. Without going into too much discussion, I will say that any person who feels that they are owed something by society will be crippled by a victim mentality for their whole life. While the benefits may seem nice at the time, the fact is that they are putting themselves in a downward spiral where there is no motivation for improvement.

So, deep thoughts from AOL mailings. Never thought that could happen, did you?