ANSWERS: 6
  • This may not be viewed by some as an answer, but most hotels and service stations, WHERE? I'm not so sure it's even true. The reason anyone is in business is because they are industrious, hard working and not afraid to take the risks involved. Their upbringing is relevant, NOT their race. Edit: Okay! Let's put this one to rest for good: Here are the results of the 2002 U.S Census: All respondent retail owners: 2,495,144 All respondent white retail owners: 2,280,642 (91.4%) All respondent Asian retail owners: 137,347 (5.5%) All other races for retail: 77,155 (3.1%) There were no specific statistics gathered for the hospitality industry, however it likely falls into the category of "other services". Total respondent owners: 2,218,118 Total white respondents: 1,958,602 (88.3%) Total Asian respondents: 144,276 (6.5%) All other races for "other services": 115,240 (5.2%) Source: http://www.census.gov/prod/ec02/sb0200cscbot.pdf The middle east is in Asia along with several other non-arab countries. Also, a lot of Arabs are actually from Africa, not the middle east, and so are part of the "other races" category. Now, even if you lump all minorities together, and give this survey a ridiculously high error allowance, like 20% or even 30%, the total percentage of minority owned retail and "other services" businesses is far below white owned (8.6% and 11.7% respecively). So the question really should be, "Why does it SEEM like so many have Arabic owners?". I can think of a few reasons. The first and most obvious reason to me, goes back to the question I asked: "Most hotels and service stations WHERE?". Going back to upbringing: industrious, business savy people bring up industrious business savy people (usually). Business savy people understand the most important principle in business is not what you are selling but where you are selling it, and who you are selling it to. I think we tend to see more Arabic owned businesses than other minorities, simply because of where they choose to open their businesses. They open them where whites go. Why? Because whites have most of the money in this country. Simple. They also choose their locations for the same reason Mcdonald's does. Most people believe Mcdonalds is in the business of making hamburgers. They aren't. Mcdonald's leaves the hamburger business to their frachisees. Mcdonald's is in the business of Real Estate investment. That's why they choose the locations they do. The Arabic business owners we see most often are where they are for the same reason. It's a good piece of property. A second reason is that whites tend to notice and remember minortities more than other whites. And if the minority we are seeing most often happens to be Arabic, our perception becomes skewed. In truth, we see more white business owners than any ohter race. We just don't notice or pay attention. I am as white as they come, and I am certainly no racist. I took two trips from New England to North Carolina a couple of years ago, during which we stopped at a couple of dozen convenience stores, and three hotels. The only faces I remember at all from the trip (other than people I know) are the minorities. There is a third possibility. How do you know the guy or girl behind the counter is the owner? Did you ask him or her? Maybe they work for a white guy, and you just never see him. The stastics bear it out. Middle Easterners, or any other minority, are not by any means even close to monopolising our conveience stores and hotels. It is simply our own perceptions that makes it seem that way.
  • The question certainly wasn't intended to be racist. But I think the statistics are there and I wanted to understand if this was because of tax breaks, affirmative action laws, etc. Having returned from a cross country trip, this was something I noticed, and as I am included in a specified minority, I wanted to be enlightened, since, I too, am a hard working digilent, non racist human being.
  • Statistically Arab-Americans are the highest group of people to own their own businesses, whatever that business may be. I am personally familiar with a group of these people. I don't think the average American would be willing to put up with the conditions they put up with to succeed. Would you be willing to put your life at risk to work by yourself from open to close at a convience store? Would your entire family be willing to work for you without pay, just for bed and board? Would a man with a family work for his brother for $5.00 an hour till he could get his start in this country? These are some examples I know about. I think they are just very strong people.
    • Daina
      Yes there are many Americans living like this and many that would be willing to open there own business. My husband and I are testimonies. The government has not helped us one bit! Do you think I could get a tax free loan just for starting a business!!?? If so please enlighten me, I guess I have "missed the boat" again! Again politics hurting Americans. I would like to know how and when these agreements took place and what laws back these special interest for other races. The bottom line is in order to have your own business you must hardworking and make many sacrifices no matter your race, relegion or cree. Nothing should be handed to you!!
  • The observation and the question posed is quite valid. In New York, most 24 hour grocery stores are Korean owned. In the Tri-State area, a lot of Gas stations and convenience stores are owned by Indians and Pakistanis. In many states like Texas, motels are owned by Indians. Many convenience store franchises like 7-Eleven are owned by all kinds of new immigrants of which a majority seems to be Middle Eastern, South Asian and increasingly Eastern European. I think the following would be helpful in explaining this trend: 1) New immigrants are more willing to undertake the hardships of entrepreneurship and the whole family works in the business for little or no pay, enhancing chances of success. 2) The established and experienced older immigrants in a particular type of business give valuable advise and also help out newer immigrants from their own regions for obvious reasons. This explains why a certain type of business appears to be dominated by a particular ethnicity. 3) Many newly arrived immigrants, legal or illegal, not being very familiar with the system and to get a firm footing in the new country, first start out working for less than the market wage (i.e they get exploited) for a business owned by their fellow old country national. They save at a much higher rate and eventually buy a similar business. It works out well for all concerned. I think the older but now the mainstream majority white ethnic groups like the Irish and the Italians also started out the same way. In time, the Indians, Arabs, Koreans and others will spread out in other directions as well.
  • Because they come from countries where there are market places and everyone has their own little booth. One booth might specialize in just one product, or provide a wide range of good. This is similar to a gas station. On top of that, the oil is from their country so maybe they feel connected to it in that way. just guessing.
  • This is a cut and paste from the New York times. N According to the latest figures from the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (A.A.H.O.A.), slightly more than 50 percent of all motels in the United States are now owned by people of Indian origin. Pull off any Interstate highway and look for a cheap bed for the night and there is a better-than-even chance that the motel you will curl up in belongs to Indians. (Looking at the broader spectrum of all hotels of any sort in the United States -- from trendy boutique hotels in Manhattan to mom-and-pop outfits in the boondocks -- almost 37 percent are owned by Indians.) If you bear in mind that Indians constitute less than 1 percent of America's population, the conquest of this economic niche appears extraordinary. Look a bit closer and the picture is even more arresting: about 70 percent of all Indian motel owners -- or a third of all motel owners in America -- are called Patel, a surname that indicates they are members of a Gujarati Hindu subcaste. ''There's a thing our parents tell everyone, so don't yawn if you've heard it already,'' says Mit Amin, an urbane 39-year-old who owns the Beverly Hills Inn, a chic bed-and-breakfast in the Buckhead section of Atlanta. ''In some American small towns they think 'Patel' is an Indian word for 'motel.' Can you blame them? As for me, I'm glad I'm called Amin. Wouldn't you want to be called Brown if the rest of the world was called Smith?''

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