White Privilege?

[Kia ora]

consider the situation of indigenous peoples around the world. the maori in new zealand, the aboriginals in australia, the first nations in canada, the american indians in the usa, all significantly overrepresented in bad stats concerning poverty, crime, health, education, employment, youth suicide etc. why? none of these peoples have anything to do with each other. they're on the other side of the world from each other. all of them share a history of being stepped on by the white invaders, and then continuing to be stepped on by their white colonisers. here is a clear instance of where racism is one of the factors and one of the most important factors behind why indigenous peoples don't do as well as whites. and no it doesn't have anything to do with all these different peoples with different histories and cultures being 'lazy' and 'unproductive'.

if you're born white, you're automatically in a better spot than a lot of aboriginal folks. the thing about white privilege is that it's so normal for them that white people don't even notice it.

 

[Socrates]

. . .

 they get arrested, convicted and sentenced more harshly than whites for the same crimes. 

​An unsupported claim.

[Kia ora]

educate yourself:

http://www.sentencingproject.org/doc/publications/rd_sentencing_review.pdf

 

 

[Catlick]

The US offers good proof that the peaceful co-existence of different races in one nation is a utopia. Mixing races ultimately leads to civil war. 

Edited June 2, 2015 by Catlick

[Kia ora]

The US offers good proof that the peaceful co-existence of different races in one nation is a utopia. Mixing races ultimately leads to civil war. 

white power! preach it! 

in jesus there is neither jew nor greek. if you can't live with people who look and live differently from you, then how the heck are you going to worship together in church? you either do it jesus' way or you do it satan's way.

[little2add]

The US offers good proof that the peaceful co-existence of different races in one nation is a utopia. Mixing races ultimately leads to civil war. 

​poppycock

the mixing of different races is a good thing, different religions (marriage) however not so much

Edited June 2, 2015 by little2add

[Kateri89]

I think white privilege is very real but I also think the core of the issue here and the reason why white people can be so sensitive about it is that we feel like we're being accused of putting minorities down when we aren't aware of ever consciously doing so.  At least in my own case, my white privilege is not something I asked for and it doesn't change the fact that I have worked hard in life to achieve success.  My parents didn't have much money and we were on WIC growing up.  But at the end of the day I'm still white and that has come with it's benefits that as others have said, I probably don't even notice but take for granted.  I also know that people confuse the terms racism and prejudice because as Lilllabett said, racism is based on a hierarchy of privilege.  The literal definition of racism doesn't speak about a hierarchy but does talk about oppression which requires a hierarchy.  The racial prejudices in this country go very deep and have many layers to them.  And those prejudices come from people of any race and even against people of their own race.  There is even a lot of contention between black people when some of them believe that being lighter-skinned is better.  And among black women, discussing hair is a very sensitive topic.  Some black women think that wearing weaves/wigs is a sign of self-hatred whereas other black women think it's just how the woman chooses to style herself.  Someone else mentioned names and pointed out that if you have an "ethnic" sounding name or a "hood name" you're less likely to get a job and more likely to be accused of crime, etc.  It's an issue that is too complex to make a blanket statement about but discussions are important and I think we'll all get a lot further along in this if we try to see it from the other side's perspective.

[hotpink]

The US offers good proof that the peaceful co-existence of different races in one nation is a utopia. Mixing races ultimately leads to civil war. 

​Errrr....racist much?  However, you do bring up a good point abot co-existance.  I think we need to do more to foster ethnically vibrant communities but those that allow others to explore and not divide.  That way there are both social supports and upward mobility.

Actually we just need smaller more vibrant communities, ethinic or not.

Edited June 2, 2015 by hotpink

[Anomaly]

​Errrr....racist much?  However, you do bring up a good point abot co-existance.  I think we need to do more to foster ethnically vibrant communities but those that allow others to explore and not divide.  That way there are both social supports and upward mobility.

Actually we just need smaller more vibrant communities, ethinic or not.

Exactly the problem with the heavy negative connotations associated with the term "white privilege".  It infers special unearned privileges versus the absence of discriminatory restrictions. Which is it?   How many believers in white privilege here are white, college educated and haven't had a labor job for more than a year?    How many are white, no more than a high school education and have worked in blue collar jobs for more than a year or two?   

[Basilisa Marie]

White privilege is totally a thing, but a big part of it usually gets left out of the conversation - classism. 

We all experience the world differently based on factors we can't control. Society usually makes certain cultural assumptions about me because I'm an upper-middle-class heterosexual Catholic white woman. Those would be different assumptions if I were a poor Black gay atheist man. The way society treats me shapes the way I see the world, though I can change the way I see it if I educate myself and listen to other peoples' experiences. 

Some (many?) of the bad things Black people experience differently than white people are closely tied to poverty and classism. That's one reason why some white people can say that they also experience some of the problems Black people experience, especially if they don't come from a financially privileged background. Maybe (almost) all of the problems of racism our country faces today have more to do with classism (with deep historical roots) than color. 

[Era Might]

Exactly the problem with the heavy negative connotations associated with the term "white privilege".  It infers special unearned privileges versus the absence of discriminatory restrictions. Which is it?   How many believers in white privilege here are white, college educated and haven't had a labor job for more than a year?    How many are white, no more than a high school education and have worked in blue collar jobs for more than a year or two?   

​Just want to point out that there is "street privilege" too. If you know how the game works, you have privilege...you see many immigrants for example making good lives because they know how the hustle works, doing construction, starting a small business, etc. That's a hustle you can't teach to someone who sits at a desk, but the person sitting at the desk probably has privilege in their social context (more "mainstream" society). Another problem with the idea of "white privilege" is not the basic point, but it only focuses on mainstream society. Someone like Malcolm X was advocating that blacks take control of their own communities, their own business, because otherwise they would always be trying to integrate into a "mainstream" society where the rules of the game are different, where you have to become docile and assimilate. It's the same in the street, you have to know how to assimilate or else you won't fit in...the problem with mainstream society is it thinks that it's the "right" or the "best," but it's a vicious system like any other, it just has the cloak of recognition.

[Era Might]

The US offers good proof that the peaceful co-existence of different races in one nation is a utopia. Mixing races ultimately leads to civil war. 

​Mixing human beings period ultimately leads to civil war. Hell is other people.

[Era Might]

​Just want to point out that there is "street privilege" too. If you know how the game works, you have privilege...you see many immigrants for example making good lives because they know how the hustle works, doing construction, starting a small business, etc. That's a hustle you can't teach to someone who sits at a desk, but the person sitting at the desk probably has privilege in their social context (more "mainstream" society). Another problem with the idea of "white privilege" is not the basic point, but it only focuses on mainstream society. Someone like Malcolm X was advocating that blacks take control of their own communities, their own business, because otherwise they would always be trying to integrate into a "mainstream" society where the rules of the game are different, where you have to become docile and assimilate. It's the same in the street, you have to know how to assimilate or else you won't fit in...the problem with mainstream society is it thinks that it's the "right" or the "best," but it's a vicious system like any other, it just has the cloak of recognition.

​Just to add, yes, it is somewhat impossible to imagine how the system/structure works for people different from yourself. There is no such thing as "society"...we all live in our own little worlds, formed by people we know (or don't know), things we know (or don't know), opportunities we have (or don't have), etc. The modern economic system HAS opened up opportunity to a lot more people, IF they know how the hustle works...you don't have to stay a peasant if you are willing to learn the hustle, you don't have to serve an aristocrat if you know how to gain power and wealth. That's our capitalist/entrepreneurial system, BUT it is also still at root a bleak society, because even though it has opened up power and wealth to many more people, they are all still fighting for power and wealth, and they don't need a king or aristocracy to maintain it, that's where social structures are formed...and yes, being white, male, whatever is part of how the game works, because society is not a blank state, you are born into a world where people already have (and are trying to keep) power and wealth and position. Drop a mainstream white person into the hood and they won't survive, not because it's impossible for a white person to survive, but they don't know the local system...they don't know the right people, don't have the social capital, have no personal relationships, aren't trusted, look different, sound different, etc. There are white people raised in the hood who know how to move in that society, but you have to know how it works. It's the same for a black person or whoever in mainstream society...they ARE frustrated in many ways by the social system. The problem with denying white privilege is less about race IMO and more about the fact that they are denying how human nature and society works, they are drinking the kool aid from the 18th century, the patriotic ideas around which our modern world was born.

[Anomaly]

White privilege is totally a thing, but a big part of it usually gets left out of the conversation - classism. 

See.  That's what's wrong with using the term.  It's so inaccurate.   It paints a picture that all whites share in the privilege.    That is not the case.  It also is inherently discouraging to blacks because it seems to say that regardless of your effort, you would never overcome the obstacles of your skin color.   Again, not helpful or entirely true.   It's an easy political term, fostered by self conscience educated elitists, without any redeeming benefit to society in general that I can see. It simply points to a disparity but does nothing to constructively address it.  

[hotpink]

See.  That's what's wrong with using the term.  It's so inaccurate.   It paints a picture that all whites share in the privilege.    That is not the case.  It also is inherently discouraging to blacks because it seems to say that regardless of your effort, you would never overcome the obstacles of your skin color.   Again, not helpful or entirely true.   It's an easy political term, fostered by self conscience educated elitists, without any redeeming benefit to society in general that I can see. It simply points to a disparity but does nothing to constructively address it.  

​In very small parts of the american south, it's very real tho.  No matter how smart, talented or whatever a black person is there just aren't the resources wheras there are for whites although this would extend to white hispanics and asians.  They aren't involved in education, policing or fire.  They drop out of school at astronomical rates and are imprisoned at rates just as high.  Some have never ventured more than 10 miles as a 30+yo.

Its so diffrent than say in oregon, where there's tons of asians and indians and a few black people and hispanics and most of sucess depens on connections and crossing class lines is as simple as going to a library.  There's very few things that simply having white skin will benefit you by, although as I've stated anglicized names and clear english speaking and neat dress will all factor in.