Support NeoGAF

[G.ZZZ]

Life hacking? It's called social engineering, there are books on the thing. Famous hackers found out *SHOCKING* that appearing rich open you a lot of doors that otherwise you can't open. Million of dollars were stolen that way. That's fraud based perpetrated by social engineers. This was done a lot mostly by telephone so it's not just about skin color, but mostly by percieved social standing.

The biography of Kevin D. Mitnick explain this pretty well.

 

[KrellRell]

...the whole point is that he'd have a harder time doing that kind of shit as a black guy

Interesting how you say black guy, as the article doesn't even have the word black. Why did that come to mind? Is that the kind of mentality that perpetuates this problem?

 

[Chie Satonaka]

The big point of the article is that a non-white person isn't going to get the same benefit of the doubt if they applied these same techniques to the situation.

Thank you. I just read the article and she makes this pretty clear. The reason that he's getting away with the asshole behavior that he's endorsing is because he's a white guy. She even used examples in which people who weren't being assholes doing normal things didn't get the benefit of the doubt!

Solid article, but the term "life hacking" was probably the wrong one to use.

 

[The Technomancer]

Interesting how you say black guy, as the article doesn't even have the word black. Why did that come to mind? Is that the kind of mentality that perpetuates this problem?

Black guys are a pretty good go to for victims of discrimination in the US since, well, black guys face some of the most consistent, entrenched discrimination in the entire country.

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

Interesting how you say black guy, as the article doesn't even have the word black. Why did that come to mind? Is that the kind of mentality that perpetuates this problem?

It does mention Forest Whitaker in the example.

 

[Zen_Arcade]

I thought life hacks were those cool little things in life that people don't usually know about. Like this:

 

[Gun Animal]

Yeah, I don't think being a douche bag is race-exclusive. I've met my share of douche bags, and they've come in all colors, sizes, sexes -- hell, I've even met a few animals I thought were being douche bags; but they get a pass because I can't prove anything for sure.

In any case, though the guy was white, unless you're God, I can't imagine you knew what he was thinking. Did he come right out and say, "Hey, fella, I'm white, so give me VIP treatment?" People assume too much in this world. He was a douche bag from your perspective. I wouldn't read too much into it.

When a straight white male cuts in line it's oppressive, but when anyone else does it it's empowerment. You just don't understand oppressor-oppressed dynamics! Check your privilege, patriarch.

 

[Omegasquash]

I thought life hacks were those cool little things in life that people don't usually know about. Like this:

I've always thought this one is weird...wouldn't you make just as much of a mess getting it into the bottle?

 

[DoktorEvil]

I thought life hacks were those cool little things in life that people don't usually know about. Like this:

I'm not for this life hack.

is it that hard to pour the mix onto the skillet?

 

[Enduin]

I've always thought this one is weird...wouldn't you make just as much of a mess getting it into the bottle?

You would use a funnel, which you could just use in the first place since it produces the same effect. Shitty life hack.

 

[KrellRell]

Black guys are a pretty good go to for victims of discrimination in the US since, well, black guys face some of the most consistent, entrenched discrimination in the entire country.

Sometimes I forget how regionalized a lot of these issues are.

 

[Zen_Arcade]

I'm not for this life hack.

is it that hard to pour the mix onto the skillet?

I just picked the first one I saw on Google. They already make pancake mix that comes in bottles any way.

 

[mantidor]

There's a tiny bit of privilege with that, too. Life hacks like that are sometimes pushed aside as "ghetto" when done by poor Black people.

I've seen these sort of "life hacks" from the so called "white trash" too, these are not racially based.


But more specifically these are not life hacks.

 

[B-Dubs]

I've always thought this one is weird...wouldn't you make just as much of a mess getting it into the bottle?

You can just use a funnel.

 

[Omegasquash]

You can just use a funnel.

Still extra shit to wash. And you'd probably dribble out if you were using a ladle or trying to pour it out of the bowl.

 

[Krakatoa]

You can just use a funnel.

or mix it up in the bottle.

 

[paranoidfortean]

Please read; very insightful view of how many white Americans take the privilege shit for granted and act like life is great if you think positive (or something equally banal) and then pass that off as sagely advice that anyone can follow.

Racist.

 

[vas_a_morir]

There's a tiny bit of privilege with that, too. Life hacks like that are sometimes pushed aside as "ghetto" when done by poor Black people.

We would call that trash. that is worse than being called ghetto, in my opinion. becuase ghetto has a little bit of a cool image to it in popular culture, but trash is reviled by everyone.

 

[Cagey]

Yeah its a stretch but putting race into it does give you attention.

This thread wouldn't exist if it was "guy acts like jerk at post office." However add "white whatever" and await the controversy.

Rather, the formula is to add some insipid, undergraduate-level race critique to an issue, and then create thread claiming the insightfulness of the points raised therein and claim the article is unimpeachable.

GAF is better than this.

 

[TheWarrior]

I'm not for this life hack.

is it that hard to pour the mix onto the skillet?

no way man, ladles are super hard to use

I think these life hacks are just an extension informercial logic, where people don't know how to do simple tasks

 

[jhmtehgamr20xx]

GAF is better than this.

Eh.....

 

[Mumei]

Whether you call them "life hacks" or something else is irrelevant to the point of the article, which is that there is advice for being assertive (or obnoxiously rude and aggressive; tomato, tomato) and getting what you want that isn't really relevant to the lives or experiences of black people, simply because assertiveness from black people and from white people do not receive the same responses.

Yeah, I don't think being a douche bag is race-exclusive. I've met my share of douche bags, and they've come in all colors, sizes, sexes -- hell, I've even met a few animals I thought were being douche bags; but they get a pass because I can't prove anything for sure.

In any case, though the guy was white, unless you're God, I can't imagine you knew what he was thinking. Did he come right out and say, "Hey, fella, I'm white, so give me VIP treatment?" People assume too much in this world. He was a douche bag from your perspective. I wouldn't read too much into it.

The article did not argue that being a douche bag is race-exclusive. The article is arguing that his white-ness is one of the factors (along with his class and gender "and maybe some others") that allowed his douche bag behavior to get him what he wanted, and that these same behaviors would likely have been less successful if he were a woman, or black, or appeared to be poor / lower-class. It was also not arguing that he was actually thinking, "if I'm white" or "because I'm white"; it's arguing that appending those phrases to what he actually said makes those phrases more honest for who those behaviors are likely to benefit.

When a straight white male cuts in line it's oppressive, but when anyone else does it it's empowerment. You just don't understand oppressor-oppressed dynamics! Check your privilege, patriarch.

This is a useless post. Please don't make another like it.

 

[Lucario]

I've always thought this one is weird...wouldn't you make just as much of a mess getting it into the bottle?

More mess, unless you have some kind of funnel. And you wouldn't be able to get all the mix out of the bottle easily.


...and pancake mix goes bad pretty quick, so you'd have to use it all pretty quickly.

Most "lifehacks" are complete wastes of time.

 

[Thorakai]

Rather, the formula is to add some insipid, undergraduate-level race critique to an issue, and then create thread claiming the insightfulness of the points raised therein and claim the article is unimpeachable.

GAF is better than this.

How about lets make specific points about what makes the claim invalid instead?

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

Whether you call them "life hacks" or something else is irrelevant to the point of the article, which is that there is advice for being assertive (or obnoxiously rude and aggressive; tomato, tomato) and getting what you want that isn't really relevant to the lives or experiences of black people, simply because assertiveness from black people and from white people do not receive the same responses.

I agree, but "life hacking" is in the title of the article.

 

[robotzombie]

How about lets make specific points about what makes the claim invalid instead?

Not that I have any super strong opinion on this article itself, but are you really suggesting that we are supposed to build a case invalidating a claim in an article before the article itself builds any case for the point it is trying to make?

 

[John Kowalski]

Bit of a redundant article tbh. These are well traversed lands.

 

[Jado]

Thank you. I just read the article and she makes this pretty clear. The reason that he's getting away with the asshole behavior that he's endorsing is because he's a white guy. She even used examples in which people who weren't being assholes doing normal things didn't get the benefit of the doubt!

Solid article, but the term "life hacking" was probably the wrong one to use.

Exactly, that's the gist of the article. All this carefree attitude and behavior, the positivty mantra... it's white guy bullshit that can and has gotten black people arrested and killed (for doing less really).

Maybe it is the wrong word to use, but why are people getting hung up over that benign little phrase and ignoring the entirety of the article's excellent points? Did most of you not read it and would rather downplay the issue at hand, act like complete fools and argue about how a word was slightly misused in a way you don't like?

 

[thespot84]

So is this what it boils down to?

White person is an asshole, people call him an asshole.
Black person is an asshole, people call him a black asshole.

Or am I missing it.

What is the author assuming would have happened had the guy at the post office been black? The guy at the post office was told to shove it. What did he actually get away with?

 

[God Dayumm]

The article did not argue that being a douche bag is race-exclusive. The article is arguing that his white-ness is one of the factors (along with his class and gender "and maybe some others") that allowed his douche bag behavior to get him what he wanted, and that these same behaviors would likely have been less successful if he were a woman, or black, or appeared to be poor / lower-class. It was also not arguing that he was actually thinking, "if I'm white" or "because I'm white"; it's arguing that appending those phrases to what he actually said makes those phrases more honest for who those behaviors are likely to benefit..

The article would be wrong because women get away more often with these kind of things. And it's ok too, I can rarely deny something to a woman.

 

[Thorakai]

So is this what it boils down to?

White person is an asshole, people call him an asshole.
Black person is an asshole, people call him a black asshole.

Or am I missing it.

What is the author assuming would have happened had the guy at the post office been black? The guy at the post office was told to shove it. What did he actually get away with?

You are missing it, yea. Try re-reading the article.

 

[Foggy]

I'm not really sure who the article is appealing to. Is it appealing to people who embrace these "life hacks"? The same people who gladly step over others by embracing bullish positivity? Something tells me if you have that kind of personal disposition, privilege ranks pretty low on the things you care about.

Is it for people who don't accept white privilege as something that exists? If so, aren't there more compelling and understandable approaches than referencing a lifestyle a lot of people find heinous? If it exists only to make an observation...I don't know, just isn't particularly illuminating to me.

 

[The Technomancer]

So is this what it boils down to?

White person is an asshole, people call him an asshole.
Black person is an asshole, people call him a black asshole.

Or am I missing it.

What is the author assuming would have happened had the guy at the post office been black? The guy at the post office was told to shove it. What did he actually get away with?

Black person is an asshole he can get himself shot

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

Exactly, that's the gist of the article. All this carefree attitude and behavior, the positivty mantra... it's white guy bullshit that can and has gotten black people arrested and killed (for doing less really).

Maybe it is the wrong word to use, but why are people getting hung up over that benign little phrase and ignoring the entirety of the article's excellent points? Did most of you not read it and would rather downplay the issue at hand, act like complete fools and argue about how a word was slightly misused in a way you don't like?

Not at all. I agree with the premise. Which is why it's unfortunate the author misused the word and caused confusion.

It's in the title of the article and this thread. How can it be ignored?

 

[Fuchsdh]

I get the general idea but I'm not sure "life hacking" is what's going on here.

Yeah the author is confused about what the term life hacking means. This is just acting like you belong somewhere you don't, which I dunno exists as it's own term beyond bluffing and bravado

To the argument of the story: no doubt you can prolly get away with some stuff more easily if you're a rich white guy (especially when it comes to paying lawyers, badumkish), but I think a lot of what he's describing doesn't have to do with race; it's people who know how to dance just right. I'm sure lots of us have met the people who get away with stuff because they're just "so charming" and all that nonsense.

 

[Mr. Blonde]

http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2013/10/how-to-break-all-the-rules-and-get-everything-you-want/

The article in the op takes a lot of logic leaps to assume what altucher did is all white privilege.

 

[Kite]

Thank you. I just read the article and she makes this pretty clear. The reason that he's getting away with the asshole behavior that he's endorsing is because he's a white guy. She even used examples in which people who weren't being assholes doing normal things didn't get the benefit of the doubt!

Solid article, but the term "life hacking" was probably the wrong one to use.

hah you never met my grandparents from mainland china, they're aggressive as fuck and don't care about your lines. And what is funny is that here in the Texas suburbs most white people are too polite and rarely say anything about them cutting lol It is embarrassing as hell.

What these articles really show is that aggressive douche bags can often get their way cus most people don't like conflict, I'm not sure how much race has to do with it. I can see white people being afraid to piss off the stereotyped "angry black man."

 

[Jado]

Not at all. I agree with the premise. Which is why it's unfortunate the author misused the word and caused confusion.

It's in the title of the article and this thread. How can it be ignored?

By being an adult about it and not getting hung up over one stupid phrase? We managed to do it back in the early to mid 2000s when we started calling out people for being "grammar nazis" vs. actually partaking in discussion.

It's disingenuous BS. I ask people not to come in with the "lol tumblr, this shit again" posts, so OF COURSE they find something else to latch onto in order to be dismissive pricks. It's trite and annoying and happens in every thread about racism.

 

[Omegasquash]

http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2013/10/how-to-break-all-the-rules-and-get-everything-you-want/

The article in the op takes a lot of logic leaps to assume what altucher did is all white privilege.

The point is that what he did wouldn't have flown in many cases if he weren't white.

 

[Feep]

I mean, almost literally all social techniques work better if you're white, because of systemic racism. I'm not entirely sure why this guy needs to be called out specifically...maybe he should have put a disclaimer at the top? I don't know.

 

[teruterubozu]

Damn I feel racist for reversing my cupcake now.

 

[Mr. Blonde]

The point is that what he did wouldn't have flown in many cases if he weren't white.

the article says that, yes, but it doesn't provide any evidence, just the author's own assumptions

 

[Thorakai]

Not that I have any super strong opinion on this article itself, but are you really suggesting that we are supposed to build a case invalidating a claim in an article before the article itself builds any case for the point it is trying to make?

I'm saying lets talk about why the article doesn't do a good job of building its case. If you feel like that is the fundamental problem with the story, lets talk about that instead of using passive aggressiveness to attack the OP and using a bunch of meaningless adjectives to describe an article.

 

[Jado]

I mean, almost literally all social techniques work better if you're white, because of systemic racism. I'm not entirely sure why this guy needs to be called out specifically...maybe he should have put a disclaimer at the top? I don't know.

It's important to call it out whenever it's evident. Doesn't matter if you don't see any particular importance in this one example. That story with the guy buying a belt is a good example. He wasn't murdered or anything but it was still worth informing people what happened and the reasons why.

 

[Deified Data]

Edit: Thread has enough "lol he used life hack wrong" posts

 

[Omegasquash]

the article says that, yes, but it doesn't provide any evidence, just the author's own assumptions

I think it's safe to assume that him sneaking into shows wouldn't have flown if he was a white guy. He'd have been looked at with more suspicion and/or worry. We can assume that white privilege exists, and it's a pretty easy step (I don't think it's a leap, but you can call it that if you want to) to apply it here.

If we start to look a little more at privilege and see how it permeates actions and outlooks well...I think that's the point of the piece.

 

[Cagey]

How about lets make specific points about what makes the claim invalid instead?

First, the issue with this thread (and several like it in recent weeks) is the beginning assumption of the correctness of the points made. The article is not put forth for discussion; rather, it's posted for people to voice their agreement. There's a fundamental lack of critical engagement with the writing from those promoting it.

Which leads to, second,...

Not that I have any super strong opinion on this article itself, but are you really suggesting that we are supposed to build a case invalidating a claim in an article before the article itself builds any case for the point it is trying to make?

Threads like these that put forth an opinionated article from armchair bloggers (not a source deserving of the deferrence given to an authority on a subject) as Correct, thereby putting the burden on someone who doesn't agree with the opinions and musings of a blogger to give a detailed breakdown of why they disagree, yet the initial points were never properly proven or argued.

Here, a writer observes an asshole, makes a quick connection between asshole being a white guy + society favoring white guys = easier for white guys to get excused for asshole behavior, and extrapolates far beyond that without solid ground to stand on. The author, by the end, hasn't demonstrated anything. The assumptions from the OP and others is that, in fact, there's rock-solid fact behind her musings on such nonsense:

Skipping ahead of people in line, even when invited to do so, is better referred to as “being an asshole.” And obliviousness to your own privilege is no excuse. If you’re absorbed in your phone and not really sure if you’re rightfully next in line, it’s your job to look around and say, “I’m sorry, were you here before me?”

The only establishment of how the underlined statement is relevant to her anecdote is her own belief. Great. That proves... nothing, actually. The burden does not lay with me to demonstrate the flaws due to assumption exist. It's on the writer to close those gaps.

By being an adult about it and not getting hung up over one stupid phrase? We managed to do it back in the early to mid 2000s when we started calling out people for being "grammar nazis" vs. actually partaking in discussion.

It's disingenuous BS. I ask people not to come in with the "lol tumblr, this shit again" posts, so OF COURSE they find something else to latch onto in order to be dismissive pricks. It's trite and annoying and happens in every thread about racism.

The article can be rightfully dismissed and it doesn't make someone a prick for doing so.

 

[Machine]

By being an adult about it and not getting hung up over one stupid phrase? We managed to do it back in the early to mid 2000s when we started calling out people for being "grammar nazis" vs. actually partaking in discussion.

It's disingenuous BS. I ask people not to come in with the "lol tumblr, this shit again" posts, so OF COURSE they find something else to latch onto in order to be dismissive pricks. It's trite and annoying and happens in every thread about racism.

Being a grammar nazi is about nitpicking when someone uses "their" instead of "there" or "they're." When something is so poorly worded as to cause confusion or misunderstanding, one is not being a grammar nazi for complaining about it. When I saw the thread title was about "life hacking" my first thought was to wonder about how white privilege could possibly relate to opening a bottle with a magnet or using a toilet paper tube as a makeshift speaker.

 

[Malvolio]

Life isn't fair. Some people just don't have to deal with that harsh reality as often as others. Sure makes you feel enlightened when you get to call someone out on it though!

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

By being an adult about it and not getting hung up over one stupid phrase? We managed to do it back in the early to mid 2000s when we started calling out people for being "grammar nazis" vs. actually partaking in discussion.

It's disingenuous BS. I ask people not to come in with the "lol tumblr, this shit again" posts, so OF COURSE they find something else to latch onto in order to be dismissive pricks. It's trite and annoying and happens in every thread about racism.

How are any of my posts coming across that way? Wasn't dismissive or "lol'd" the article at all. I've said multiple times I agree with the basic idea, but it was poorly framed by an unintentionally misleading title.