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[squidyj]

And in that same exact situation plenty don't even get to have that problem. The idea of mental illness doesn't even exist in many places. Just being able to acknowledge such a thing is a privilege in itself.

Really not trying to be a dick or anything, but after doing some community service and social work in some really fucked up spots... you get to see how shitty things can get. Sleeping all day and never leaving the house is just so many levels above what a lot of people get to even consider.

I mean, why even give a shit about the developed world then? the third world is crying out for your attention, go there, help the people who are REALLY suffering.

And moreover what do you expect to come out of that? to browbeat people into submission or agreement?

 

[Dreams-Visions]

I feel privileged as a person of color.

I can walk outside and not worry about sunscreen. I can reasonably expect to not get fucked with if walking alone on a dark road (unless south of Ohio). I will live my life knowing it's unlikely that I or any member of my family will have to deal with Melanoma. I have lots and lots of rhythm. My children will not have to worry about having a flat ass or small penis. If some shit goes down, I can call Sharpton, the NAACP and Rainbow Push and check a bitch.

Spoiler

right?

 

[soul creator]

fuck that, when the race war starts, us brothers are gonna roll up on Becky and Todd with the quickness! Protect ya muthafuckin' necks!

Black rage!

 

[Yasae]

I don't really think so.

If we somehow got every white person to acknowledge they are better off than minorities, what mechanism would make them strive for equality, giving away their built in advantage?

Are they doing that in the first place?

 

[Esch]

I can reasonably expect to not get fucked with if walking alone on a dark road (unless south of Ohio)

even you know this is wrong

 

[Flo_Evans]

Real life isn't a poker game nor is it always a zero-sum game. If black people are pulled over less by police, it doesn't mean white people need to be pulled over more.

I don't think you get what I am trying to say.

By framing it as a "privilege" it is implied as an unearned advantage that needs to be taken away.

You can take it away by either pulling over black people less, or white people more. Police have quotas, gotta write those tickets.

 

[Yasae]

I feel privileged as a person of color.

I can walk outside and not worry about sunscreen. I can reasonably expect to not get fucked with if walking alone on a dark road (unless south of Ohio). I will live my life knowing it's unlikely that I or any member of my family will have to deal with Melanoma. I have lots and lots of rhythm. My children will not have to worry about having a flat ass or small penis. If some shit goes down, I can call Sharpton, the NAACP and Rainbow Push and check a bitch.

Spoiler

right?

SAYS THE DUDE WITH THE VITAMIN E DEFICIENCY

 

[CrushDance]

Well said.

Spoiler

Operation Caliphate is still in effect.

But how will we do it when the world ends this year? D:

Okay, let's start by saying that I recognize that life is different for minorities, and that they are disadvantaged across the whole. The prison system is a joke, opportunities for economic advancement are woeful at best, perceptions are horrible, etc. So many forces conspire in an overarching manner to stymie the efforts of minorities.

That said I see a campaign like this and I want to turn it off. I hear the words being spoken but there's also a subtext I hear in those words that seems to be implying an exhaustive quality to these properites, you're white, you're male, you're straight, and that's all you are. While I recognize that where I am in the world is in a considerable part due to the privilege that has passed through my family, I didn't really care or think about it a couple years ago when I was seriously depressed. When I was sleeping all day and never leaving the house, when I was contemplating suicide, it didn't seem particularly important to me. When I see these ads and monologues and blog posts, there is absolutely an unspoken narrative that for the same reason a white person would have fewer problems the problems they have aren't important, they're not worth anything, they don't matter. There is the impression provided within this particular narrative, that it doesn't matter what your situation is because somewhere out there there's a black person/gay person/woman, who has it that much worse, so what the fuck are you complaining about anyway? So mental illness, whatever, fuck it, you're white, male, straight, you'll be fine. I don't think that's the conscious intent behind anyone who wants to talk about white privilege but at the same time It's something that makes that line of dialogue very alienating. You can go ahead and call it my problem and there's something wrong with me that I'm thinking that way but it doesn't seem like I'm alone in getting that sense out of things and unless you actually want to force a conflict and therein provide fuel for that line of thinking brute force repetition of the message is not something that I think is going to be very effective.

I'll add that this isn't an attitude I carry over to any of my achievements, If and when I do well I'm usually the first to admit where I have been helped, where I have been privileged.

This is a very good post and does bring up some great points.

 

[zoku88]

I feel privileged as a person of color.

I can walk outside and not worry about sunscreen. I can reasonably expect to not get fucked with if walking alone on a dark road (unless south of Ohio). I will live my life knowing it's unlikely that I or any member of my family will have to deal with Melanoma. I have lots and lots of rhythm. My children will not have to worry about having a flat ass or small penis. If some shit goes down, I can call Sharpton, the NAACP and Rainbow Push and check a bitch.

Spoiler

right?

I'll be honest, I seriously think of this a lot, especially when a friend complains about getting sunburned.

 

[DY_nasty]

I mean, why even give a shit about the developed world then? the third world is crying out for your attention, go there, help the people who are REALLY suffering.

I'm not even talking about third world countries. You can redirect that way, sure, but there's plenty of fucked up things 50 miles down the street in any direction here in the US.

I'm just laying out the immediate fact that for many, mental illness doesn't even register at all. Being able to identify, treat, and not be destroyed while you try and cope is just a huge privilege - and it is what it is. Like dude said earlier

Just as easily, the quoted can be modified to say, "Acknowledging American privilege does not equal accepting American guilt." It's the simple acknowledgement that the US affords its citizens a level of legal rights and protection that other countries aren't able to afford their citizens.

What's stupid is the "us vs. them" defensive mentality that is practically the equivalent of saying, "All this talk of American privilege is just foreigners and traitors trying to guilt me and threaten my freedoms!"

I'm not trying to be a dick, but come on.

 

[Yasae]

I'll be honest, I seriously think of this a lot, especially when a friend complains about getting sunburned.

15 minutes and I'm pink as swine.

 

[Future]

I don't think you get what I am trying to say.

By framing it as a "privilege" it is implied as an unearned advantage that needs to be taken away.

You can take it away by either pulling over black people less, or white people more. Police have quotas, gotta write those tickets.

I don't think it implies it needs to be taken away. Often it implies the minority needs help to get to the same level, however, which often causes epic debate (affirmative action). Because even though it's almost indisputable that being white grants privilege, other factors beyond race often make them less privileged than any race.

What always gets me is how sensitive some people can be when it is spoken aloud. I know many people will dismiss Louis ck since he is a comedian, but really that shit is spot on. White has some immediate built in perks right off the bat.

 

[Flo_Evans]

?_? Wow.

What is this fear?

Nobody is going to force "white people" to work labour camps, build railroads, dig tunnels, pick cotton, be human guinea pigs, fight in wars and recieve no commendation, be lynched for cimes they didn't do, recieve harsher sentence, be obstructed from mass media, painted as imbeciles and rapists, painted as savages, painted as thieves and drunks, told to back to the country their ancestors came from, denied jobs, denied education, used as sexual slaves, viewed as sub-human, castrated, relegated to only supporting roles in media, automatically assumed to be stupid, told to leave other peoples daughters or sons alone, watched extra carefully by police, asked if having the White House isn't good enough for them, asked for their papers, told that any wrong that befalls them is their fault, told that they can't sympathize with them because of their colour, angry or surprised that they're white instead of black, told that they "act white"...

Some people are not seeing the point here. White people do have advantages, staggeringly so. That does not mean that white people are angels or that they don't suffer too! It is not the same thing. Everyone suffers. Some have suffered worse than others and this is simply bringing light to that, trying to balance the scales so to speak.

Are we all going to sit here and pretend for a second that North America specifically in this case was born out of peace and love? That whole swaths of people weren't butchered and disenfranchised still to this day? No. You are not responsible for what happened in the past. It is not your fault. But just like how most black people do not view themselves as criminals or sub-human yet are treated that way BECAUSE of their skin. You too are treated a certain way BECAUSE of your skin. Neither things are fair. That is the point.

Nobody should be against pushing for equality for all people. We are not so far removed from the violence of our "past". Perhaps that is what is scaring people. Because almost every-time their is a discussion about ethnicity, white people tend to get very afraid of some upcoming "revenge" from minorities. And just how would that work? Are the Latino's, Blacks and Asians simply going to wait till your numbers are low and annihilate you? Don't be silly.

A lot of people these days have people of various ethnicities in their family or are close friends with them. Why would some random dude or lady wake up one night and slaughter their husband or wife? THERE IS NO AWAKENING OF THE MINORITIES COMING TO GET YOU. All that is happening is the non-stop march of progress to a world where hopefully everyone can be given the same chances.

This is a good post (well a little over the top), but I think you have me confused with the hillbilly farmer that lives 50 miles out of town

Just discussing why some white folks don't like the term "white privilege" and how I don't think it's very helpfull in changing the minds of the people that are afraid.

 

[alphaNoid]

Time machine

 

[DY_nasty]

This is a good post (well a little over the top), but I think you have me confused with the hillbilly farmer that lives 50 miles out of town

Just discussing why some white folks don't like the term "white privilege" and how I don't think it's very helpfull in changing the minds of the people that are afraid.

Already covered

 

[CrushDance]

I don't think you get what I am trying to say.

By framing it as a "privilege" it is implied as an unearned advantage that needs to be taken away.

You can take it away by either pulling over black people less, or white people more. Police have quotas, gotta write those tickets.

This is a good post (well a little over the top), but I think you have me confused with the hillbilly farmer that lives 50 miles out of town

Just discussing why some white folks don't like the term "white privilege" and how I don't think it's very helpfull in changing the minds of the people that are afraid.

We are not going into the history books to figure out how the western world came to be, are we? Just forget the past for a second and ask yourself: Is everyone in our society equal? No. Okay, now what do we do about it?

People keep bringing up the past as if that is the only thing hampering progress and not the present. Your attitude is an example of this. "Well that's the way things are, it's not fair to level things." So now what Flo? At what point will equality be something that is truly pursued? After you've lied your life and enjoyed it? After your children? Their children? 100 years? 500? 1000? Those of us PRIVILEGED enough to be sitting at our computers, tablets, laptops, cellphones, gaming consoles, tv's, ROB's and posting in this thread, right now; should know how relatively comfortable our lives are. I wish everyone could have the same life as me, even though it's been difficult at times; like everyone else's. it has still been a good life.

That is the mindset that we are chasing in this generation. That everyone should be equal and free to do as they like. What is wrong with that? Yes you're comfortable, what about everyone else? That ipad you might have was made by some Chinese workers for less than you spend on pizza delivery probably. Should he/she not have an ipad too? Should they not be able to kick back and surf too?

I want for you what I want for me.

 

[Devolution]

I don't think you get what I am trying to say.

By framing it as a "privilege" it is implied as an unearned advantage that needs to be taken away.

You can take it away by either pulling over black people less, or white people more. Police have quotas, gotta write those tickets.

Because it is an unearned advantage that needs to be taken away by leveling the playing field so that all races, genders and sexualities can play in the game. I don't understand the push back unless people love reveling in being willfully ignorant.

 

[travisbickle]

I don't really think so.

If we somehow got every white person to acknowledge they are better off than minorities, what mechanism would make them strive for equality, giving away their built in advantage?

Equality is something we strive for in modern society, that is why we put in mechanisms to alleviate inequality. Even evil people like Republicans want to reduce inequality, they just believe there's a different way of doing it - give rich people lots of money - if the privilege of being white is recognised properly then we can begin to work on making things equal. Even small things like only pull over an equal amount of black dudes as white because we are all capable of committing crimes.

 

[MorisUkunRasik]

A lot of people these days have people of various ethnicities in their family or are close friends with them. Why would some random dude or lady wake up one night and slaughter their husband or wife? THERE IS NO AWAKENING OF THE MINORITIES COMING TO GET YOU. All that is happening is the non-stop march of progress to a world where hopefully everyone can be given the same chances.

Speak for yourself, I'm coming for you whitey.

 

[Flo_Evans]

Already covered

Well if that is the intention carry on. Just don't act surprised when people get defensive over the terminology?

To me the problem is inequality. I don't have a good solution, sorry. I am just a stupid white guy with an iPad. I don't think we shouldn't try and address it, I just don't think this is the most effective way.

 

[CrushDance]

Well if that is the intention carry on. Just don't act surprised when people get defensive over the terminology?

To me the problem is inequality. I don't have a good solution, sorry. I am just a stupid white guy with an iPad. I don't think we shouldn't try and address it, I just don't think this is the most effective way.

Well we're discussing this openly. None of us are policy makers Flo. Just forum dwellers, posting on the net. What do you think should be done? In your idyllic world, how would you go about fixing things if you had complete power?

 

[squidyj]

I'm not even talking about third world countries. You can redirect that way, sure, but there's plenty of fucked up things 50 miles down the street in any direction here in the US.

I'm just laying out the immediate fact that for many, mental illness doesn't even register at all. Being able to identify, treat, and not be destroyed while you try and cope is just a huge privilege - and it is what it is. Like dude said earlier

I'm not trying to be a dick, but come on.

I'm just saying if you're okay dismissing things above a certain threshold then there's a logical end to that line of thinking. Why give a shit about gay marriage when there's child soldiers? or reproductive rights or any number of things, I'm not arguing that I wasn't privileged to have my parent's couch to sleep on for that time or the money from having a job before that to keep me afloat until I went through that money, rather that at the time I didn't see any point in carrying on living and I very nearly followed through. That's not nothing even if there are people living through much worse right this very instant. Maybe I'm not the best example but I find it easier to make myself coherent talking about my own experiences.

There's a lot of people on the street precisely because they have mental illnesses, schizophrenia etc, etc, and I hope I don't have to tell you what happens to them out there. Personally I think they're worth worrying about and trying to help.

 

[Timedog]

You hate yourself don't you?

Still waiting for a clarification on what exactly this means...

 

[joseph1594]

I don't get why a few people believe just because someone might be an exception to the rule (whether they are depressed, gay, poor, etc) automatically invalidates the whole expression that white's are privileged in society. As people have pointed out, a poor black person has it worse than a poor white person, and so on and so forth.

I am among the whitest they come in America, yet I don't feel a sense of guilt for being white and acknowledging that white people have an advantage in American society. It is almost saying that when one makes a mistake, they should just sob about it rather than learning from it. While I never instituted anything such as slavery, nor does it seem I have any ancestors that owned slaves, I know that white society has done some awful things to Native Americans, blacks, Mexicans, etc.

Another interesting thing to point out is regarding the posts expressing frustration at the fact that in higher education, minorities have higher admission rates. However, in the case of the medical school post, the actual ethnic composition of doctors paints a different picture. according to the American Medical Association, out of 954,224 total physicians, only 33,781 are black and 46,507 are Hispanic. Those percentages are far lower than the racial makeup of the United States. Affirmative action wasn't created just to throw a bone at minorities, but at the fact that professions such as doctors, lawyers disproportionately leave out minorities (with the exception of Asians).

By the way, the link to the information is here: http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/abo...tatistics/total-physicians-raceethnicity.page

Another interesting thing I have seen from posts in this thread is that this only applies in the West. The concept of light skin making someone more attractive, appear upper class, etc is ingrained in a lot of societies. Skin whitening is a major industries in several parts of the world, including India, Southeast Asia, and the Arab world. Another factor to show that whites still have it better in other predominately non-white parts of the world is South Africa. Even though Apartheid ended around twenty years ago, whites still control the majority of the South African economy.

The whole "issue" of the concept of white privilege is not that it implies that one should be guilty of being white, but that it should not be a privilege for whites to not get stopped frequently by the police, not be watched like a hawk while walking through a store. It should be a right for any ethnicity to not have to deal with that.

 

[Timedog]

By framing it as a "privilege" it is implied as an unearned advantage that needs to be taken away.

Uhhh, yeah? That's exactly the point.

 

[CrushDance]

Still waiting for a clarification on what exactly this means...

Hmm...maybe he means that you're black and hate yourself because you're black. You wish you were white and are dating a white woman to that end in order to conceive a child one day, possibly. Thereby cleansing yourself of the impurity of your blackness and becoming white by adding your blood to that of a white female and in a way becoming what you always wanted to be. Seeing yourself reflected in the shimmering blue eyes of the tiny body which you will cradle gently in your manly arms and bristling chest. I think.

 

[Flo_Evans]

Well we're discussing this openly. None of us are policy makers Flo. Just forum dwellers, posting on the net. What do you think should be done? In your idyllic world, how would you go about fixing things if you had complete power?

Heh we wouldn't even be in a stupid rat race, talking about advantages and winning, like life is a game to see who finnishes with the most arbitrary units of worthless paper. I imagine some sort of communist utopia where everyone is free to create and share, explore and learn.

How the fuck that will ever work IDK. Most people are totally self absorbed and selfish, they only want to better their position. That is the main problem I see, we are all struggling to swim upstream, if I stop to help someone behind me drowning some other fucker will pull ahead. The only way to make capitalism "fair" is to not do it.

 

[Riposte]

Alternatively stated: Straight white male is easy mode.

Yeah, but they make up for it by scoring the highest on the leaderboards right?

 

[Timedog]

Hmm...maybe he means that you're black and hate yourself because you're black. You wish you were white and are dating a white woman to that end in order to conceive a child one day, possibly. Thereby cleansing yourself of the impurity of your blackness and becoming white by adding your blood to that of a white female and in a way becoming what you always wanted to be. Seeing yourself reflected in the shimmering blue eyes of the tiny body which you will cradle gently in your manly arms and bristling chest. I think.

This post sounds really cool. Hopefully my genes regulating melanin are recessive, and when me and Devo have 101 dalmation pups, they don't have spots.

 

[Sibylus]

Acknowledging white privilege does not equal accepting white guilt.

This is a good post. Privilege, like bias, isn't a sin, but it is absolutely something that many would do well to recognize and be mindful of, rather than taking it personally and despairing at the thought of the erosion of their own special position.

 

[way more]

There's a lot of people on the street precisely because they have mental illnesses, schizophrenia etc, etc, and I hope I don't have to tell you what happens to them out there. Personally I think they're worth worrying about and trying to help.

Going though that depression you must have met plenty of people that simply didn't believe that depression is a real thing. Wasn't there something about the affirmation that your condition was real and that you did need help?

Now we have the condition of "white privilege." We don't have a cure but wouldn't it be nice if we could all acknowledge it and try to understand it?

 

[Dreams-Visions]

This is a good post. Privilege, like bias, isn't a sin, but it is absolutely something that many would do well to recognize and be mindful of, rather than taking it personally and despairing at the thought of the erosion of their own special position.

good post.

 

[Fixed2BeBroken]

But if you are going to single out one race for being privileged, you have to include all other races as well. Why are only whites privileged, when Asians seem to fare equally if not better at the stuff you mention.

 

[cousins]

No shit? Only white people ignore how much it is.

Edit: As it's worth mentioning, I am so tired of white dudes complaining about affirmative action as if good ol' boy networks and plain old racism weren't forces in place that were affirmative enough for them already.

 

[Seraphinianus]

Disbelief of and not being educated on any subject is no reason to mock someone. But indignant denial and willful misunderstanding deserve the shit pile flung.

Using those phrases just sets up a dichotomy of smart vs. stupid, which is one of the faster ways to get people to shut down. If you use one of those phrases, then I'd say you've already given up discussing anything and are just here to vent or throw weight around.

 

[Napoleonthechimp]

Alternatively stated: Straight white male is easy mode.

lol

I'm a straight white male had have gotten treated like a piece of shit all of my life... by other white people. It means nothing.

 

[zoku88]

lol

I'm a straight white male had have gotten treated like a piece of shit all of my life... by other white people. It means nothing.

Lol, you totally missed the point of that article.

 

[Ushojax]

Only someone truly blinkered could deny that being white is a privilege.

Hopefully when we all have sexy mixed race children this stuff won't matter anymore.

 

[Hellcrow]

I love the world white privilege. I've yet to find a word that pisses of young white internet dwellers more then that word. Feminism goes in for a close second.

 

[Jburton]

I love the world white privilege. I've yet to find a word that pisses of young white internet dwellers more then that word. Feminism goes in for a close second.

Why do you enjoy pissing people off?

 

[Napoleonthechimp]

Lol, you totally missed the point of that article.

I quoted that guy's post, not the article. Pay attention.

 

[Timedog]

I quoted that guy's post, not the article. Pay attention.

wow.

 

[Angelus Errare]

I'm white.

I don't have any power over the police or banks. I don't give people jobs. I don't decide who gets into what schools or any financial aid they may get. I have absolutely no power over anyone or any of these statistics.

But apparently just by existing I'm taking away opportunities from others, making other people's lives worse, and I am hated for it by someone out there.

Is it really white privilege? Isn't it just the bias of those people in power?

I don't know those people.
I am not those people.
I can't do anything about those people.

I didn't put anyone into whatever situation they may be in.

I just don't want to be hated for something I can't change without killing myself. Even doing that would help a few others at best, and I can't guarantee they wouldn't be white.

I really can't think of a better way to say all of this.

LOL dude no one in this thread is saying that at all. And you're trying to play that card to black people? Really dude? REEEEEEAAALLLLY?

 

[Walshicus]

Alternatively stated: Straight white male is easy mode.

Good read, but from what I've seen "Gay Minority Female" seems an easier setting than "Gay Minority Male".

 

[Moppet13]

I always have trouble relating to these. I mean security follows me all around the store and harasses me about why I'm there all the time.

 

[SquiddyCracker]

I think that on average, white people probably have it easier in the U.S than non-whites. But the problem is that there is still a big group of whites who don't have it easier, yet are constantly bombarded with messages of them being privileged.

At least I think that's the case for some in this thread.

 

[Bleepey]

It was definitely tied to "Girls don't like me."

What changed? I remember you mentioning that you slept with a couple hundred women. Also I find it unusual that it seems to be only non black minorities seem comfortable referring to themselves as white. You might hear other black people refer to other black people as white but I have never in my life heard a black person online or off-line say they were white on the inside. But I have heard brown and urm....yellow (is that PC?) people often say they were white in the inside.

 

[dragonelite]

How privileged is a mixed white/asian male on the chart?

Not so priviliged as non mixed from the all the racist comments i gotten over the years.

 

[Monocle]

Isn't this totally obvious though? White people are automatically given preferential treatment in too many ways to count. Not to mention inherited social advantages. And most of us don't have to suffer daily indignities prompted by our apparent ethnicity.

 

[Hurricane_Chris]

There is definitely some racial imbalance...at least in the US.

But for the most part, it's something that can be largely overcome with hard work. Not completely, but enough.

I rarely laugh out loud, for real, at stuff read on the Internet. This, however, had me going for a full ten seconds.