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[JCX]

The funny thing is, he's Mexican. His Father is from Mexico and he lived in Mexico city till he was like 7.

There are white Mexicans. Considering that race is visual, the ingredients don't matter as much as the finished product to a stranger.

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?

My brother is in Ecuador and got sunburn for the first time after spending all day at the beach

 

[ChiTownBuffalo]

Why are only whites privileged, when Asians seem to fare equally if not better at the stuff you mention.

Stop.

When discussions of race and privilege are brought up, Asian are always held up as an example of being a model minority, by whites. No.

I wrote this a while ago, but I always need to drag it out to properly frame the position of Asian-Americans in the United States. They occupy a spot in the middle, and a used/delegitimized on all sides in the race debate.

Honestly, do Asian-Americans have the same inherent disadvantages that other people of color have in this country? No. Do they have "white privilege?" Absolutely not. Asian-Americans are used as a tool for people that deny there is racial disparity in the United States, due to the success they have achieved post-immigration, but we are still treated and viewed as others/outsiders.

The issue that comes about when Asian-Americans have to confront issues of racism are twofold, one from other communities of color, and the other from American society in general.

From communities of color, often racism against Asian-Americans is not seen as valid, or not as extreme because there has never been the stigma violence behind it, or it is simply seen as "not as bad" as what has happened to other groups. But Asians in the United States have been the victims of anti-miscegenation laws, laws that prevented them from owning property or even large bills such as the Chinese exclusion act. As far as direct violence, the history of anti-Chinese lynchings in cities such as Denver and San Francisco are often over looked. Even modern day incidents, such as the murder of Vincent Chin are seen more as exceptions to racism/violence against Asians-Americans rather than a overall trend.

Also, the model minority issues often pits Asian-Americans against other ethnic groups. American society holds up Asian-Americans as an example of how an immigrant experience and how people of color have as much opportunity as other groups, which is simply not true. There are a variety of factors of why Asian immigration, especially since 1965 has been considered "successful" in comparison to the experience of other people of color in the United States. "Hey, if the Chinese/Korean/Vietnamese can come over and in one generation get their kids in college, whats going on black/latinos?" So within those communities, there is resentment towards Asian-Americans because it is perceived that Asian-Americans have it much easier, or "the good minorities."

Part of it Asian-America has done to itself. We have certainly pigeon-holed ourselves into that model minority role, because, its a pretty attractive place to be. Who doesn't want to be seen as smart, successful and relatively non-threatening? That role also supports the belief that America is a meritocracy. Asian-Americans keep their heads down, study hard, make money and achieve the "American Dream." Why wouldn't popular American society hold up that sort of work ethic, and success rate to demonstrate the best of what America can be?

That leads into the other part of why allegations and issues of racism that Asian-Americans bring up are delegitimized by both white people and other people of color. The great influx of Asian-Americans into the United States occurred after 1965. This was while the civil rights movement was growing and becoming a great social movement in the United States. For the most part, Asian-Americans were in 3 places, the West Coast, New York and Hawaii. Since the population was not spread out nationally the same way the African-American, and to a lesser extent, the Latino population, the face of Asian-America was largely absent from the civil rights struggle. So when Asian immigrants arrived, there was a perception that they thrived due to the social changes that were made. And often seen as benefitting without paying their "dues."

So one one hand, you have the communities of color, which endured incredible oppression and institutional racism to get place at the starting line, get "passed" by a recent immigrant group. And on the other hand, you have a greater American society that says, "Hey, we made these changes, and this one group is doing really well. Why are the rest of your still complaining?" It put Asian-Americans in an unenviable place in American racial politics.

So you have a group of immigrants in the United States, which is slowly dwarfing the population of 2nd, 3rd and even 4th generation Asian-Americans of Chinese and Japanese origin. Many of the immigrants are from countries, from which the US has military involvement with. So for 2 entire generations of Americans, Asians are seen as the "other." Whether that means easily identifiable foreigners, or potentially former enemies. And this generation of Americans have recently "gotten over" their own immigrant experience, where they are now truly feeling an ownership of America, and now consider themselves "American." The perpetual "other"-ness of Asians in America allows casual discrimination or institutional racism to be more socially acceptable. As in, "Why worry, those people don't even speak English, and I probably fought against them during the war."

So Asian-Americans, when they do have legitimate issues of racism and discrimination that face them, get reactions of, "Its not that bad, especially if you consider what has happened to African-Americans or Latinos." And this argument is especially prevalent in Southern California. Or, because Asian-Americans are still a growing group with no solid definition, as in we have 5th generation Asian-American as well as people who immigrated 3 months ago, America still treats us as "the other," and is dismissive of our issues.

And the reaction for a long time was, "Keep your head down, study hard, make money and Americans will respect you." But there are generations of Asian-Americans, who have read Ron Takaki, Maxine Hong-Kingston, Helen Zia, Carlos Bulosan, Frank Chin, Urvashi Viad, Frank Wu, David Henry Hwang, etc. who want a voice in American politics, and want to have a more active role for Asian-Americans politically and socially. The want you to remember the internment and Vincent Chin, they want you to know how fucked up it is when NBC Sports runs headlines like "Michelle Kwan Beaten By American Lipinski." When those voices are raised, people don't want to hear them. There are a lot of reasons for that. But because Asian-American issues have constantly be delegitimized, or marginalized by American society, or other communities of color, we are forced to elevate these incidents which affect our community.

 

[Neoriceisgood]

Stop.

When discussions of race and privilege are brought up, Asian are always held up as an example of being a model minority, by whites. No.

Very interesting read. wasn't aware of most of this.

 

[pigeon]

I just don't want to be hated for something I can't change without killing myself.

We all want that. The difference is, you're much more likely to achieve it, on average. That's actually kind of the whole point.

Another good example of privilege is that every discussion of privilege turns into a discussion of how white people feel, on the assumption that the POINT of talking about privilege is to affect how white people feel. I really don't care how white people feel. I am interested in how white people talk and act.

 

[Clevinger]

Telling someone they're privileged, because of their race or whatever else, just devalues both their successes and their suffering. All it can bring is hate.

I was born in America, a first world country. If someone tells me I was born into privilege, it's not going to bring hate. Like, at all.

Tim Wise had an interesting statistic that for as long as we've been polling the question, including today, the majority of whites have believed that minorities get equal treatment as whites. That today (the poll was a handful of years ago) more white people are likely to believe Elvis is still alive than believe minorities being mistreated is a national problem. And it's not hard to see why when any mention of such a privilege invokes this kind of outrage and denial from said privileged.

You know what is going to bring hate? Gross ignorance, the complete refusal to see a problem, and therefore automatically not doing anything to fix it.

 

[Gregorn]

You just have to look at this thread to tell that this campaign isn't a good idea, even if the statement is true. What exactly is the aim of it? If I'm meant to feel bad about being white then that didn't work, I don't really care if people think I've got an easy life.

 

[Phoenician_Viking]

Do other minorities get as much crap as black people in the US? I am wondering since Latinos have to deal with Arizona´s discriminatory law.

I am not trying to compare or anything, i just want to know if other minorities get shit as well.

 

[travisbickle]

You just have to look at this thread to tell that this campaign isn't a good idea, even if the statement is true. What exactly is the aim of it? If I'm meant to feel bad about being white then that didn't work, I don't really care if people think I've got an easy life.

Society as a whole tries to promote equality, don't you want an easier life for minorities?

 

[captmorgan]

Ok, I accepts that as a white male I`m in a position of privilege, would n`t the next logical question to ask is how do I keep it?
If some one has a privilege/advantage over everyone else why would they give that up? Why would I make my life harder just to make some someone else's life a easier? That seem counter productive to my own interests.

 

[double jump]

Ok, I accepts that as a white male I`m in a position of privilege, would n`t the next logical question to ask is how do I keep it?
If some one has a privilege/advantage over everyone else why would they give that up? Why would I make my life harder just to make some someone else's life a easier? That seem counter productive to my own interests.

I think this is whats in the back of a lot of peoples minds but I don't understand why one group has to fall in order for another to rise.

 

[travisbickle]

Ok, I accepts that as a white male I`m in a position of privilege, would n`t the next logical question to ask is how do I keep it?
If some one has a privilege/advantage over everyone else why would they give that up? Why would I make my life harder just to make some someone else's life a easier? That seem counter productive to my own interests.

It's not about making your life harder, it's about making others lives similarly easier. If you're against that, then you are against the normal progression of modern society, and I'm afraid you will probably have to go live on an island if you want to get away from this in the future.

 

[theignoramus]

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.

Hard work will earn you the American dream!

Africans immigrants to North America are always presented as hard working, friendly, education-focused minorities that adapt well to their new host countries. This image of the hard-working African immigrant is often presented as a stereotype that is in contrast to U.S. born African (Black) Americans.
In fact, the majority of Africans come to the U.S do come for the purposes of education more than any other reason. This has led to a situation where more than one-third (36.6%) of African immigrants to the U.S. have a bachelor’s or higher degree”. When it comes to education, African immigrants as a group have a higher education rate than immigrants from the West Indies, Asia, and Europe. When compared to U.S. citizens more Africans in the U.S report having a college degree than U.S. born minorities (Asian, Latino, and Black Americans).
One would assume that having high educational achievement levels would mean an increase in economic factors for African immigrants to the U.S. However, recent studies show the opposite.

Contrary to popular belief about affluence levels for African immigrants in the U.S., a recent study has concluded that Africans in the U.S. are currently not doing significantly better than other immigrants overall, Black immigrants or U.S. born citizens (Black, Asian or White). In the Mason and Austin (2011) study, “The Low Wages of Black Immigrants: Wage penalties for U.S.-born and foreign-born black workers”, the study concludes that Africans in the U.S are not fundamentally better off than all other groups including African-Americans. It also concludes that Africans are economically more similar to African Americans. The rate of Africans falling into poverty in the U.S. is more similar to that of African-Americans. Lastly, it concludes that unemployment rates for this demographic are similar to that of African Americans. Africans in the U.S. are also currently earning lower wages then African Americans. Whilst Africans are doing better than African Americans in terms of poverty, unemployment, and marriage rates, it is not significantly better. Despite high education rates for Africans, economic factors aren’t tallying up.

http://www.africaontheblog.com/africans-immigrants-in-th-us-making-the-grade-but-not-the-jobs/

Or not.

For Africans, discrimination in terms of wage/salary and job hiring was worse than that of African Americans. There has been increasing unemployment for Africans too. By 2009, greater numbers of African immigrants than any other group lived in a household with an annual income below the federal poverty line. The Migration Information Source reports that based on the U.S. census, the majority of Africans in the U.S work in service occupations like construction, extraction and transportation (30%), compared to 12.5% that work in management, business, and finance professions that pay more. This suggests that despite high education rates, Africans are getting jobs that are not reflecting their qualifications and/or that they are overqualified for.

 

[suzu]

Honestly, do Asian-Americans have the same inherent disadvantages that other people of color have in this country? No. Do they have "white privilege?" Absolutely not. Asian-Americans are used as a tool for people that deny there is racial disparity in the United States, due to the success they have achieved post-immigration, but we are still treated and viewed as others/outsiders.

Yup.

Ok, I accepts that as a white male I`m in a position of privilege, would n`t the next logical question to ask is how do I keep it?
If some one has a privilege/advantage over everyone else why would they give that up? Why would I make my life harder just to make some someone else's life a easier? That seem counter productive to my own interests.

I don't see where anyone is saying that white people need to give up anything or make their own lives worse -- just to get everyone else on the same level.

 

[soul creator]

Ok, I accepts that as a white male I`m in a position of privilege, would n`t the next logical question to ask is how do I keep it?
If some one has a privilege/advantage over everyone else why would they give that up? Why would I make my life harder just to make some someone else's life a easier? That seem counter productive to my own interests.

not everything is a competition or a zero-sum game.

 

[captmorgan]

I think this is whats in the back of a lot of peoples minds but I don't understand why one group has to fall in order for another to rise.

But wouldn`t one group have to drop in order to even things out?

If there are 100 positions whites make up 50 Asians 20 blacks 15 and everyone else 15 wouldn`t you have to drop the first group?

 

[Boss Man]

Not a very smart ad. It's more likely to make someone racist or solidify that than it is to make them feel sorry for being white. Everyone has experienced some kind of hardship, just maybe not due to their race. When they see this they're just going to be pissed off- and who do you think it's easiest for them to direct their anger at?

 

[travisbickle]

But wouldn`t one group have to drop in order to even things out?

If there are 100 positions whites make up 50 Asians 20 blacks 15 and everyone else 15 wouldn`t you have to drop the first group?

You sound very paranoid.

For situations like false arrests, imprisonments, and police abuse, I think it would mean less of those things happening all round...I don't think you will have to be beaten up by a police officer instead of a black guy.

For jobs, it'll be normal competition and people will get or not get jobs like usual.

 

[Mr. Patch]

Not a very smart ad. It's more likely to make someone racist or solidify that than it is to make them feel sorry for being white. Everyone has experienced some kind of hardship, just maybe not due to their race. When they see this they're just going to be pissed off- and who do you think it's easiest for them to direct their anger at?

Why do people think that acknowledging white privilege = feeling sorry for being white?

 

[J-Rzez]

I don't know. When I was in the LEO job market I lost out numerous times to "non-white minorities". Even in federal positions. For every "he's white that's his position" there's a "he's not white and similar qualified, go against the grain" mentality. Just look at the Obama elections where both exhibits existed.

Overall I have to say while there's still a little racism left, and in specific areas, the most racism I hear these days are in comedic effects.

 

[el retorno]

I don't know. When I was in the LEO job market I lost out numerous times to "non-white minorities". Even in federal positions. For every "he's white that's his position" there's a "he's not white and similar qualified, go against the grain" mentality. Just look at the Obama elections where both exhibits existed.

Overall I have to say while there's still a little racism left, and in specific areas, the most racism I hear these days are in comedic effects.

no. One or two jobs isn't proof racism is over.

Also obama wasn't elected cause he was black. Nor does it show that were over racism.

 

[Alligatorjandro]

Its hard being brown sometimes.

 

[Brolic Gaoler]

I would say these days it's more about socioeconomic "appearance" than race. When I dress "down" with my tattoos showing (and I had long hair and a beard) I got "watched" in stores and "stopped" by cops when I was in upscale neighborhoods my family/friends were in.

Also, as I've been interning with the department I'm with, most of the traffic stops and inquiries we have with people are socioeconomic appearance based than race based. Hell, 90% of the time you can't even see the driver's race before you decide to pull them over.

 

[Half and half]

Hard work will earn you the American dream!

http://www.africaontheblog.com/africans-immigrants-in-th-us-making-the-grade-but-not-the-jobs/

Or not.

Look, my industry simply cannot find enough talent. We have tons of empty seats just waiting to be filled. If anyone of any color came to my office with the proper skillset, they'd be working within weeks. It'd be a tremendous mistake to think that skin color makes a difference when we're starved for employees. Money trumps all and our bottom line is hurting with all of these unfilled positions.

People have been conditioned to think that either 1) They can't do this kind of work or 2) Simply having a degree should be enough to land someone a job (as, perhaps, the author of your blog believes). Both are false. The game is rigged in such a way that most people are going to fall into these traps and will hold themselves back.

 

[GungHo]

Saw this comment:


I agree, if it was Europe. North American is not a white continent; it is a native American continent. White people immigrated here as well.

Well, shit... if you want to get down to brass tacks here, everywhere except Africa is not a ______ continent. We're visitors everywhere. Respect the alligators and snakes, I guess.

Being white is not a privilege in Asia.

Which parts of Asia are we talking about? Because I've been all over it, inside and outside the service, and I can think of maybe few places where I wasn't either accepted, fetishised, or given preferential service right off the goddamn airplane, and I'm one of those guys that tries to be very low profile abroad. The only places where we're not really welcomed are places where we're shooting at them... and even then, they'll be nice just to convince you they're not one of the bad guys.

What about asians, are they also harassed by police a lot?

This really depends on where you are. In San Jose, CA? No... they're not chasing the Taiwanese kids around. In Houston, TX... being a Vietnamese kid in Alief or Sharpstown is hard. They don't get any "passes" there. It's really a class war in that respect. If you go down the road to Sugarland where the middle-to-upper class East Asians live, it's a totally different story. It really depends on the municipality and the general wealth of the Asians. Communities made up of immigrees are typically going to be treated better than the communities made up of refugees.

Speaking of which, is there a particular reason why we (Middle Easterners) are identified as White by the US Census?

So we don't have to add you to the protected class.

Telling someone they're privileged, because of their race or whatever else, just devalues both their successes and their suffering. All it can bring is hate.

Perhaps it feels devaluing of personal accomplishment, but denying that privilege exists because you're proud is still missing the point. People aren't pointing out the privilege to denigrate you... they're pointing it out so that you'll be a little more conscious of what's going on on the other side of the coin, and hope that maybe you'll not use your privilege as a lever for oppression.

So, let's go back to a paragraph of mine above regarding fetishization and preferential treatment in my travels. If I go to the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan, or China, which I often do, I can recognize I'm being treated specially and not take advantage of it... or I can be proud and pretend that I'm owed that treatment because of my personal accomplishments and take advantage of all those girls who are hoping I can help them escape their lives.

 

[Mumei]

Already covered

I feel that the post linking to the article got lost in the initial shuffle, and as I think it explains the idea behind "privilege" without using the word quite well, I'm re-posting it:

I’ve been thinking of a way to explain to straight white men how life works for them, without invoking the dreaded word “privilege,” to which they react like vampires being fed a garlic tart at high noon. It’s not that the word “privilege” is incorrect, it’s that it’s not their word. When confronted with “privilege,” they fiddle with the word itself, and haul out the dictionaries and find every possible way to talk about the word but not any of the things the word signifies.

So, the challenge: how to get across the ideas bound up in the word “privilege,” in a way that your average straight white man will get, without freaking out about it?

Being a white guy who likes women, here’s how I would do it:

Dudes. Imagine life here in the US — or indeed, pretty much anywhere in the Western world — is a massive role playing game, like World of Warcraft except appallingly mundane, where most quests involve the acquisition of money, cell phones and donuts, although not always at the same time. Let’s call it The Real World. You have installed The Real World on your computer and are about to start playing, but first you go to the settings tab to bind your keys, fiddle with your defaults, and choose the difficulty setting for the game. Got it?
Okay: In the role playing game known as The Real World, “Straight White Male” is the lowest difficulty setting there is.

This means that the default behaviors for almost all the non-player characters in the game are easier on you than they would be otherwise. The default barriers for completions of quests are lower. Your leveling-up thresholds come more quickly. You automatically gain entry to some parts of the map that others have to work for. The game is easier to play, automatically, and when you need help, by default it’s easier to get.

Now, once you’ve selected the “Straight White Male” difficulty setting, you still have to create a character, and how many points you get to start — and how they are apportioned — will make a difference. Initially the computer will tell you how many points you get and how they are divided up. If you start with 25 points, and your dump stat is wealth, well, then you may be kind of screwed. If you start with 250 points and your dump stat is charisma, well, then you’re probably fine. Be aware the computer makes it difficult to start with more than 30 points; people on higher difficulty settings generally start with even fewer than that.​

The rest is at the link.

And for anyone curious in a more concrete idea of some of the benefits you get for being white, even if you are otherwise not well-off, I would recommend reading these two books:

These two books were consciousness raising books for me personally, and illustrate some of the ways in which white people are systemically advantaged over non-whites.

And I think a particularly salient point in the second book is this:

"One reason why, in general terms, whites and people of color cannot agree on racial matters is because they conceive of terms such as "racism" very differently. Whereas for most white racism is prejudice, for most people of color racism is systemic or institutionalized."​

I think that this disconnect in understandings of what the term "racism" signifies is also part of the reason why many white people have difficult understanding how they are systemically advantaged over non-whites in the United States.

 

[blackwatchplad]

But my skin tone is off-white.. :c

A new race of people!
We will prevail!

 

[kai3345]

So between a white attractive person and a black attractive person who do you honestly believe will be more successful?

I dunno, who is more educated? What about their work ethic? Is one more outgoing and friendlier than the other? Do either of them have a drug problem?

There are other factors besides race.

 

[I Stalk Alone]

Just another form of reverse racism

What the fuck is reverse racism?

Is that like reverse vampires or something?

 

[nyong]

I think that this disconnect in understandings of what the term "racism" signifies is also part of the reason why many white people have difficult understanding how they are systemically advantaged over non-whites in the United States.

But this isn't even correct. One look at the medical school acceptance standards show that Asians and whites are the ones being systematically discriminated against, in that instance. If you want to get into medical school as as Asian, you have to outperform (SIGNIFICANTLY outperform) someone with darker skin, because the barriers for entry are higher for you than them.

And this isn't an isolated case.

Socio-economic "easy mode" is being born black and middle class. But looking at the individual is wrong-headed to begin with, of course, because blacks (when zoomed out, looking at the community rather than the individual) are disadvantaged as a whole. As a whole, not at the individual level.

And I'm only talking about socio-economic opportunities here, not racism in general.

 

[double jump]

But this isn't even correct. One look at the medical school acceptance standards show that Asians and whites are the ones being systematically discriminated against, in that instance. If you want to get into medical school as as Asian, you have to outperform (SIGNIFICANTLY outperform) someone with darker skin, because the barriers for entry are higher for you than them.

And this isn't an isolated case.

Socio-economic "easy mode" is being born black and middle class. But looking at the individual is wrong-headed to begin with, of course, because blacks (when zoomed out, looking at the community rather than the individual) are disadvantaged as a whole. As a whole, not at the individual level.

And I'm only talking about socio-economic opportunities here, not racism in general.

I don't understand, could you rephrase this ?

 

[lunarworks]

I have to rejoin this conversation because I fell asleep before I could make another point:

Privilege scales.

The term, privilege, also carries a clear undertone of resentment with it.


I grew up in a very affluent community. Most of my friends had rich parents, with nice cars, and they got whatever they want. Myself, I had to work to get most of my own stuff, lived in a relatively bad house, had few clothes, etc. Yes, I had a few experiences and opportunities that stood out, but overall, compared to everyone else around me, I was on the low end of the scale.

When I finally went to college in the big city nearby, an interesting thing happened: People assumed, because I was from that town, I was privileged. That I had an easy ride. "Oh, you're from Richville. That's nice..."

It's like, fuck you... I had to work to pay my own tuition, which I just barely managed to, I had to pay for my own supplies and transportation, I couldn't afford my own place, so I had to live at home and make a long commute. Things weren't all fine and dandy like they assumed because of where I came from.

Things also aren't all fine and dandy because of the colour of my skin.


(I fully expect a "cry moar" response to this...)

 

[Jackben]

What the fuck is reverse racism?

Is that like reverse vampires or something?

Chill out bud, DIY was trolling.

Good post ChiTown.

I have to be honest and say I don't really understand the aim of this ad. Raising awareness that there is inequality in the world? Some people of a certain ethnicity have it easier than others? OK. I'm not sure who the intended audience here is. Was this made for the holocaust-denier crowd? If you don't already realize those things you must live under a rock.

I can't help but feel irritated by this ad. Maybe because I am pretty much white (half Hispanic but unknowable unless tanned). I know I have benefited from some privilege but I feel like the ad targets whites in a negative way or somehow weighs responsibility on them for fixing things without acknowledging racial problems are more complex than that and require cooperation from all races. Generalizations are bad? There's a concept!

Growing up I admit I didn't know what it felt like to be portrayed in an overwhelmingly negative way (besides in world history class, lol). People with white skin can be privileged, and privilege for a specific race is unfair. Agreed.

However, provocative ads like this are not going to help.

I think cooperation should be promoted rather than blame and I feel ads that make people feel angry or centered out only make things worse. Anger, fear and blame are what separates people in the first place. All you have to do is look at Shay's Rebellion and it's overwhelmingly obvious why racial prejudice is in the best interest of some to promote.

 

[nyong]

Take two people who grew up in the same middle class neighborhood, one white and one black. Both are of equal intelligence, both put equal effort into their schooling. Both achieved the same (marginally good) grades in college, in the same major. One of them will be afforded more economic opportunities simply on the basis of their skin color (hint: not the white one).

The black one could literally end up in the medical school, while the other could literally end up stocking shelves at Target with other marginally-good recent college graduates. Even though everything apart from skin color is equal.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

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.

Depends on how white you look. I've got a lot of mixed White/Asian friends, and some look much more white than others.

Take two people who grew up in the same middle class neighborhood, one white and one black. Both are of equal intelligence, both put equal effort into their schooling. Both achieved the same (marginally good) grades in college, in the same major. One of them will be afforded more economic opportunities simply on the basis of their skin color (hint: not the white one).

The black one could literally end up in the medical school, while the other could literally end up stocking shelves at Target with other marginally-good recent college graduates. Even though everything apart from skin color is equal.

Yeah, because that happens so often...

What?

 

[chronos4590]

Has anyone posted the "The Angry Eye" experiment yet?
Part 1
http://youtu.be/Bf2LB0IG1xo
Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neEVoFODQOE&feature=relmfu

 

[double jump]

Take two people who grew up in the same middle class neighborhood, one white and one black. Both are of equal intelligence, both put equal effort into their schooling. Both achieved the same (marginally good) grades in college, in the same major. One of them will be afforded more economic opportunities simply on the basis of their skin color (hint: not the white one).

The black one could literally end up in the medical school, while the other could literally end up stocking shelves at Target with other marginally-good recent college graduates. Even though everything apart from skin color is equal.

What exactly are you basing this off of ?

 

[nyong]

What exactly are you basing this off of ?

The medical school acceptance rates by GPA. The picture is on the previous page.

 

[double jump]

The medical school acceptance rates by GPA.

link ?

 

[heliosRAzi]

Take two people who grew up in the same middle class neighborhood, one white and one black. Both are of equal intelligence, both put equal effort into their schooling. Both achieved the same (marginally good) grades in college, in the same major. One of them will be afforded more economic opportunities simply on the basis of their skin color (hint: not the white one).

The black one could literally end up in the medical school, while the other could literally end up stocking shelves at Target with other marginally-good recent college graduates. Even though everything apart from skin color is equal.

Could you think of some of the reasons why they would do something like that?

 

[Jackben]

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.

This is basically what I meant to say. Is educating the few bottom-feeders who do not know or refuse to acknowledge these facts, worth pissing people off? What is the point of this ad if it just makes people angry? Look at this thread. What did the people who made the ad expect the response to be?

"oh I never thought of that! i must tell the world! "

"That's it, I'm going to adopt a child rather than continue to support this atrocity!"

 

[tallkid123]

Depends on how white you look. I've got a lot of mixed White/Asian friends, and some look much more white than others.

Hmmm...

How privileged then is someone who is half asian/non-white?

I've got a Chinese last name but I'm 6'4, brown skin and I don't look Asian at all.

 

[chronos4590]

On the topic of the PSA, i think it's pretty pointless, and this is coming from a person of color. What they say is certainly true but you gotta do more than just say I'm privileged and write a bunch of words on my forehead. No facts, no statistics, nothing. Its an empty and vapid psa which i doubt is going to do much. I mean seriously if you want to address privilege then they should talk more in depth about the issues instead of doing some generic PSA. I'm not going to give people a pat on the back just because they say they know they are, They have to really explain to people in depth why they are. Because when white people see this video will many of them care? No, Look at the dislikes, they're basically going to do this http://youtu.be/p69XxYjfx-k

Edit: People are doing a lot to inform others in this thread that that is what they should be doing instead of that nonsense. Sorry but its my opinon

 

[Jackben]

In light of most of the opinions here, I think a good question to ask GAF would be this:

What would your ideal PSA be concerning this issue?

What would you show/say, who would be in it, what music would you use.

 

[Esch]

This is basically what I meant to say. Is educating the few bottom-feeders who do not know or refuse to acknowledge these facts, worth pissing people off? What is the point of this ad if it just makes people angry? Look at this thread. What did the people who made the ad expect the response to be?

"oh I never thought of that! i must tell the world! "

"That's it, I'm going to adopt a child rather than continue to support this atrocity!"

Just to let people know.

 

[poppabk]

I would pretty much guarantee that most of the people involved with this ad are more 'privileged' than the majority of Americans regardless of color.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

I would pretty much guarantee that most of the people involved with this ad are more 'privileged' than the majority of Americans regardless of color.

And they would agree with you? So what?

 

[Lonely1]

I am the son of two doctors, and I've been to africa, asia, australia, the south pacific. No.

You just don't want to admit any sort of global deference to whites, or can't because of pure lack of perspective.

Add the whole American Continent south of EL Rio Grande.

 

[Chumly]

I would pretty much guarantee that most of the people involved with this ad are more 'privileged' than the majority of Americans regardless of color.

Is this somehow a bad thing? Does it take away from the message they are trying to convey?

 

[Jackben]

Just to let people know.

You laugh, but that's my point exactly. Are the people who are capable of understanding but don't really going to change their mind from an ad like this? Who is this ad really trying to educate? Anyone who doesn't already know this is either too stupid to help or too set in their beliefs and will just be pissed off.

Most people just seem pissed off or extremely defensive. Mission accomplished?

 

[poppabk]

In light of most of the opinions here, I think a good question to ask GAF would be this:

What would your ideal PSA be concerning this issue?

What would you show/say, who would be in it, what music would you use.

There was a recent ad about housing discrimination where a guy phoned about renting a place using different accents/names and was only accepted when he used a 'cultured white' name. A thousand times more effective than this ad.