"On White Privilege"

[Vylo]

And oh wait, they make bandages in different skin tones, I just never had a reason to look for them, because the ones I get tend to be blue:

http://www.amazon.com/Tru-Colour-Bandages-Flexible-Fabric-Combo/dp/B00S9Y24RQ

 

[A2SG]

But, as I said, it really isn't about the band aids.

-- A2SG, but that other skin tones are being used shows progress in that one area, at least.....

 

[Vylo]

But, as I said, it really isn't about the band aids.

-- A2SG, but that other skin tones are being used shows progress in that one area, at least.....

Then why were they even mentioned in this paper? Is everything somehow racist? When people spew things like this, it dilutes and distracts from real problems.

 

[nightflight]

Then why were they even mentioned in this paper? Is everything somehow racist? When people spew things like this, it dilutes and distracts from real problems.

Why yes. Yes it is.

http://everythingisracism.com/

 

[A2SG]

Then why were they even mentioned in this paper?

As an example. Same reason I used that example to make a point.

Is everything somehow racist?

Nope. As I said, I don't think the point was that band aids are racist.

When people spew things like this, it dilutes and distracts from real problems.

It was an example, not the entire point.

-- A2SG, so, what do you think the "real problem" is......

 

[The Cadet]

About the part I bolded, you're saying discrimination is based on black-sounding names. Is that what you mean to say? Wouldn't the discrimination be based on skin color, and the name would only be an indication of that?

That's fair, but people often show this kind of discrimination going off nothing more than the name, as SummerMadness pointed out.

It's not fair some people were born ugly and some were born beautiful. I called this "Beautiful privilege" Can we all agree beautiful privilege exist?

Yes! It does! A lot of people don't actually understand this, but the fact is that being attractive presents you with a great many privileges that people who aren't conventionally attractive just don't have. I think we both agree that beauty privilege is a thing. The difference:

Let make it simpler can we all agree life is not fair and stop pretend it will ever be or you will drive yourself nuts?

...Is that I see this as a problem, and you see this as something we just have to accept and tolerate.

I can see it, it just doesn't really matter..... at all.

As individual issues? Sure. If it was just that, it wouldn't matter. If It was just that "flesh-tone" always applies to white, if it was just that stores and hotels always tailor their goods to white people, if it was just those two things, or any small number of otherwise trivial complaints, it wouldn't be a big deal. But instead, all these small things (and there are a lot of them) add up to a general feeling of unease - "We're not welcome here; we're not normal". That is a problem.

 

[trunks2k]

Yes! It does! A lot of people don't actually understand this, but the fact is that being attractive presents you with a great many privileges that people who aren't conventionally attractive just don't have.

Yes, it's fiction but there was a good episode of 30 Rock about this. Tina Fey's character was dating an extremely handsome man and when they would go out together he would get all this special treatment. Everyone was nice to him, he could order off-menu at a restaurant, etc. She tried to express to him that the way he gets treated isn't the way normal people get treated, and he didn't get it; until eventually something happened that hid his good looks. So he experienced life without just like normal looking people do, and he couldn't handle it.

 

[Armoured]

This article is an amusing mixture of valid points and things that should really be satire. Like really, really should be comedy routine material.

You cannot even begin to lump non-issues like bandaids not matching your skin tone (bandaids here at work are blue, so smurf bias?) and being harassed, attacked, and killed by police.

I don't think anyone is suggesting that there's a direct causal link between band-aid colour and police brutality. Rather they're different facets of a larger, more complicated paradigm.

 

[rturner76]

I think the band-aid issue is just a concrete example of white privilege looks like. It manifests itself in many ways from like it said, hair products at the hotel to the way we are taught history in elementary school to who gets a call back for a job interview.

I think she makes it clear as a bell that white privilege exists I mean even so a child could understand it.

 

[ArmenianJohn]

Wow, the OP really ticked off a lot of racists here!

 

[Chesterton]

That's fair, but people often show this kind of discrimination going off nothing more than the name, as SummerMadness pointed out.

Well she didn't really answer my question, and the study she linked is bad science anyway. Among other things, they would at least need to include "white" abnormal names like "Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily", "Picabo", and "Zowie".

 

[The Cadet]

Well she didn't really answer my question, and the study she linked is bad science anyway. Among other things, they would at least need to include "white" abnormal names like "Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily", "Picabo", and "Zowie".

Keep in mind that one of the points of comparison here, "Jamal", is extremely popular and common. I mean, are you serious? The entire point is comparing names that are typically "black" but also very common to names which are not typically black but also very common.

 

[Chesterton]

Keep in mind that one of the points of comparison here, "Jamal", is extremely popular and common. I mean, are you serious? The entire point is comparing names that are typically "black" but also very common to names which are not typically black but also very common.

So you're saying it is the names that are being discriminated against?

 

[TerranceL]

The only group that gets a large amount of privileged treatment are the wealthy.

Yet we rarely hear about wealth privilege from these academics... wonder why....

 

[tatteredsoul]

As to Talib Kweli, is he saying the person is a racist in the sense of holding racist beliefs, or a racist in that they perpetuate a racist system?

Talib isn't socioeconomically stupid, so I think he was making a loaded statement.

Essentially, everyone has prejudices, but not everyone has the ability to use that prejudice to actually subjugate a person, or group of people. I am talking about real subjugation, not hurt feelings, or insults. White people in America do. So, if they ignore an inherent privilege (one whose foundation was built on black and natives being less than human, and thus justifying their slavery and genocide,) then they are racist by proxy of ignorance. They won't even be able to see how their prejudice or bigotry (which is a human right) leads to actual physical and psychological subjugation - and bury the problems more by denying it ever existed.

Racism is used too loosely - and the reason for that is to psychologically marginalize real racism - the brutality, evil and horror of it. That way, by association of context a person who targets a black church, for example, would be no worse than someone who calls a white person a *bread item you eat with caviar.* The unconscious goal is to make everything remotely bigoted or prejudice into racism. Then, the word loses its actual substantative meaning.

 

[tatteredsoul]

The only group that gets a large amount of privileged treatment are the wealthy.

Yet we rarely hear about wealth privilege from these academics... wonder why....

I agree with you, especially since you qualified your statement with "large amount." But, it can't be ignored that privilege is reserved for a special group in America.

How many black men were falsely accused just because someone blamed it on a black guy? That "excuse" still works today.

How many black college educated/enrolled men wearing a hoodie would be profiled by police vs. a white college educated/enrolled man wearing the same hoodie?

Would it matter if "Watermelonesha" had a Ph.D. in biophysical engineering when she applies for a job she qualifies for? How would she fare against, say, a qualified white person looking for the same job with a bachelor's or masters degree?

I honestly don't care about the privilege because it will be gone soon - globalization is taking care of that quickly. What I personally care about is ignoring it's existence. Cuomo and other CNN talking heads always talk about issues of race, and having a "conversation." How passive aggressive, and yet even that is impossible to have if no one acknowledges the prble.s - for fear of judgment, revilement, denial... whatever.

 

[rturner76]

Talib isn't socioeconomically stupid, so I think he was making a loaded statement.

Essentially, everyone has prejudices, but not everyone has the ability to use that prejudice to actually subjugate a person, or group of people. I am talking about real subjugation, not hurt feelings, or insults. White people in America do. So, if they ignore an inherent privilege (one whose foundation was built on black and natives being less than human, and thus justifying their slavery and genocide,) then they are racist by proxy of ignorance. They won't even be able to see how their prejudice or bigotry (which is a human right) leads to actual physical and psychological subjugation - and bury the problems more by denying it ever existed.

Racism is used too loosely - and the reason for that is to psychologically marginalize real racism - the brutality, evil and horror of it. That way, by association of context a person who targets a black church, for example, would be no worse than someone who calls a white person a *bread item you eat with caviar.* The unconscious goal is to make everything remotely bigoted or prejudice into racism. Then, the word loses its actual substantative meaning.

I think you are right that racism is a different beast than prejudice. One is more passive and one is more active. Whhile you must have prejudiceto be a racist, not all people with prejudice act in a racist way.

 

[tatteredsoul]

I think you are right that racism is a different beast than prejudice. One is more passive and one is more active. Whhile you must have prejudiceto be a racist, not all people with prejudice act in a racist way.

If only people understood this FACT, minority and majority relationships would be much better - or at least a step in a positive direction. And, beast is a good word, because real racism affects an entire population, not just a few people's feelings. Someone calling a person a n**ger isn't racist - it is prejudiced, bigoted and ignorant.
Using that prejudice, bigotry and ignorance to actively prevent black people from fully ataining their inalienable right to pursuit of happiness (like separate PUBLIC spaces based on race, lynchings, draggings, laws targeting a race, false accusations easily believed based on racism, profiling, etc...) is racism.

Prejudice, bigotry and ignorance (just like stupidity, anger and hate) are hu man rights. But, as soon as you use your hate to, for example, keep me from attaining my inalienable rights, then you have an "ism." I don't think "isms" are really understood and/or taught on an anthropological level... which retards understanding overall.

Sexism - active prejudice for one sex that impedes the progress and we'll being of the targeted sex (e.g. Workplace unequal pay.)

Racism - active prejudice and bigotry that impedes the progress and well-being of the targeted race (e.g. public space restrictions based on race, murder in the name of racial prejudice, creating laws targeting certain individuals of certain race, profiling, etc...) is racism.

But, as I said it will be soon that no one will have privilege because of globalization. So, to me anyone who is actually prejudiced or especially racist are pitiful, and I feel bad for them. Reason: those people will be the first on the list to a hate and revile when the world becomes fully globalized. How do you think people would react when the playing field is evened, and the same people who had a history of imperialist, violent and racist against their people are suddenly equal (or even less than equal) in the world's eyes?

Yes, one would hope they have the patience and faith and love kindness of a saint...

 

[super animator]

The only group that gets a large amount of privileged treatment are the wealthy.

Yet we rarely hear about wealth privilege from these academics... wonder why....

No kidding. That's a major privilege that some people seemed to overlook.

 

[nightflight]

Wow, the OP really ticked off a lot of racists here!

Wow, a grown man still doesn't know the definition of racism!