"On White Privilege"

[nightflight]

A pillar of contemporary Leftism is the notion of “white privilege.” Given that a generation of high-school and college students are being taught that a great number of “unearned privileges” accrue to white Americans, the charge of white privilege demands rational inquiry. The assertion turns out to be largely meaningless. And, more significantly, it does great harm to blacks. First, no reasonable person can argue that white privilege applies to the great majority of whites, let alone to all whites. There are simply too many variables other than race that determine individual success in America. And if it were true, why would whites commit suicide at twice the rate of blacks (and at a higher rate than any other race in America except American Indians)? According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, white men, who the Left argues are the most privileged group of all in America, commit seven out of every ten suicides in America — even though only three out of ten Americans are white males.

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/431393/white-privilege-myth-reality

 

[faroukfarouk]

...seriously?

I can tell the difference between a tan white person, and a very fair black person - and so can police.

And, tanner skin shows more muscle fibers against the sunlight. Many beachgoers, bodybuilders and people who want to show off their muscles/body get tanned. Nothing to do with gaining or losing privilege, or becoming so tan that if you wear a hoodie a cop would stop you and beat you while telling you that stop resisting, for example of course..

So do you think that there is more of a custom among, say, black young men to wear certain jewelry such as earrings rather than among white young men? Maybe such an observation could have been made several years ago, but maybe not so much now?

 

[nightflight]

Who said it did?

And, if you think the president runs the country that is another thread. The Senate is overwhelmingly white. The supreme courts are, including the US supreme court. Obama's chief of staff is also.

There are 216,000,000 white people in the US, 37,000,000 Black people, 47,000,000 Latino non white people, and around 20,000,000 Asian people. Out of those populations, an average of 50% are eligible to vote. That means 108,000,000 white people, 18,500,000 black people, 23,500,000 Latino, and 10,000,000 asian. The combined population of eligible minority voters is less than half the total eligible population of whites.

So, stop the junk insinuations about how Obama got elected, and that it was Black people who did it. This is especially true if you believe the inflated "statistics" that black and Latino people don't really vote.

Of course it wasn't just "black people who did it"; people of all races elected Obaba....twice. There is no "white privilege".

 

[LivingWordUnity]

Obama would not have been elected without the white vote.

 

[tatteredsoul]

Exactly. Obama is not the "black people's president" put into office by "black people."

 

[John Davidson]

Can we finally agree that white privilege exists? Yes or No?

No. I don't agree. The way corporations are structured today with diversity requirements I'd say that non-white ethnicities are the ones with the privileges.

 

[tatteredsoul]

Of course it wasn't just "black people who did it"; people of all races elected Obaba....twice. There is no "white privilege".

It is a non-sequitur to extrapolate all people electing Obama into the non existence of white privilege.

 

[tatteredsoul]

So do you think that there is more of a custom among, say, black young men to wear certain jewelry such as earrings rather than among white young men? Maybe such an observation could have been made several years ago, but maybe not so much now?

I think people THINK that, especially (and ironically) those who vehemently reject the idea of privilege in the States or Western world. Just like people think a black male wearing a Hoodie is more threatening than a white male.

 

[faroukfarouk]

I think people THINK that, especially (and ironically) those who vehemently reject the idea of privilege in the States or Western world. Just like people think a black male wearing a Hoodie is more threatening than a white male.

I wasn't suggesting there was anything wrong with it. Today lots of white young men wear earrings - often chunky studs - as well as black young men.

 

[rturner76]

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/431393/white-privilege-myth-reality

"A pillar of contemporary Leftism is the notion of “white privilege.” Given that a generation of high-school and college students are being taught that a great number of “unearned privileges” accrue to white Americans, the charge of white privilege demands rational inquiry. The assertion turns out to be largely meaningless. And, more significantly, it does great harm to blacks. First, no reasonable person can argue that white privilege applies to the great majority of whites, let alone to all whites. There are simply too many variables other than race that determine individual success in America. And if it were true, why would whites commit suicide at twice the rate of blacks (and at a higher rate than any other race in America except American Indians)? According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, white men, who the Left argues are the most privileged group of all in America, commit seven out of every ten suicides in America — even though only three out of ten Americans are white males."

The author has not refuted the facts of white privilege with anything other than elevated suicide rates for white males. That does not reflect any factors or non factors of white privilege. This statement does not address the things like the history taught in schools, police profiling, longer prison terms for the same crimes, profiling and even harassment in department stores, housing discrimination, and the list goes on andon with literacy rates, poverty rated and so on. None of that is addressed in this reading.

 

[tatteredsoul]

I wasn't suggesting there was anything wrong with it. Today lots of white young men wear earrings - often chunky studs - as well as black young men.

I get it, and this is part of stereotypes being ignorant of history (I am not calling you ignorant or anthing.)

A lot of cultures (African Hebrews, Persians, Mediterraneans, etc.) wore jewelry on the body because it was their emergency cash reserve. A piece of silver on the ears could be traded for bread and resources. It was more about economy than fashion (especially if you were a commoner.)

This culture has been passed down over many centuries, to the point where it has become a derision of a stereotype. These days, it has become a fad, and a way to express individuality. But, a lot of ethnic people used "jewelry" on the body for scientific, magical, and especially commercial reasons.

 

[faroukfarouk]

I get it, and this is part of stereotypes being ignorant of history (I am not calling you ignorant or anthing.)

A lot of cultures (African Hebrews, Persians, Mediterraneans, etc.) wore jewelry on the body because it was their emergency cash reserve. A piece of silver on the ears could be traded for bread and resources. It was more about economy than fashion (especially if you were a commoner.)

This culture has been passed down over many centuries, to the point where it has become a derision of a stereotype. These days, it has become a fad, and a way to express individuality. But, a lot of ethnic people used "jewelry" on the body for scientific, magical, and especially commercial reasons.

Male Christian musicians - white or black - will often typically wear earrings, also.

 

[tatteredsoul]

Male Christian musicians - white or black - will often typically wear earrings, also.

I won't comment on the "legality" under God of wearing earrings, but there is certainly a fear and prejudice that comes with people who do wear earrings. As per the OP, a white male wearing a faux diamond stud - even with tattoos - is more threatening than a black male with the same stud, aND perhaps even the same tattoos. That is a privilege some of us are trying to point out: that some of us have to think about every detail of our lives, and how we may be judged for it just by inspection.

And, admittedly, even though a white male with the disc piercings (don't know what they are called) may seem threatening - even more so than a black or latino male wearing studs - over a socioeconomic spread the ones who wear disks are still privileged. The issue of privilege goes way beyond marginalizing and compartmentalizing social, economic, physical and aesthetic properties respectively associated to someone.

(However, I have a feeling you aren't making that argument at all.)

 

[Hank77]

The most economical band-aid would be one that's transparent. I hope someone is working on that right now.

They are already being sold. You can buy them at Walgreen's, etc. Band Aid brand makes them as well as others.

 

[faroukfarouk]

I won't comment on the "legality" under God of wearing earrings, but there is certainly a fear and prejudice that comes with people who do wear earrings. As per the OP, a white male wearing a faux diamond stud - even with tattoos - is more threatening than a black male with the same stud, aND perhaps even the same tattoos. That is a privilege some of us are trying to point out: that some of us have to think about every detail of our lives, and how we may be judged for it just by inspection.

And, admittedly, even though a white male with the disc piercings (don't know what they are called) may seem threatening - even more so than a black or latino male wearing studs - over a socioeconomic spread the ones who wear disks are still privileged. The issue of privilege goes way beyond marginalizing and compartmentalizing social, economic, physical and aesthetic properties respectively associated to someone.

(However, I have a feeling you aren't making that argument at all.)

I guess what I'm saying is that it's so widespread now that Christian young men of whatever color can pierce their ears with confidence. So many do, anyway.

 

[nightflight]

The author has not refuted the facts of white privilege with anything other than elevated suicide rates for white males. That does not reflect any factors or non factors of white privilege. This statement does not address the things like the history taught in schools, police profiling, longer prison terms for the same crimes, profiling and even harassment in department stores, housing discrimination, and the list goes on andon with literacy rates, poverty rated and so on. None of that is addressed in this reading.

You must have stopped reading at the fourth or fifth paragraph.

Second, there are a host of privileges that dwarf “white privilege.” A huge one is Two-Parent Privilege. If you are raised by a father and mother, you enter adulthood with more privileges than anyone else in American society, irrespective of race, ethnicity, or sex. That’s why the poverty rate among two-parent black families is only 7 percent. Compare that with a 22 percent poverty rate among whites in single-parent homes. Obviously the two-parent home is the decisive “privilege.”

Exactly.

Another “privilege,” if one wants to use that term, that dwarfs “white privilege” is Asian privilege. Asian Americans do better than white Americans in school, on IQ tests, on credit scores, and on other positive measures. In fact, according to recent data from the Federal Reserve, Asians are about to surpass whites as the wealthiest group of Americans. Will the Left soon complain about Asian privilege?

Yep.

And the biggest privilege of all is American privilege. Unless you or your family make some big mistakes, the greatest privilege of all is to be an American. That’s why much of the world wants to live in America.

Preach! If America is so terrible, why do so many want to come here? People of all races make tremendous effort to live in the United States.

We must be doing something right!

 

[rturner76]

No. I don't agree. The way corporations are structured today with diversity requirements I'd say that non-white ethnicities are the ones with the privileges.

That is exactly what white privilege teaches you. Because there are measures in place to stop corporations from hiring exclusively white male executives, somehow the advantage is now given to the applicant of color. First of all it doesn't work like that. The system is set up so that all persons of color and all women who are qualified are not passed over for a white man who is unqualified. Second, even within that system, the white candidate can expect a higher rate of employment head to head against a person of color. There is no rule book that says you have to hire so and so many people of color per hundred. The rules just beg the question,out of 100 jobs and you got all these people of color applying for them you weren't able to find one single person of color that was qualified or no women? That's what those rules are there to prevent. Some companies take it upon themselves to actively seek out a diverse workforce especially if they serve a diverse population. Even then they don't turn people away for being white. They just give others an equal shot.

See, many whites feel that giving a person of color a shot at a job they also want is taking away from them because they are white but in truth they are just giving someone an equal chance at "your"job" or "your" promotion This mentality is white privilege all the way

 

[tatteredsoul]

I guess what I'm saying is that it's so widespread now that Christian young men of whatever color can pierce their ears with confidence. So many do, anyway.

I agree. For the sake of not derailing, do you think there is or any privilege in that phenomenon?

 

[faroukfarouk]

I agree. For the sake of not derailing, do you think there is or any privilege in that phenomenon?

I guess it's a case of historically who started the trend; lots of white young men or lots of black ones? or even, I guess that either way it does not matter. I don't really know about the word privilege in that context.

 

[nightflight]

I agree. For the sake of not derailing, do you think there is or any privilege in that phenomenon?

I think if its an issue at all its because of the privilege of living in the 21st century West. In other words, its a First World Problem.