"On White Privilege"

[dogs4thewin]

Why should a name choice be a problem? The fact that is "culturally an issue" points out that society is not egalitarian, thus the society needs to change in order to form a more perfect union. Again, you're just arguing for white privilege, the unearned privilege of allowing discrimination based on ethnic names. There is absolutely no problem having an ethnic name, unless you're arguing that racist and intolerant attitudes are okay.

Life is not fair. That has NOTHING to do with race it is just NOT fair. It is just the way of things. I am not racist when I say that, bulit is a FACT. There is not going to be a perfect union. In case it is not clear from living in this soceity people STILL segerate ( in some areas more than others, but they still do. Again, not being racist speaking as an adult who has been around the block enough to know that. The culture is always going to be a certain thing. Does it change? yes, but people still tend to go with "their own kind" Birds of a feather flock together, and in any society you WILL have some groups of "birds" that outnumber other "birds".

 

[dzheremi]

People only learn to pronource or learn stuff ( usually) when they have a reason to. We have in a culture that is a need to know basis.

Do you mean American culture? I don't see how it's any more 'need to know' than any other culture. And how would that change the point I made? You'd still need to learn how to pronounce black names, then, because...there are black people with those names. And besides, the post I was responding to wasn't about the social utility of knowing how to pronounce those names, but instead made the argument that they're somehow too difficult for other people to learn to pronounce, which is just silly given the other potentially difficult to pronounce names that white people have learned to pronounce.

That is not a cature where people will want to deal with weird names. ( culturly)

What is and isn't a 'weird' name is a cultural idea in the first place, and since America is not monocultural, there's no standard for what is 'weird'.

There are places that different cultures fit, but people should have the right to expect if they CHOOSE to live in a particular area to practice that area's culture.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but you might not want to put the word 'choose' in ALL CAPS like that when we're talking about black names, given how the ancestors of the majority of black people first arrived to what is now the United States...

Same way, I expect people coming here from Spanish-speaking countries to learn English.

Is this thread now about what you want Latinos to do?

I know a young black man who goes by Boomer. That is nowhere near his name do not know where it came from, but he does that because it is easier to pronouce. His facebook has his actual name, professionally of course he will go by that name, but otherwise he is 24 (we were classmates in school) and he has gone by Boomer as long as I can remember teachers and everything.

Okay. I don't understand the point of this anecdote. You know a person who goes by a nickname, so...what? What should anyone take away from this fact?

 

[SummerMadness]

Life is not fair. That has NOTHING to do with race it is just NOT fair. It is just the way of things. I am not racist when I say that, bulit is a FACT. There is not going to be a perfect union. In case it is not clear from living in this soceity people STILL segerate ( in some areas more than others, but they still do. Again, not being racist speaking as an adult who has been around the block enough to know that. The culture is always going to be a certain thing. Does it change? yes, but people still tend to go with "their own kind" Birds of a feather flock together, and in any society you WILL have some groups of "birds" that outnumber other "birds".

You should read what I wrote, a "more perfect union" != perfect union. A union without handicapped access is a less perfect union than one with handicapped access. A union where left-handed children are forced to write with their right-hand is a less perfect union than that does not force children to. No one is saying things are perfect, but there is push to become more perfect. Becoming more egalitarian means becoming more perfect.

Thankfully, the despicable attitude of people going with "their own kind" is dying, which brings us closer to a more perfect union.

 

[nightflight]

Isn't this whole notion of "white privilege" based on the idea that white people have done something wrong and need to atone for it?

 

[SummerMadness]

Isn't this whole notion of "white privilege" based on the idea that white people have done something wrong and need to atone for it?

Has anyone in this thread written that?

 

[dzheremi]

Ugh. This thread is reminding me of how my grandmother used to try to force me when I was a young child to write with my right hand because it would be 'easier in the long run' and make my handwriting neater. It did nothing other than irritate me and exasperate her. I was under the impression that this is a very old school attitude that is mostly gone these days. I hope that's true.

 

[SummerMadness]

Ugh. This thread is reminding me of how my grandmother used to try to force me when I was a young child to write with my right hand because it would be 'easier in the long run' and make my handwriting neater. It did nothing other than irritate me and exasperate her. I was under the impression that this is a very old school attitude that is mostly gone these days. I hope that's true.

I think it's gone, at least in American society. I never had anyone force me to use a different hand, but I had some older cousins that dealt with that in school.

 

[nightflight]

Has anyone in this thread written that?

But isn't it?

 

[SummerMadness]

But isn't it?

Has anyone in this thread written that?

 

[Paidiske]

Isn't this whole notion of "white privilege" based on the idea that white people have done something wrong and need to atone for it?

That is not my understanding.

White people, historically, have done wrong things, of course, and those wrong things have fed into a current system of white privilege, but the notion of white privilege is not related to atonement at all.

The question is which way are you looking - backward, at wrongs done? That's not going to do any good. Or forward, and asking, what is the best possible future we can build together? That's a much more helpful approach. If together we can build a future where one's race is less likely to be treated as relevant in your education, your employment, your social relationships... is that not a good thing? Understanding systems of privilege will help us to diminish them in the future. Is that not a good thing?

 

[nightflight]

Has anyone in this thread written that?

No, they wouldn't. But isn't it true?

 

[nightflight]

That is not my understanding.

White people, historically, have done wrong things, of course, and those wrong things have fed into a current system of white privilege, but the notion of white privilege is not related to atonement at all.

The question is which way are you looking - backward, at wrongs done? That's not going to do any good. Or forward, and asking, what is the best possible future we can build together? That's a much more helpful approach. If together we can build a future where one's race is less likely to be treated as relevant in your education, your employment, your social relationships... is that not a good thing? Understanding systems of privilege will help us to diminish them in the future. Is that not a good thing?

I think your view is hopelessly naive. Other ethnic groups don't negate themselves and embrace the universalism you espouse; only whites do. Its a big con by elites.

 

[dzheremi]

What do you mean by universalism?

 

[nightflight]

What do you mean by universalism?

The "we are the world" stuff.

 

[SummerMadness]

No, they wouldn't. But isn't it true?

This is a very simple question, has anyone written that? You claim they wouldn't, I did not ask if they would write that, I asked if they did write that. Why not engage in the discussion rather than pose questions about non-existent points?

 

[nightflight]

This is a very simple question, has anyone written that? You claim they wouldn't, I did not ask if they would write that, I asked if they did write that. Why not engage in the discussion rather than pose questions about non-existent points?

Am I wrong though? If I am tell me why and how.

 

[Ana the Ist]

Relevance? Why does it matter what color I call it? Is it because the color is nothing else but flesh tone?

If it's a complaint that the color is called "flesh-tone"...then it's certainly relevant those complaining should have an alternative name to call the color.

Otherwise, what's the point?

 

[dzheremi]

The "we are the world" stuff.

As concerns race in particular, do you mean by this that non-white groups don't want to live in societies that are free of racial/ethnic stratification? If so, I'd really like to know where that idea comes from, because it seems like looking around the world, most of what you see are examples of the opposite. Not being content with being second class citizens on account of their ethnicity/race is what inspired the Berber Spring movement in North Africa, the SPLA in Sudan, the Eritrean liberation movement, the Zapatistas/ELZN in Mexico, and so on. So it would seem that they very much want equal societies, which would certainly make sense after such a long time under the thumb of states that sought to crush them (even in places where they are the numerical majority, as in the case of the Imazighen in Morocco, where it was only in 2011 after many years of struggle that the country's language laws were changed to place Tamazight alongside Arabic as one of the official languages of the country).

 

[Ana the Ist]

Peach?

Really? I'm no art major...but I think that's a different color.

 

[Ken-1122]

"On White Privilege
White skin privilege is not something that white people necessarily do, create or enjoy on purpose. Unlike the more overt individual and institutional manifestations of racism described above, white skin privilege is a transparent preference for whiteness that saturates our society.

This may represent some, but it definitely does not represent the entire attitude of society. There is also a part of society that has a preference to darkness as well ya know.

White skin privilege serves several functions. First, it provides white people with “perks” that we do not earn and that people of color do not enjoy. Second, it creates real advantages for us. White people are immune to a lot of challenges. Finally, white privilege shapes the world in which we live — the way that we navigate and interact with one another and with the world."

Economic privilege is very prevalent in US society and it is often mistaken for white privilege. If you have money, you will experience perks those without money will not have access to. Because white people often have more money and people of (other) color often have less, some people will attribute those economic perks for being white rather than not being poor.

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

I believe privileges and disadvantages for all races exist; it all depends on where you look

I have heard it said by some prominent people (Namely Talib Kwieli Green Artist and philosopher) that those who do not acknowledge white privilege are racist. Yes or No?

Umm.... Hell no!

Ken