What's the issue with "White Power"?

[grasping the after wind]

2. "White" isn't really an ethnic or national identity. There's not really "white" food, "white" holidays, a "white" language, in the same way that there's Italian food, American holidays, a Welsh language. Celebrate your actual ethnicity or nationality instead of celebrating whiteness. Celebrate being American or Canadian; celebrate that your family came from Sweden or Germany or Ireland and brought their customs with them.

Same could be said for "Black" .

 

[durangodawood]

And "Black Power" = ?

= hey we want some power too?

I dont actually know. Maybe someone does. I do know there was a "black supremacist movement" some time ago. But it was really fringey and totally insignificant.

 

[GoldenBoy89]

If white people are so far ahead, then why don't they have the same free speech rights as those who are black?

Where are white people being denied their first amendment right to free speech?

 

[durangodawood]

Where are white people being denied their first amendment right to free speech?

Some people think they have a right to speak anything without others expressing disagreement or severing associations. Maybe thats it?

 

[Clizby WampusCat]

Free speach, it seems, is only allowed if you belong to BLM

How is white free speech being denied?

 

[Clizby WampusCat]

If white people are so far ahead, then why don't they have the same free speech rights as those who are black?

They do.

 

[Strathos]

Do you think we'll someday see all the chants and slogans being shouted by BLM protesters associated with the violence, chaos and destruction of a truly awful time in USA history? That is, do you think that 50 years from now, a black person saying, "No Justice, No Peace" will be seen as a racist thing from back when black people resorted to violence and destruction and put a giant stain on their reputation?

How would I know? I can't see into the future.

If white people are so far ahead, then why don't they have the same free speech rights as those who are black?

They do. Free speech doesn't mean that no one is allowed to criticize you for anything you say.

You mean groups or organizations that are there exclusively for white people--and aren't labeled as racist?

I mean groups that help problems that are disproportionately experienced by white people.

 

[Strathos]

Anyway, it occurs to me that the intent behind this thread is because of the issue with Trump retweeting a video with one of his supporters chanting the phrase.

If I were to attempt to defend him (God forbid), I would go with the idea that he never watched the video very closely, and deleted the tweet only after he realized what was being said in it. Trying to say that 'white power' is perfectly acceptable is not a good approach.

 

[Strathos]

ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!!!

Yes, IF you are oblivious to or completely insensitive to the connotation of those expressions, the associated history & actual meaning. IF you take it out of the context their used in. That would be naive.

But no, it is not symmetric. Both terms are absolutely not equal or even similar.
Both terms are associated with white supremacy where whites are considered superior to others and blacks are considered inferior.
"White power" defends that.
"Black power" opposes that. Raises awareness that blacks deserve emancipation, deserve the same. Balance.

There have been unsavory things done under the banner of "black power", but overall it's a false equivalence.

To use an analogy:

Say that a poor, homeless person steals $100.00 from a billionaire. That's bad - it's an immoral act.

But now say that a billionaire steals $100.00 from a poor, homeless person. That's significantly worse - because losing that money causes far less suffering to the billionaire than it does to the poor, homeless person, who probably needs it in order to even eat this week.

 

[miamited]

Hi aldebaran,

You wrote:

Unfortunately, the "Black Power" people on facebook don't agree. They obviously don't believe in equality like they say they do. It would be nice if that fact would see the light of day more often:

Yes, and that's just as true with the 'white power' people on facebook.

This isn't about anyone being able to find some group or persons that are not going to agree with any particularly social reform movement. Heck, we can all line up a list of folks on both sides of most of such issues.

This is about, and perhaps it doesn't apply to you or Bob down the street, but there are people in this country who staunchly believe that they are, because of their race, better than another race. For most of America's history, it has been the white person. Genteel white women telling their daughters that they just can't be seen with some black n. Skinheads standing on street corners chanting 'kill the ni..' These are real actions and events that go on in real life, real time of reality in this nation.

Those people need to be reckoned with. It is for those people that my posts are directed towards as far as anyone making any changes. If is isn't you, then don't bother your head about it. If it isn't your neighbor Bob down the street, then don't let yourself be anxious for poor old Bob.

Most of those who chant 'black power' do believe in equality, but they are attempting to level the playing field. They've seen the bodies hanging from the tree branches. They've watched the black worship center burn to the ground. They have listened to the chant of 'white power' for so long, that they feel the need to correct the injustice by standing up and saying, "Hey!!!! There's power in being black, too. Black people have power also and if you want to label your power as some God given blessing because your white, well, we're going to take that same label and with all equality declare that God has given us power too, and it's called 'black power'. If your power is 'white power', then since I'm not white, my power must be 'black power'. See, now we're equal!"

I contend that if white men and women and young people hadn't ever started this shaking of fists and chanting in the streets...'white power', well we probably wouldn't have heard anybody proclaim 'black power'. We're still living with a generation of black people who had to go to the back of the bus because they're black. We're still living with that same generation of people who couldn't use the water fountain right outside the door. They had to go three floors down to find the 'blacks only' fountain. So, let's do keep in mind that it really hasn't been all that long ago that black men and women and children were so despicably treated among the fine and genteel white people of this country.

God bless,
In Christ, ted

 

[JackRT]

Hi aldebaran,

You wrote:


Yes, and that's just as true with the 'white power' people on facebook.

This isn't about anyone being able to find some group or persons that are not going to agree with any particularly social reform movement. Heck, we can all line up a list of folks on both sides of most of such issues.

This is about, and perhaps it doesn't apply to you or Bob down the street, but there are people in this country who staunchly believe that they are, because of their race, better than another race. For most of America's history, it has been the white person. Genteel white women telling their daughters that they just can't be seen with some black n. Skinheads standing on street corners chanting 'kill the ni..' These are real actions and events that go on in real life, real time of reality in this nation.

Those people need to be reckoned with. It is for those people that my posts are directed towards as far as anyone making any changes. If is isn't you, then don't bother your head about it. If it isn't your neighbor Bob down the street, then don't let yourself be anxious for poor old Bob.

Most of those who chant 'black power' do believe in equality, but they are attempting to level the playing field. They've seen the bodies hanging from the tree branches. They've watched the black worship center burn to the ground. They have listened to the chant of 'white power' for so long, that they feel the need to correct the injustice by standing up and saying, "Hey!!!! There's power in being black, too. Black people have power also and if you want to label your power as some God given blessing because your white, well, we're going to take that same label and with all equality declare that God has given us power too, and it's called 'black power'. If your power is 'white power', then since I'm not white, my power must be 'black power'. See, now we're equal!"

I contend that if white men and women and young people hadn't ever started this shaking of fists and chanting in the streets...'white power', well we probably wouldn't have heard anybody proclaim 'black power'. We're still living with a generation of black people who had to go to the back of the bus because they're black. We're still living with that same generation of people who couldn't use the water fountain right outside the door. They had to go three floors down to find the 'blacks only' fountain. So, let's do keep in mind that it really hasn't been all that long ago that black men and women and children were so despicably treated among the fine and genteel white people of this country.

God bless,
In Christ, ted

It is interesting to look at lynching's in the USA. About 5000 have been documented with blacks constituting a very large majority. Who had the power?

By way of contrast there is one instance of lynching in Canada. About 1900 a Canadian native Indian was accused of killing a man in Washington State. He was pursued by a mob as he fled into Canada where he was taken into custody by a Canadian police officer. They were overtaken by the mob. He was hung within sight of the border. An investigation of the incident indicates that he was likely not guilty.

 

[Lord Vega]

That's because white people are already ahead in western society. Starting an organization to advocate for white people is like starting a charity to help millionaires.

Of course there are white people, and groups consisting of white people, who are disadvantaged, but there are plenty of organizations to help all these different groups. But an organization dedicated to advocating for 'white people' in general is not only unneeded, but that kind of language is most commonly used by white supremacist groups.

If you believe all white Americans are akin to millionaires, then I would encourage you to look up Google images photos of white people in Appalachia, a region in the US that is full of very poor white Americans.

You say white people have it so good that it isn't necessary for them to have an organization dedicated to advocating for their interests. I beg to differ. Here is an example why: If a genuinely disadvantaged white student with good grades applies to study at a university, he could get rejected in favor of a less qualified well-off upper middle class black student whose SAT score and grades weren't as good. That's how so-called affirmative action works: the spoils go to someone based on their race, not on how disadvantaged they are. Leftists talk about "fairness" as if it were a virtue, but there is nothing fair about discriminating against disadvantaged whites in favor of less qualified upper middle class blacks, purportedly done to make things more "fair." How ironic.

 

[coffee4u]

What is the big deal about a white person saying “White Power”? Is it wrong for a person to be proud of their skin color or heritage? Is it really any different than a black person being proud of being black, or a Native American being proud of their heritage? Would it be somehow more acceptable if the white person said, “White Privilege”, as some are often fond of calling it? I could understand if we were talking about a slanderous term against a particular race or skin color, but “White Power” isn’t a slur against any other race. It’s simply a reference to their own race.

It is quite common these days for people to be interested in where they came from and how their ancestors lived and what country they came from, which is why services for ancestor tracking have become popular. Knowing one’s roots often gives a person a sense of pride in knowing where they came from. If it’s socially acceptable for those of “racial minorities” to do so, is it any less acceptable for those who come from a Caucasian background to do the same?

'White Power' does not mean a person is proud of their heritage it means they think they are superior to everyone who isn't 'white'. Honestly 'white' is such an American term. White is not a race or an ethnicity or anything, I think you really mean European or Caucasian. The only 'white' people are those with albinism. Say 'White' in Europe and be prepared for blank faces. If a 'white' person were proud of their heritage they would say "My family is Italian/Polish/Irish and we do this" What the heck is 'White'?

 

[miamited]

It is interesting to look at lynching's in the USA. About 5000 have been documented with blacks constituting a very large majority. Who had the power?

By way of contrast there is one instance of lynching in Canada. About 1900 a Canadian native Indian was accused of killing a man in Washington State. He was pursued by a mob as he fled into Canada where he was taken into custody by a Canadian police officer. They were overtaken by the mob. He was hung within sight of the border. An investigation of the incident indicates that he was likely not guilty.

Hi jack,

Yes, overall, we Americans are likely the most murderous nation of people on the globe. We kill!

God bless,
In Christ, ted

 

[Strathos]

If you believe all white Americans are akin to millionaires, then I would encourage you to look up Google images photos of white people in Appalachia, a region in the US that is full of very poor white Americans.

I specifically wrote part of my post so people would avoid this type of accusation, but you still did it. Like I said, there are large variations of success among white people, but if you control for every other factor than race (such as gender, religion, socioeconomic status, region, etc.) then as a whole, white people have it better than black people in America.

You say white people have it so good that it isn't necessary for them to have an organization dedicated to advocating for their interests. I beg to differ. Here is an example why: If a genuinely disadvantaged white student with good grades applies to study at a university, he could get rejected in favor of a less qualified well-off upper middle class black student whose SAT score and grades weren't as good. That's how so-called affirmative action works: the spoils go to someone based on their race, not on how disadvantaged they are. Leftists talk about "fairness" as if it were a virtue, but there is nothing fair about discriminating against disadvantaged whites in favor of less qualified upper middle class blacks, purportedly done to make things more "fair." How ironic.

Except that affirmative action doesn't work like that. In fact the Supreme Court ruled that it can't.

Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, 579 U.S. ___ (2016)
Regents of Univ. of California v. Bakke, 438 U.S. 265 (1978)

 

[Radagast]

Except that affirmative action doesn't work like that. In fact the Supreme Court ruled that it can't.

It does work that way. That's why all kinds of litigation is ongoing.

 

[Radagast]

if you control for every other factor than race (such as gender, religion, socioeconomic status, region, etc.) then as a whole, white people have it better than black people in America.

If you control for wealth, then everybody is exactly equally wealthy. That's what "control" means.

It's not a terribly meaningful statement.

 

[Radagast]

If you believe all white Americans are akin to millionaires, then I would encourage you to look up Google images photos of white people in Appalachia, a region in the US that is full of very poor white Americans.

And the rural poor (which also includes many native Americans) are significantly worse off than the urban poor, because the rural poor have access to far fewer services.

 

[klutedavid]

What is the big deal about a white person saying “White Power”? Is it wrong for a person to be proud of their skin color or heritage? Is it really any different than a black person being proud of being black, or a Native American being proud of their heritage? Would it be somehow more acceptable if the white person said, “White Privilege”, as some are often fond of calling it? I could understand if we were talking about a slanderous term against a particular race or skin color, but “White Power” isn’t a slur against any other race. It’s simply a reference to their own race.

It is quite common these days for people to be interested in where they came from and how their ancestors lived and what country they came from, which is why services for ancestor tracking have become popular. Knowing one’s roots often gives a person a sense of pride in knowing where they came from. If it’s socially acceptable for those of “racial minorities” to do so, is it any less acceptable for those who come from a Caucasian background to do the same?

Every race on earth is a mix of different races. There is no pure race. There never can be a group of people that identify themselves, as being of a specific race.

If you have a good hard look at everyone's complexion. You will see an innumerable number of shades in all their complexions.

There is no white and black really, just shades in between.

What crushes me, is that I do not even know my ancestral tree, I can't go back more than four generations. This probably holds true for most of the world's population. Except perhaps for royalty and some wealthy people.

Who knows how many races are imbedded in my DNA. Probably ten or more different races of people in my DNA.
By default, I can never be a white supremacist.

 

[Radagast]

What crushes me, is that I do not even know my ancestral tree, I can't go back more than four generations. This probably holds true for most of the world's population. Except perhaps for royalty and some wealthy people.

Many impoverished people around the world consider family important, and have memorised part of their family tree.

In parts of Europe, family trees can be reconstructed based on church records (baptisms, weddings, funerals).