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I think there are two main elements. One is the set of things the OP mentioned. The other is that women, male gays and other POC besides Af Ams are being "selected" for fast tracking and this reduces opportunities for Af Ams. I know this to be true, I used to be privy to the "quota" lists in previous roles I've had. I say, throw away all quota lists and let the creme rise to the top. This, IMO, would actually benefit Af Ams.
We would also have to get rid of the "private" forms of "quotas" or "affirmative action" that also takes place and generally benefits Whites. Oddly enough, public forms also benefit Whites more due to the fact that White women have benefitted the most from it due to being the largest historically disenfranchised group in the US, numbers wize. Keep in mind that the number of "minorities" and White women is about the same in this country. So, I would love to see that all would be fair in terms of hiring practices, but that remains to be seen, even at this present time.
You do realize that not every single White person capitalizes on the concept of White privilege. But in most any society the dominant culture or ethnicity tend to generally fare better economically than the most of the minority cultures especially if the minority cultures were people who were typically exploited in that country. I can drive through West Virginia and the ghettos of South Boston and see plenty of Whites that seemed to have missed the boat on White privilege. But I can also see the Xerox and Kodak engineers and managers who have no more education than a high school diploma and were given those jobs by their bowling buddies, Moose Lodge brothers or uncles.
Certainly the thread creators experience are his own and shared with many others, I can relate to much of what he said, but on the other hand it all does not apply to me. Everyones experiences are unique in some way.
What one considers being a problem is relative, and I certainly dont expect most Americans to understand. But when you are in the first or second generation of middle class life and your kid still has to have student loans to attend college but you have two new luxury cars in the driveway, to someone like me, there is a problem with misplaced priorities.
Most Americans dont think this economic crisis is cultural problem and cant wait for things to return to the way they were.
Too many Black middle class professionals are spending too much money on the trappings of appearing to have made it, yet if they were laid off many are only a few month away from being foreclosed upon or homeless.
Is this what the people who gave their lives for their progress died for?
What that also touches on is the reality of wealth and/or savings in relation to other groups due to Blacks just really getting to that level in terms of employment, education and economic attainment. I agree that said people and even many Americans need to think about what their priorities are in terms of spending, saving and material things. That is part of the reason we are haveing some of our current economic troubles as a nation.
@ skrizzle: Unfortunately, I'm not "generalizing" or exaggerating at all. It happens EVERY time. The sad thing is we have vacationed all over the place, and this swimming pool "white flight" has occurred in all those places. We remain composed when it occurs, although it upsets and hurts us for the children's sake, because we don't give much credence to ignorance. Actually, we all have the same attitude: "If these adults and children feel our kids are not good enough to swim in the same pool, so be it. It's their loss and/or lost opportunity to meet and interact with some wonderful children!" We are well aware, though, that someday, we will have to have this discussion w/ the children. We're surprised the children, currently ranging from ages 5 to 11, haven't asked us about this tendency yet, since they're very perceptive. We figure they're always having so much fun when this happens, they're not paying any attention to the white people's actions/reactions.
Or they just block it out. That's how I was growing up in a suburb of the area I'm from. It's amazing, because some of the things were obvious, but I just kept it moving. I think many people don't realize that for the scandalous examples of racial issues that are in the media, there are many more that people don't even mention, even when they should.
Or they just block it out. That's how I was growing up in a suburb of the area I'm from. It's amazing, because some of the things were obvious, but I just kept it moving. I think many people don't realize that for the scandalous examples of racial issues that are in the media, there are many more that people don't even mention, even when they should.
It is an issue of complacency. Some people move to the suburbs so that they don't have to be confronted with the daily facts of life. Living in the suburbs myself, I see this fact of life myself. I have tried to bring up certain subjects with other people. Some people try to politely deny it at best. For me, racial issues isn't just some hateful person yelling a racial slur from his/her car. It goes deeper than that, all the way down to hiring practices and they way people will perceive you. Some people don't mention of because this is suppose to be the "post-racial era". I look at it this way: We have a black president now. That doesn't mean all is well. There are still problems.
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