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White privilege in America* means never having to justify yourself. No one ever questions that you are the "default" in society. You don't stick out and are by default identified as part of the "in-crowd."
Although I think it should be called "white middle class privilege" because being poor white sucks almost as bad, although not quite as bad as being poor and of color.
* privilege can vary by society - sometimes it's based on language, religion, or something other than skin color. In S. Korea for example - there is a very powerful "attractiveness privilege" so strong that if they can afford it, they will get plastic surgery.
Still, in today's society money talks. It's a relatively new phenomenon but if you've got enough money you can transcend race, which is why I say class is more important. If I had to choose between being white and poor or non-white and rich I would choose the option with money every time. If I could not choose "rich" though, I would choose white.
In one of Chris Rock's stand-up performances, he asks the white people in his audience, "Which of you would want to be me?" Nobody raises a hand. He says, "No none of you want to be me?...and I'm rich."
Class. White people just happen to have all the money
This is nonsense. It doesn't go by color. Those who "have" all the money basically "earn" all the money. If one has a money deficit, it is an individual problem to be solved by the individual with the deficit. The first step is to think of oneself as an individual, not a collective. Forget your race or your class. Ask yourself how to bring value to others and simultaneously take advantage of your personal talents. That question will point you in the direction of making money. Whining about illusions such as class and race will lead one to failure and poor decision making. We see that. Every day. Hard work and making money is available to all individuals, regardless of their present state of decrepitude. First, though, you have to think. Not feel, not whine, not have a pity party. Think. Solve problems. Bring value to others. Make money. It's a very simple formula that works for everyone who CHOOSES not to be a lazy loser whiner baby.
My basic point about Mississippi vs Massachusetts, was that one was an agricultarl economy and the other was an industrial economy. Guess which one has done better? Sure people in boston and seattle are racist. But it is hard to argue their econonies are powered by racial explotation.
Massachusetts is classist, not racist. Affluent professionals in the elite suburbs who do high tech, biotech, teach at the universities, and are the doctors, lawyers, and finance people for metro-Boston have prejudice against ignorant, stupid people. As long as their next door neighbor is an affluent professional just like them, they don't care if they're Indian, Chinese, African American, Russian, or whatever. If you force their kids to share their gold-plated classrooms with the boys from Southie out of Good Will Hunting, they'd be up in arms. Affluent people hate housing projects, not race.
I reckon the answer is class, but IQ is a big part of what "class" you find yourself in, and race/ethnicity is apparently pretty clearly divided along IQ lines.
Massachusetts is classist, not racist. Affluent professionals in the elite suburbs who do high tech, biotech, teach at the universities, and are the doctors, lawyers, and finance people for metro-Boston have prejudice against ignorant, stupid people. As long as their next door neighbor is an affluent professional just like them, they don't care if they're Indian, Chinese, African American, Russian, or whatever. If you force their kids to share their gold-plated classrooms with the boys from Southie out of Good Will Hunting, they'd be up in arms. Affluent people hate housing projects, not race.
Affluent people are sensible people. And sensible people are repelled by confusion, chaos, and destructive decisions. Nobody wants to be a part of that or be near it. Affluent people have escaped from it and want it kept away from them. In fact most people within such systems dream of escape, and many do.
By giving people free stuff taken from other people, we keep the laziest among us from realizing any of their potential. We need to stop that, not only because it is immoral, but because it achieves the polar opposite of the intended effect.
I reckon the answer is class, but IQ is a big part of what "class" you find yourself in, and race/ethnicity is apparently pretty clearly divided along IQ lines.
Apparently you have not seen pictures of George W. Bush trying to look like he has a high IQ while holding books and telephones upside down. His family on both sides go back many generations of being upper class.
I reckon the answer is class, but IQ is a big part of what "class" you find yourself in, and race/ethnicity is apparently pretty clearly divided along IQ lines.
Complete and utter bullsht.
Anyone with an inkling of sense on this subject knows those studies have all been found to be unreliable and biased.
This is nonsense. It doesn't go by color. Those who "have" all the money basically "earn" all the money. If one has a money deficit, it is an individual problem to be solved by the individual with the deficit. The first step is to think of oneself as an individual, not a collective. Forget your race or your class. Ask yourself how to bring value to others and simultaneously take advantage of your personal talents. That question will point you in the direction of making money. Whining about illusions such as class and race will lead one to failure and poor decision making. We see that. Every day. Hard work and making money is available to all individuals, regardless of their present state of decrepitude. First, though, you have to think. Not feel, not whine, not have a pity party. Think. Solve problems. Bring value to others. Make money. It's a very simple formula that works for everyone who CHOOSES not to be a lazy loser whiner baby.
This is how bad its become in Victimworld. We've become so enamored with self-pity and externalizing our character defects, that a post that emphasizes individual action to erase one's personal lack of wealth is viewed as a troll.
"Everyone else is "privileged" and everything wrong with me is an existential or medical condition that I couldn't control". That is where we are in today's upside world where escapism and weakness have replaced strength and honor. It's a disgusting state of affairs.
This is how bad its become in Victimworld. We've become so enamored with self-pity and externalizing our character defects, that a post that emphasizes individual action to erase one's personal lack of wealth is viewed as a troll.
"Everyone else is "privileged" and everything wrong with me is an existential or medical condition that I couldn't control". That is where we are in today's upside world where escapism and weakness have replaced strength and honor. It's a disgusting state of affairs.
There's theory and then there's practice.
In theory, a person can go from the one of the lowest classes to one of the highest, and sometimes they do. Many times they do. The fact that some do is what drives us in a lot of ways.
Unfortunately, the data tell a different story. The odds of making it from the bottom to the top are incredibly small. You do have decent odds of your moving up to one rung above - ie from poverty to the working class. About 30%. There are better than 2/3 odds you will stay where you were born, however.
People who say it is impossible to move up due to race/class barriers are technically wrong. It is not impossible, but it is quite difficult.
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