Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
This is why many whites can't seem to grasp the concept of white privilege.
Let me respond as clearly as possible. There's no such thing as white privilege. Most of us white males consider consider the term an artifice or excuse used to explain away the failures of the black community to thrive or prosper.
Try forming stable families, becoming responsible members of the community, quit dropping out of school....success will follow. But as long as you waste time whining and blaming the white community for everything, you'll always be hateful and resentful and never suceed.
This may get closed down, but hopefully I can attempt to define what white privilege is. Many minorities and non-whites tend to feel that white privilege is self evident. However whites disagree that they have any inherit advantages in contemporary American society. So who is right? Do whites who deny privilege being disingenuous, and denying their advantages? Or are minorities blaming their shortcomings on a myth that has no basis for reality?
White privilege is actually very easy to define. White privilege is the right to be viewed individually. This mean in American society, there are no canned stereotypes. If there is say a white murderer, this can be chalked up to individual choice. Whites are almost never judged by the action of 1 person in modern society. The only time where whites are grouped together is via historical classification, which actually hardly matters. However this is the only advantage that white privilege gives anyone. It is the the right to be judged on an individual basis.
This is why many whites can't seem to grasp the concept of white privilege. Many of them have no idea what is like to be a minority and be judged by the actions of your race. For example, I am a black man who I feel is moderately educated. Definitely my education and intellect surpasses what most people would think the average black male should have. But guess what? My intellect is NEVER assumed. It has to always first be PROVEN. It's not considered a given that I am a 35 year old black male and have a professional job, and have reasonable amount of intellect. So it is normally a surprise and a shock when I can speak intelligently, because it's not an expectation from black people, specifically black males. A latino male has to overcome the same barriers. An asian male may be considered smart, but not athletic. So that asian male has to overcome the stereotype of asians being physical weak.
Every other ethnic group in America, except white must overcome various stereotypes for the right to be judged individually. Whites do not. It not a shock that most whites are oblivious to this, as this is a function of the lower mind. The subconscious mind that form associations. It's not even a conscious association. But this is what white privilege is. Obviously what you DO with your individualism is of course up to the individual. Not all whites will take full advantage of this. But this is what white privilege is. And this is a powerful advantage.
To the highlighted: Just like the white dude who just killed 9 ppl is south Carolina right? Just read any article that has come out since then all you see is journalists race baiting.
As to the other, I may agree with some but not most of the post. I am only half white and the rest minority but I could not pass for white on the coldest day in winter if I wanted to, anyway the only trouble I had growing up was being teased by the black kids in school for not being white nor black.. The school I went to was like 80 percent black 20 white and none my color. But yet I somehow rose from the depths of torment and made something of myself. go cry on someone elses shoulder. Life is not fair ever hear that?
As a white female.........I feel the same way about males.
Life is tuff..........suck it up.
....buttercup!
I was thinking the SAME thing! There are many flaws in his logic and to presume that the white race is exempt from stereotypes is absolutely ridiculous. When I went into the Navy, the stereotype put on me by mostly black co-workers (I know this for a fact because after they got to know me they told me), was that I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I looked like a "Becky, omg". Apparently, I was also maybe a cheerleader, and came from an intact, well off family. However, other races on the boat (Asian and South Americans) assumed that I was dumb and of low upbringing (namely due to my acne scars on my face and having hardly any belongings except my seabag).
No one knew my circumstances growing up and how I was raised until they threw away thier own stereotypes they brought from home. They ended up being some of the best friends I had at the time, hell, being southern, I related to most of the blacks in my division anyway. Our cultures were more similar and our belief systems were more in tune than other whites. By the way, I'm from Charleston, SC. My culture is a beautiful mixture of African, Caribbean, and English. Wouldn't trade it for the world.
What are the stereotypes demonstrated on t.v. shows? Are white people immune from this? How about commercials? What about in books? What about the stereotypes of white people being modeled to children in households that are non-white.
Another overgeneralization on city-data. What a surprise!
Right before my day to be a woman you had to prove intelligence, we were supposed to be barefoot and pregnant and in the kitchen whipping up dinner, then cleaning up the mess, taking care of the kids then having enough energy to procreate. I'll bet some still treat their woman like that. If your man was an SOB, too bad, you couldn't get a mortgage and divorce was a no-no.
My time is where men had one leg stuck in the old days and one in the new world.
I can bring home the bacon,
Fry it up in a pan,
And never, never, never let you forget you're a man,
Because I'm a wooooman.
Being petite and blonde was a double whammy. Yet it never took long and was never worth focusing and getting angry about and certainly wasn't worth whining about constantly.
So seriously, I don't want to hear your nonsense. If you are are more educated and intelligent than people think you ASSume you should be stop with the nonsense and move on.
So you are basically acknowledging that such privilege exists--because you have experienced "male privilege." But your exception is that you, personally, choose to FIDO (Eff It and Drive On).
But you should realize it's only because women before you were vocal and combative about male privilege that you have the option to FIDO.
And you also ought to realize that can be reversed, as we're already hearing about happening in Silicon Valley.
Seeing as how Indian-Americans, South African-Americans, and Filipino Americans are the highest paid ethnic groups, you'd do well to get a bit of their 'privilege'.
My best shot is South African, but I'd have to work on the accent to pull it off.
There are some whites who understand, but others refuse to understand or even try to understand. That latter are the people who are fighting to protect their privilege because they don't like having to work to compete. However, it doesn't matter to me, generally speaking. Just don't play victim when you are obviously not one. Just don't get angry because I surpass you. Be fair and don't cheat because it bothers you to see me get ahead. Other than that, I generally don't care whether or not they acknowledge any privilege. Just move out of the way.
I do not believe the average white person who denies there is white privilege really wants to protect their privilege. I'm just sure whites are not aware of privilege because it is a very subtle and subconcious thing. Again it is the human mind.
I'll give you a great example. I remember a few years ago. I am a software engineer. I remember I had to peer review one of my co-worker's code. And I told them about things that are wrong. They had a lot of bad things in their code, even copying pasting untested code, no unit test, uncaught exceptions, etc. These are technical terms, but anybody who is a compotent software engineer would know this. My co-worker got indignant and said his code was right. So I left it alone, since they did not like my review. Now my white co-worker said the same exact thing about their code. And guess what? This co-worker actually listened and cleaned up his code.
So there is an assumption that if any intellectual guidance comes from a black man, it's just wrong. He thought I was just nitpicking and being hard on him. But my white co-worker said the same exact thing, and guess what he listened right way. This co-worker code i reviewed was Indian. But he automatically just assumed that the white guy knew what he was talking about.
Again this is white privilege. People just take you more seriously in a business and intellectual setting if you're white.
This may get closed down, but hopefully I can attempt to define what white privilege is. Many minorities and non-whites tend to feel that white privilege is self evident. However whites disagree that they have any inherit advantages in contemporary American society. So who is right? Do whites who deny privilege being disingenuous, and denying their advantages? Or are minorities blaming their shortcomings on a myth that has no basis for reality?
White privilege is actually very easy to define. White privilege is the right to be viewed individually. This mean in American society, there are no canned stereotypes.
That might be Your definition of white privilege. The typical definition, the one being taught in colleges and White Privilege conferences, is much, Much broader.
In fact, there's a thread about a minor league baseball team cancelling a Caucasian Heritage Night event. You know what they had planned:
"Our night was to include wonder bread on burgers with mayonnaise, clips from shows like Friends and Seinfeld and trying to solve the vertical leaping challenge."
Let me respond as clearly as possible. There's no such thing as white privilege. Most of us white males consider consider the term an artifice or excuse used to explain away the failures of the black community to thrive or prosper.
Try forming stable families, becoming responsible members of the community, quit dropping out of school....success will follow. But as long as you waste time whining and blaming the white community for everything, you'll always be hateful and resentful and never suceed.
Oh goodness. Many whites are constantly whining and blaming others when they don't succeed or are not the best at something. There are those who have and continue to underhandedly place hurdles in front of minorities when doing better or at least attempt to do so. Most AAs are doing just fine which is amazing considering the setbacks they endured. Many whites only want to point to those who fail but they get mad when they see AAs and other people of African origin surpassing them. Sometimes they express the same toward other minority groups as well.
Stop feeling threatened by responsible minorities with stable families. Take care of your own dropouts and "mentally ill." Stop whining when you see other successful people moving into your community. There are minorities who are doing just as well and better that you.
Get rid of your hatefulness and resentment toward people who by and large have never done anything to you.
It's not stereotype per se, but better described as "benefit of the doubt."
A man and a woman both show up to apply for a job stacking boxes. The man gets the "benefit of the doubt" that he can do the job, the woman does not.
There was one of those "What Would You Do" scenarios where a youth was busy cutting the chain off a bicycle in a park. The white youth was given by every one the "benefit of the doubt" that it must have been his bike; the black youth was not.
To the highlighted: Just like the white dude who just killed 9 ppl is south Carolina right? Just read any article that has come out since then all you see is journalists race baiting.
As to the other, I may agree with some but not most of the post. I am only half white and the rest minority but I could not pass for white on the coldest day in winter if I wanted to, anyway the only trouble I had growing up was being teased by the black kids in school for not being white nor black.. The school I went to was like 80 percent black 20 white and none my color. But yet I somehow rose from the depths of torment and made something of myself. go cry on someone elses shoulder. Life is not fair ever hear that?
Whose crying? Do you deny that stereotypes exist? And do you believe that stereotypes are more harmful to blacks or to whites?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
