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Most protesters do NOT condone riots and destruction. I don't know why people equate the protests with riots. I have seen and heard a lot of protesters say this is not our message. What I do think though is due to the socio-economics of America, in particular Covid-19 America, there are many rioting because what do they have to lose. This goes beyond racial lines even if minorities in particular blacks are more effected by unemployment.
The media is the ones calling the rioters protesters, also politicians and celebrities.
Another thing. Grew up in your own culture, “middle class,” obviously not forced to live and keep up with another race of people much different than you. Do you really believe whites could have imported a large group from the lowest caste in India and blended them ALL or even the majority into your society? No, you wouldn’t.
There is ZERO ADVANTAGE to being dark, black, small, slow, limited skills, and sold off by your own people to a race that could have done without you and reminds you of that every day. Zero advantage in being a minority on the outside of everyone’s else’s society.
What do YOU think can be done about the situation?
Much of what you say has truth, so given that, what do you think should happen?
Of course, that was done in Liberia in the 19th century with the interesting consequence that the settling African-Americans oppressed the local Africans.
In all sincerity, that's what I'm trying to find out. What, exactly, is she advocating?
This is some of the dumbest stuff I have ever heard of.
"White privilege," according to the theorists du jour, is simply not having to worry about my skin color. While true, to a point, it ignores the diversity of white communities. The popular thinkers label any whites with complaints or issues "fragile," leading to the now popular term, "white fragility."
I grew up working to middle class in Appalachia. I didn't have much to "fall back on." My family remains intact, and I've had a strong family network going back to my grandparents, and many old people their age or even older who supported me and whom I learned from. That said, very little of that support (except from one set of grandparents, and only in a minor way) was financial. It was basically moral support.
They didn't actively sabotage me. I got words of support. I guess that's a step above the ghetto. A few checks, $500, $250, were signed by my grandfather before he died. After that, I was on my own financially.
I graduated in 2010 during that recession. I made $14/hr, and had to drive 100 mi. each day roundtrip to get that. Gas was $3.50/gal at the time. I didn't get my first career track job until 2014, then got my first "big kid job" at 30 in 2016. I'm 34 now and up to ~$90k in a low COL area, no income tax state. It's not rocking the world, but I'm top 5%-10% HHI in my local area, maybe a bit more percentage wise being single.
I'm about where I would thought I would be at 30 if someone had asked "where will you be in ten years?" at 20. I own a house. Decent retirement savings. New car as of Saturday. Nice lifestyle. Took an uncle's boat out Friday. Rented a jet ski the weekend prior to that.
With that said, my big career break was for a Boston-based fintech company. My working class Appalachian accent caused a lot of people from the East Coast to laugh at me initially, no matter how competent I was. It nearly caused me to not get hired until I passed their "analytical tests." The accent and my background has always been a handicap to me professionally.
I get that I don't have to deal with race. With that said, I never had the advantages a black kid growing up in a wealthy Atlanta suburb would have.
It is often more of a class, than race, issue.
Socio-economics is however a race issue. Let's say instead of a white Appalachian you were a black Appalachian. Not only would there be likely outright racist comments made, there would also be covert racism to keep you from making the 90k you make now. Now yes, whites who are lower on the socio-economical ladder are similar, but have a better chance to rise into the lower middle class or middle class like you have than Black and Hispanics.
I personally believe that the so called white supremacy is overrated. Because liberal white people are extremely dependent on other cultures than conservatives. Liberals whites today are just like slave holders of the past they need people of other ethnics working for them. That's why most liberals have to play nice to minorities because they need people of color to support them. White conservatives are the types that wish to have less to do with people of color as they do not rely on them. If you disagree, then why are liberal still living some of the least diverse neighborhoods while preaching integration and racial harmony. You don't tell people of color you are their friend while living in places where there is no people of color.
That's why I believe white supremacist are mostly liberal types that disguise as integration supporters but hold people of color back at work places and in society.
That's why Asians typically are very conservative, they do not want anything to do with other races other than trade.
I agree with your summary except for....
"You don't tell people of color you are their friend while living in places where there is no people of color."
Actually, in the last ten years, realtors have seen a huge increase of non-blacks moving into some of the more upscale mixed and black areas of L.A., unafraid of people of color or the perceived crime threat. One area, two blocks away, was actually on Training Day w/ Denzel and you'll still some people within the jungle who are economically deprived and young rough riders enter the nearby supermarket. Nowadays, a lot of people take up MMA and feel secure in threatening situations.
To be fair though, there's usually more things to do outside of areas with more people of color. This is where systemic racism comes into play in neighborhoods with few or no amenities/rec areas or small retail. L.A. has redeveloped these areas to make it more attractive and that has enticed more wht, latino, and even arabic people to move into and live among a predominantly upscale black area. It is safe to say I do not think this applies across the rest of the country or other cities in California, except maybe nice parts of Oakland and Berkeley.
Socio-economics is however a race issue. Let's say instead of a white Appalachian you were a black Appalachian. Not only would there be likely outright racist comments made, there would also be covert racism to keep you from making the 90k you make now. Now yes, whites who are lower on the socio-economical ladder are similar, but have a better chance to rise into the lower middle class or middle class like you have than Black and Hispanics.
Interesting points by you and the OP.
It's too bad we often get bogged down in debates over which matters more: race vs class. The evidence is clear they both do.
My criticisms of establishment liberalism is that it often collapses the "white experience" into that of upper middle class metropolitan whites. Obviously their beliefs are more nuanced than that. But that is how it comes across rhetorically. For example, when they talk about diversity they point out the undeniable reality that positions of power are dominated by white men. The part they leave out is "..from upper class backgrounds."
There is also an odd tendency when white working class people point out their class disadvantages, to dismiss them by pointing out that PoC are even worse off rather than forthrightly acknowledge their class disadvantage.
My critique of conservatives is they often cynically invoke class, not to address it as a legitimate disadvantage, but rather as a way to shut down liberal discussions on race or gender issues. They talk about poor whites in Appalachia, not to actually help poor people, but rather to dismiss helping poor minorities.
The other issue is that conservatives really just have a hard time acknowledging racism. They will express disgust (generally speaking) at overt individual acts of discrimination and when pressed will often acknowledge racism exists in an abstract sense. But they have no real coherent ability to talk about (or respond to) systematic racial disadvantage.
Don't worry OP the looters are mostly Democrats and Democrats might be rather dim at times but they have this incredible ability to forgive transgressions like rape, arson, looting etc... Heck George Floyd has become a symbol of great hope to so many of them and he served years in prison for crimes from armed robbery, home invasion, drug use and dealing etc.. and they see him as some type of Saint.
I think the white protesters/looters should be forced to kneel and beg for forgiveness before the black owners and workers of the business that they trashed. They should be forced to help build that business back up including writing checks for the new windows, display, merchandise etc.
It is disgusting to see these misguided idiots carrying a sign that reads BLM then when the sun goes down they go on a rampage destroying the black community??
Socio-economics is however a race issue. Let's say instead of a white Appalachian you were a black Appalachian. Not only would there be likely outright racist comments made, there would also be covert racism to keep you from making the 90k you make now. Now yes, whites who are lower on the socio-economical ladder are similar, but have a better chance to rise into the lower middle class or middle class like you have than Black and Hispanics.
Not in the America I've experienced since moving here. As an outsider I feel like I have a fairly clear view of it. If you're a black Appalachian with a good college degree, I am almost certain that there's tons of employers who'd be happy to throw piles of money at you to fulfill their unofficial diversity hiring goals. This isn't 1950 or 1970.
Being black and having the 'tools' on paper to succeed in corporate America such as a useful degree from a good college seems to dramatically increase your likelihood of professional success. The reason this isn't having a bigger effect on black America as a whole is that most blacks don't appear to have these tools. In the D.C. area where there are a lot of blacks with these tools, there's also a lot of wealthy black people living in large suburban houses.
Personally, I've seen far more prejudice vs white poor people from rural backgrounds than black Americans among the white liberal urban Americans that I am surrounded by. In fact, it seems at times like it requires a real act of courage for a white liberal to be seen as disagreeing with a black person on anything while it's perfectly fine to belittle other whites and talk smack about them. We used to have a colleague from Alabama who was quite 'country' and people mocked that all the time. Blanket statements about 'fly over states' like say Nebraska or Kansas are made all the time. But when it comes to anything on race, it's only the black people who talk, the whites just sit and listen, either agreeing or looking at the floor.
What do YOU think can be done about the situation?
Much of what you say has truth, so given that, what do you think should happen?
Separation of cultures for good. That means separate continents, islands, territories, whatever.
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