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I don't really care how you wish to identify yourself. It's none of my business. As for ______ privilege (you fill in the blank), I'm kinda tired of that discussion too, since it doesn't seem to help resolve our differences.
How is that? Does America have a law saying you have to hire a certain percentage of whites? Think about it. There is no white privilege in America but there is black and female privilege in America. White males in America are both handicapped and abused in the work force. I feel sorry for them. Why doesn't the NFL have to hire a percentage of players to equal the population? Other sports get bad names for not having diversity. White males have to make a way for themselves.
Black people typically have unemployment rates that are 2x or close to it as white people. So how are white males getting abused in the work force? Are the getting abused due to more opportunities opening up for white females? They are the next largest workforce in the country. In the big scheme of things a white person biggest competition in this country is another white person.
It's also interesting how many of the same people who say there is no such thing as white privilege, have no problem saying that there is a such thing as black privilege. Our society does not exist in a vacuum and using anomalies(NFL/NBA) doesn't dismiss the existence of white privilege(majority privilege really). Statics would prove otherwise. Admitting it exist does not mean you have a form of self hate or have to apologize for your life accomplishments nor does it mean your life was a cakewalk because you're white. It does require admitting that sometimes, minorities will be at disadvantages or treated differently because they're not apart of the dominant group. The history of the USA adds another wrinkle to the situation. There still are a number of people alive that know the the pre-civil rights USA. In a historical sense that's pretty fresh.
You cannot tackle problems you don't think exist. If you ignore them you'll pay a higher price when it can no longer be avoided than engaging it early on.
Also the existence of white privilege doesn't absolve a person's individual responsibility for bad decisions just because they are a minority. Some one blaming white people for all their bad decisions in no better than a white person blaming all the ills of their life on [insert minority]. This also doesn't diminish the historical advantages of white privilege which was much greater in the past and easier to quantify. The playing field is much more even today. For Black Americans as a group, it will just take some time too catch up.
Nearly everyone in the USA acknowledges their ancestral heritage. Why would black folks be any different?
Because one is a continent and the other is a country. Hyphenation is reserved for nationalities OR for ethnicities - for example - British-American, or Greek-American are apt names of people who have two citizenships or were once nationals of Great Britain or Greece but are now American citizens.
In contrast, Jewish-American is a melange of a culture or religious group and a nationality - these are two different things.
The only people that never really seem to do this, are American born whites. You don't see people describe themselves as German-Americans or European-American.
In fact I've never heard anyone called themselves a European American.
Slavery was already a common practice among Sub Saharan Africans long before the involvement of the Arabs, Berbers and Europeans. There were three types: those who were slaves through conquest, those who were slaves due to unpaid debts, or those whose parents gave them as slaves to tribal chiefs.
Slavery was already a common practice among Sub Saharan Africans long before the involvement of the Arabs, Berbers and Europeans. There were three types: those who were slaves through conquest, those who were slaves due to unpaid debts, or those whose parents gave them as slaves to tribal chiefs.
This has been going on since medieval times.
And American Indians murdered, and enslaved each other's tribes for centuries before Europeans landed in the Americas.
The practice of chattel slavery in the Americas, and US in particular, isn't really comparable to the generational slavery in other parts of the world. Those slaves, for the most part, were allowed to marry, have families, and even have their own land & possessions in some cases. American slavery centered around seperating families, preventing them from marrying, disallowing their native culture and religions from being practiced, taking away their names, etc.
I am black and I agree I have a privilege overseas when travelling as well. When I open my mouth with my American accent and have my American money, I am treated much better than other people in certain countries and especially better than blacks in European countries IMO as black people in Europe are often stereotyped - especially those from African nations - in a very negative way.
I agree with gladhands though. Since I admit as a black American I have the privilege abroad, will you admit that in America AND abroad, that you have white privilege.
I think white people had some white privilege 20 years ago in China, not now though.
Now it is all about money.
Years ago, Bill O'Reilly said "This country is divided by class, not by race." I think he was right. I think maybe this world is divided by class, not by skin color or race. White had some privilege because everybody in the world assumed whites = wealth + power. Not so much now, I don't think.
My parents' neighbor (black guy) drives a Maserati. He has been treated much much better than an average white person.
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