It wasn't privilege, it was hard work

[erasure]

Originally Posted by markg91359

I'm recapitulating what others have said. However, I believe in white privilege because I've seen it play out endlessly. It began when I was a child. My parents were World War II veterans who raised baby boom children. I would describe them both as having virtually unlimited optimism and having high expectations for themselves and their children. They also had a view of being Americans that I would describe as "citizenship on steroids". They had fought for their country, paid their taxes, gone to school and by God no one was going to take away anything they perceived as a right. The perception this created in me was that "the world was mine" if I did the same things.

As I look at retiring in just a few years, I am grateful. I am grateful I was raised that way and I'm happy I took advantage of opportunities that I was given. That system worked well for me.

Nothing was unusual about the way that I thought at that time. Most of my friends grew up in similar families and we all had the same views about life literally from the time we were eight or nine years old. For that matter, most of my friends were similarly successful in life. (some were not) I can understand for poor white people the same opportunities may not have been there. However, even in the worst situations there was more opportunity than if one was a person of color.

What we did not realize is that while you have to do more than be white to succeed in America, being white is a significant advantage. Perhaps, this was less so for women in the past. However, today it is not much different. White privilege is oh so subtle. But it is there constantly.

I heard it in conversations involving racial stereotypes I heard repeated by older distinguished people. I saw it in the way my teachers reacted to students with different backgrounds. I saw it in the absence of minority people in the large law firms I have dealt with. I saw it when the governor appointed judges and I noticed the overwhelming number that were white men. I have seen it in criminal sentencing decisions that are made by judges in which more white people seem to end up on probation and more minorities seem to end up in prison. I have listened to police officers tell me "that the more black people than whites statistically commit crimes" so they need to worry more about people of color. I've been to jails and prisons and I've noticed how its the only place where I find a significant concentration of minorities in my largely white state.

The question is not whether white privilege exists in America. The question is: How do we make room for more people of color to succeed and enjoy some of the same privileges that we have? That's the question we all need to debate. Ideally, we could do it by simply expanding the number of good jobs and positions within our economy. What becomes controversial is when we talk about limiting the success of others to create these opportunities. It is a perplexing problem. We will never have social justice in this country though until we find more of a solution to it than we have.

I'll tell you how.
Raze all American cities, the way they are designed, and rebuild them in European manner.

And that means - no "downtowns" and suburban sprawls American way, but cities built block by block. ( And not the car ride blocks miles and miles in length, lol - no, but blocks that are meant for walking.)
Then place offices/businesses/daycares/grocery stores in every small district, and connect them ALL by the system of FUNCTIONAL public transportation.

This way you immediately destroy the "underclass" of people hurdled in the pockets where they are trying to survive without car ownership. ( Read people of color first of all, and read "inner cities.")
Because car ownership is the first wall, first *demarcation line* that separates functional ( or as they are referred to *productive*) members of the society from "unproductive" ones.

And unless you can remove this first *demarcation line* - all these "affirmative actions* and "equal opportunities" rhetorics are nothing but lip service.
Because as I've said earlier, the troubles of the Black ghetto kid begin much earlier, than anyone can offer him/her any "financial aid."

However America (with its original design) wouldn't be ready ( or fit) for such changes, would it?

I think we all know why.

[scatman]

Originally Posted by scatman

As a Black man, I'm gonna shock folk and say that I, personally, could care less about white privilege.

1) I question the sincerity and credibility of folk who publicly acknowledge "white privilege." If it ain't showing at either the ballot or in actions resulting in change, the talk is empty, and I don't want to hear it....!

2) It puts acceptance of myself in someone else's hands! I stop trying to gain people's acceptance, a long time ago!

Let me clarify what I said, a few days ago......I could care less about whether individuals "acknowledge" their privilege, for the two reasons I stated. There are a zillion examples of preferential treatment. Discrimination and preferential treatment has, unfortunately, always been a reality, and the fight to end those are still going on. My issue is that when people start to individually say "I benefit from white privilege," it looks as though they are trying to get what I call "brownie points," to make it look like they are now down for the cause. But the "acknowledgment" is so fake. All this "acknowledgment," but no real change!