prejudice against white people

[Rowanwood]

Re: prejudice against white people

This is hair-splitting to me. Filibuster. A convenient way to victimize the self.

AGAIN, I post this.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/aaronc13/thi...e-privilege-is

No, its not.

But even if I concede that I'm just so lucky because I'm lighter skinned, then what's the solution? I move out of my house and give it to someone with darker skin? How do you solve a problem when you are obsessed with something that can't be changed?

I'm always going to be white and I'll be damned if I'm going to feel guilty that my parents had sex.

[Bjorn]

Re: prejudice against white people

And since MIB is admissable...

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No, its not.

But even if I concede that I'm just so lucky because I'm lighter skinned, then what's the solution? I move out of my house and give it to someone with darker skin? How do you solve a problem when you are obsessed with something that can't be changed?

I'm always going to be white and I'll be damned if I'm going to feel guilty that my parents had sex.

We'll have to agree to disagree there. What circle do you fill in on sheets? I'll bet it's "Caucasian or White or Rather Not Say." Yeah. Hair splitting.

I never said that white guilt should be exercised. I never said that you personally should feel guilty. I merely mean to establish that white privilege EXISTS and is still rampant in our culture. I don't have the solutions, I merely want to call a spade a spade.

[DanieMarie]

Re: prejudice against white people

My whole point isn't that caucasians should be punished. My point is that white privilege exists, and colored privilege is made of up guilt for having white privilege.

If you don't think white privilege exists then, well, I think you're blind.

It totally exists, and I support actions to help correct it (anonymous applications, scholarships, funding for minority rights and community groups, etc). I just don't think it's fair to make people feel guilty for it, because you can't help the colour of your skin, even if you belong to the privileged group.

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Strangely, a friend just posted this on facebook: http://thefeministbreeder.com/explai...-white-person/

I thought it was well said

[Rowanwood]

Re: prejudice against white people

A
We'll have to agree to disagree there. What circle do you fill in on sheets? I'll bet it's "Caucasian or White or Rather Not Say." Yeah. Hair splitting.

I never said that white guilt should be exercised. I never said that you personally should feel guilty. I merely mean to establish that white privilege EXISTS and is still rampant in our culture. I don't have the solutions, I merely want to call a spade a spade.

It's not hair splitting. I'm Caucasian. I'm so white I glow in the damn dark. "I" am not in question. And I do admit to having privilege, but my level of whiteness isn't where it comes from. It comes from living in a small town and although most of my childhood below the poverty line, my mom kicks ass. She made sure I got an education. She made sure I had breakfast and warm shoes. She taught me work ethic. But none of those things are because I'm white. They are because my mom rocks and I grew up in a small town in the Midwest where the culture says this is the way to raise a kid.

Someone who grew up with a crackhead mom and no dad and getting beaten every day doesn't have this privilege. Color is irrelevant.

[Raphaeline]

Re: prejudice against white people

It totally exists, and I support actions to help correct it (anonymous applications, scholarships, funding for minority rights and community groups, etc). I just don't think it's fair to make people feel guilty for it, because you can't help the colour of your skin, even if you belong to the privileged group.

I think that's a good way to put it.

[Aeran]

Re: prejudice against white people

I think white privilege definitely exists, but I also think that the vast majority of actual difference is cultural and socioeconomic. A poor white kid is gonna have it slightly better than a poor black kid, but he'll still have it way worse than a rich black kid. obviously there will still be areas where he has privilege, but the amount of privilege gained by being rich seems much, much greater than the amount gained by being white.

[MoonRaven]

Re: prejudice against white people

Yeah totally...and it still keeps going sometimes. People can be horrible to the Poles and they have ridiculously unfair stereotypes to deal with.

Do you have the whole right-wing fear of Romanians and Bulgarians swarming into the country right now? The ultra conservative parties and politicians here and in the UK are freaking out about it. (I think they're wrong, by the way...the same fear popped up when freedom of movement applied to Poland and the Czech Republic and nothing happened).

Nope. Our right-wing is still going with the muslim scare, though it's not working that well anymore.
I think it's mostly because we don't have that many Bulgarians or Romanians, everyone is pissed at Romanian beggars and thieving gangs but that has nothing to do with political PoV. As for the Polish there was some grumbling at first but most of that was because they worked for below minimum wages and our unions, which are strong here, feared that out job marked would be ruin. But rather than blame the Polish work force they set out to educate them in what rights they had, both in wages and other things, so their employers couldn't trick them into working for less than they should be. It haven't been a perfect solution but it has worked decently, and I think it has been the reason why we see little "racism" against the Polish here.

[Bjorn]

Re: prejudice against white people

Color is irrelevant.

Color SHOULD be irrelevant. Studies and surveys and observation of the nation at large do not support this theory you have that color IS irrelevant.

For example:

I'll bet you'll never have to worry about being victimized by law enforcement.

1/3 of black men are incarcerated in their lifetime.

You can dress how you please without social stereotypes of racial profiling used to assume on sight whether or not a person is "trouble."

No one is going to assume you got your education based on "filling quota," only that you were highly qualified. If you didn't get a job it can be reasonably assumed that it had nothing to do with the way you look (unless you're in the habit of blaming your lack of a job on affirmative action).

No one is going to tell you to "get over" 9/11 but getting over slavery is a phrase used most often.

"People of color" with degrees are nearly 50% more likely to be out of work. People of color make up only about 13% of prestigious school enrollment with nearly 2x that amount of whites who demonstrate "less than average" qualification than the POC applicants.

Despite worries of "reverse racism," white people are still at the top of employment, income, and net worth. I'm sure there's more, I just don't have the facts.

Middle class white families net about 3-5x more worth than middle class black and Latino families so even if they get degrees and educate themselves they are still more likely to be behind white folks despite equal qualifications.

People of color are infinitely more likely to grow up in poverty as well as attending poorly funded inner-city schools.

People of color are more likely to get poorer loans with the same credit score as white folks.

White owned businesses get 90% of government contracts.

Blacks are 6x more likely to be incarcerated for the same crimes committed by white people.



Whites didn't EARN anything. It's simply white privilege.



The necessity for affirmative action PROVES white privilege. To assume otherwise is like saying "well LGBT community is privileged because they get a parade. Where's OUR parade? Where's OUR White Entertainment Television? Howcome it's always been ok to show white people kissing on television but it took Star Trek to show the first interracial kiss (in 1968)?

So yeah. I don't feel bad for caucasians at ALL. I don't allow anyone to guilt me but I can perfectly understand why a people would hate their oppressor. After all, I'm not too fond of men...but that's another issue entirely.

[Rowanwood]

Re: prejudice against white people

99% of these problem can be traced to this, directly from your list "People of color are infinitely more likely to grow up in poverty as well as attending poorly funded inner-city schools."

THIS is the problem and its not because of skin color. Gods above, I hope you aren't telling me they fail because they are people of color right? Because white privilege, in my opinion, is a fancy way of saying "those poor colored folks, they just can't manage without our help. And as white people, we need to save them."

How this isn't the worst form of racism, how this is not recognized I will never understand.

[Bjorn]

Re: prejudice against white people

99% of these problem can be traced to this, directly from your list "People of color are infinitely more likely to grow up in poverty as well as attending poorly funded inner-city schools."

THIS is the problem and its not because of skin color. Gods above, I hope you aren't telling me they fail because they are people of color right? Because white privilege, in my opinion, is a fancy way of saying "those poor colored folks, they just can't manage without our help. And as white people, we need to save them."

Not at all. What I'm merely saying are the facts because all I hear is a bunch of "oh poor us" in here and "reverse racism." The system is rigged against them.

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And I don't see how incarceration, getting shitty loans, and not being given as many opportunities despite being equally or more qualified has anything to do with that bullet.

[B. de Corbin]

Re: prejudice against white people

Funny thought...

All the schemes that take money away from one supposedly "privileged" group in order to help some other supposedly "oppressed" group actually REQUIRE that the privileged group feel guilty about their so-called status...

... otherwise, why would they tolerate being robbed?

[Bjorn]

Re: prejudice against white people

Funny thought...

All the schemes that take money away from one supposedly "privileged" group in order to help some other supposedly "oppressed" group actually REQUIRE that the privileged group feel guilty about their so-called status...

... otherwise, why would they tolerate being robbed?

Funny thing about being disadvantaged is, there's no Robin Hood anymore. Just a bunch of pissed off white folks ranting about how they should just "get over it" or don't recognize their own privilege. Being robbed? My god, that's laughable. Being discriminated against is a problem, period.

[Rowanwood]

Re: prejudice against white people

Not at all. What I'm merely saying are the facts because all I hear is a bunch of "oh poor us" in here and "reverse racism." The system is rigged against them.

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And I don't see how incarceration, getting shitty loans, and not being given as many opportunities despite being equally or more qualified has anything to do with that bullet.

All I know, is that I'm certainly not crying 'poor me' for one second. I don't need to be felt sorry for, because lumps and all, my life is awesome. But its not that way because I'm white.

I've never been incarcerated...but I've never committed a crime worthy of it. It's not because I'm white. I have totally gotten a shitty loan...because I didn't read the fine print, not because I'm not white (because I am.) I live in a small town where opportunities are limited, so I fought my ass off to have them....and that not because I'm white either.

These are facts. Taken one person at a time, I would be willing to bet actual oppression is a lot smaller than you think. You can blame it on whatever you like, but blame doesn't solve any problems.

POC don't need me to mommy them. They need to kick the heck out of the element of their culture that are holding them back. They have to say "NO MORE."


From Bill Cosby (snopes link showing correct attribution below)

They're standing on the corner and they can't speak English. I can't even talk the way these people talk: Why you ain't, Where you is, What he drive, Where he stay, Where he work, Who you be... And I blamed the kid until I heard the mother talk. And then I heard the father talk.

Everybody knows it's important to speak English except these knuckleheads. You can't be a doctor with that kind of crap coming out of your mouth. In fact you will never get any kind of job making a decent living.

People marched and were hit in the face with rocks to get an education, and now we've got these knuckleheads walking around. The lower economic people are not holding up their end in this deal. These people are not parenting. They are buying things for kids. $500 sneakers for what? And they won't spend $200 for Hooked on Phonics.

I am talking about these people who cry when their son is standing there in an orange suit. Where were you when he was 2? Where were you when he was 12? Where were you when he was 18 and how come you didn't know that he had a pistol? And where is the father? Or who is his father?

People putting their clothes on backward: Isn't that a sign of something gone wrong? People with their hats on backward, pants down around the crack, isn't that a sign of something? Or are you waiting for Jesus to pull his pants up? Isn't it a sign of something when she has her dress all the way up and got all type of needles [piercing] going through her body?

What part of Africa did this come from? We are not Africans. Those people are not Africans; they don't know a thing about Africa. With names like Shaniqua, Taliqua and Mohammed and all of that crap, and all of them are in jail.

Brown or black versus the Board of Education is no longer the white person's problem. We have got to take the neighborhood back. People used to be ashamed. Today a woman has eight children with eight different 'husbands' — or men or whatever you call them now. We have millionaire football players who cannot read. We have million-dollar basketball players who can't write two paragraphs. We as black folks have to do a better job. Someone working at Wal-Mart with seven kids, you are hurting us. We have to start holding each other to a higher standard.

We cannot blame the white people any longer.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/cosby.asp

[DanieMarie]

Re: prejudice against white people

Nope. Our right-wing is still going with the muslim scare, though it's not working that well anymore.
I think it's mostly because we don't have that many Bulgarians or Romanians, everyone is pissed at Romanian beggars and thieving gangs but that has nothing to do with political PoV. As for the Polish there was some grumbling at first but most of that was because they worked for below minimum wages and our unions, which are strong here, feared that out job marked would be ruin. But rather than blame the Polish work force they set out to educate them in what rights they had, both in wages and other things, so their employers couldn't trick them into working for less than they should be. It haven't been a perfect solution but it has worked decently, and I think it has been the reason why we see little "racism" against the Polish here.

That's good to hear. That would be good here as well, except Germany doesn't have a universal minimum wage, so it's easy to exploit people. 2015 will hopefully change that.

Here it's less fear of Polish workers and more deep-seated prejudices that make no sense to me. Like there's a common belief among a lot of people that Polish people steal (not true) and that they aren't honest (also not true).

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Funny thought...

All the schemes that take money away from one supposedly "privileged" group in order to help some other supposedly "oppressed" group actually REQUIRE that the privileged group feel guilty about their so-called status...

... otherwise, why would they tolerate being robbed?

I don't think that's true. Progressive taxes transfer money to the privileged to the under privileged, and certain groups get higher transfers through funding of programs and such. I think a lot of people have no problem with this. I know I don't.

[monsno_leedra]

Re: prejudice against white people

I find it interesting that so many scream "Racism" when its not based upon race but upon some other criteria but it gets more media attention if you can suggest its racist. I've seen people called racist because they refuse to higher young black males. The fact the employer refuses based upon sterotyping against previous young black males and how they worked out is ignored. The fact black females and older black males are employed is also ignored. Just so long as some either white apologist or person of color can claim racism is all that matters. After all lets not confuse the issue with facts.

Inner city justification is another interesting myth. Funny how when it was applied to say the Irish at the the turn of the century along with the signs of Irish and dogs keep off the grass that is forgotten. The fact many made themselves rise up by removing themselves from the ghettos and such is all but forgotten. Yet now the black inner city issue is everyone's problem and heaven forbid you suggest they move for then they tend to loose all those hand outs.

Then there is affirmative action. I recall it in action in the military for many years. I recall the way testing was set up so many minorities could gain rank with lessor scores than their white counterparts. Double bingo bonus score if you got both a black and a female, yet saw that one in action many times. Lazy didn't matter just suggest you'll scream discrimination and you got off the hook many times. Of course then the problem became an issue of you were being racist because you kept lowering the number of instances before enough became enough.

But I wonder, should we as a nation go to archaic Africa and make all those people who captured and sold the slaves to the white apologize for capturing them and selling them? Should we go back to all the once powerful Native American nations that made slaves of their opponents, sold them to others for instance. How about all the hidden societies that are found within many Asian cultures? Yeah lets make the Japanese apologize to all the "Blooded" families that are taboo and are not supposed to marry outside of others who spill blood for whatever purpose like a butcher.

Yep at this point in time white society holds the upper rung of the ladder in many Western Nations. Yet that position has been held by many others and probably will be held again by others as time marches forward. It's just sad how restrictive the apologist narrow history and the duration so its the white person who is the problem so they can ignore actual history.