prejudice against white people

[DanieMarie]

Re: prejudice against white people

What you are probably unaware of is that universities in the US that receive any sort of public funding, no matter how much or how little, have quotas based on race. If the population is X% this, Y% that, and Z% something else, then their enrollment must reflect that. Acceptance isn't based on high school GPAs, or SAT scores, or any other merit, it's based on filling racial quotas. If those quotas aren't met, those schools like their funding.

I have like, 5 friends who are professors in the US (mostly at state schools), so yeah, I'm aware of how state schools run. And although there are definitely systems in place to give minorities a leg up, most students are still white and are admitted by GPAs, test scores, and the merits of their applications.

[thalassa]

Re: prejudice against white people

I've not read this thread (I've skimmed, but I've been at work and I try to avoid controversy while working), and TBH, I don't plan to (I have *way* better things to do than beat my head against a wall on this subject) unless it becomes an issue and I need to play moderator...so I'll keep this short (and at this particular time, it is NOT intended towards anyone in particular or towards any specific comment).

This is a contentious topic that (IMO) usually reflects poorly on everyone involved, more so when it gets out of hand. So, as a courtesy reminder:

PLAY NICE.

Because the second anyone feels the need to report this thread, or make a complaint about it, IT WILL BE SHUT DOWN.

Thank you. Have a nice day.

[DanieMarie]

Re: prejudice against white people

One thing here.

As for non-Whites only having disadvantages because they have less education, worse language skills and whatnot.
Well I can't speak for the US, I've only read studies done in Europe but these are remarkable in their agreement in conclusions. If a jobapplication are rendered anonymous, that is all things that refer to ethnicity, gender, age. ect, are removed, then, and only then, do people of different ethnicity than the majority, along with women, have an equal chance of getting a job as their non-ethnic male counterparts. Otherwise their chances ranges from less than half to about twothirds of a white mans. So saying ethnicity, in and of itself, plays no role can scientifically be disproven.

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Well they won't be for long if birthrates continue as they are since there in the US now are born more non-Whites, if we include Hispanics, than Whites.

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Yep, and they did the same studies in different countries. From what I'm aware of, there was a study conducted in Sweden, and a study in Germany displayed nearly identical results. It was supposed to promote legislating anonymous job applications, but it never stuck and we still have to put our photos and marital status and everything on our resumes (which I always had to resist the urge to write "None of your business" instead).

[Bjorn]

Re: prejudice against white people

Please don't take anything I've said as attacking you. I'll attack your ideas, because I'm crazy ass opinionated, but I think you are pretty cool.


But it is a strange question.

I don't think it's too crazy to wonder, especially if you're going to offer up "majority rules" as a fact. Remember, America is not a democracy but a republic.

I mean, aside from First Nations people, the Europeans were here first and had a head start on populating this land. Then, slaughtering the First Nations people made it really easy to ensure they were the majority. To me, that is fairly simple. Also, they came over with a predominantly Christian bias which suggested that they "be fruitful and multiply." Given the infant mortality rate and the rough winters it made sense. But America was supposed to be land of the free. Just because one group was here before some of the others means that they get the natural benefits of being the majority? That is strange to me and I disagree with the sentiment.

I couldn't suggest more taking a look at http://www.nymbp.org/reference/WhitePrivilege.pdf

[DanieMarie]

Re: prejudice against white people

People forget how big of a role small pox played as well. Whole first nations populations were wiped out by small pox, which really helped with the numbers game.

[Doc_Holliday]

Re: prejudice against white people

I really don't want to get involved so I am going to throw in a fact from my area.

Natives in my area get major bonuses if they register a native status card. No tax on many items, free tuition among tons of other bonuses. And I think thats all good and they deserve a break.

But most Natives are too scared to get one because persecution from people of mainly European decent towards these Natives when they get these breaks is insane. People feel like they are over privileged and get everything handed to them. I could register as 3rd generation Huron-Wyandot because I have the bloodline easily traceable, but I'd rather not due to the social trouble.

Also I look white plain as day and I notice my privileges are more than those with visible Native qualities.

That is all.

[B. de Corbin]

Re: prejudice against white people

No one gets handouts here because university is (almost) free....and not just to Germans either. Anyone can study here from anywhere, for the same price.

If you're poor, you can get loans, scholarships, and grants to help pay for your cost of living.

Now, see, that seems entirely fair to me. The problem is that here, in the U.S. there are racial quotas, as Rick pointed out, and government aid is (in many cases) tied directly to ethnicity.

If, instead of doing it that way, government aid were tied to "need," a big problem would evaporate - those who need the money would get it (whatever the ethnicity), and the resentment which some people feel toward a blatantly skewed system would go away.

There are poor people, many of them - for historical reasons - are minorities, and the key to improving their lives (and thereby improving the lives of everybody) is education. But a system that attempts to balance out percentages (which are not "people," merely mathematical concepts) at the expense of individuals (who actually ARE people) is certain to create discord and ill will - and that is counterproductive to everybody.

Such a system is far more likely to create or deepen prejudice than it is to reduce it. Nobody likes to feel as if they've been screwed over, but, as soon as somebody says "Sorry, you're the wrong ethnicity, so you are SOL," they have been screwed, and they feel it.

On the other hand, most people have enough compassion that, as long as they feel that help is there for them if they need it, they are willing to give it to others.

[Denarius]

Re: prejudice against white people

Natives in my area get major bonuses if they register a native status card. No tax on many items, free tuition among tons of other bonuses. And I think thats all good and they deserve a break.

That brings up an interesting point related to me. I am biracial, and I lived on a reservation pretty much my whole life. I, as a tribal member, qualify for pretty much every government benefit set up for natives. However, I am also white as far as most people are concerned.

Does that make me exceptionally privileged? Does my brother, who is half mexican and thus brown, have more of a right to those benefits than I even though we have the same amount of native blood?

Not addressing that specifically at you Doc, you just got me thinking.

[ChainLightning]

Re: prejudice against white people

That brings up an interesting point related to me. I am biracial, and I lived on a reservation pretty much my whole life. I, as a tribal member, qualify for pretty much every government benefit set up for natives. However, I am also white as far as most people are concerned.

Does that make me exceptionally privileged? Does my brother, who is half mexican and thus brown, have more of a right to those benefits than I even though we have the same amount of native blood?

Not addressing that specifically at you Doc, you just got me thinking.

It's that thought, alone, that has me second guessing "white privilege". Thank you, Denarius! I've settled a couple thoughts.




I won't argue that there is or isn't such a color-based discrimination of privilege. But I will expose the concept of privilege for what it is, a gift FROM someone other, generally higher up the social ladder. The social ladder. A cultural construct that puts some people in far better position financially, medically, geographically... whatever, and puts other people at a severe disadvantage, for all those same aspects of life. I should say fruitful, meaningful and reasonable life.

But! The knife cuts both ways. While color, race, gender, ethnicity... whatever difference can be easily and verifiably defined, for the purpose of ensuring some sense of discriminating favor upon some group or another, that privilege is not, by any means, equally distributed. White privilege, Native privilege, European privilege, pick-a-faction privilege, it is by definition aimed exclusively. Exclusive.

Meaning NOT inclusive. I don't get privileges afforded to pick-a-minority. Scholarships, tax breaks and what-have-you are not aimed at me. So, now, the question, however ridiculous it is, becomes, why am I discriminated against and have to pay more, can't go to college, can't get hired due to minority quotas, etc., etc.? It's a stupid question. It still deserves a smart answer.

It's because there is no such thing as a "level playing field" unless the one in control of the field can methodically, mathematically and demographically level the field, according to their own standards of "level". Seriously, every single person is a minority, if you play the demographics, right. There's just the simple fact that some minorities aren't ASSIGNED a minority tag, for the purpose of privilege or social/cultural gains.

Whether one admits to color being a discriminating factor or not. It exists. Around the world. And not always along the same color chart.

End of story.






(Again, thank you Denarius, for helping me clear that mental haze up, after reading all 7 pages of this mess!)

[monsno_leedra]

Re: prejudice against white people

Well non-Whites have been forcibly sterilised in the past, so the Whites have ensured that the non-Whites didn't have the chance to have those 12 kids and raise them.

You know actually that is bs. If you look to the many eugenics programs that were tried in the US and the population comparisons then there have been more whites sterilized than people of color statistically wise due to population size. If you look at census records you find birth rates and family sizes are about the same based upon time period. Granted clear records for many blacks are not clear until 1870 - 1880, 1850 - 1870 for slave and freeman records and Native American until about 1900 - 1910 with the Dawes Rolls but the information is still about equal.

[Medusa]

Re: prejudice against white people

Picked this up from the "Unpopular Opinions" thread -

Do "white people" (whatever that is) deserve to be blamed for the bad things that have happened, or are happening,to people with other skin colors?

No. Unless they have an actual hand in the bad thing.

[ChainLightning]

Re: prejudice against white people

I'm still having a hugely difficult time with blame existing, at all, let alone a tool in racism/counter-racism bs.



Just saying.

[Rowanwood]

Re: prejudice against white people

Perhaps off the subject, or maybe right on it, I took a quiz from Project Implicit today, facilitated by Harvard. My results were thus:

https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/Study?tid=-1

(Your data suggest a moderate automatic preference for African American compared to European American.)

I think it must be because I'm a terrible racist...or something? I don't know what I think about the testing method, but I found it interesting.

[monsno_leedra]

Re: prejudice against white people

Perhaps off the subject, or maybe right on it, I took a quiz from Project Implicit today, facilitated by Harvard. My results were thus:

https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/Study?tid=-1

(Your data suggest a moderate automatic preference for African American compared to European American.)

I think it must be because I'm a terrible racist...or something? I don't know what I think about the testing method, but I found it interesting.

Might be on my end but the link would not work for me

[Rowanwood]

Re: prejudice against white people

Looks like the results page expires; my mistake. Well, you can take the test here -- and my results are as noted.

https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/