The Best Explanation of White Privilege?

[bankside]

That's not what white privilege is. White privilege is the fact that if you're riding a bike through a nice neighborhood cops are inordinately unlikely to stop you and ask where you got the bike and generally harass you as if you stole it.

white privilege, when the system basically works for you because you're white. it's basically when you receive beneficial and favorable treatment in society for being white when you wouldn't receive the same treatment if you were another skin color. it works on all levels in society including the institutional level where the government is involved. the irony is that when the same thing is done towards non-whites at an institutional level which is done to help reverse the effect of institutional racism such as affirmative action, you have some whites calling it "reverse racism". another example of white privilege at work.

like what thatgirl said, one way of acknowledging it's existence is pretending that it doesn't exist.

You are missing the point that walking around a park minding your own business is not a privilege, it is a right. If white people experience a happy day at the park, that is not privilege, that is normal. If an ethnic minority person is harassed by racist police, we would not fix the problem by removing white "privilege" and harassing the white people too. Privilege is an empty concept. An intellectual dead end. And it is itself a racist idea.

 

[xbuzzerx]

I just watched local news last night that black students often get unequal punishment from board of education (as brats) in contrary of white/asian students.

A mess

They've done studies where they mix up the racial makeup of classrooms and record the decibel level in the room.

At equal decibel levels, teachers routinely report more black classes as "rowdier" and "more unruly."

 

[bankside]

I just watched local news last night that black students often get unequal punishment from board of education (as brats) in contrary of white/asian students.

A mess

Again, that is not white privilege (or asian privilege), that is racism against black students.

 

[xbuzzerx]

You are missing the point that walking around a park minding your own business is not a privilege, it is a right. If white people experience a happy day at the park, that is not privilege, that is normal. If an ethnic minority person is harassed by racist police, we would not fix the problem by removing white "privilege" and harassing the white people too. Privilege is an empty concept. An intellectual dead end. And it is itself a racist idea.

You are playing semantics. The "privilege" is that you are, if white, inordinately less likely to have those "rights" challenged.

 

[Stoowii]

That's not what white privilege is. White privilege is the fact that if you're riding a bike through a nice neighborhood cops are inordinately unlikely to stop you and ask where you got the bike and generally harass you as if you stole it.

Perfect example.

 

[bankside]

You are playing semantics. The "privilege" is that you are, if white, inordinately less likely to have those "rights" challenged.

Nonsense. That's what the meaning of the word "privilege" is. Civil rights activists, black, gay, female, whatever, are not fighting for their own share of privilege, they are fighting for the recognition of their equal rights. The whole "privilege theory" is an unsupportable dead end that would prolong inequality.

 

[refujiunderground]

You are missing the point that walking around a park minding your own business is not a privilege, it is a right. If white people experience a happy day at the park, that is not privilege, that is normal. If an ethnic minority person is harassed by racist police, we would not fix the problem by removing white "privilege" and harassing the white people too. Privilege is an empty concept. An intellectual dead end. And it is itself a racist idea.

no, you're not getting it.


white privilege is when you get the benefit of the doubt without even being questioned about anything simply because you're white. people basically assume that you are a good person, that you mean well, that you haven't been in any trouble and etc because you're white. even if you do something wrong like adam lanza shooting an entire elementary school full of children right before christmas, white privilege still says that adam is as much of a victim as the kids that he killed are because something was wrong with him. he must have been abused, have had a mental problem, or had something wrong with him because it couldn't be in his nature simply because he's white. had adam been black, there would be no frontline special sympathizing with him, yahoo news coverage or people in america in general feeling sorry for him. historically in society, black people were seen as being no different than animals where there was nothing better expected from them other than to behave like savages, thugs, violent, and evil. so it's expected of a black person to behave that way because they're black. they're not given the same benefit of the doubt that a white person is given.

white privilege is basically when a white person gets preferential treatment for being white when they wouldn't receive the same treatment if they weren't white. ted bundy wouldn't get movies dedicated to him or documentaries made about him if he was black. despite his vicious acts and being a murderous sociopath, he's treated as if he's a normal human being that simply went astray because he's white. there's black serial killers like coral watts that basically aren't treated the same way. had he been white, it would be a different story. there was a documentary on him on forensic files and it was mostly about his victims which were white.

certain factors come into play though such as being poor and etc BUT @ the end of the day, a white person that is poor has more of an advantage than a black person that is poor because they're white. people will give them a chance because in society, "white is right and everything else is wrong". that's white privilege.

 

[ixthrock]

That's not what white privilege is. White privilege is the fact that if you're riding a bike through a nice neighborhood cops are inordinately unlikely to stop you and ask where you got the bike and generally harass you as if you stole it.

...or when you're riding your bike through a "not-nice" neighborhood at night and the cops stop you to tell you it's not safe? This has happened to me - the only time I got harassed going through that neighborhood was by the cops.

In the past, I have incorrectly used the phrase "reverse racism" not to discuss programs like Affirmative Action, but in situations where simply the term "racism" would have sufficed - hatred based on nothing but the accident of skin color.

My dad tried to teach me that life wasn't fair, and that "anyone who expects it to be is setting themselves up for disappointment." I still get disappointed - privileged though I might be.

Yep. I'm privileged to be white. Lord, that sounds ugly and hateful and ...depressing.

Maybe if I could find my way to what Nietzsche called the "master mentality" I'd be a little less disappointed with my privileged lot in life.

 

[refujiunderground]

...or when you're riding your bike through a "not-nice" neighborhood at night and the cops stop you to tell you it's not safe? This has happened to me - the only time I got harassed going through that neighborhood was by the cops.

In the past, I have incorrectly used the phrase "reverse racism" not to discuss programs like Affirmative Action, but in situations where simply the term "racism" would have sufficed - hatred based on nothing but the accident of skin color.

My dad tried to teach me that life wasn't fair, and that "anyone who expects it to be is setting themselves up for disappointment." I still get disappointed - privileged though I might be.

Yep. I'm privileged to be white. Lord, that sounds ugly and hateful and ...depressing.

Maybe if I could find my way to what Nietzsche called the "master mentality" I'd be a little less disappointed with my privileged lot in life.

it's just like the people outthere that are privileged to be straight. that's another way of looking at it.

there's plenty of straight people that put up a fuss whenever they hear about gay rights and marriage equality because they think that we're getting special treatment. they act as if gay people were never and still aren't facing discrimination in society including the institutional level. we might as well call it "straight privilege".

 

[eastofeden]

Pretty much when Reagan privatized the news so that it would no longer be held to any sort of objective bar of how it presented information, which resulted in the fact that news corporations today all just compete with each other for what will get people to tune in and sell ad space and garner ratings, and not what's actually relevant to report.

YES! Reagan.....the gift from hell that keeps on giving.

Rove under Bush kicked it up a few notches. Whenever Bush did something really fucked we got a lead story on Britney...or Paris...the next day. We heard about Janet Jackson's nipples for two weeks. It was funny because whenever I heard a Britney story I immediately wondered what Bush had done.

 

[bankside]

Okay let's break it down with my thoughts in blue.

no, you're not getting it.


white privilege is when you get the benefit of the doubt without even being questioned about anything simply because you're white. Which is just "human decency" not "white privilege." people basically assume that you are a good person, that you mean well, that you haven't been in any trouble again all normal and to be expectedand etc because you're white. even if you do something wrong like adam lanza shooting an entire elementary school full of children right before christmas, innocent until proven guiltywhite privilege still says that adam is as much of a victim as the kids that he killed are because something was wrong with him. he must have been abused, have had a mental problem, or had something wrong with him yes, yes, and yes. Ignoring his abuse, mental problems and other issues will never make gun violence go away.because it couldn't be in his nature simply because he's [STRIKE]white[/STRIKE]human. had adam been black, there would be no frontline special sympathizing with himracism, yahoo news coverageracism or people in america in general feeling sorry for himracism against black kids, not anything special for white people. historically in society, black people were seen as being no different than animals where there was nothing better expected from them other than to behave like savages, thugs, violent, and evil. absolutely true. but seeing people as better than animals, as held to a higher standard than savages, expected not to be thugs, expected to be peaceful, expected to be good - that is also not a privilege. that is a human entitlement. so it's expected of a black person to behave that way because they're black. they're not given the same benefit of the doubt that a white person is given.

white privilege is basically when a white person gets [STRIKE]preferential[/STRIKE] fair treatment for being white when they wouldn't receive the same treatment if they weren't whitewhich everyone should expect. ted bundy wouldn't get movies dedicated to him or documentaries made about him if he was black. despite his vicious acts and being a murderous sociopath, he's treated as if he's a normal human being that simply went astray because he's white. you have got to be kidding me. ted bundy there's black serial killers like coral watts that basically aren't treated the same way. had he been white, it would be a different story. there was a documentary on him on forensic files and it was mostly about his victims which were white.

certain factors come into play though such as being poor and etc BUT @ the end of the day, a white person that is poor has more of an advantage than a black person that is poor because they're white. it really depends where. it doesn't work that way in the UK, where they have been reporting for years that working-class (poor) white males do worse on any measure of social opportunity than any other group. Still an issue today. people will give them a chance because in society, "white is right and everything else is wrong". that's white privilege.

Giving people a chance is, I believe, the American dream, and the dream of many other countries.

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

That applies to white people too. We're all supposed to be able to go for a walk in the park. That dream cannot come for some people at the expense of others. (Why slavery had to go, and why colonialism had to be replaced by free trade between sovereign countries.) But to call the dream a "privilege" is to question the legitimacy of the dream itself. The universal dream. The American dream. Martin Luther King's dream. To call it a privilege is to imply it is illegitimate not just for white people but for anyone. To make it happen for everyone, we have to stop talking about white privilege and start talking about expecting equality.

 

[xbuzzerx]

To call it a privilege is to imply it is illegitimate not just for white people but for anyone.

It is referred to as privilege when some have a firmer grasp on it than others not because of anything they've done to earn it but because of how they were born. And that makes perfect sense.

 

[refujiunderground]

Okay let's break it down with my thoughts in blue.Giving people a chance is, I believe, the American dream, and the dream of many other countries.


That applies to white people too. We're all supposed to be able to go for a walk in the park. That dream cannot come for some people at the expense of others. (Why slavery had to go, and why colonialism had to be replaced by free trade between sovereign countries.) But to call the dream a "privilege" is to question the legitimacy of the dream itself. The universal dream. The American dream. Martin Luther King's dream. To call it a privilege is to imply it is illegitimate not just for white people but for anyone. To make it happen for everyone, we have to stop talking about white privilege and start talking about expecting equality.

you can say whatever you want BUT i'm talking about what's happening now. if you think things are going to move forward, think again. the younger generation that's coming up is let's just say that they're the products of the no child left behind act, in other words, they're ignorant as fuck simply because they're not educated on many things. things are going to get much worse come the end of the decade.

 

[JJW234]

Personally I think this forum is one of those places where I wish I never have to talk about races etc

can we just stop please?

 

[monomark]

This is kind of an odd way to make my first post here at JUB, especially since I've been lurking so long in the various porny sections, but I figured I'd share some links that are relevant to the discussion.

I think the OP needs to do a google search and read an essay by a white feminist writer her name is Peggy McIntosh. McIntosh wrote a powerful essay about white privilege in 1988.

Here it is: White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack

And this one is also useful: How To Talk To Someone About Privilege Who Doesn’t Know What That Is

 

[MisterMajestic]

Why is it hard for people to grasp this? Can anyone shed light, spill tea?

DigitalFudge....You've created an interesting thread that should be easier for you to shed a Light on than any other person on this site.....You have disclosed in this forum that you are Biracial and you were raised by your White & Black Parents. YOU are the only person in this thread that grew up relating to BOTH Cultures. You SHOULD be informing US not the other way around. The rest of the Guys in this thread were not raised by Interracial Parents...

Have you discussed issues about White privilege with your White parent and if so what response did you get?

Your thread is VERY personal to White Jubers and you owe it to us to tell us your experience since you were raised by a White Parent. I'm surprised you havent said a single word about your own experience...

 

[Rolyo85]

Personally I think this forum is one of those places where I wish I never have to talk about races etc

can we just stop please?

You're certainly welcome to not read the topic if it upsets you.

 

[JJW234]

You're certainly welcome to not read the topic if it upsets you.

it doesn't upset me I just think race is a waste of time and stupid

and if we as a society want to move on we just have to stop seeing people color

 

[Harke the Boeotarch]

A mess.

Yes, your thread.

Incidentally that comic does still not apply to many white Americans , who had to do it all themselves and never had any black slaves or even servants.

 

[Rolyo85]

it doesn't upset me I just think race is a waste of time and stupid

and if we as a society want to move on we just have to stop seeing people color

Yes, also we should clone unicorns with rainbow tails, cause then everything would be gayer, but since we DON'T live in a color-blind society, nor will we die in one, not talking about it solves nothing.