White Privilege VS POC Disadvantage

[One Brow]

You can't even answer when I asked what can I do to make a change

I did answer. I said I don't live your life, so I don't know what your situation and opportunities are. You probably wouldn't want me to dig into your life that deeply.

You know who does live your life? You do. Be aware. Look around carefully. Listen and read skeptically.Perhaps you'll never have an opportunity to make a large difference, but the odds are pretty good you can make a few small differences over the course of the year. Many people making small differences (kind or understanding words, courtesies, etc.) is in some ways more important that the few who make large differences. For one recent example from my life, on a windy day, I saw a train ticket fly out of a black guy's hand right before the train came. It was easy to see how upset he was, so I told him that if we were asked to present tickets, I would tell the officer what I saw. He visibly relaxed. Most white people just would not have been that upset about it to begin with. The small actions matter.

I never said I didn't want change. That's just you putting words in my mouth and trying to make me a bad guy. I care for everybody but admitting I'm privileged changes nothing.

I agreed the admission, in and of itself, changes nothing. It's what you do in response that makes the change. However, no one else can tell you what to do.

 

[One Brow]

Thanks twinkle toes!

Anyone else want to challenge me on the Miss Piggy thing? Do you think she’s playing a Caucasian, or a person of color?

I don't disagree that she's playing a Caucasian, in the sense that we assume any puppet who has not put on specific ethnic characteristics is playing Caucasian. So, it's really our assumptions about Miss Piggy that make her Caucasian.

 

[One Brow]

POC put on that mask all the time. They perform as “whites”, and it gives them the privilege in question.

Except, it only grants them partial privilege. They never have full acceptance, and get no tolerance for error.

 

[One Brow]

Things like high employment rate for minorities? What about prison reform?

Personally encourage the hiring of minorities, and support prison reform.

Illegal immigration is known to hurt legal minorities by pushing down wages.

Playing one minority group off another is not helpful.

Abortion kills how many black people a day keeping minority status dropping even further.

It's much easier to build wealth with a small family than a large one. Fewer children improves status.

Welfare systems that keep people from working and making a life of their own.

Welfare doesn't stop anyone from working, unless the job is so low-paying welfare is actually better. If more jobs were unionized, getting them would be better than welfare.

What about the complete lack of talking about inner city gun violence while elected officials on both sides thrive off that systematic ********?

I hear about inner city gun violence all the time. What do you think are the solutions?

Homelessness in California and Hawaii?

So, support more public housing projects, right?

Hell yeah I'm privileged. I do not support systems and policies that keep these poor people poor and under privileged.

Good. I welcome you to the side of the liberals.

I know you all will disagree and scoff at this post but thats my honest beliefs. is there more I can do and change? Of course.

I prefer well-studied solutions to honest beliefs. They work better.

 

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What is it that you would like to do, or see done, to help this person achieve more?

For a start, be offered entry-level management positions at the same rate white people with similar background are.

 

[checkbookdoc]

Methinks many don’t want to admit that they’ve been blessed with white (male) privilege, because doing so would admit that they were born on third base.

This is a good example of what I was talking about in the OP. I actually agree with the entire idea of this post, but it is phrased in a way that discredits the achievements of whites (males). I think this idea could have been communicated in a way that does not diminishing the hardships of anyone and is therefore less divisive. Sticking with a baseball metaphor, you could have instead suggested something like "POC automatically start off with a strike". Furthermore, saying whites started on third base suggests that the fair solution is to take away good things from them, as opposed to elevating all people up to the same level.

Did you consciously select a phrasing that discredits white males and suggests they should have a harder life? If you did do this on purpose, why? If not, why do you think that you defaulted to these concepts/phrasings?

My interest is sincere. I am not trying to pick a fight or dismiss the importance and reality of inequality issues.

 

[Engorged On Unborn Gore]

I don't disagree that she's playing a Caucasian, in the sense that we assume any puppet who has not put on specific ethnic characteristics is playing Caucasian. So, it's really our assumptions about Miss Piggy that make her Caucasian.

The white construct works the same way, and on the same assumptions.

We assume, for instance, that it is reasonable and right to put Germans, Brits, and French under the same canopy of “white” as if these people are the same.

They are not.

 

[checkbookdoc]

And no one is claiming that there are not other forms of prejudices and hardships. But why do white people get upset about this one in particular? It's not a personal failing by having benefited from a system that is in place.

My OP is trying to get at one of the reasons why people get upset with this topic. White privilege is typically presented in a way that discredits the achievements and struggles of whites, rather than recognizing the disadvantages and injustices faced by others. A version of this is seen in your last sentence where you discuss "benefiting" from a system rather than not having been "hindered" by the system. In other words, white privilege is often presented as a way to achieve equality by diminishing whites, instead of by elevating everyone to the same level. I appreciate and believe in the importance of recognizing the concept of white privilege, I just wish it was phrased and discussed a little differently. I know that with my own friends and family this more sensitive phrasing has been useful in helping them.

 

[Engorged On Unborn Gore]

Except, it only grants them partial privilege. They never have full acceptance, and get no tolerance for error.

What you are identifying here is the white hierarchy, which begins with the Royals and ends with POC who pass as “white”. The attributes of sycophancy is unavoidable once you accept and enter into a hierarchy.

So they get what they trade themselves for.

As long as we continue to utilize this construct, elites will remain at the top. And the poorest Caucasians among us will continue to settle for the narcotic scraps of supposed “white supremacy”.

But the term “white privileged”, even if it is accurate on the privilege part, is rendered ridiculous by the construct. It will always be easy to refute because of the hierarchy that “whiteness” creates in the first place.

Why? Because the poor are in perpetual crisis mode and cannot see past their own trauma.

The “white” construct offers them an opiate of identity, completely tied to nationalism. It is the first thing we should destroy if we want true equality and equity.

 

[gandalfe]

The best simple description of privilege I've read, that makes people understand it, was by John Scalzi.

In the role playing game known as The Real World, “Straight White Male” is the lowest difficulty setting there is.

https://whatever.scalzi.com/2012/05/15/straight-white-male-the-lowest-difficulty-setting-there-is/

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

If you are that offended by the term white privilege you need to work on your white fragility

 

[One Brow]

Did you consciously select a phrasing that discredits white males and suggests they should have a harder life? If you did do this on purpose, why? If not, why do you think that you defaulted to these concepts/phrasings?

My interest is sincere. I am not trying to pick a fight or dismiss the importance and reality of inequality issues.

The reason that sports metaphors are so rampant in this discussion is that, for many, this is a competition. Ultimately, it does not matter whether people see this as taking something away from whites or helping blacks. Both will be met with about the same amount of resistance.