White Privilege

[FloridaYankee]

@SixFoot

I tried concrete work in in Ft. Lauderdale once… in June… That first day on the jackhammer… holy crap. Then this hurricane came charging in and I danced in the rain as if I summoned it myself.

30 minutes later, imagine my disappointment in learning that down there, thunderstorms just mean a smoke break, not the end of the work day…

That’s funny. I moved here six years ago, never seen rain like we get here.

[WuWei]

@FloridaYankee

@WuWei

@FloridaYankee

Do you disagree that some of the effects of systemic govt. sponsored racism still linger today?

That’s too vague to answer. Linger where?

Many places. The hiring practices of small business would be one example.

Then yes, I disagree.

[WuWei]

@PurpnGold

“Black privilege”

It doesn’t exist in The System?

[WuWei]

@PurpnGold

@WuWei

Stop.

What are the downsides of being white in America?

If you are being honest about what you posted, you have issues that go far beyond this discussion.

I know you aren’t. You answered differently the last time I asked that question.

[WuWei]

@SixFoot

@PurpnGold

@SixFoot

I wouldn’t know, I’m not wealthy, I’m just rich.

You have to be wealthy to know that?

Yeah, you kinda have to be on the inside to actually know what you’re talking about from the outside.

You may think a rich kid’s life is all rainbows and privilege with nothing to complain about, but that’s coming from the outside looking in.

You’re right. It just dawned on me, the privilege is always yours, never mine.

[PurpnGold]

@WuWei

If you are being honest about what you posted, you have issues that go far beyond this discussion.

I know you aren’t. You answered differently the last time I asked that question.

Look I enjoy being black regardless of the downsides. I don’t deal in hypotheticals that can’t possibly be true (me being white).

However I decided to play your game this time and now you are… disappointed? Silly questions get silly answers.

What are the downsides of being white in America?

[FloridaYankee]

@WuWei

@FloridaYankee

@WuWei

@FloridaYankee

Do you disagree that some of the effects of systemic govt. sponsored racism still linger today?

That’s too vague to answer. Linger where?

Many places. The hiring practices of small business would be one example.

Then yes, I disagree.

I can think of probably a dozen contractors right off the top of my head who won’t hire blacks. It’s how they were raised, to think of them as inferior. They are mostly throwbacks to a different era in my opinion. Getting old, retiring, dying whatever. I do see new younger guys with the same attitude, but not so many these days. They’re out there though.

[SixFoot]

@PurpnGold

Look I enjoy being black

As you should. It’s OK to be black.

[PurpnGold]

@WuWei

It doesn’t exist in The System?

Not in America.

Got any examples?

[zantax]

@PurpnGold

@SixFoot

Just this will do.

Then I gave examples in previous posts.

The entire government was built for and by white people (not your fault btw, it just is).

The existence of Affirmative action, public accommodation laws, CRA. (Not your fault)

The existence of the 13th and 15th amendment. (Not your fault)

If white people wanted to avoid black people… they could, fairly easily. Black people don’t have that luxury. It doesn’t even need to be purposeful. White people can accidentally avoid black people. (Not your fault)

Is Ebonics a dialect that would get me a job at Google? Ever heard of “code switching”? (Not your fault)

How would White people feel if the entire Police Department in your city, was black? Would it feel comfortable? This is the black experience today. (Not your fault)

Now imagine that the entire prosecutors office is black. And all of the judges at all levels of the judiciary are also black. Would you feel privileged? (Not your fault)

Bottomline is privilege is a feeling. And often people don’t know they have it. It doesn’t mean you are at fault for having it. It just is. I couldn’t begin to describe the black experience in America and it hard to have white americans understand it. That’s why it is important to have sensible conversations about it. I’ll end with this example:

I am the only Black person in my wife’s family. My wife’s family had a reunion back in Ohio that we were preparing to go to. As we were packing our bags my wife asks “are you nervous?”, I said “nervous of what?”. She then says “Well you are going to my family reunion, you are going to be the only black person there”, she then says “Actually, you may be the only black guy IN TOWN”.

I responded “I am not nervous, I have always been the only black person”

A little bit of symbolism there… but the fact remains… because I am a minority in this country… I expect that things aren’t necessarily built for me. I am always the one.

Plenty of places with majority minority police forces and government in this country. If that’s a major concern, move. Oh and there are still white people living in those places that face the same thing from the other end.

[STODR]

@FloridaYankee

Went straight into concrete work, hopped a bus to Texas and did more concrete work, 12 years total, and been in residential construction since. Had a cabinet shop for fifteen years, now do custom walk in closets for the wealthy. One closet for the trophy wife can cost more than all the furnishings in my home LOL.

There are a lot of those in your neck of the woods

[WuWei]

@PurpnGold

I don’t deal in hypotheticals that can’t possibly be true (me being white).

You are forgetting the 13% factor. White men built the government because they were 100% of the government-making population at the time; not because they were white.

I have been much more of a minority than you can even imagine - a tiny fraction of a percent. No AA, CRA even vote. It wasn’t because I am white. No, I wasn’t a slave. No, I wouldn’t trade race or even nationality, which I could have done.

Don’t try to say you would change your race if you could. Shock doesn’t work with me.

Downside to being a white male? Being constantly accused of being the root cause of everyone who is not a white male’s problems.

[WuWei]

@PurpnGold

@WuWei

It doesn’t exist in The System?

Not in America.

Got any examples?

Sure. Quotas, weighting college entrance.

[PurpnGold]

@SixFoot

Your privilege comes from not knowing any of the white people living in black neighborhoods, or their struggles that come with it.

You mistake is not understanding White privilege.

You live in a country built for you and by you (not you personally). It’s the systems built around that that give you privilege. For examples there were poor white and black living In 1960 Montgomery Al… but no matter how poor the white person was… the system of government favored them with nicer bathrooms, water fountains, libraries etc.

That is the ultimate privilege and it’s not your fault that you have it.

What you choose to do with your privilege is not my concern as long as it doesn’t Negatively impact me.

[SixFoot]

@PurpnGold

You mistake is not understanding White privilege.

Your mistake is thinking you get to decide what exists for people outside of your race and what doesn’t.

You have freedom. Use it. Get rich when some dumbass wants to be racist towards you at work. You’ll win without any sort of hard efforts needed, almost like having some kind of privilege in the world of lawsuits.

[PurpnGold]

@WuWei

You are forgetting the 13% factor. White men built the government because they were 100% of the government-making population at the time; not because they were white.

Ok. So what? Are you saying they didn’t understand that there were black people around? They created a system of government and didn’t understand black people were around?

@WuWei

Downside to being a white male? Being constantly accused of being the root cause of everyone who is not a white male’s problems.

Omg .

Whew. I have to deal with words.

[PurpnGold]

@WuWei

Sure. Quotas, weighting college entrance.

What’s the black privilege there?

[conan]

Sure beats eating nothing but string beans for 2 weeks straight…that was only thing that was ready to pick/harvest.

Even to this very day it’s hard to eat string beans.

[PurpnGold]

@SixFoot

Your mistake is thinking you get to decide what exists for people outside of your race and what doesn’t.

You have freedom. Use it. Get rich when some dumbass wants to be racist towards you at work. You’ll win without any sort of hard efforts needed, almost like having some kind of privilege in the world of lawsuits.

You aren’t telling me anything that I don’t already know. I am talking about systems. You are describing system usage.

[SixFoot]

@PurpnGold

@SixFoot

Your mistake is thinking you get to decide what exists for people outside of your race and what doesn’t.

You have freedom. Use it. Get rich when some dumbass wants to be racist towards you at work. You’ll win without any sort of hard efforts needed, almost like having some kind of privilege in the world of lawsuits.

You aren’t telling me anything that I don’t already know. I am talking about systems. You are describing system usage.

You’re talking about “white” privilege. It’s a unicorn that doesn’t exist.