Is White Privilege really a thing? <<Moderator Warning>>

Let me say that racism and white privilege does exist; everything else being equal, it is better to be white than black, just as being a man or straight is easier than being a woman or gay, but that reality is being used to discount the very real suffering of an increasingly larger number of increasingly poor whites. The cry of Racism!, Sexism!, and other —isms are being used to hide the reality that almost all Americans are being slowly grounded into dust.

Just as the White Nationalists use the suffering of whites as an excuse to blame blacks and immigrants, so too do the “liberal” political class blame the Deplorables and cry White Privilege whenever poverty especially of whites, but really of anyone, is brought up.

Saying white privilege, racism, or sexism is a problem to a homeless person will probably just cause anger. The homeless person would probably agree with but their concerns are more about shelter and food than any —isms.

So instead of reducing life to slogans perhaps we should focus on the suffering of individuals? Food, clothing, shelter, work, racism, sexism, homophobia and all? For I find the lack of what I need to just live the most hateful thing of all.

 

Taking healthcare away from middle class folks impoverishes them...

 

Some got nickels...some (like me) got tax increases

Yea...in the stock market. Big whoop

 

If you're white and you deny white privilege, you either don’t have many people of color as friends, (basically none) or if you do have any as friends you know very little about them aside from what they do for a living and what restaurants they like to eat at. Because if you seriously asked a person of color what their lives have been like, you would find out they've had very different lives and many experiences that you've never had or could never even imagine having.

 

corps got a much bigger permanent tax cut, the middle class got a temporary carrot of a tax cut - I call that a corp tax cut bill....

 

Thank you white person for being the savior that People of Color didn't know they needed.

 

I believe the following to be true. The mainstreaming of the term "white privilege" will unequivocally result in a meteoric rise of white nationalism, civil unrest and terrorist attacks. The rising violence will be used as justification for our government to strip away rights and institute authoritarian rule. I believe this is the end goal. We have elites determined to obliterate our founding documents and principles to be replaced with a system where they don't have to share power, wealth or freedom with the masses. They are playing at a level above you so don't understand their long term goals.

 

Yeah black people don’t realize that they’re being discriminated against. They need white people to tell them. Women are aware that the sexism out there it’s those damn feminists that are telling them. There is nothing like a white male telling women and blacks how they perceive things

 

That money comes through taxes and usually at the expense of the middle class

 

I agree! That's why I'm glad HumblePI is there to lead them, Moses-like, to the promised land.

 

The existence of white privilege is a given, and people who deny that are ... misinformed at best, but it is being used deny the suffering of others; I mean I am white, but I am always just this close to being homeless, and I have seen a lot of homeless whites including families, that are homeless. Telling me about my privilege when I am so hungry again that I can’t think would be problematic.

Would anyone justify telling a father whose children are living in a van that they have white “privilege?” Would anyone be comfortable telling a white woman who had enjoyed Harvey Weinstein’s attention that they have white privilege so sexism doesn’t matter? Does anyone really believe that the father or the woman would not be justified in wanting to slug someone? “Your child’s homelessness/your rape is not as important as your white privilege!” Pow!

How about telling a rich black man that his wealth means that his suffering from racism means little? Pow, perhaps?

This thread empowers the already powerful because they use the poverty, racism, and sexism to further divide the abused. I see to many people using their victimization to justify ignoring the victimization of others, which helps the victimizers get away with it.

So just how do we acknowledge and work to fix all these problems without playing the Victimization Olympics?

 

Interesting that you, a privileged white male, wants to complain of being "this close to being homeless" and being "so hungry again that I can’t think" would dare compare your situation with a wealthy black man being pulled over by the KKKops for "speeding." As @Renee can tell you, being a white woman who was denied the ability to apply to Harvard has damaged her in ways that your hunger can't begin to fathom. As our jails are packed with people of color and white women with graduate degrees like Renee, you should beg forgiveness from those who, while materially may be better off, are still not white males.

 

Yes, I was so damaged..lol...but thank goodness I “was cured” when most of the things denied women were changed. Great medicine!

 

As a white man you don’t even see the privileges you had. You weren’t automatically not hired because you were white. You were interviewed with suspicion because you were white. Expectations for you weren’t lower because you were white.Yes of course there are many poor white people and there are rich black people but the reality is black people start the race from behind.
What does sexism have to do with racism? They are two different topics

 

If you mean black, I am sure you're correct. If you mean brown, I am sure you may be correct. If you mean yellow, I am sure you are incorrect.
.

 

Good grief. Hunger is hunger. As is being homeless. As is seeing children homeless. Sleeping without a home, in the weather. I am not so lost in identity as to deny our common humanity. I am not so lost in my pain as to the deny the pain of others regardless of their identity.

People keep using identity to usurp the conversation and to deny other people's reality. When the suffering of poor people are discussed, if they happen to be white, their "white privilege" is used to dismiss it; when the sufferings of blacks, or women, gays, or whoever is likewise brought up their sufferings are minimized their suffering likewise. The White Nationalists use the very real, and sometimes horrible, misery of all whites to gain power as does the Democratic Party use the justified fear of the White Nationalists to maintain power.

It is not in the interest of the leadership in our society's power structure to acknowledge the suffering, the want, and the needs of all, but rather to uplift the suffering, wants, and needs of group over another. By playing down white poverty the Democrats gain political power from many others, by playing up white suffering, and down playing all other kinds of misery, the Republicans/White Nationalists gain political power from many whites. Divide and conquer. Frankly, while I will never support the evil of White Nationalism, anyone who down plays me and mine's suffering gains my enmity. Just as you, yourself should be angry with anyone denying your suffering.

This whole thread over whether white privilege is a thing, which is as obvious a the nose in one's face, only supports the powerful remaining powerful, as does using the fact of that existence as an excuse to destroy others, which is what hunger and homeless does.

 

When you feel that sting, and they get their drop of blood, just remember that it's still better to be the horse than the fly.

 

For those of you who really believe white privilege exists, then take a look at this video and ask yourself if this guy's privilege helped him. If the races were reversed the media would be screaming, hollering and calling for Trump's impeachment.


Shocking video shows mob pummel man outside Minnesota’s Target Field
https://nypost.com/2019/09/13/shocking-video-shows-mob-pummel-man-outside-minnesotas-target-field/

 

Well when I ventured out into the working world in the early 70's I worked alongside women in construction and in shipbuilding and in fact they wanted to get women into those workforces and advanced I'd say they had more privilege in some ways. In my first two jobs my bosses, leadmen and foremen, were black. I'd say they had more privilege than me. I have worked with women and blacks at all levels some being the decision makers as to whether my product would be purchased. I'm still trying to find this privilege it is asserted I have.

 

Both of mine boys went into the Marines out of high school. One aftet 8 years and many combat deployments and back injuried was retired out but took his training and works on heavy equipment for a Caterpillar dealership/service center and makes a very good living. The other is now a Major and will retire in about 3 years, unless he goes for Colonel, YES, and be picked by a contractor or the government with his clearance and expertise. There is no white privilege in the Marine Corp, they earned everything they got.

 

Sorry but white hunger is not as severe as the hunger of POC. Don't try to claim because you were hungry that you didn't still enjoy white privilege.

Well, when one group is an oppressor group and every other group is a victim group of that oppressor, the needs of the victims outweigh the selfish wants of the oppressor class.

 

I lose my job I'm going into heavy equipment operation! Great field with good money. And you are unlikely to have to be paged at all hours. Thank you for your sons service. They sound like exceptional men.

 

You don’t see it because you see the world through a white mans eyes!

 

Many female marines will disagree with you.

 

The oppressor class? Okay, dude. Let’s demonize entire groups of people as the evil ones because of some physical traits. It’s the white devils in this example. The Alt right is blaming mud people or the Jews. Fine, it’s the color of their skin and not the content of their character.

But no. Being hungry is a curse and seeing those crowds homeless people that I can so easily see suffering, their lives made a ruin, because of some inherent physical trait, is an evil and foul thing.

Anyone saying a homeless child or a hungry man is an oppressor merely because of their skin color has lost themselves to hatred. More, they themselves are serving our oppressors for I go hungry and others go homeless as well because it is to the benefit of those doing the oppressing that we do so. Just as the carceral state with its murderous police, it’s war on drugs, people of color, and poor people of any color likewise serves the monied oppressors.

More and more Americans go homeless everyday day, just as hunger, disease, and despair. Death is death and it comes in many forms. Whatever disagreements, even strong dislikes, I have with others, I will not dismiss their suffering unlike some others.