White Guilt Awareness Day

I came across this rather interesting article while surfing the web. Putting aside the many references to the "Right vs Left" paradigm, I think it does a good job at highlighting how ridiculous the notion of "White Guilt" truly is.

This article is NOT racist.

This article is NOT designed to make people forget about past injustices.

It is NOT an excuse to demonise non-White minority groups that live amongst majority white populations just because of their race and/or ethnicity.

The article DOES suggest that there is an agenda at work in the West to make White People feel bad and guilty because they were born with a certain skin colour, or feel bad because they have pride for countries with majority White populations.

White Guilt Awareness Day - Human Events

(This article was written by Caroline Rushing, and can be found on the website www.humanevents.com)

If you are straight, white, and male, please stand up. Congratulations, you are more privileged than you probably ever realized. Because of your blessed birth, you are responsible for the victimization of thousands of your underprivileged peers. You may not be aware, but implicitly you hate, resent, and distrust everyone who does not look like you. How does this make you feel? No, do not answer. Instead, allow us to tell you how you should be feeling. You should be feeling extremely guilty and ashamed, and in order to move past your racist tendencies and make amends for being born privileged, you should apologize to those you victimize daily. Now, tell us how you feel.

[To read the full article, please click the link above the extract. Try hard not to get caught up in the Left vs. Right debate, that is not the real issue.]

[edit on 4/4/2010 by Dark Ghost]

I was born white, denied a college scholarship because of racial quotas, was qualified for a position at a local company but denied promotion because of racial quotas.

I don't know what my ancestors did, but because I am white I will pay the price.

I'm white so I am already privileged, I have more opportunities in life, so I've been told.

I am white so anything I say here must be racially motivated.

I am white and if I criticize our president, I must be a racist.

I am white so I am guilty.

I am white guilt.

reply to post by Dark Ghost


While the article points out a lot of privileges that white people have that they don't give much thought to, the rest is pure, self-indulgent, political bait and opinionated tripe. C'mon. Feeling victimized because of their privileges? And blaming it on the "left"... It's a bunch of divisive nonsense. It sounds like the writer took part in a diversity day, felt guilty and is attacking those who "made" her feel that way.

This divisive political and racial bait is the LAST kind of thing we need here on ATS.

White people have more advantages?
When growing up, I was denied a scholarship as well, cause I came from a white middle class family and was male.
I have never shirked from taking any job, and usually am willing to start at the very bottom, to include pay, as most of the lowest paying jobs are all held by white people, last time I heard, it was 17% of the labor force who are white, take over 80% of the lowest paying jobs.
I have to watch my tongue, can never really say what is on my mind, or demand something I am not entitled to.
I have endured reverse discrimination on the worse levels, only to be told there was nothing that I could do about it.
Yes my ancestors did own slaves, but then again I am not them, and in all of the arguments that I have heard, I have yet to hear why I should pay more than someone who is not white. I did not prosper from them owning slaves, have no assets or bennifits from such. If I stand up and say I am proud of my heritage or the fact I am white, I am condemmed as a racist. So what should I feel guilty about or proud about?

I fall under all three of the classifications mentioned in the article. I know for certain that the article is incorrect, and in my opinion the article is as much a failure as is the practice of discrimination itself.

[edit on 4-4-2010 by SunIsSon]

reply to post by Fractured.Facade

I was born white, denied a college scholarship because of racial quotas, was qualified for a position at a local company but denied promotion because of racial quotas.

LOL...really...they told you you were denied because of racial quotas? And the company didn't hire you and told you the reason was because of racial quotas?

I think you are lying.

Maybe you just weren't smart enough and weren't qualified enough for the scholarship and job.

you don't seriously believe what you just typed....do you???

Affirmative Action (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

2nd Line.

How ridiculous.

I'm white, I know what my ancestors did to people, however, I am not them.

I refuse to feel guilty or more "privileged" than other races for the mistakes of my ancestors.

I also think it's hogwash that I am more privileged, with affirmative action rampant throughout the West. Which is a racist practice I might add.

Sure the "Elite" white folk are more privileged, cause of their family dynasty fortunes. Everybody today in the west has the same opportunity.

Sure there is suffering and some have it worse than others, but the tools to success are there, you simply need to take advantage of them.

~Keeper

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
While the article points out a lot of privileges that white people have that they don't give much thought to, the rest is pure, self-indulgent, political bait and opinionated tripe. C'mon. Feeling victimized because of their privileges? And blaming it on the "left"... It's a bunch of divisive nonsense. It sounds like the writer took part in a diversity day, felt guilty and is attacking those who "made" her feel that way.

Your reply shows that there is some truth to the arguments of the article. In fact, your reply suggests EXACTLY how White People have been conditioned to view their race and identity. You almost have yourself convinced, don't you?

This divisive political and racial bait is the LAST kind of thing we need here on ATS.

This thread is NOTHING of the sort. Do you not see the injustice in expecting people to feel guilty and ashamed of their skin colour and heritage just because people with the same colour skin as them did bad things in the past?

[edit on 4/4/2010 by Dark Ghost]

White people should feel guilty in no shape, way, or form. Sure, my ancestors owned slaves near 200 years ago, black slaves that is. But how many CURRENT, MODERN DAY blacks living in the motherland Africa own blacks.
Would it not make sense that blacks should feel guilty about themselves for owning/selling/trading others of their own race?

Originally posted by OutKast Searcher
reply to post by Fractured.Facade

 

I was born white, denied a college scholarship because of racial quotas, was qualified for a position at a local company but denied promotion because of racial quotas.

LOL...really...they told you you were denied because of racial quotas? And the company didn't hire you and told you the reason was because of racial quotas?

I think you are lying.

Maybe you just weren't smart enough and weren't qualified enough for the scholarship and job.

you don't seriously believe what you just typed....do you???

There are people that deny the holocaust too. but we all know what hitler did..

It is well documented that whites don't get lots of things because of racial quotas (sometimes)
It is also true that (some), not all liberals, go along and feed this agenda, either by being silent, or openly supporting it, because of the political correctness of social justice, and most liberals love being politically correct and also are this way because their fellow liberals would excommunicate them rather quickly otherwise.
I bet seeing me say this , many would automatically ass-u-me I am white wouldn't they? maybe, maybe not. does that matter? I think only the truth matters, not skin tone influencing interpretation.

This is a good post by the OP and I agree with it, there has been an agenda for a long time, it has helped the liberal machine quite well, without this agenda there wouldn't be so much trouble right now. And it is profitable to liberals to keep this going. Liberals and liberal groups need victims or they are dead in the water!

White, and personally not guilty.. so.. not guilty..

What happened to not grouping and judging on an individual basis?

I'm white, therefore I am? pleeeeez.. bait

Originally posted by Dark Ghost
Your reply shows that there is some truth to the arguments of the article. In fact, your reply suggests EXACTLY how White People have been conditioned to view their race and identity. You almost have yourself convinced, don't you?

There IS some truth in there. But it's mostly covered in BS. I don't know what you think I have myself convinced of, so I can't really answer that. I am convinced of nothing but the facts.

Do you not see the injustice in expecting people to feel guilty and ashamed of their skin colour and heritage just because people with the same colour skin as them did bad things in the past?

I absolutely do. But looking at the facts of white privilege does not equate to shaming and making people feel guilty. That's the author's perception. I am FULLY aware of white privilege and I feel NO guilt whatsoever. That's why I say the author felt guilty and was looking for someone to blame.

What a load of old c**p. Why on earth should someone feel ashamed for something they haven't done?

reply to post by Dark Ghost


Err Hello

The article is written by an avowed ultra right wing magazine. If you believe this to be the truth well that is your divine right. I do not hold white people guilty for the activity of their ancestors. I do hoild all people responsible for their actions and racism has not died out . I will give you the benefit of the doubt and say that you are misinformed...

[edit on 4-4-2010 by Tiger5]

Sounds like the article was written by a conservative girlfriend of a guilty white man.

In order to ignore the obvious political baiting we need an op source that is more than the white apologist right wing written article we were linked. A second and third source for topic fodder devoid of political leaning would lend more body and roundness to the topic.

On topic I am white no guilt here. I believe it is a completely left invented political notion. Probably used in tandem with reparations. Just like the government invented racism they invented this too.

It all boils down to the left keeping division alive and well.

If op wants left and right out of thread don't introduce yourself. Poor debate form.

Are statistics available that can clarify who the majority of white slave owners were in the past?

It seems unlikely that the "average" or poor white person of that time would have the means to "own" a slave. I assume that some average or even poor people of the time did "own" a slave, but it just seems unlikely that the majority did.

It seems more likely that the slave owners would have been the ELITE who owned large estates or plantations rather than the average citizens.

Please consider that the elites who supply us with our means of energy and our means of transpertation also are blaming the general population for the environmental problems of the world.

The ELITE own the energy companies and clearly each individual ELITE consume vastly greater amounts of energy than the average individual consumers do.

Yet the ELITE blame the average citizens for buying and using the energy they produce and sell to us.

If infact the majority of the AVERAGE American citizens of the time did own a slave, it surely must have been the ELITES who had the means to own the sailing ships that traveled to Africa to purchase or capture the slaves that they sold to the average citizens.

I point this out as it appears that the ELITE are the actual cluprets and benefactors behind most of the atrocities that the average American citizens are blamed for. This is NOT to excuse anyone who "owned" a slave by the way.

It does seem that the ELITE are continuously setting the average citizens up into scenerios that benefit the ELITE, and then pointing the finger at the average citizens.

Are the ELITES trying to divide and create anamosity between our American brothers and sisters of all races and beliefs to weaken us?

If the ELITES wanted to distract us from their atrocities and control us by creating in fighting and hate and division amongst the citizens, they certainly are doing a great job.

Lets now turn our attention to the attorcities the ELITES are forcing on the "minority" races of the rest of the world...

Lol this is a joke. Only if your in a "sheeple" mind set, you will feel guilty. Lets face it, people did this. Not "white" people.

reply to post by Fractured.Facade


I don't doubt that you have experienced bias treatment based on skin color. i think it is essentially unavoidable, and that you will face both prefferential and discriminatory treatment at some ppoint. However from studying the human resources industry I can pretty much guarrantee you that it was not based on a quota system. If you have proof it was call a lawyer cuz I think you are in for a serious pay day.