White professor discusses white privilege in America.

I would like to here thoughts on this topic from the ATS White Population.

www.dickshovel.com...
White people need to acknowledge
benefits of unearned privilege©
by Robert Jensen
This article appeared in the Baltimore Sun newspaper and was written by a Caucasian professor of journalism at the U of Texas. A followup piece can be found here. www.dickshovel.com...

Here's what white privilege sounds like: I'm sitting in my University of Texas office, talking to a very bright and very conservative white student about affirmative action in college admissions, which he opposes and I support. The student says he wants a level playing field with no unearned advantages for anyone. I ask him whether he thinks that being white has advantages in the United States. Have either of us, I ask, ever benefited from being white in a world run mostly by white people? Yes, he concedes, there is something real and tangible we could call white privilege. So, if we live in a world of white privilege – unearned white privilege - how does that affect your notion of a level playing field? I asked. He paused for a moment and said, "That really doesn't matter." That statement, I suggested to him, reveals the ultimate white privilege:

Eh the further i went into the post the more it sounded like he is trying to convince himself that there was something else there to his success. It wasn't that it may have been but it HAD to be.

to make it worse he says this

"Like all white Americans, I was living with the fear that maybe I didn't really deserve my success"

I feel no such thing. Given how large the "white" population is our experiences are going to be incredibly diverse therefore it makes it absurd when someone tries to speak for our experiences and thoughts in such a simple cut and dry manner.

and it ended with the whole cliche walking into a store and not get hassled bit. I have had this happen to be numerous times in the the company of other whites as well

Very interesting article.

I think there's something to the notion of white privildge. But that doesn't make the individual white person racist in any way. It simply means they benefit from something most have never given thought to.

I did want to address one concept in the article; the notion that being a white person means you are inherently less threatening than a person of color. Again, I understand the point; there is a very negative stereotype especially with young African-American males.

I'm going to get flamed for this, but I'll admit it anyway. I have a knee-jerk reaction whenever I see an African-American male or any teenager dressed in "gangster style" clothing. If I'm in my car, I automatically lock my door. If I'm walking down the street, I cross to the other side. I also do this with any males of any color, maybe because of my past experiences. But to judge someone so quickly and based entirely on their fashion choices...that's wrong. Luckily its just a knee-jerk reaction and after that intial moment I can move past it.

I'm very dark skinned, Native American heritage. I also tan very easily in the summer. Growing up, I was often mistaken for an African-American. And one thing I do know is there's a difference between the way African-Americans and white people were treated back then. When someone viewed me as African-American, I felt more watched and people in general were more suspicious. Definite difference.

So...very interesting article. Definitely makes you view things from a different point.

S&F

I wish I had some of that privilege.

I've never seen that kind of privilege, ever.

People call me white because I have really fair skin, so why can't I get any of that privilege?

You see, people may talk about white privilege because all they see is white people, but it's really just a few white people screwing the world in the na,e of their idiotic greed.

Originally posted by smyleegrl
Very interesting article.

I think there's something to the notion of white privildge. But that doesn't make the individual white person racist in any way. It simply means they benefit from something most have never given thought to.

I did want to address one concept in the article; the notion that being a white person means you are inherently less threatening than a person of color. Again, I understand the point; there is a very negative stereotype especially with young African-American males.

I'm going to get flamed for this, but I'll admit it anyway. I have a knee-jerk reaction whenever I see an African-American male or any teenager dressed in "gangster style" clothing. If I'm in my car, I automatically lock my door. If I'm walking down the street, I cross to the other side. I also do this with any males of any color, maybe because of my past experiences. But to judge someone so quickly and based entirely on their fashion choices...that's wrong. Luckily its just a knee-jerk reaction and after that intial moment I can move past it.

I'm very dark skinned, Native American heritage. I also tan very easily in the summer. Growing up, I was often mistaken for an African-American. And one thing I do know is there's a difference between the way African-Americans and white people were treated back then. When someone viewed me as African-American, I felt more watched and people in general were more suspicious. Definite difference.

So...very interesting article. Definitely makes you view things from a different point.

S&F

its very interesting that you mentioned "clothing" because this quote is from a fellow ATS member..

Originally posted by Alyssa
Most black men don't realize it's not YOU people hate it's the hypermasculine macho thug vibe you let off. To be honest if a normal dressed black man was walking behind me I'd have no problem, but if it were a stereotypical thugged out black man I feel most people would feel uncomfortable.

What a load of bologna. People are successful because they have the skill, and if some company hires someone with less skill than someone that doesn't, then they are selling themselves short.

"We don't hire the top quality people"

Is that any business's motto that you've heard?

Oh by the way, I'm white, and I've never had the privillage he's talking about. Sounds like he's trying to convince successful people that their s*** isn't so hot. Let's knock everyone down a bit!

How about sports teams stop recruiting black kids so much? It's like they have a privillage us white folk don't have.

Originally posted by satron
What a load of bologna. People are successful because they have the skill, and if you don't have them over someone that doesn't, then some company is selling themselves short.

"We don't hire the top quality people"

Is that any business's motto that you've heard?

Oh by the way, I'm white, and I've never had the privillage he's talking about. Sounds like he's trying to convince successful people that they're s*** isn't so hot. Let's knock everyone down a bit!

How about sports teams stop recruiting black kids so much? It's like they have a privillage us white folk don't have.

cmon, you still have baseball, soccer, horse racing, hockey...etc.

reply to post by beatbox


Much better at explaining than my attempt. That's exactly what I meant. And I feel just as threatened when the white guys do the gangster dress, too.

Originally posted by beatbox

Originally posted by satron
What a load of bologna. People are successful because they have the skill, and if you don't have them over someone that doesn't, then some company is selling themselves short.

"We don't hire the top quality people"

Is that any business's motto that you've heard?

Oh by the way, I'm white, and I've never had the privillage he's talking about. Sounds like he's trying to convince successful people that they're s*** isn't so hot. Let's knock everyone down a bit!

How about sports teams stop recruiting black kids so much? It's like they have a privillage us white folk don't have.

cmon, you still have baseball, soccer, horse racing, hockey...etc.

You miss the point completely. People should be desired not because of the color of their skin, but the things they can offer.

Originally posted by EvilSadamCloneYou see, people may talk about white privilege because all they see is white people, but it's really just a few white people screwing the world in the na,e of their idiotic greed

Yes precisely. This is the logical fallacy that is seen in the privileged argument not just for whites but for whatever.

The people who propose this theory see the government and other sources of power and see men set up at the top therefore conclude that the system is setup up to benefit men and largely white ones at that.

the problem is many of us will never see the same power and influence the select few do and we have no hand in putting them in this place to begin with.

The select few get their for a few reasons

A.They do in fact genuinely enjoy a privilege. Say being born into money or a family of influence

B. they clawed their way to the top by any means they could.

C. They got their through genuine honest hard work.

Further the theory proposes that whites are giving out a helping hand to other whites behind the scenes. Mind you its a bit far fetched to assume that the select few white men who are screwing up the world with their greed and such give a damn about others including white people. remember that the white privilege theory is based around the notion that whites don't even have to think about race in their daily lives thus the average white man in power wouldn't have any concern about preserving or protecting his own "kind" because he never came from a background where race was an issue or sticking together with his brothers was stressed. In his mind it would be simply a case of "me me me."

The old racial guilt trip again, eh?

I must be unique, because everything I've ever had, have now, or will ever have, I've earned by the sweat of my brow, and the work of my hands. It wasn't given to me because of my skin color. In fact, I spent a good portion of my life working in an industry that has an institutional bias against white males.

So excuse me if I don't buy into the "white privilege" nonsense. Is there privilege, yes. Is it a stereotyped one size fits all? Not even remotely.

No, there is no "white privilege" in the US. There used to be decades ago (even though there shouldn't have been), but not any more. Whites are put down, shut out, belittled and made to feel guilty these days for simply being white. There are no advantages whatsoever to being white, and in fact it is often argued that there are disadvantages. I'm not saying that this is wrong or right, it's just an observation from someone who grew up in the 60's and has witnessed a major change in the US in his lifetime. The way I look at it a balance is being sought and it's still going to take a while for it to sort itself out.

That article sounds like a BS report I would have written in High School. I am not arguing that being white in America doesn't have its benefits, but he has not spoken of any specific benefit he received from being white, except one....not looking threatening when leasing an apartment or making a purchase. He spoke in circles throughout the entire article not truly defining what his actual point was.

I am white, I am American, I look threatening to most, so his story does not reflect me being white in his white society. I have tan skin, I'm not pasty white does this mean I have to be pasty white to be white in America? No. But it further proves my point that he is making over exaggerated assumption based on the small community of white people that have made up his life.

There are opportunities out there for everyone, some smaller than others but every opportunity is a step towards a bigger picture, a picture that you must create from your own will to do or not to do, to try or to lie, to fight or be fought.

For those that can't wipe their own @$$, sorry but it's time you learn.

lol @ white people acting like discrimination against minorities suddenly ceased to exist

Why don't black people feel black guilt? I mean, they do commit most of the murders in the US, even though they are a minority population.

They should just quit buying guns, or maybe they should outlaw it amongst themselves.

So since the caucasian race, as of 2012, is the minority are we going to get the same treatment as the blacks? Turn about is fair play right? I mean.. it's hard bein a white man in the black mans world

Black, Hispanic, Asian and mixed-race births made up 50.4% of new arrivals in the year ending in July 2011.

Non-Hispanic White Births Now the Minority in U.S.

ETA: I tried to confirm this article by looking at other sources and I saw a few from Fox and CNN. Weirdly though, I went to the 2012 census on Wikipedia and it still shows the caucasian's as the predominate race in the U.S. so I wonder if someone hasn't updated it yet. Just FYI.

Awsome thread!
Star and flag!

reply to post by Illegitiminoncarborundum


Whites are not the minority, they are the majority. They are 70% of this country.

There are a lot of white Mexicans that would be considered "Hispanic". The word does not show the race of the person.

reply to post by RealSpoke

Really? Because that's not what articles are saying.. you got a link to your claim? Wikipedia is the only source that would most likely agree with you. Only problem is Wiki is only as credible as you or I, since anyone can edit that site.. my source above says different.

ETA: The fact that whites are the minority has been seen coming for a long time.. it was even predicted a few years ago by economists.

Originally posted by satron

Originally posted by beatbox

Originally posted by satron
What a load of bologna. People are successful because they have the skill, and if you don't have them over someone that doesn't, then some company is selling themselves short.

"We don't hire the top quality people"

Is that any business's motto that you've heard?

Oh by the way, I'm white, and I've never had the privillage he's talking about. Sounds like he's trying to convince successful people that they're s*** isn't so hot. Let's knock everyone down a bit!

How about sports teams stop recruiting black kids so much? It's like they have a privillage us white folk don't have.

cmon, you still have baseball, soccer, horse racing, hockey...etc.

You miss the point completely. People should be desired not because of the color of their skin, but the things they can offer.

i got your point completely sir....and you are right but i believe its more of athletic ability then just skin color..