White Privilege- real or not?

[kat180]

So Im well aware I could get burned by starting this thread. Arguments may well ensue, or it could just be ignored completely (people aren't liking the race threads right now), but I find it a very interesting subject and always like to hear what other people have to say on it.

So- is there such a thing as white privilege? I've read (not on here) several people saying yes and many cases of people reacting very badly to the idea of it. (Some retaliate with Black privilege(?) ).

Do all white people have white privilege- or just the rich ones? Or those who live in certain ares (perhaps area where clear divide between races).

Feel free to post your thoughts, experiences and ideas on here. Hopefully we can get an interesting discussion going (and hopefully people aren't fed up of talking about this) without the sarcasm or drama.

[CurlyHairedFarmer]

Here we go.

I think rich people have privilege.

[Piglet]

I think there's definitely white privilege. I also think there is rich privilege and thin privilege and other privileges.

[kat180]

Not to mention male privilege....

[MizKerri]

Of course it is real. I'm not really sure how anyone could think it isn't. Even the poorest of poor have some kind of inherent privilege because they are white.

[sassysuzanne]

If you know the definition of it, it cannot be denied. There are many types though...(of privileges)

[gekko422]

I think there's definitely white privilege. I also think there is rich privilege and thin privilege and other privileges.

This

Not to mention male privilege....

this

Of course it is real. I'm not really sure how anyone could think it isn't.

and this.

[curlyarca]

Of course it doesn't. I don't know how I'd get through life if I could not blame Dick and Jane for everything.

It is just something non-white people have come up with so they can slowly take over the world.

[kat180]

I know that on reading an article written by a black woman (or posted up by a black woman) about white privilege some comments were along the lines of 'absolute BS', 'if I wrote an article about Black privilege I would be called racist and loose my job', 'thats right blame us for everything' etc etc. I can only assume these were written by white people and thought they were interesting reactions. I don't understand the comment about Black privilege however.

[daydreamer]

As a young black woman I will say that yes there is White privelege. I see it an awful lot. I think some people are confused about the term. So I'll try to explain it the best way possible. For example, White privelege is when a White person receives a promotion before a Black co-worker. It doesn't matter that the Black person has worked at the company longer, comes in on time, rarely calls off and works extremely hard. And the White person is late to work, calls off frequently and barely does their job yet still gets the promotion. It does NOT mean the White person went to their boss and said "Give me the promotion because I'm White and he/she is Black". I've had things like that happen to me from time to time. I also believe there is rich privelege and even pretty people privelege etc. I've noticed on here that some people think that if they have enjoyed White privelege it means their racist and that's not the case. Sometimes you enjoy certain perks without even knowing the reason or thinking that it was something else that allowed you to have those perks and that's fine. But I wish certain people would open their eyes and see what's going on.

[Springcurl]

Originally Posted by MizKerri

Of course it is real. I'm not really sure how anyone could think it isn't.

Exactly what I was going to say.

[~Ghost Poster~]

Originally Posted by MizKerri

Of course it is real. I'm not really sure how anyone could think it isn't. Even the poorest of poor have some kind of inherent privilege because they are white.

This.


What do you call a black millionaire doctor? A n***er.

Excerpt from a joke I heard yesterday: A box of white brains is marked $1.00/lb; a box of Mexican brains is marked $2.75/lb; a box of black brains is marked $1000/lb. Why are the black brains so much more expensive? Answer: Well, do you know how many black people it takes to come up with 1 lb of brains?

Yes, there are many, many people from all walks of life who truly feel this way about blacks just by virtue of the fact that we are black--that's why these jokes exist--sort of "truth in jest."

White privilege only doesn't exist in a vacuum; so if you believe that, that must be where you're living.

ETA: You = gy

[~Ghost Poster~]

Black privilege doesn't exist. It's only a weak, baseless theory concocted by racists trying to justify their racist beliefs and actions.

[PartyHair]

Originally Posted by gekko422

This

this

and this.

All of the above and this:

Black privilege doesn't exist. It's only a weak, baseless theory concocted by racists trying to justify their racist beliefs and actions.

[LoloDSM]

I voted yes for all white people, but I'm not sure this is completely true. I think it is acceptable in certain circles to make fun of poor white people in a way that no one would make fun of minorities. For example, I know of people who have hosted "white trash" parties where guests are supposed to dress like poor white people, drink cheap beer, and eat "white trash" food (ie "white trash sushi rolls" which are dill pickles rolled in cream cheese and dried beef and cut into small pieces).

Another incident sticks out in my mind. I was at a work function one night, and a co-worker was making fun of the toothless white people in Missouri. Another colleague said sarcastically "I just love rich white people who love poor black people and hate poor white people." Unfortunately, in my experience, this is pretty true.

Of course, most of my friends and colleagues are upper middle class white people who vote Democratic and are outspoken against racism. They just happen to be classists who are perfectly comfortable of making fun of white people who shop at Wal-Mart or are missing a few teeth.

[kat180]

http://hiphoprepublican.com/2006/04/...privilege.html

[kat180]

I suppose an example of 'black privilege' would be some comments of my dad saying:

The government only wants to help '******s, gays, immigrants'. They get all benefits/get away with anything in attempt to be PC

(This is approx example of things he sometimes comes out with)

btw- Im not saying there is such a thing as black privilege- though that could also be discussed- but this is what I assume people mean when they talk about black privilege

[~Ghost Poster~]

Originally Posted by kat180

I suppose an example of 'black privilege' would be some comments of my dad saying:

The government only wants to help '******s, gays, immigrants'. They get all benefits/get away with anything in attempt to be PC

(This is approx example of things he sometimes comes out with)

btw- Im not saying there is such a thing as black privilege- though that could also be discussed- but this is what I assume people mean when they talk about black privilege

This fits my definition of "black privilege" to a "T."

[PartyHair]

Originally Posted by LoloDSM

I voted yes for all white people, but I'm not sure this is completely true. I think it is acceptable in certain circles to make fun of poor white people in a way that no one would make fun of minorities. For example, I know of people who have hosted "white trash" parties where guests are supposed to dress like poor white people, drink cheap beer, and eat "white trash" food (ie "white trash sushi rolls" which are dill pickles rolled in cream cheese and dried beef and cut into small pieces).

Another incident sticks out in my mind. I was at a work function one night, and a co-worker was making fun of the toothless white people in Missouri. Another colleague said sarcastically "I just love rich white people who love poor black people and hate poor white people." Unfortunately, in my experience, this is pretty true.

Of course, most of my friends and colleagues are upper middle class white people who vote Democratic and are outspoken against racism. They just happen to be classists who are perfectly comfortable of making fun of white people who shop at Wal-Mart or are missing a few teeth.

There are plenty of people who host parties making fun of Black people - there was a whole rash of instances in the past two years or so of college students hosting these types of parties.

[kat180]

So I suppose another question is, is there such a thing as Black privilege?

I can understand it certainly can seem so- but then since discussing issues like that on here, I have started to wonder whether Ive only ever thought that because my father comes out with comments like these.

Or whether there is a tiny percentage of black privilege around, in an attempt not to be racist- though granted it is nowhere near the scale of white privilege.

I dont know.