White Privilege?

[Doc]

This interaction is what spurred this thread


it is not about equality. It is about having advantages that are greater than equality. That is the problem.

And that is also the proper definition of white privilege fwiw. No point to be made, only addressing the posts on the matter above.

Rather than muck up yet another one, I figured to separate it out.




One of the many terms of the year..."WHITE PRIVILEGE" is supposedly a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to Caucasians.

Sorry but every person has some "privilege" based on their physical appearance. Ever try getting picked up for a basketball game at Seneca park? I have, as the only white person there, I didn't get the privilege of playing. In HS, I wanted to play basketball but that was a no go based mostly on the color of my skin. Instead I opted for soccer (the white kids sport). You think for a minute that Obama would have been elected president were he not African American? You think attractive men and women don't have an advantage over "ugly" ones? What about skinny over fat? Or somebody with an unblemished face over somebody with a big tattoo? There are dozens of other examples. But too often these advantages are used as an EXCUSE for somebody's else's failure. Me being white never taught me a damn thing. It did not make college easier for me. I put in the work, I did the sacrifice, I presented myself in a positive manner. Being "white" was simply a characteristic... not any inherent advantage.

What some see as a trait advantage, I don't. I see it as a cultural one. As a rule, white / Caucasian / suburbanites tend to value education. Until the urban / black communities starts to put a value on that, they won't have the same opportunities. As a product of busing, I saw the woeful emphasis on education placed on inner city kids. Growing up my parents emphasized school and behavior. I went to school, I got good grades, I usually behaved in school. And if I didn't, my ass got beat! That standard is rarely seen in the inner city. Truancy, drug use, excessive absentee are all norms in the inner city schools, and until the family emphasizes the value of an education, expect nothing to change.

I also tend to emphasis appearance. My kids would never go to school with their pants around their thighs, nasty ass undies handing out. Dress like a thug and expect to be treated like a thug! And I don't care if you are a white kids or a black kid. You come dressed like this,

https://www.modernthrill.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/white-gangsta-fail-jacket1.jpg
or this
https://fashionbombdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/The-New-Boyz.jpg

and I got no use for you, or no job for you. And if you have any interaction with a law enforcement officer, they are going to be bias that you are a thug. Who are you going to treat with more respect...A or B
A
https://talkingdrumsblog.files.wordpress.com/2018/08/successful-confident-black-business-man-arms-folded-looking-strong-powerful-handsome-african-american-modern-businessman-pose-86822430.jpg

or B
https://lastfm.freetls.fastly.net/i/u/770x0/d9b5717dd90b95acca137cb4ddf687df.jpg

As a white male, I don't have Affirmative Action going for me. I can't check any of the boxes on an application designed to meet quota. Some would claim welfare is a "black privilege", as is mediaid. There are all kinds of programs to assist minorities that are not available to Caucasians (edit: that is not to imply welfare and medicaid are not available to Caucasians...they are). Personally I have no issue with that so long as my success is not minimized because of my skin color. Hard work, dedication and smart choices had far more to do with my success than the color of my skin.

In the above quoted posts.... the current protests are about desired inequality. BLM wants people who resist arrest, who fail to follow police officers directions, or who steal their weapons to be given a pass. If a Caucasian were to do any of those things, I hope and expect they would be treated in the same manner. I can find dozens of incidents on the web. Is part of white privilege learning to actually listen to and respect the police? Years ago I was arrested, and it never occurred to me to not comply with the officer..... or resist arrest.... or grab his taser. What some see as unequal treatment by police is not. It is a response to bad behavior. Is this bad behavior due to lack of discipline growing up...or the color of their skin? I love to see ONE black athlete plead for their community to respect the police as people trying to do their jobs.

Now lets get to "systemic racism". What the hell is that? The call is "we are a racist nation". Show me ONE SINGLE law that is racist (well, racist against minorities). Jim Crow laws were removed decades ago. There are tons of "anti-discrimination" laws. Violence against minorities for the simple reason of race (and sometimes not simply for race) are deemed "Hate Crimes" and the perpetrators are subjected to increased punishment. Give me an example where inhibiting the actions of somebody based EXCLUSIVELY on race occurs. If you do, I will be all in favor of change. The closest thing I have seen is the unequal punishment for crack vs powder cocaine...which was courtesy of Joe Biden! Are there many instances ofpersonal racism? Absolutely but you can't legislate that out. Of course rioting and looting only helps to perpetuate that. Call for reparations do the same.

[Darryl]

Post of the year. I grew up in Eastern Kentucky, 7 kids and my Dad had to quit high school in his sophomore year (HIS dad died when my father was 2). We all started working early (I sold pot holders I made when I was 6).

We never missed school unless deathly ill, all 7 graduated from college via loans, workships, scholarships, etc. 1 MD, 1 RPh, 1 police officer, 1 prison administrator, 1 game warden, and 2 prison guard officers.

When the liberals throw that “white privilege” BS around so casually, it is every bit as offensive to me as someone using the N-word towards black people.

Doc, I would reallly like to meet you. We would probably be close friends.On a personal note, we are having a rough time right now. We lost our Frenchie 3 weeks ago (had him 6 years) but worse, we lost our Goldie last week. We are devastated by losing her; we bought her 3 weeks after losing Nathan and she became our comfort dog. 12 years of love.

Darrtl

[catmanjack]

Very good and truthful post, problem these days is no one wants or expect the truth.

[Doc]

Post of the year. I grew up in Eastern Kentucky, 7 kids and my Dad had to quit high school in his sophomore year (HIS dad died when my father was 2). We all started working early (I sold pot holders I made when I was 6).

We never missed school unless deathly ill, all 7 graduated from college via loans, workships, scholarships, etc. 1 MD, 1 RPh, 1 police officer, 1 prison administrator, 1 game warden, and 2 prison guard officers.

When the liberals throw that “white privilege” BS around so casually, it is every bit as offensive to me as someone using the N-word towards black people.

Doc, I would reallly like to meet you. We would probably be close friends.On a personal note, we are having a rough time right now. We lost our Frenchie 3 weeks ago (had him 6 years) but worse, we lost our Goldie last week. We are devastated by losing her; we bought her 3 weeks after losing Nathan and she became our comfort dog. 12 years of love.

Darrtl

Nobody likes me...except Mick, and his judgement has been questioned over the years.

Sorry about the dogs. It is a tough thing. Of course I deal with it daily, or almost daily. It can be devastating. I am a big French Bulldog fan. Much healthier than the English ones which is what we have.

My father left home at age of 17, moved to Cali (from NY), leaving my mother and older brother there. Did it so he could get an college education since he had no family support (His alcoholic father died when my father was 15, and his mother was pretty much not involved). California allowed him a college degree, but not because he was white. They offered it to all. A year later my mom moved out, and they had me, while my dad was in school at night and working as a delivery guy during the day. A couple years later they had my sister, while he was still in college and working delivery. Thru hard work and wise decisions, he moved up the corporate ladder to be extremely successful. He wore a suit and tie and never asked for anything. Did not blame his lot in life on anything other than his parents. He vowed to pay for the education of ALL his kids.... and did so. 5 kids, all 5 have college degrees....some more than 1 ;) I vowed to do the same. I started saving early, doing prepay college despite not making a huge income. We scrimped and saved to make those payments.... and are damn proud of it. We didn't rely on the gov't or blame our lot in life, which is why I am not for "Free college" for all. You have the kids, you pay for their education. Its called being responsible. Same with health care. I have no issue with helping for college or health care but it certainly isn't a "give away".

I think every family has a similar story. Successes are not made by others, as Obama suggested when he credited teachers, and the roads, etc.... for your success. Likewise failures are not others faults. Successful people overcome rather than blame.

[kingcat]

All that is good and well but every term has its definition. And that is the definition of the term.

There was some question as to that in the posts previous to mine. But this is interesting none the less.

[KentuckyWildcat]

which is why I am not for "Free college" for all

I work for a college. The government can't fund us right now with help of tuition. How are they going to fully fund us?

My white privilege was a dad working 80 hours a week. Waking me up at 2 am on a school night to go to work with him. A) because he needed help B) because the work was dangerous. I've seen mom put his boots on to go to work because he could not bend over. My mom had to work a lot as well. I was working in tobacco and hay at a young age to help my grandfather. Yeah...he paid me, but it wasn't much. But the family needed the help. And we were the wealthy ones around here. Many nights our friends stayed all night, not because we wanted a sleep over with friends. But because they didn't have food or heat in the winter. I didn't figure this out until later in life.

Bezos with his 200 billion and the millionaire celebrities and athletes can kiss my ass.

[kingcat]

I don’t view it as a derogatory term myself. Although that depends on how it’s applied.

At least no more than Jewish privilege if you moved into their community and tried to compete against the locals for business. Or Muslim if a Christian, and even Black privilege in a predominantly minority area.

I believe the issue to which the term applies is the fact I that overall the distinct minority faces challenges that the majority doesn’t see or deal with in society. That can’t and shouldnt be denied. Nor should it be tossed about as an accusation by the minority when acknowledged as fact.

On our forums we have UK privilege, and do not afford Duke fans the opportunity to come here and tout their successes. And all things being even would assist a UK fan with a ticket purchase before the Duke fan if the situation arose.

Very few cases would relate to racism and could be from either group. Yet the majority still holds a natural advantage by sheer numbers.

That is exactly the context Cal used. But it does apply in a more harsh sense in society also...because of the minority to majority population ratios.

[catmanjack]

When white privileged started to surface it was a racial expression from the BLM when they were videotaping young white ladies bowing down to them, so it was a derogatory and very demeaning comment to show their superiority/dominance over these white ladies.
Racial lines are being drawn but I get much more racial tones from the African Americans.

[kingcat]

The term White privilege has been widely used for a long long time. I admit, no matter how it’s used it can make one a little defensive. And it can also be an offensive term within a certain context.

But mostly, it can be defined without disagreement I would think.

[MickintheHam]

The similarities of some of these stories is almost haunting. I consider myself a child of the Great Depression, not because I lived through it but because my parents did. My paternal grandfather dropped dead of a heart attack in 1932. He had been a driver on the Interurban line between LaGrange and Louisville. My dad worked from the time he was 12 delivering groceries and newspapers throughout Louisville’s West End, from Portland to Parkland to supplement the family income. When his dad died, he became the sole support of his mother and siblings. He was an all-state shortstop at duPont Manual and had pro ball aspirations. But, he had to put the dream on hold.

He got a job using the trade he learned at Manual as a miilwright at the Ford Assembly Plant. It was enough money to support the family but not enough to start his own family. When WWII started Ford loaned him to the Naval Ordinance plant where his skills were desperately needed to support the war effort. At night he attended Louisville Tech which was later absorbed by Speed School. Unfortunately, he was never able to save enough to finish school.

After the war his Naval Ordinance experience enabled him to quickly move up the ranks at Ford. He became head of Engineering in Louisville and oversaw the building of two assembly plants, one the largest most modern truck facilities in the world. When he retired, he was not only the only non-degreed engineer at Ford Motor, he was the head of the department. Every year he spoke to the graduating class at Speed on the topic of what you need to know that you didn’t learn at Speed.

One of his proudest achievements was mentoring a Speed Student and having him enter the coop program. He was a kid much like my dad with a tough upbringing. The young man went on to be a consultant in engineering and about 10 years ago made the largest gift ever to the UofL. One of his books was dedicated to my dad and almost every book had some stories about him.

When I started work, the question my dad got most often was “Why didn’t you get your son a job at Ford?” The answer always was “He has to make his own way”. And I did thanks to all that I learned from him.

When I grew older I asked him why he didn’t buy a larger home in a much better neighborhood? He answer was “You need to live below your means”. Save for the unexpected.

We have a world today where those lessons are not taught or learned. Virtually, everyone gets an opportunity in life. It’s not always a matter of privilege. It’s the folks who squandered their opportunities that want the outcomes to be even for all. The world will never operate that way.

[MickintheHam]

Nm

[KentuckyWildcat]

On our forums we have UK privilege, and do not afford Duke fans the opportunity to come here and tout their succes

I feel the same way about Duke fans as I do millionaire athletes and celebrities :)



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[Doc]

Being a fan of a school is not comparable. You choose to be a duke fan, or a UK fan. You don't choose your race. Also it is legal to discriminate against a Duke/UK/UL etc fan. It is illegal to discriminate based on race, or gender, or sexual orientation, etc......

[UKHistory]

Darryl,

I am so sorry you lost your pets. You are in my heart.

Our dog Railey, a retired guide dog, became ill 4th of July weekend (July 3rd) and a week later we made the tough decision to put him down. It is brutal.

You love him so much and he got sick so quickly. It was the right call to end his suffering but there are no words how we feel to lose him.

I will figure out how to add a picture. A little off topic but we share joy and grief among friends.

9649

[KeithKSR]

I empathize with you guys over losing your fur friends. Our 12 year old yellow lab died in June. It hit the grand kids as hard as it did us, Sonny had been around all their lives. He sure did love getting attention from them.

[kingcat]

Being a fan of a school is not comparable. You choose to be a duke fan, or a UK fan. You don't choose your race. Also it is legal to discriminate against a Duke/UK/UL etc fan. It is illegal to discriminate based on race, or gender, or sexual orientation, etc......

But bias is not illegal. It is however an ingrained trait of all humanity and effects everyone both positively and negatively throughout their lives.
Racial bias is as common as chicken soup. And will inevitably afford advantages and disadvantages in society.

Fwiw, I never chose to become a UK fan. As early as I was able to understand the concept of team" I was already a UK fan. As I recall I was a fan of my Dad's family loving UK before I knew what and who UK and old Adolph even were.

I realize that may be rare though.

By the way, I actually thought for a long while this was the other thread that , in fact, spurred Doc's thread, and which Doc quoted from. Sorry if my confusion confused anyone.

In the other thread there was discussion about white privilege and I pointed out that the phrase "It is about having advantages that are greater than equality" which Virginia Cat posted, was in fact the perfect definition of what's meant by "White Privilege"