Eracism and the plight of the black man.
I suppose I should disclaim before I write this. This is not a judgement on some friends of mine, but merely a theory that they have. To put it more plainly, I can disagree with my friends without writing to say things like "Hey, you're a fucking idiot". That's not what this is in any means. I love my friends dearly, but sometimes I highly disagree with things that many people believe in.
((Prepare for a cut!))
Recently it was brought up during a conversation that most white people are subliminally racist and unknowingly are faced with a fringe benefit in America known as "White Privilege". For more reading, consult this weblink: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_privilege.
In critical race theory, white privilege is a way of conceptualizing racial inequalities that focuses as much on the advantages that white people accrue from society as on the disadvantages that people of color experience. Most such theories focus on American and European societal condition, since inequality between whites and non-whites is a long-standing feature of these academic areas. White privilege differs from conditions of overt racism or prejudice, in which a dominant group actively seeks to oppress or suppress other racial groups for its own advantage. Instead, theories of white privilege suggest that whites view their social, cultural, and economic experiences as a norm that everyone should experience, rather than as an advantaged position that must be maintained at the expense of others.
Sometimes I'm faced with a topic of discussion in which I know that there will be no happy medium. It's apparent to me, much like this conversation was, that the people involved had such a belief in this theory that I had little room to speak. It was when I explained that the actions of other people who have a white bias are not on me, and I have never knowingly taken benefit for the sole purpose of my skin color is a "typical white privilege response". Therefore I walked away from the conversation. However, as the weekend progressed I decided I should let out my feelings on the issue here, in a place where people cannot strangle eachother and I feel that I can let my windbag of a mouth get it all out.
Allow me to be blunt. I wholly acknowledge in the case of the black man and woman that many countries are responsible for destroying their culture. In America alone, marriage (if allowed) between slaves sometimes included vows of "till death or separation do you part". Over the course of 400 plus years, black men and women have had their entire culture (especially in America) bootstomped into oblivion. White people and hispanic people with more powerful weaponry turned human beings into slaves and turned their collective existences into such miserable, helpless things. I can only imagine what it's like to be born and die into slavery, never feeling free to live life however you want. I can even conceptualize how bitter and angry that must make someone who is living in a country based on so-called freedoms. I can even callback a previous journal entry (involving illegal immigrants) in which immigrants from Europe were arriving in the boatloads and were immediately given more rights (at the time) than black people who had been born on American soil.
People have been, and continue to be, fucked up. I get it.
White Privilege is the concept that I, as a white man, receive a sort of "psychological wage" that people of color do not. It states that my life is easier than that of a person of color. It states that due to a social and economic system that is weighted to benefit white people prior to people of color that I may be blind to my white privilege because I assume that people of color only need to adopt to -my- standards and that they'll receive the same benefits. It also states that since wealth is passed along from generation to generation, that as a white I have more of a cultural launch pad to success than most people of color.
The wikipedia entry has a few points that I'd like to point out.
Chip Smith paints a quick picture of some additional ways whites are privileged:[35]
Shit, I'm not defending "white people" in this wikipedia entry but what I can say is that there's a long history of people involved in case studies that tend to take case information that proves their point and doesn't account for certain other things. I'd be interested to learn more about this study or follow more of his sources. I'm having trouble finding "Chip Smith" in the references section.
I will also note that if someone gives me sources that prove that the housing market is biased towards white people, I will STILL consider it the actions of dishonest, racist people and not evidence of a "White Privilege". I say this not because I refuse to believe that there's a white privilege, but because I already believe banks to be fucked up, greedy institutions and if they're pulling racial stereotypes as a means to not give out loans then that's just one more thing to throw onto the pile of shit I hate about the banking industry.
After reading over White Privilege, here's where my mind is about it:
It was explained to me during the course of this conversation that things should be "hedged" so that there is a disadvantage against white people so that people of color can "catch up". It was explained to me that there's a level of subliminal racism that all white people feel and act on, such as how we may step aside to avoid a black person walking down the street rather than we would a similarly dressed white person.
My answer to that was "fuck that". Not because I don't want people of color to have equal rights, of course, but that I don't exactly see where creating a society where an entire skin color's worth of people are "hedged" so that another skin color can gain an overbenefit is an answer to "racism". Not to mention, when I refer to whites being "hedged", that's not me admitting that hedging white people would equal the playing field, but moreso that doing that very well could cause hardship on very many people that are not a part of the problem. Racism, per Merriam-Webster, is "a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race". Per that definition, I find that to assume that all whites benefit from "white privilege" and our "culture" is dominant is a racist assumption. It is a racist assumption because it is an assumption made simply by the color of one person's skin, rather than their actions. If people of any color are keeping benefit from people simply because of their skin color, those people need to be thrown into the fire. If people are practicing racial inequality we should all stand together to go to the root of the problem...which are the people committing racist acts and NOT the skin color of the person committing such acts.
As for the "walk on the other side of the street" conversation, all I can really say is this. We have certain "racial/cultural stereotypes" that are strange but evident. I don't mean to be racist when I say this, but allow me to further explain. I would not walk on the other side of the street to avoid a black priest, black man in buddhist robes, black man in the three piece suit, black man in a police uniform, black man in OR scrubs, or a black man in a plain old pair of tee shirt and jeans. HOWEVER, I would walk across the street to avoid "50 Cent" or a black man in a "Black Panthers" jacket. Why? Because it's a partial personal safety tactic. Through the media many rap artists (take "Ridin Dirty" by Chamillionarie for example on a few of these.) rap about bragging about how many warrants are out on them, how they carry guns, how they would shoot a cop, or how many people they've shot. Some of these rap artists have set black culture backwards by presenting black culture in some parts of America as filled with violence and drug use. Ice-T sang cop-killer. Snoop Dog got away with murder. These are very popular members of media that is sometimes designated to be "black" media, but hell I've met Native Americans that are all about Ice Cube. So when we see anyone of any color dressed "thug" style...we cross the street to avoid them not because of skin color, but because "thugs" are most openly equated in our world in the media of rap videos from the 90's that promoted violence. If a "thug" reminds someone of a Dr. Dre video where he's talking about putting a bullet in the side of Easy-E's skull...we cross the goddamned street. Black Panthers have made history books in regards to their race-based mission. Some of them are more social where others have become violent and intimidating. Sure, it's probably because they very deeply believe in the racial defense of black people, but that doesn't mean that a Black Panther may intimidate me merely because of their skin color. They'd intimidate me because I'd be afraid of the ones that might think that I should be hurt or be treated unfairly. I cross the street, my friend, not because the black man is black, but because he's dressed like a "Black Panther" and I just want to avoid that issue. Unfortunately, there are ways for people to display themselves that may trip off a little fear in people. Some people get off on it. Now if someone walks across the street to avoid random black guy A because he's black/white/etc, well then that person's a fucking moron. However, there's nothing wrong with someone giving a wide berth to a person of any skin color because they come across as indimidating due to their dress or because they may be dressed in a manner that reminds someone of something in the media that may set off a personal red flag.
I used to make people give me a wide berth back in my old black trenchcoat days, shortly after the Columbine shootings. It wasn't because I was white, but because of the dark colors, the trenchcoat, and the fact that I had that general "pissed off heavy metal kid" look.
I've never been forced to the other side of the street by a Hispanic male dressed like Luke Skywalker, nor have I been forced to the other side of the street by a Black man wearing a Phoenix Coyotes jersey.
If you can't pin this attitude on me for being white, then I assure you that there are many, many white people in our culture that would agree. This is not a racial response. If anything, this is due to a lack of understanding.
I was raised to believe the ethics of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when it comes to the issue of racism. We should teach our children to live in a world where all men and women of all colors and religions are considered equal, and that we are to judge people on the content of their character rather than the color of their skin. I am just as unwilling to teach my child that he is wrong for being white as I am to teach him that someone else is wrong for being black.
It's getting late so I'm going to wrap this up.
Look, I understand that there are people in this world that have strong opinions on race. I agree that American culture has, across time, rather decimated black culture. However, I have black friends that have very intelligent views on the issue of racism and are the type of people that don't want to blame (as Alan calls it) their white brothers and sisters, but just want to work together to make it all a non issue. We can't allow the actions of the ignorant to turn us against eachother on the issue of race, and to suggest that I should be ashamed for the actions of people that existed over three hundred years ago and that I should suffer to make up for it is downright ludicrous. I am not racist, and I will gladly stand beside people of all skin colors to fight against inequality. In fact, I find racism in itself ignorant. I find it deeply sad that people would suffer due to the color of their skin in which they had no hand in being born with. I find it downright laughable that there are actually people in America that think "'dem niggers is takin over our country!". Fuck that. Fuck all of that. I don't stand for that. I don't represent it. I don't have anything to do with it and I would -never- accept a benefit in life if I was told I received it over a person of a different skin color specifically for that reason. I've stood against racism since I was young and was a part of a massive club walk-out in high school because of racism. I have strong views on it.
So how -dare- you assume that I could be subliminally racist and that I'm blindly benefitting from "White Privilege". I'm slugging it out in a 40 hour a week job and get the same shitty benefits at work. My team of coworkers is predominantly hispanic and I am an "ethnic minority" on the team. I'm in the trenches with everyone else and to say that it's not racist that I should have some sort of "penalty" placed against people of caucasian descent is truly just as racist as suggesting that penalties be levied against people of other skin colors. Judging by skin color is judging by skin color.
You cannot cure racism with racism. It is not our place to apologize of the actions of people over 300 years ago. It is, however, our duty to be better than them and learn from our mistakes. It is our duty as the following generations to be better humans and push mankind forward.
I have taught my son that people of other skin color are different than him because he has white skin. I've told him that a different skin color means absolutely nothing in the terms of intelligence, ability, and whether or not the person can be his friend. Faith and I have taught him that people of other skin colors are different and it can mean so many awesome things in terms of differences in culture, religion, personality, and way of life and that he should find it downright awesome that he has access to learn from so many other peoples' cultures. However, we have also taught him at the end of the day, the color of a person's skin means absolutely jack and shit. It's skin pigmentation. It's skin color. It's no more important than hair color or eye color.
Instead of succumbing to backwards travelling movements such as "White Privilege" or "White Guilt" or "Reverse Racism" (which I find to be a truly offensive term, because it infers that racism does not occur against white people, but only white people are racist against others) we should acknowledge such actions as those of unethical people that do not represent their "culture". People are capable of action, pigmentation of skin does not.
I will not allow myself to be judged for being white, and forever I have vowed not to judge people for not being white.
Racism stops with you. Skin color is a non issue. Live it and teach it and it will come true within a few generations.
Spread the word.
((Prepare for a cut!))
Recently it was brought up during a conversation that most white people are subliminally racist and unknowingly are faced with a fringe benefit in America known as "White Privilege". For more reading, consult this weblink: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_privilege.
In critical race theory, white privilege is a way of conceptualizing racial inequalities that focuses as much on the advantages that white people accrue from society as on the disadvantages that people of color experience. Most such theories focus on American and European societal condition, since inequality between whites and non-whites is a long-standing feature of these academic areas. White privilege differs from conditions of overt racism or prejudice, in which a dominant group actively seeks to oppress or suppress other racial groups for its own advantage. Instead, theories of white privilege suggest that whites view their social, cultural, and economic experiences as a norm that everyone should experience, rather than as an advantaged position that must be maintained at the expense of others.
Sometimes I'm faced with a topic of discussion in which I know that there will be no happy medium. It's apparent to me, much like this conversation was, that the people involved had such a belief in this theory that I had little room to speak. It was when I explained that the actions of other people who have a white bias are not on me, and I have never knowingly taken benefit for the sole purpose of my skin color is a "typical white privilege response". Therefore I walked away from the conversation. However, as the weekend progressed I decided I should let out my feelings on the issue here, in a place where people cannot strangle eachother and I feel that I can let my windbag of a mouth get it all out.
Allow me to be blunt. I wholly acknowledge in the case of the black man and woman that many countries are responsible for destroying their culture. In America alone, marriage (if allowed) between slaves sometimes included vows of "till death or separation do you part". Over the course of 400 plus years, black men and women have had their entire culture (especially in America) bootstomped into oblivion. White people and hispanic people with more powerful weaponry turned human beings into slaves and turned their collective existences into such miserable, helpless things. I can only imagine what it's like to be born and die into slavery, never feeling free to live life however you want. I can even conceptualize how bitter and angry that must make someone who is living in a country based on so-called freedoms. I can even callback a previous journal entry (involving illegal immigrants) in which immigrants from Europe were arriving in the boatloads and were immediately given more rights (at the time) than black people who had been born on American soil.
People have been, and continue to be, fucked up. I get it.
White Privilege is the concept that I, as a white man, receive a sort of "psychological wage" that people of color do not. It states that my life is easier than that of a person of color. It states that due to a social and economic system that is weighted to benefit white people prior to people of color that I may be blind to my white privilege because I assume that people of color only need to adopt to -my- standards and that they'll receive the same benefits. It also states that since wealth is passed along from generation to generation, that as a white I have more of a cultural launch pad to success than most people of color.
The wikipedia entry has a few points that I'd like to point out.
- Evidence shows that traditional psychological and academic assessment is based on skills that are considered important within white, western, middle-class culture, but which may not be salient or valued within African-American culture.
Chip Smith paints a quick picture of some additional ways whites are privileged:[35]
- Whites are offered more choices; 60%-90% of housing units shown to whites are not brought to the attention of blacks.
- 72.1% of whites own their own home opposed to 48.1% for African Americans
- 46% of whites had help from their family in making down payments on homes compared to 12% for African Americans
- Whites are half as likely to be turned down for a mortgage or home improvement loan
- Whites pay on average a 8.12% interest rate on their mortgage, lower than the 8.44% African Americans pay on average
- The median home equity for whites is $58,000 compared to $40,000 for African Americans
Shit, I'm not defending "white people" in this wikipedia entry but what I can say is that there's a long history of people involved in case studies that tend to take case information that proves their point and doesn't account for certain other things. I'd be interested to learn more about this study or follow more of his sources. I'm having trouble finding "Chip Smith" in the references section.
I will also note that if someone gives me sources that prove that the housing market is biased towards white people, I will STILL consider it the actions of dishonest, racist people and not evidence of a "White Privilege". I say this not because I refuse to believe that there's a white privilege, but because I already believe banks to be fucked up, greedy institutions and if they're pulling racial stereotypes as a means to not give out loans then that's just one more thing to throw onto the pile of shit I hate about the banking industry.
After reading over White Privilege, here's where my mind is about it:
It was explained to me during the course of this conversation that things should be "hedged" so that there is a disadvantage against white people so that people of color can "catch up". It was explained to me that there's a level of subliminal racism that all white people feel and act on, such as how we may step aside to avoid a black person walking down the street rather than we would a similarly dressed white person.
My answer to that was "fuck that". Not because I don't want people of color to have equal rights, of course, but that I don't exactly see where creating a society where an entire skin color's worth of people are "hedged" so that another skin color can gain an overbenefit is an answer to "racism". Not to mention, when I refer to whites being "hedged", that's not me admitting that hedging white people would equal the playing field, but moreso that doing that very well could cause hardship on very many people that are not a part of the problem. Racism, per Merriam-Webster, is "a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race". Per that definition, I find that to assume that all whites benefit from "white privilege" and our "culture" is dominant is a racist assumption. It is a racist assumption because it is an assumption made simply by the color of one person's skin, rather than their actions. If people of any color are keeping benefit from people simply because of their skin color, those people need to be thrown into the fire. If people are practicing racial inequality we should all stand together to go to the root of the problem...which are the people committing racist acts and NOT the skin color of the person committing such acts.
As for the "walk on the other side of the street" conversation, all I can really say is this. We have certain "racial/cultural stereotypes" that are strange but evident. I don't mean to be racist when I say this, but allow me to further explain. I would not walk on the other side of the street to avoid a black priest, black man in buddhist robes, black man in the three piece suit, black man in a police uniform, black man in OR scrubs, or a black man in a plain old pair of tee shirt and jeans. HOWEVER, I would walk across the street to avoid "50 Cent" or a black man in a "Black Panthers" jacket. Why? Because it's a partial personal safety tactic. Through the media many rap artists (take "Ridin Dirty" by Chamillionarie for example on a few of these.) rap about bragging about how many warrants are out on them, how they carry guns, how they would shoot a cop, or how many people they've shot. Some of these rap artists have set black culture backwards by presenting black culture in some parts of America as filled with violence and drug use. Ice-T sang cop-killer. Snoop Dog got away with murder. These are very popular members of media that is sometimes designated to be "black" media, but hell I've met Native Americans that are all about Ice Cube. So when we see anyone of any color dressed "thug" style...we cross the street to avoid them not because of skin color, but because "thugs" are most openly equated in our world in the media of rap videos from the 90's that promoted violence. If a "thug" reminds someone of a Dr. Dre video where he's talking about putting a bullet in the side of Easy-E's skull...we cross the goddamned street. Black Panthers have made history books in regards to their race-based mission. Some of them are more social where others have become violent and intimidating. Sure, it's probably because they very deeply believe in the racial defense of black people, but that doesn't mean that a Black Panther may intimidate me merely because of their skin color. They'd intimidate me because I'd be afraid of the ones that might think that I should be hurt or be treated unfairly. I cross the street, my friend, not because the black man is black, but because he's dressed like a "Black Panther" and I just want to avoid that issue. Unfortunately, there are ways for people to display themselves that may trip off a little fear in people. Some people get off on it. Now if someone walks across the street to avoid random black guy A because he's black/white/etc, well then that person's a fucking moron. However, there's nothing wrong with someone giving a wide berth to a person of any skin color because they come across as indimidating due to their dress or because they may be dressed in a manner that reminds someone of something in the media that may set off a personal red flag.
I used to make people give me a wide berth back in my old black trenchcoat days, shortly after the Columbine shootings. It wasn't because I was white, but because of the dark colors, the trenchcoat, and the fact that I had that general "pissed off heavy metal kid" look.
I've never been forced to the other side of the street by a Hispanic male dressed like Luke Skywalker, nor have I been forced to the other side of the street by a Black man wearing a Phoenix Coyotes jersey.
If you can't pin this attitude on me for being white, then I assure you that there are many, many white people in our culture that would agree. This is not a racial response. If anything, this is due to a lack of understanding.
I was raised to believe the ethics of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when it comes to the issue of racism. We should teach our children to live in a world where all men and women of all colors and religions are considered equal, and that we are to judge people on the content of their character rather than the color of their skin. I am just as unwilling to teach my child that he is wrong for being white as I am to teach him that someone else is wrong for being black.
It's getting late so I'm going to wrap this up.
Look, I understand that there are people in this world that have strong opinions on race. I agree that American culture has, across time, rather decimated black culture. However, I have black friends that have very intelligent views on the issue of racism and are the type of people that don't want to blame (as Alan calls it) their white brothers and sisters, but just want to work together to make it all a non issue. We can't allow the actions of the ignorant to turn us against eachother on the issue of race, and to suggest that I should be ashamed for the actions of people that existed over three hundred years ago and that I should suffer to make up for it is downright ludicrous. I am not racist, and I will gladly stand beside people of all skin colors to fight against inequality. In fact, I find racism in itself ignorant. I find it deeply sad that people would suffer due to the color of their skin in which they had no hand in being born with. I find it downright laughable that there are actually people in America that think "'dem niggers is takin over our country!". Fuck that. Fuck all of that. I don't stand for that. I don't represent it. I don't have anything to do with it and I would -never- accept a benefit in life if I was told I received it over a person of a different skin color specifically for that reason. I've stood against racism since I was young and was a part of a massive club walk-out in high school because of racism. I have strong views on it.
So how -dare- you assume that I could be subliminally racist and that I'm blindly benefitting from "White Privilege". I'm slugging it out in a 40 hour a week job and get the same shitty benefits at work. My team of coworkers is predominantly hispanic and I am an "ethnic minority" on the team. I'm in the trenches with everyone else and to say that it's not racist that I should have some sort of "penalty" placed against people of caucasian descent is truly just as racist as suggesting that penalties be levied against people of other skin colors. Judging by skin color is judging by skin color.
You cannot cure racism with racism. It is not our place to apologize of the actions of people over 300 years ago. It is, however, our duty to be better than them and learn from our mistakes. It is our duty as the following generations to be better humans and push mankind forward.
I have taught my son that people of other skin color are different than him because he has white skin. I've told him that a different skin color means absolutely nothing in the terms of intelligence, ability, and whether or not the person can be his friend. Faith and I have taught him that people of other skin colors are different and it can mean so many awesome things in terms of differences in culture, religion, personality, and way of life and that he should find it downright awesome that he has access to learn from so many other peoples' cultures. However, we have also taught him at the end of the day, the color of a person's skin means absolutely jack and shit. It's skin pigmentation. It's skin color. It's no more important than hair color or eye color.
Instead of succumbing to backwards travelling movements such as "White Privilege" or "White Guilt" or "Reverse Racism" (which I find to be a truly offensive term, because it infers that racism does not occur against white people, but only white people are racist against others) we should acknowledge such actions as those of unethical people that do not represent their "culture". People are capable of action, pigmentation of skin does not.
I will not allow myself to be judged for being white, and forever I have vowed not to judge people for not being white.
Racism stops with you. Skin color is a non issue. Live it and teach it and it will come true within a few generations.
Spread the word.