White Male Privilege: a License to be a Radical Terrorist Extremist (a Real Patriot!)

[evildevil]

Let’s hope the Boston Marathon bomber is a white American
There is a double standard: White terrorists are dealt with as lone wolves, Islamists are existential threats

Updated: Sirota responds to critics of this piece over here.As we now move into the official Political Aftermath period of the Boston bombing - the period that will determine the

Comments

[mollywobbles867]

No lies detected.

[metanoiame]

I remember seeing a Facebook screenshot online just recently. The profile picture was of a woman in a hijab, and she was saying something to the effect of, "I'm not praying the bomber wasn't Muslim. I'm praying that my friends in Boston aren't hurt!"

Maybe it's just because I used to live in Boston, but I find myself a lot more moved by discussions of the human impact of the bombing than by pundits discussing its political impact. And I suppose the author is trying to provoke a reaction, but seeing "Let's hope the Boston Marathon bomber is..." bothers me somehow. It's like -- no! Let's hope we don't live in a kind of world where this has to happen to anyone!

Obviously, this is even MORE applicable to the subhuman politicians who are already BLATANTLY taking advantage of this to push for some immigration or security bill or the other. But that's a given, for me.

[rex_dart]

The bombing has already happened and there are already going to be consequences from it, so what good does it do hoping that this doesn't have to happen to anyone?

If the bullshit this article is actually about weren't real bullshit that happens, Muslim women wouldn't HAVE to post on Facebook preemptively telling people that they're concerned about the victims.

[chaya]

Yes - especially since not only has it already happened, but people are already assuming the reactions of Muslims who hear about it.

[romp]

My mind when to Oklahoma City when Boston happened but I've seen few references to it. A coworker in Canada doesn't remember it (probably because it was in another country) but, at the time, it spotlighted militias and white supremacists and the dream of a "race war."

I suppose most 20-somethings are too young to remember it. For those older, perhaps 9/11 shifted how they view the concept of terrorism...but it shouldn't.

[blondebeaker]

I did the same thing when I caught wind of what happened in Boston. I was in high school when Oklahoma City happened and my history teacher spent the period talking about it and why white supremacists are very bad.

Slightly OT:

[star_maple]

Can I just say the passive aggressive war between CNN and MSNBC on air right now is getting amazing. I've actually said 'Oh snap!' aloud while watching the news coverage.

Essentially, CNN announced a suspect had been arrested. MSNBC said, 'Say what? Says who?' CNN (King in particular) starting bragging on their special and exclusive sources. MSNBC said their sources categorically denied that a suspect had even been identified, and furthermore, their sources outranked CNN's sources. CNN reported that there were 'Conflicting reports of an arrest'. MSNBC is now talking about how irresponsible 'some news outlet's' behaviour is, and the real damage it could cause, all because 'some journalist wanted to make a name for himself.'

Re: Slightly OT:

[rex_dart]

damn it I need to get cable.

Re: Slightly OT:

[star_maple]

OMG, so apparently John King's source said, "We got him" and John King assumed that he meant he was arrested, rather than he'd been identified or they had a picture or any more conservative response.

Thanks John King. Based on that report, Bostonians started flooding the local federal courthouse to get a look at the suspect, and then a bomb report got called into that courthouse and all the civilians had to be evacuated. MSNBC is barely containing their gloating.

Re: Slightly OT:

[rex_dart]

lol and I just realized he's also the ~dark-skinned male~ source. I've never liked him, and he should be fired after his behavior today.

[qara_isuke]

A friend of mine, who is Career Military, yesterday said pretty much the same thing. She was seriously concerned about what would happen, if the responsible party or parties turned out to be Muslim. So-called "revenge" hate crimes, and pushes towards staying in the Middle East, and just in general a return to a hostile, Islamophobic environment.

However, white male privilege means white men are not collectively denigrated/targeted for those shootings - even though most come at the hands of white dudes.

This reminds me of a few years ago, when I did a presentation on Serial Killers for my Criminology class. In my conclusion, I asked all the white men in the class to stand up to illustrate the point that your average serial killer is a 20-or-30-something White Male, and looks like everyone else. And in general, the crazy folks do tend to look just like everyone else.

Based on the timing, it could very well be right-wing loonies. Stealing from another friend, who summed things up so nicely:

April 19, 1775 -- "The shot heard round

[zinnia_rose]

I hate to nitpick, but was Seung-Hui Cho white?

[dumpweeds]

no, he wasn't.

[yamamanama]

He was an honorary white for a while, before apartheid collapsed.