It may be hard to understand what white privilege means until considering what it DOESN'T mean

[StarfishSaver]

[hlthe2b]

1. I in no way wish to diminish the issue for POC, but the truth is that this is more often WHITE MALE

privilege, though, of course not exclusively-- especially when the obvious display of WEALTH comes into play. Still, women--all women-- have been preyed upon in publicized incidents within the recent past.

As a colleague to a woman HCW professional who was stopped returning from her overnight shift and raped by a police impersonator--who had "copycatted" incidents by "real" police during the years preceding--, I looked into the prevalence of such episodes. While there is not great systematically collected data, there were several serial episodes in multiple cities throughout the country within the past two decades, including both "real" police and copycats, with at least two murders. Multiple municipalities issued warnings to women in general during those time periods, warning them to stop only within the nearest well-lit area, lock doors and politely inform a uniformed police officer that while more than willing to comply, that the badge number would be needed so that the driver could contact police dispatch to confirm the identity FIRST (and if in doubt contact 911 and continue driving) to the nearest police station.

This has happened to my sister who works as an overnight ER nurse--attempted to be pulled for no identified violation. The cop was pissed that she insisted on verification of his badge number and simply told her to continue on. So, it is pretty hard to know what to make of the incident, but...

Maybe the bad cops are few in numbers, but their targets can be more varied than many might think.

[Bettie]

50. If you look at the statistics

of each grouping based on their percentage in the population vs. their incidence of being stopped by cops and their incidence of being KILLED by them, the picture is quite clear.

[hlthe2b]

51. Yes and consistent with what I stated. POC are absolutely the most at risk. White MALES the least.

Women of color, followed by white women are in between but at considerably higher risk than white men for targeting. Scream "killed" at me in all caps, all you wish. I am correct. And your diminishing risk to ANY group, but in particular, women is disgusting.

[StarfishSaver]

52. She didn't diminish the risk to any group

She just pushed back on the effort to center the issue of how Black people have reasons to be much more fearful when stopped by the police than white people do on how white women suffer, too.

[LakeArenal]

2. Really you think that applies to anyone on DU?

[StarfishSaver]

3. Yes

[Laura PourMeADrink]

4. Of course it doesn't LA! It's preaching to a choir that has

equal rights, empathy, and justice in their DNA.

[LakeArenal]

5. The term did enter my mind.

It hurts a bit to be judge continually about my personal experience and blamed for things I had no control of growing up.

[StarfishSaver]

6. How does a white person explaining that black people fear for their lives when stopped by the police

while white people generally don't, equate with "continually judging" you?

[LakeArenal]

11. Because you have done so in the past.

You don’t remember but you did.
Then you through in extraneous stuffthat I was not referring to.

[StarfishSaver]

13. Uh-huh

Ok.

But what does what you claim, without any substantiation, that I have done in the past that I don't remember have to do with how this particular meme, created by a white person to help other white people better understand white privilege, supposedly judges you?

[LakeArenal]

15. Because DU is a place for like minded people who support Democratic policies for EVERYONE.

And you keep telling us we aren’t.

[StarfishSaver]

16. "Like-minded" doesn't mean always in complete agreement on every issue at all times

Last edited Tue Apr 20, 2021, 09:40 PM - Edit history (1)

Funny how people here argue and disagree and challenge l and share differing experiences on all manner of issues with no problem - in fact, that's expected on a political discussion board. But whenever the issue of race comes up and anyone suggests that some white Democrats (and, for some folks, every single white person, regardless of party) may have anything to learn about race, some white folks complain that they're being unfairly accused of being horrible people and, of course, that those who have the nerve to challenge them are being "divisive."

[LakeArenal]

17. Yes yes you are always right.

Have a great verdict.

[LakeArenal]

18. Yes yes you are always right.

Have a great verdict.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

19. First of all... Rarely see

differing political opinions accepted. I must be missing those

Secondly, who or when exactly have people said it was divisive to teach people about race? I have never seen that here unless it's pitting one against another?

[Laura PourMeADrink]

27. Crickets

[Maru Kitteh]

29. So a white person goes all "Karen/Fox News" on a black person sharing a mild,

non-threatening and non-accusatory bit of insight from a white person about the reality of white privilege, and somehow the black person is victimizing . . . white people?

Do I have that right StarfishSaver?


jaysus

[StarfishSaver]

30. Pretty much

[Laura PourMeADrink]

47. Guess you didn't read #3

[Demsrule86]

54. That is not my fault. I want it changed.

It is not all White people’s fault that discrimination exists. I have always enjoyed your posts but I can’t take anymore of these sort of posts. Hell, I don’t like racism in any form and want it stopped. I know White privilege exists. How do bitter, angry posts directed at DU allies help anything? I will no longer read nor respond to these posts. Have a nice day.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

8. lol what on earth

[WhiskeyGrinder]

7. Yes.

[leftstreet]

10. Of course it does

DU tends to draw financially comfortable white middle aged people with little experience of racial oppression - or much of any oppression for that matter

[Laura PourMeADrink]

14. Hmmm. Don't think equating race and financial status has

anything to do with whether or not you can feel deep empathy for people. Ted Kennedy comes to mind. He slogged to the Senate every day to fight for injustice. Despite having two brothers killed and all the money in the world to just sail on a yacht instead. A human being either cares or they don't.

I have never seen a single person on DU express anything but horror and disdain for those who have oppressed.

Our time is probably better spent just stipulating that everyone cares automatically. And talk about how to pass legislation to fix the police departments?

[StarfishSaver]

20. I don't think it has anything to do with economic circumstances

Many less affluent white people also have little experience with racial oppression and have very little meaningful interaction with anyone who doesn't look like them.

[leftstreet]

22. i agree

Throughout society in general, yes.

But the poster referred to DU specifically, where I think the economically comfortable label is appropriate

[StarfishSaver]

23. I don't agree

I think DU represents a pretty broad cross-section of economic situations. The posters I've encountered come from all economic backgrounds.

But my point was that one need not be economically privilege in order to not have an understanding of what it's like to be a minority in this country.

[leftstreet]

25. Okay

If you say so

If by "broad cross-section of economic situations" you mean to include the unemployed, disabled, imprisoned, homeless...wow, I've never seen much of that representation on DU

[Coventina]

40. We have a number of homeless posters. We also have a lot of disabled ones as well.

Imprisoned, I doubt they are allowed to be on message boards?

I can't even begin to calculate how many posters have related employment struggles and desperate financial situations.

I don't think they are a MAJORITY, but they are here, and in some numbers.

Heck, I spent most of my childhood homeless, and went on to have a very impoverished early adulthood. It wasn't until I got my full time job 6 years ago that I've become financially stable. I was one of the last DUers on dial up!!

[Hekate]

43. Thanks for this input

I’m too tired to engage further.

[betsuni]

44. Thank you

DUers I know who are on fixed incomes have been routinely called elderly wealthy white conservative women because they support Democrats and not myths about populist revolutions. Some trolls even post gifs of elderly white women being "triggered" to "own the libs" I guess We used to be regularly accused of being paid by David Brock. Hilarious and stupid.

[Hekate]

42. Coventina's right, leftstreet. I'll just leave it at that. nt

[Solly Mack]

12. K&R

[Coventina]

21. White fragility strikes again!

Good grief.

It's astounding to me that something so innocuous as pointing out this simple observation is taken as directly criticizing individuals.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

31. What? It's absurd to assume that people on DU

are not 100% against any action that a human being, or government or other entity takes that oppresses or discriminates against another human being.

Period. Paragraph.

[Coventina]

36. I absolutely believe the vast majority of DUers are not racist and would say that they oppose

racist acts.

What I don't understand is getting upset when white privilege is identified as such.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

37. Only upset when it's pointed at us. Intent to inflame

[Coventina]

38. I didn't see anything in the OP that was pointed at DUers?

[uponit7771]

46. How is pointing out said truth an intent to inflame? thx in advance

[Laura PourMeADrink]

48. Was not doing that! Was tired of insinuation that was pointed

at us here. That's what's inflammatory. #3. And although this is minuscule compared to the horrors going on, it still gets old.

[StarfishSaver]

34. Indeed

[uponit7771]

45. +1, hit dogs howl

[betsuni]

24. K&R (Why anyone becomes touchy about white privilege OPs like this, I do not know.)

[Laura PourMeADrink]

32. Because it is pointed at us... And not the realm of others. OP

Said it! People on DU.

[betsuni]

35. I still don't understand. If something doesn't apply to you, why take it personally?

[Laura PourMeADrink]

39. Are you serious? Not taking anything personally. Just hate

when people issue these blanket disses at people here. JHC don't we have enough to concentrate on solving than to have to read that WE ( or some of us) are bad???

[betsuni]

41. I didn't see any "blanket disses."

I'm white. Those are my people, the whites. I enjoy jokes about mayonnaise and bland foods. My people have a lot of problems with racism. Some of them are bad. Once a person gets started on the bad history of the country, it really never seems to end.

Whenever I've interacted with police, I never once thought "This is how I'll die." It's perfectly true.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

49. #3

[gulliver]

26. It's really just discrimination and unfair inequality.

Calling it "white privilege" is just a way to point out that it's unfair, so I have no problem with it. Just another way of saying the same thing. It's the counterpart to Black oppression, but it specifically calls out Whites. That's probably where the triggering comes in. It calls out people who are White who (like most everyone) just want to be left alone and don't really care about anything but their own lives.

[StarfishSaver]

28. It doesn't "call out" anyone

It simply demonstrates the difference in treatment.

Unfortunately, many white people feel that if we say "white people," that alone is an attack on them because they don't think of themselves as white, but just think of themselves as people. Yet they have no problem identifying other people by their race. That's not a criticism (because Black people always have to give that caveat ...). It's the message society has instilled in many people. White people are just people. Black people are Black people. Brown people are Brown people. Asians are Asian people. But white people are just people and some of them feel very offended - called out, attacked - if they are identified as white in the same way that other people are identified by our race or ethnicity.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

33. Well than start saying other people!!! And take back what

You said about people on DU.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

53. Restating the argument. 100% agree

that people who are stopped by cops and harassed by cops and killed by cops ARE predominantly black YES.

It is a horrific injustice to fellow human beings.

The target IS black people, YES.

But the cause is not "white people." The cause is hate-filled, bigoted people who are cops.