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[s-cubed]

177. Excellent OP, and interesting comments.

I am a white woman, over 65. I have no difficulty understanding that a statement "all whites benefit from racism" does not cast blame on any particular person, but rather is a statement that is absolutely true at the macro level, but at the micro (personal) level will vary tremendously. In fact, I would go so far as to say that some who assert they have received NO benefit as a result of being white are not very observant. One can substitute "all men benefit from rape" and say the same. The first time I explained to my husband why I always locked the car doors, and other precautions I took automatically, he was shocked. It was not a world he had been able to see.

I studied engineering in college at a time when less than 0.5% of all engineers were women. I would sometimes be asked if I had encountered any prejudice. It took me years to SEE and admit to myself the obstacles that had been placed in front of me. And yes, my fellow students (all male) could no more see this than I could. I hope that those who continue to be blind to the benefits they have purely as a result of their gender and/or race are able to back away from feeling personally attacked, to more clearly see how they have benefited.