General Discussion

EFerrari

(163,986 posts)

91. In the going on 8 years I've been here

Fri Apr 6, 2012, 01:00 AM

Apr 2012

I can honestly say that these conversations have become more informed and more thoughtful every year.

That isn't to say that individuals lag. But as a community, DU has become much more willing to confront racism where before there was a lot of denial and a "no talk" rule out of shame or something like that.

Once you confront a situation, then you can look at all of its pieces. DU did that.

These discussions don't get shut down as they used to be. They are broached by all kinds of posters. The right wing talking points are called out. There is no one clique or sub-group pushing these issues. The community as a whole values them.

If I were asked to praise DU for one achievement in the last eight years since becoming a reader, I'd praise it for attending more closely to the very uncomfortable fact of racism in America and for mustering its collective compassion and attention.

That's pretty good for a group of strangers on the intertubes and I respect that.

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I Cannot Believe I Just Saw A Discussion Here Regarding The Downtrodden White Male... [View all] WillyT Apr 2012 OP

This white male agrees with you completely. arbusto_baboso Apr 2012 #1

White, chervilant Apr 2012 #26

Yes. That too. arbusto_baboso Apr 2012 #27

Being male chervilant Apr 2012 #37

+1 redqueen Apr 2012 #45

same here.... Tom1960 Apr 2012 #48

Being "white, male and southern" gave me no special privilege while I lived in the South Art_from_Ark Apr 2012 #84

It only seems that way -- because, like me, you carry klook Apr 2012 #102

I don't have an "invisible knapsack" here in Japan-- Art_from_Ark Apr 2012 #103

Whoa, bait and switch klook Apr 2012 #110

Not bait and switch Art_from_Ark Apr 2012 #112

It's a huge advantage EVERYWHERE. Fawke Em Apr 2012 #55

Black women are more likely to be employed than black men. They're nearly twice as likely HiPointDem Apr 2012 #74

And they face the sorrowful and lonely fact Tsiyu Apr 2012 #77

I didn't say that race and gender privilege was "woo-woo," and I'm not sure how you took HiPointDem Apr 2012 #79

+1 n/t lumberjack_jeff Apr 2012 #86

"why not ask why more black males are not attending and graduating from college?" lumberjack_jeff Apr 2012 #85

You're missing it... Fawke Em Apr 2012 #96

Thank you Tsiyu Apr 2012 #108

Men are 11x more likely to be in jail than women. lumberjack_jeff Apr 2012 #114

and poor Stuckinthebush Apr 2012 #126

It's easy to forget if one can't point to a single manifestation of it. lumberjack_jeff Apr 2012 #58

I DON'T have "less wealth" probably because I don't have "less education" arbusto_baboso Apr 2012 #63

Statistically, you do. n/t lumberjack_jeff Apr 2012 #65

But is that insitutional? NO. Emphatically, no. arbusto_baboso Apr 2012 #66

LOL, Wut? lumberjack_jeff Apr 2012 #69

Then men need to stop it. Fawke Em Apr 2012 #98

Just speaking anecdotally, but... JAbuchan08 Apr 2012 #115

"I am also not so naive as to think that women have an advantage over men" lumberjack_jeff Apr 2012 #124

I meant generally speaking JAbuchan08 Apr 2012 #130

Try this in help and meta. Thanks. cthulu2016 Apr 2012 #2

Yep - I don't understand it either Taverner Apr 2012 #3

"BTW - There is only one race, the human race... I invite all to join." And I certainly teddy51 Apr 2012 #4

Oh, but you know they won't. Obamacare Apr 2012 #6

They profit from polarizing everyone, so no, they won't stop. freshwest Apr 2012 #28

Even so, discussions of race and racism on DU EFerrari Apr 2012 #5

how have they progressed? serious question. HiPointDem Apr 2012 #80

In the going on 8 years I've been here EFerrari Apr 2012 #91

Thanks! HiPointDem Apr 2012 #92

There are things unfair about being in any category. dkf Apr 2012 #7

What is so sad is that so many of those racists consider themselve to be religious. Somehow God libinnyandia Apr 2012 #8

Not the first time I have heard of that thought experiment The Traveler Apr 2012 #9

Is it really? hfojvt Apr 2012 #94

Reminds me of the Doonesbury comic 40 yrs ago malthaussen Apr 2012 #121

LOFL!!! uponit7771 Apr 2012 #10

I have a theory as to why this happens... philly_bob Apr 2012 #11

That's a very powerful point. n/t EFerrari Apr 2012 #12

Your theory is VERY close to what I understand the way people think about MANY subjects... uponit7771 Apr 2012 #15

Except most of the people who think minorities get an unfair advantage don't live in their HiPointDem Apr 2012 #81

I Believe It... I'm a white Male... there are tons of ignorant people out there fascisthunter Apr 2012 #13

I would push the button and become a woman zappaman Apr 2012 #14

Don't Be Bringing Humor Into This... WillyT Apr 2012 #16

That was beautiful, anyway. freshwest Apr 2012 #29

SCHEDULING ZAPPAMAN FOR ASSKICKING Skittles Apr 2012 #30

^coffee alert^ (There oughta be a menu button for this) n/t jtuck004 Apr 2012 #36

I heard that Stan posts on DU. Warren DeMontague Apr 2012 #99

Ha!!! Sparkly Apr 2012 #109

I have always wondered JAbuchan08 Apr 2012 #117

ptb marshall gaines Apr 2012 #17

Agreed. I don't believe TPTB are racist. That's for fools who can't see beyond skin color. freshwest Apr 2012 #31

What would you do? kramerv Apr 2012 #18

What are the means used that you protest? cosmicone Apr 2012 #19

I would do what has been proven to work; STOP the offense, make the person(s) whole... uponit7771 Apr 2012 #23

What means do you think should be used to address racism and sexism, etc? RainDog Apr 2012 #24

What means might that be? You can provide as much MineralMan Apr 2012 #71

This message was self-deleted by its author woo me with science Apr 2012 #20

Could someone give me a link? nt raccoon Apr 2012 #21

There's a whole forum for it. noamnety Apr 2012 #25

lmao Nice chrisa Apr 2012 #32

Yes. lumberjack_jeff Apr 2012 #22

That has absolutely nothing to do with the topic at hand. chrisa Apr 2012 #34

Funny how this works. lumberjack_jeff Apr 2012 #57

It's different - the reason for the disparity between white and black average lifespan is because chrisa Apr 2012 #61

If lifespans were dicated by biology, then there'd be a ceiling. lumberjack_jeff Apr 2012 #64

Biology is not the only factor chrisa Apr 2012 #67

You ran out of stereotypes to regurgitate after three? lumberjack_jeff Apr 2012 #70

"aren't paid any more for the same work" chrisa Apr 2012 #72

So women's use of attempted suicide v. actual suicide is more an attempt to manipulate others? HiPointDem Apr 2012 #87

When men commit suicide, they are statistically more likely to try more lethal approaches chrisa Apr 2012 #113

Men use "more lethal methods" because they really want to kill themselves. They've given up HiPointDem Apr 2012 #128

everything you list there is an AVERAGE. hfojvt Apr 2012 #95

That doesn't make any sense. chrisa Apr 2012 #111

except that you are talking, right now, to just ONE white guy hfojvt Apr 2012 #118

+1000 Dokkie Apr 2012 #100

No fair!!! robbob Apr 2012 #35

Does Willard Romney qualify as part of the human race? Jamaal510 Apr 2012 #33

A great movie on this subject; greiner3 Apr 2012 #38

I would also recommend the movie "Black Like Me", a classic... Spazito Apr 2012 #41

I'd select "Native American" Kaleva Apr 2012 #39

Yeah, because we all get shares of casino profits. JoeyT Apr 2012 #44

I think it shows that it's not so clear cut. Kaleva Apr 2012 #49

That's a fairly popular racist meme used by white people in that post, the whole "get to jtuck004 Apr 2012 #50

Well, I assumed I'd still be disabled and the same age and sex. Kaleva Apr 2012 #54

If one is unaware of people's conditions perhaps they should get out more. n/t jtuck004 Apr 2012 #56

I'm well aware of the conditions around here Kaleva Apr 2012 #73

Because they're all the same 'ethnicity', right? sudopod Apr 2012 #76

Where's the gay button? I want to be gay! n/t SpankMe Apr 2012 #40

Can I make myself sexier at the same time? kudzu22 Apr 2012 #42

Chris Rock made a similar observation GOTV Apr 2012 #43

I recall that show. Incitatus Apr 2012 #93

Here's Louis CK's take on white privilege: smokey nj Apr 2012 #104

At the time I first saw that I was living in a trailer park making min wage JAbuchan08 Apr 2012 #119

Why should I change? Nobody discriminates against white people. edbermac Apr 2012 #46

Irish weren't considered proper white people back then. If you didn't come in the first wave of sudopod Apr 2012 #75

That was quite a white ago Marrah_G Apr 2012 #105

This election is to decide whose fault it was we hit the Iceberg. CAPHAVOC Apr 2012 #47

Is there a button to become A-Rod? Or Halle Berry? (nt) Nye Bevan Apr 2012 #51

I could push a button and grow big boobies? Weeeeeeeeeeeee! just1voice Apr 2012 #52

Y'all don't know what it's like to be male, middle class, and white DisgustipatedinCA Apr 2012 #53

See that's the problem right there JAbuchan08 Apr 2012 #120

When you bring the "c" word into it-- eridani Apr 2012 #59

You are correct there are ZERO white men who would rather inhabit the body of a woman. jp11 Apr 2012 #60

Sex-change data says otherwise. HiPointDem Apr 2012 #88

Sex change is not about wanting whatever privileges the other gender may have, it's about feeling DesertDiamond Apr 2012 #122

Most white males in this country are downtrodden. Along with everyone else in the country. LetTimmySmoke Apr 2012 #62

I'm not really white...more a pinkish sort of color. MineralMan Apr 2012 #68

Great points, but I have one quibble ecstatic Apr 2012 #78

how about becoming an environmentalist to really know what discrimination is about wordpix Apr 2012 #82

Or, just suppose that reincarnation is what comes after we die. pacalo Apr 2012 #83

I'm going to be reincarnated as a rich Republican? Fumesucker Apr 2012 #107

Thanks, Willy T. nt MrScorpio Apr 2012 #89

Anytime MrScorpio, Anytime... WillyT Apr 2012 #90

Meh. I see some goofy fucking pro drug war hysteria about once a month. Warren DeMontague Apr 2012 #97

I don't think that was the thread OP's intention JNelson6563 Apr 2012 #101

IMO Mr Dixon Apr 2012 #106

Only One Race mista411 Apr 2012 #116

And welcome to DU! ScreamingMeemie Apr 2012 #129

I rec'd one yesterday that started that way, but Lionessa Apr 2012 #123

Actually, if you're not in the top 1 percnt mistertrickster Apr 2012 #125

If you read that whole post it had a very good point. Initech Apr 2012 #127