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Hippo_Tron

(25,453 posts)

101. Unfortunately, it's not that simple

Reply to Dark n Stormy Knight (Reply #87)

Sun Aug 24, 2014, 11:11 AM

Aug 2014

Creating a political coalition from the marginalized groups in society requires the people in those groups to have a degree of sympathy for the other marginalized groups they're organizing with. Plenty of Republicans have sympathy for one marginalized group but not any of the others. And I'd say that the family of Kelly Thomas probably would highly prioritize stopping police brutality, which statistically has a disproportionate effect on black people.

But I would add the caveat that the message needs to very clearly emphasize, WHITE PEOPLE YOU ARE NOT IMMUNE from any of this, it can happen to you too. When people use anecdotes of a white person acting violently and not being brutalized by the cops, I think it undermines that message. Privilege exists in the statistics, not the anecdotes.

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Explaining White Privilege to a Broke White Person [View all] xchrom Aug 2014 OP

I would have recommended a different book. gordianot Aug 2014 #1

Indeed! 'Post-racial America' is nothing but Jim Crow restated. ColesCountyDem Aug 2014 #3

Even when you make it there are still sneers directed toward you. gordianot Aug 2014 #5

Very recent example: the lady who is running for governor in Texas was a single mother and on jwirr Aug 2014 #12

That term is the same.... paleotn Aug 2014 #20

Is the point supposed to be that the unearned advantages of being white Vattel Aug 2014 #2

That is a brilliant point. You're exactly right. 7962 Aug 2014 #10

Seriously? NuclearDem Aug 2014 #16

Not in the least.... paleotn Aug 2014 #21

Deny and deflect. Liberal_Stalwart71 Aug 2014 #108

who said they did? Vattel Aug 2014 #76

Not sure if you are male or female JustAnotherGen Aug 2014 #68

I don't deny that being born white confers certain advantages. Vattel Aug 2014 #80

Hmmm JustAnotherGen Aug 2014 #85

Thanks for your thoughts. Vattel Aug 2014 #95

The Chris Rock movie "Good Hair" opened my eyes. Manifestor_of_Light Aug 2014 #98

We watched the movie on demand JustAnotherGen Aug 2014 #99

Good article, that is more than this excerpt suggests (n/t) thesquanderer Aug 2014 #4

Yes, "white privilege" as a concept is a hard sell . . . Brigid Aug 2014 #6

I resemble your post! ColesCountyDem Aug 2014 #8

And the easy sell... Orsino Aug 2014 #9

Excellent observation - and oh, so painfully true. BlueCaliDem Aug 2014 #27

Message auto-removed Name removed Aug 2014 #56

Excuse me, but . . . Brigid Aug 2014 #63

Highly signifigant! They do it and they do it well. And they can because they have the money to. Dark n Stormy Knight Aug 2014 #86

It shouldn't be a hard sell, if sold along with the concept of class privilege Hippo_Tron Aug 2014 #25

While I totally agree that white privelege exists, Dark n Stormy Knight Aug 2014 #87

Unfortunately, it's not that simple Hippo_Tron Aug 2014 #101

It's a bit confusing that you started your response to my post that ended with, "It's complicated," Dark n Stormy Knight Aug 2014 #103

Good point treestar Aug 2014 #91

K&R n/t handmade34 Aug 2014 #7

I've experienced white privilege my whole life. True, I've felt the wrath of discrimination.. BlueJazz Aug 2014 #11

You know who really has the most unearned privilege in America? fasttense Aug 2014 #13

Please don't deflect attention away from the issue at hand. We all agree about the 1% but that's not Liberal_Stalwart71 Aug 2014 #18

Yes! ^This^ jen63 Aug 2014 #19

Thank you. redqueen Aug 2014 #29

I know Tim Wise's story well loyalsister Aug 2014 #35

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Because I have heard it a lot since loyalsister Aug 2014 #42

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Agreed... And the troll was served pizza... freshwest Aug 2014 #92

I still am amazed how many white people, regardless of income, dont understand that privilege BaggersRDumb Aug 2014 #55

Message auto-removed Name removed Aug 2014 #60

I tried to give another example up above JustAnotherGen Aug 2014 #70

It is the same issue. fasttense Aug 2014 #105

Fuck that and fuck Cornel West who is driven by his personal resentment of Obama Liberal_Stalwart71 Aug 2014 #107

And they are WHITE, which is the topic. WinkyDink Aug 2014 #24

With the advantage of being raised in a multi-racial environment, IrishAyes Aug 2014 #14

no matter how dirt poor heaven05 Aug 2014 #15

White privilege is like manmade global warming. It's there, but there are a lot of people who deny Louisiana1976 Aug 2014 #88

"Black Like Me," by John Howard Griffin, "White Like Me" by Tim Wise of ANYTHING written by Tim Wise Liberal_Stalwart71 Aug 2014 #17

yep heaven05 Aug 2014 #32

Thanks, and I just posted an OP with Tim Wise's words here: freshwest Aug 2014 #49

Perhaps we need to post a disclaimer for what should be obvious, but somehow isn't: freshwest Aug 2014 #53

That's right--right-wing whites are much more likely to be racist than others. Louisiana1976 Aug 2014 #89

Proven by their acts in elected office and media sources. So tired of the righties. freshwest Aug 2014 #93

The term is, of course, a generalization, to which there will always be individual exceptions. But WinkyDink Aug 2014 #22

Message auto-removed Name removed Aug 2014 #38

There is inherent privilege in being wealthy. There is inherent privilege in being white. Lex Aug 2014 #23

Great stuff. Lecturing to poor white people about how "privileged" they are Nye Bevan Aug 2014 #26

Apples and oranges. Privilege based on wealth is not the same as privilege based on race. Lex Aug 2014 #36

So, you would be perfectly comfortable starting a conversation about "white privilege" Nye Bevan Aug 2014 #39

Not talking about emotionalities. Lex Aug 2014 #40

I think that a poor white person who has struggled all his life . . . Brigid Aug 2014 #51

not really, i know some gay people who are well off but i can see how as someone who is not gay JI7 Aug 2014 #110

If they were in the same situation and were black, they'd be even worse off n/t eridani Aug 2014 #100

The hang up for many... 99Forever Aug 2014 #28

A great number of the privileges are just privileges and not civil rights gollygee Aug 2014 #30

And as I said in my post... 99Forever Aug 2014 #31

Is that list outdated? oberliner Aug 2014 #57

I don't think things have changed significantly since the list was written gollygee Aug 2014 #58

A few jumped out at me oberliner Aug 2014 #64

I can see how some have improved gollygee Aug 2014 #67

Are you black? If not, then you can't possibly know. Liberal_Stalwart71 Aug 2014 #96

It was a question oberliner Aug 2014 #97

The answer is no. We continue to experience these things. I think the list does a pretty good job Liberal_Stalwart71 Aug 2014 #102

The problem is the different meanings of the word privileged Marrah_G Aug 2014 #33

Excellent point. In the context of the subject the word: Privilege = Social Inequality Tuesday Afternoon Aug 2014 #34

Message auto-removed Name removed Aug 2014 #41

"other people's self-inflicted problems" YoungDemCA Aug 2014 #45

Your argument seems to say that the privilieged is also 'self-inflicted' lunatica Aug 2014 #46

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So all the history is null because of your personal story? lunatica Aug 2014 #48

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Sigh... lunatica Aug 2014 #52

Message auto-removed Name removed Aug 2014 #54

Actually it's more like bellyaching and whining lunatica Aug 2014 #66

I think that 'advantage' would be a less loaded term but it's really not the point. Gormy Cuss Aug 2014 #62

I don't think it would make a shits bit of difference boston bean Aug 2014 #74

Oh, I agree. Gormy Cuss Aug 2014 #77

I hear you. And I agree 100%. boston bean Aug 2014 #79

Using academic terms and concepts in a non-academic discussion QC Aug 2014 #75

Ah yes! The one white man who thinks it's only about him lunatica Aug 2014 #44

It's obvious you didn't read the article, as the author is a woman... friendly_iconoclast Aug 2014 #69

I guess not. lunatica Aug 2014 #72

It's easier to be a poor white person than a poor black person DemocratSinceBirth Aug 2014 #59

They both come with a great number of privileges gollygee Aug 2014 #61

"They pit the lifers against the new boy . . . " Strelnikov_ Aug 2014 #65

having white privilege is not the same thing as being privileged. nt La Lioness Priyanka Aug 2014 #71

pulling the threads of class out of this can be difficult. nt xchrom Aug 2014 #82

not really. even a poor straight person has straight privilege over a gay person. Its similar for La Lioness Priyanka Aug 2014 #83

Poor as I am. Hatchling Aug 2014 #73

I never liked McIntosh's enumerated list of 'privileges' Erich Bloodaxe BSN Aug 2014 #78

Yes. While those seemingly small things are insidiously powerful, Dark n Stormy Knight Aug 2014 #104

K&R.... daleanime Aug 2014 #81

Why I think white people think that it denies they suffered/suffer when they hear white privilege ck4829 Aug 2014 #84

Excellent post. K&R Louisiana1976 Aug 2014 #90

Are you talking about literal white privilege? U4ikLefty Aug 2014 #94

... napkinz Aug 2014 #106

Pretty decent article. All inequality of outcome is a result of inequality of opportunity, in my Chathamization Aug 2014 #109