If you don't believe there is white privilege in this country...

[badtoworse]

92. "...logic dictates that those not negatively impacted, accrue a systemic benefit"

Last edited Tue Sep 2, 2014, 10:44 PM - Edit history (1)

I strongly disagree. Had blacks not been victims of discrimination, it is entirely possible (maybe even likely) that what they could have accomplished would have benefited not just themselves, but everyone else. In other words, the pie might have been much larger. The fact that, on average, black people have substantially less buying power than whites does not benefit any retailer and I don't see how it benefits me as a consumer. If black people enjoyed the same buying power, we would probably have a substantially larger economy and everyone would benefit. The disparity in incomes certainly does not help the current housing market. Had blacks not been disproportionately impacted by the financial crisis in 2008, much of the urban blight that occurred in areas like Detroit might not have happened. Again, I see everyone benefiting from that.

Did you ever see the movie "Something the Lord Made"? It is about a man named Vivien Thomas who made enormous contributions in the area of heart surgery working with Alfred Blaylock. Thomas faced terrible discrimination, but in spite of it, his work in the 1940's was instrumental in eliminating "blue baby syndrome", a significant cause of infant mortality. He only had a high school education, but was ultimately awarded an honory doctorate by Johns Hopkins and named an instructor of surgery. His work saved babies of every race, so I don't see where anyone would have benefited had he given up because of discrimination. How many other people with Vivien Thomas' talent were held back by discrimination? What might they have accomplished? I see that as everyone's loss. In any case, if you never saw the movie, it's worth watching.