General Discussion

lumberjack_jeff

(33,224 posts)

6. I think that the Ahmed Mohammed story is illustrative.

Tue Sep 29, 2015, 02:48 PM

Sep 2015

Like millions of kids, Ahmed was subject to stupid zero tolerance school rules. In his case race may have played a significant role.
His story was published far and wide because his family has economic resources.
The right wing reaction has definitely been about bigotry.

My son was treated by his school and the police in a similar manner (including a suspension), for simply passing notes about a hypothetical airsoft gun team. I don't have the resources or support network to make a nationwide issue about it, but if I had, it would not have resulted in an invitation to the UN... but it would not have brought the wrath of GOP racists down on his shoulders either.

The differences between the two experiences illustrate the intersection of racial and wealth privilege. Both are real, neither negates the other.

Edit history

Please sign in to view edit histories.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

116 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Study: White people react to evidence of white privilege by claiming greater personal hardships [View all] KamaAina Sep 2015 OP

That never happens. Glassunion Sep 2015 #1

LOL cyberswede Sep 2015 #2

Never, right! LOL randys1 Sep 2015 #4

Thank you and be blessed!-nt Anansi1171 Sep 2015 #8

.. La Lioness Priyanka Sep 2015 #10

*snort* Starry Messenger Sep 2015 #24

Denying privilege is something most white folks do, out of ignorance. randys1 Sep 2015 #3

In many cases, yes. blackspade Sep 2015 #71

This is never more apparent than with the recent heroin epidemic. nt kelliekat44 Sep 2015 #85

Rationalization is the easiest response. Maedhros Sep 2015 #5

How do they have a problem? Egnever Sep 2015 #40

Now that was a freeperesque twist of words laundry_queen Sep 2015 #50

I think that the Ahmed Mohammed story is illustrative. lumberjack_jeff Sep 2015 #6

K&R Solly Mack Sep 2015 #7

Simply put, conservatives just aren't generally all that empathic and/or perceptive, Zorra Sep 2015 #9

denying white privilege is not just a conservative thing. look all over du and you'l see examples of La Lioness Priyanka Sep 2015 #11

yup JI7 Sep 2015 #15

It is difficult for people who do not exist in certain conditions to comprehend Zorra Sep 2015 #17

I think that Liberals need to start with themselves. blackspade Sep 2015 #77

i think liberals should stop pretending that they are not racist/dont see color etc. La Lioness Priyanka Sep 2015 #113

triple yup randys1 Sep 2015 #26

That post actually made me laugh out loud. Only "Conservative" white people do this Number23 Sep 2015 #48

thousands of examples over the years. one complained two black coworkers were friends.... bettyellen Sep 2015 #52

Oh wait, I remember that! gollygee Sep 2015 #62

And he was completely serious. As if black people should't have friends or it's his loss, LOL. bettyellen Sep 2015 #91

I was about to make the same comment. blackspade Sep 2015 #72

+1000 Starry Messenger Sep 2015 #86

Not so much anymore. Major Hogwash Sep 2015 #93

i disagree with you. denying white privilege is almost as much a liberal thing as a conservative La Lioness Priyanka Sep 2015 #112

So true. Can you imagine the ridicule they must face when they fall in Baitball Blogger Sep 2015 #12

I do this shit myself sometimes olddots Sep 2015 #13

actually Skittles Sep 2015 #27

true but- 90% of the time people (and dictionaries!) happily admit words have more than one meaning bettyellen Sep 2015 #46

true, but Skittles Sep 2015 #54

I get it, but when you are noting patterns of behavior it's a trap that is hard not to fall into... bettyellen Sep 2015 #58

all I know is, if anyone tried it with me Skittles Sep 2015 #64

well, if you were used to it as a kid, which happens.... maybe not. Most of the people who have bettyellen Sep 2015 #65

very strange Skittles Sep 2015 #81

from what I recall it happens all the fucking time when they are kids- and they learn not to make a bettyellen Sep 2015 #90

You came up with the word "breeze". qwlauren35 Sep 2015 #60

you completely missed my point Skittles Sep 2015 #61

Maybe qwlauren35 Sep 2015 #67

exactly what I was thinking Skittles Sep 2015 #80

Perhaps this is why President Obama has never once used the phrase "white privilege" Nye Bevan Sep 2015 #79

Holy Skittles! You made 100,000 posts! KamaAina Sep 2015 #114

I think it's motivated by personal gain LittleBlue Sep 2015 #14

You're right about the privilege in other societies Warpy Sep 2015 #33

Wish they had broken out the people by political leanings too. jeff47 Sep 2015 #16

It appears to be a subscription journal. KamaAina Sep 2015 #19

I skimmed it just now tishaLA Sep 2015 #44

When one ideology is dedicated to furthering privilege why would that not have an effect? jeff47 Sep 2015 #45

because I see progressives who deny they are the recipients of tishaLA Sep 2015 #47

Anecdotes are not data. jeff47 Sep 2015 #49

No they aren't but tishaLA Sep 2015 #51

Which again, is why I asked for data. jeff47 Sep 2015 #53

from the study... tishaLA Sep 2015 #57

Holy shit, you too?! haikugal Sep 2015 #83

Me too what? jeff47 Sep 2015 #106

I was email trolled by the same person.... haikugal Sep 2015 #107

It's new for me. jeff47 Sep 2015 #108

That has been my experience as well. haikugal Sep 2015 #111

"I'm white and I assure you, you're wrong." TalkingDog Sep 2015 #18

That is like saying "it is midnight and pitch black outside but the sun is shining" randys1 Sep 2015 #28

Growing I used to hear a lot of "Well the Irish were treated horribly" underpants Sep 2015 #20

Precisely the point. KamaAina Sep 2015 #23

(Hand pointing at the new guy who's different) he's worse than me underpants Sep 2015 #38

I'm f***ed... Glassunion Sep 2015 #30

Sorry about that underpants Sep 2015 #43

+1 million geardaddy Sep 2015 #31

+ underpants Sep 2015 #37

I am Irish-American and think that people who use that as a deflection suck. Starry Messenger Sep 2015 #35

Well said. The Irish are an unseemly dirty violent lot underpants Sep 2015 #41

Yes. geardaddy Sep 2015 #42

in 1910 marym625 Sep 2015 #73

So does this mean... deathrind Sep 2015 #21

People become defensive when attacked... TipTok Sep 2015 #22

What/who was attacked? White privileged people? Who attacked them? randys1 Sep 2015 #29

It's perceived as an attack for a number of reasons. Are you interested in why? Scootaloo Sep 2015 #55

yes, very interested... tia uponit7771 Sep 2015 #101

Study: Kafkatrapping seems to annoy people! Shandris Sep 2015 #25

Makes sense. jalan48 Sep 2015 #32

It's not a contest, we're all in it together! Fearless Sep 2015 #34

When White Folks claim there's no White Privilege.... Burma Jones Sep 2015 #36

It exists and I probably benefited from it at some point in my seven plus decades here in the US tularetom Sep 2015 #39

If anyone understands privilege, it's the good people at Stanford. nt AppalachianAmerican Sep 2015 #56

Actually, African American students view Stanford as more friendly than Cal KamaAina Sep 2015 #82

In other words, white people are acting like people AngryAmish Sep 2015 #59

I'm never giving up my white privilege Binkie The Clown Sep 2015 #63

When a cop treats black people worse, I prefer to think of it as "racism" than "privilege". Nye Bevan Sep 2015 #66

The flip side qwlauren35 Sep 2015 #68

Any time a cop treats a black person worse than he would a white person, that is racism. Nye Bevan Sep 2015 #74

President Obama doesn't say it because he'd get too much backlash gollygee Sep 2015 #94

Exactly. President Obama is a grown-up who genuinely wants to end racism. Nye Bevan Sep 2015 #98

President Obama is a black man dealing with racism gollygee Sep 2015 #116

In order for our culture to move beyond racial inequity... blackspade Sep 2015 #69

Once white people realize how evil they are, we'll all get along better! Shandris Sep 2015 #75

It's not about evil. blackspade Sep 2015 #78

Why would I care? TipTok Sep 2015 #87

idiots marym625 Sep 2015 #70

Any white people who deny white privilege has their heads up their asses. nt valerief Sep 2015 #76

Certainly in this post-meltdown economy. RandySF Sep 2015 #84

K&R ismnotwasm Sep 2015 #88

This is spot on. Completely true. cheapdate Sep 2015 #89

I went to public school in Mobile, too, from 1978 to 1984. Mariana Sep 2015 #115

That is so not true, go to Appalacia with Lisa Ling, lots of Americans are suffering there. akbacchus_BC Sep 2015 #92

Of course there are white people who are sufferering, for a variety of reasons gollygee Sep 2015 #95

This white person doesn't, LWolf Sep 2015 #96

I think that "privilege" is a poorly-chosen word Orrex Sep 2015 #97

Mostly the word is used by those who have no interest in having a productive discussion, Nye Bevan Sep 2015 #99

what term should be used!? tia uponit7771 Sep 2015 #102

Broadly speaking, it should be a term that does not inspire defensiveness Orrex Sep 2015 #109

That's why the whole meme just doesn't work treestar Sep 2015 #100

What words should be used then?! uponit7771 Sep 2015 #103

Try reading one of Obama's speeches about racism. Nye Bevan Sep 2015 #105

Focus on how people of color are equals treestar Sep 2015 #110

There are many types of privilege. alarimer Sep 2015 #104