This one goes to the people who say "yeah, but what about all the white folks living in poverty?" That's the author growing up. And yeah, she's an honest to goodness boot strapper. But she gets it. http://occupywallstreet.net/story/explaining-white-privilege-broke-white-person
I'm at the point where I wish all the guilty white yuppie-larvae, and the conservative Christians, would all join together, give away all their shit, put on robes, beg for sandwiches, and wash lepers. Be what you pretend to be, assholes.
God I wish this whole privilege conversation would go away. The idea that no matter your personal struggles that poor poor minority had it worse than you is to me, condescending. It's not empathy, it's pity and what the fuck makes you think I want your pity? I love my life and who I am and I can listen to you complain about something without you immediately having to flagellate yourself in front of me because I was born a darker shade than you and so are therfore handicapped. You can fuck off with that shit.
I'm not sure whether you or some of the others read the article. At any rate, she isn't really talking about skin color at all.
Yeah, then read the next paragraph, where she specifically criticizes the racial lens. Care to fuck off yourself? Or maybe read the rest before your next comment?
Another excerpt.... To me that reads, no matter what your lot in life is white people always remember you are better than blacks. It's not empathy it's pity you just can't recognize it as such because your white privilege makes you unable to understand the black and minority perspective.
All right, much better. Yeah, I have pretty much every privilege she lists going for me. I recognize this fact. Seems perhaps you do, too, which kind of tells the bullshit in your first post. Who the fuck said it was about you?
That's exactly the point. Privilege isn't about black people, it's about white people getting to pity black people and making themselves feel like they have some deeper social awareness because of it.
You bring your own baggage with a statement like that. Note the way you are convinced it's a white-black thing.
Whatever gul. It's not just blacks it's all minority groups, gays, transgenders, blacks, mexicans, whatever, it's still about the white person getting to feel good about himself because he's aware he's better than all these poor bastards.
After reading the article, it does seem to touch on a lot of subjects, most notably class. The poverty thing especially, which is easier to see now that I've been away from home for nearly five years now. I lucked up in having family that helped my folks move from Oakland into a suburb further north, which allowed me to see middle class folks and want to move up, rather than see a never ending cycle of single motherhood, welfare and risking gang violence for wearing the wrong color. I do see where Hetbalist is coming from, and why he thinks the attitude of privaledge is disgusting. I've had one lady tell me I of all people should never say PCness has gone too far. Who the fuck are you to tell "me of all people" how I should want neutered language? Also Liet's infamous Oreo comment, that he's since apologized for. In my neck of the woods, I see far more of this kind of racism than the usual kind.
Okay, here's another article to consider: http://qz.com/257474/what-riding-my-bike-has-taught-me-about-white-privilege/ You might choose to brush it off as silly. After all, cyclists are a self-selecting minority for the most part. But it explains it well, and I don't consider it belittling to me as a cyclist for people to understand that our national transportation system is not designed with me in mind.
"If you want justice, you must at least stick to some of the lies we've been using to protect injustice from criticism. Otherwise, I have no time for you."
While at the same time secretly knowing that yes white people are better then black people. When you go around checking your privilege to yourself you're saying the black man next to you is not your equal. He's inferior to you and you have to make sure you don't flaunt that fact in his face. The whole check your privilege is just another racist aspect of leftism dressed up in camouflage.
White leftists are the biggest racists on the planet. Watch and listen carefully how they treat minorities. Especially if you get them upset like Liet.