http://jamietheignorantamerican.tumblr.com/post/72154890106/go-forth-and-educate-yourselves

http://jamietheignorantamerican.tumblr.com/post/72154890106/go-forth-and-educate-yourselves

 

Is this content supposed to educate? I don't argue with many of the statistics, but chicken or egg should be the core debate IF "we" are really concerned about making things better.

 

Poor Students Are The Real Victims Of College Discrimination - Forbes

Is this content supposed to educate? I don't argue with many of the statistics, but chicken or egg should be the core debate IF "we" are really concerned about making things better.

 

Poor Students Are The Real Victims Of College Discrimination - Forbes

 

The comic was meant to stimulate discussion. If you learned something from it, that is a bonus.

 

I have read this article from Forbes before. It also stimulates a ton of discussion.

 

I don't believe that the intent of the article is to pose a "chicken or egg" scenario when thinking about race relations in the U.S. Neither was this thread designed to do that; this thread has stimulated a ton of discussion that I hope has educated all of us on the unique and varied perspectives.

 

Rather than thinking "chicken or egg", why not consider acknowledging the issues that arise from both racial privledge and economics stressors; understanding that both of these issues are real and need to be tackled? Everyone acknowledging the problems is the first step to solving them.

http://jamietheignorantamerican.tumblr.com/post/72154890106/go-forth-and-educate-yourselves

 

It's no doubt apparent that you are passionate about the topic of white privilege, and so much so that it would also appear that from where you stand, it's the main, if not the primary reason for racism.

 

I don't at all deny it's inclusion into the whole big picture, but I can't lay the whole trip on all of white culture, or even know exactly the solution to entirely remove white privilege from all of the combination of factors that drive racism.

 

You've said that until whites can recognize it as the problem, they will continue to be part of the problem.

 

In reality if you're waiting for the entire white race to come around to seeing it and admitting it, sadly you're probably going to be waiting for a very long time.

 

Even in the small chance that this in itself is accomplished to your satisfaction, you're likely to have an even longer wait to for the entire white race to step aside to voluntarily or involuntarily relinquish this not so completely measurable factor.

 

Let's assume, although it's really not, a matter of every American white person voluntarily relinquishing their privilege through conscious choice, then you'll have the basic survival factor that will make some if not many refuse doing so, and as is with human nature, although not necessarily a pleasant reality, the mob rules so to speak.

 

No matter the animal, be it human, or other animals within the animal kingdom, there tends to be a strength in numbers factor. This factor also tends to show up in race related circumstances, but the intellect factor within humans also is a factor to keep things from being completely on a animalistic level.

 

Sad to say but if a white person were to spend an entire month walking around a densely populated low income black neighborhoods, there's a good chance that the white person might encounter problems from time to time merely for being the odd man out.

 

On the flip side, if a black person were to spend and entire month walking around a densely populated low income white neighborhoods, there's a good chance as well that the black person might encounter problems from time to time merely for being the odd man out.

 

At the All Star Game last night when any St. Louis Cardinal was announced, although I imagine they had a handful of fans in attendance, the overly predominant sound heard coming from the stands was a resounding "Boo". No matter whatever silly illogical reason for such a Cincinnati centric disapproval of a St. Louis Cardinal, and try as anyone might to reason with the majority that the boos were unfounded, the mob ruled and there was no shutting them up. They far outnumbered in population any Cardinal fans, and it was the majority that was going to heard no matter what.

 

There are many races within the United States. Do you feel that Asians in general for example suffer as much from this white privilege as do blacks?

 

Typically Asians are viewed as disciplined highly intelligent driven people with a propensity to make significant contributions to society. Are any races naturally more intelligent that others? Probably not, but the child develop factor and educational disciplines plays a huge role in establishing a solid foundation for future success.

 

Raised under that same child development and educational disciplines any child of any race would also stand to position themselves better for higher achieving career opportunities.

 

Sometimes within lower income neighborhoods when parents attempt to provide a more solid educational background and gearing a child to strive to rise above social obstacles, the very people crying foul about privilege will also condemn anyone trying to rise above it and serve them attitude for trying to better themselves. Quite often the people striving to better themselves will have to relocate to avoid the influence and resentment that makes attempts to hold them back.

 

While were waiting for the entire white race to come around to understanding white privilege, there's another factor that could also be brought to everyone's attention and attempts made to recognize it, and offer solution. This would be that quite often racism is a two way street. It's not just a case that all white people are racists, and all black people are being oppressed. We are deeply submerged in the whole volleyball game of it all where it's action, and reaction, and action and reaction, and kids raised either to learn to respect, or kids raised learning hatred and anger.

 

In the comic strip that you provided, although it may be valid in some respects, it's also slanted and full of a tone of cynicism that is not likely to win over too many whites to adhere to it, so ultimately can be highly ineffective.

 

The statistics provided where a much higher percentage of people of color are way more likely to serve prison time than whites is inserted here but is debatable if it actually belongs. It failed to mention the extremely important fact that the reason a person goes to prison 99.9% of the time is because of the criminal behavior that put them there. Where's the discussion for responsibility for one's actions?

 

In an attempt to right the wrongs of society, offering misguided propaganda won't likely help either.

 

Making attempts at seeing and addressing the whole bigger picture, and not only just from one narrow perspective, along with an emphasis on teaching and learning mutual respect is a good place to start.

It's no doubt apparent that you are passionate about the topic of white privilege, and so much so that it would also appear that from where you stand, it's the main, if not the primary reason for racism.

 

I don't at all deny it's inclusion into the whole big picture, but I can't lay the whole trip on all of white culture, or even know exactly the solution to entirely remove white privilege from all of the combination of factors that drive racism.

 

You've said that until whites can recognize it as the problem, they will continue to be part of the problem.

 

In reality if you're waiting for the entire white race to come around to seeing it and admitting it, sadly you're probably going to be waiting for a very long time.

 

Even in the small chance that this in itself is accomplished to your satisfaction, you're likely to have an even longer wait to for the entire white race to step aside to voluntarily or involuntarily relinquish this not so completely measurable factor.

 

Let's assume, although it's really not, a matter of every American white person voluntarily relinquishing their privilege through conscious choice, then you'll have the basic survival factor that will make some if not many refuse doing so, and as is with human nature, although not necessarily a pleasant reality, the mob rules so to speak.

 

No matter the animal, be it human, or other animals within the animal kingdom, there tends to be a strength in numbers factor. This factor also tends to show up in race related circumstances, but the intellect factor within humans also is a factor to keep things from being completely on a animalistic level.

 

Sad to say but if a white person were to spend an entire month walking around a densely populated low income black neighborhoods, there's a good chance that the white person might encounter problems from time to time merely for being the odd man out.

 

On the flip side, if a black person were to spend and entire month walking around a densely populated low income white neighborhoods, there's a good chance as well that the black person might encounter problems from time to time merely for being the odd man out.

 

At the All Star Game last night when any St. Louis Cardinal was announced, although I imagine they had a handful of fans in attendance, the overly predominant sound heard coming from the stands was a resounding "Boo". No matter whatever silly illogical reason for such a Cincinnati centric disapproval of a St. Louis Cardinal, and try as anyone might to reason with the majority that the boos were unfounded, the mob ruled and there was no shutting them up. They far outnumbered in population any Cardinal fans, and it was the majority that was going to heard no matter what.

 

There are many races within the United States. Do you feel that Asians in general for example suffer as much from this white privilege as do blacks?

 

Typically Asians are viewed as disciplined highly intelligent driven people with a propensity to make significant contributions to society. Are any races naturally more intelligent that others? Probably not, but the child develop factor and educational disciplines plays a huge role in establishing a solid foundation for future success.

 

Raised under that same child development and educational disciplines any child of any race would also stand to position themselves better for higher achieving career opportunities.

 

Sometimes within lower income neighborhoods when parents attempt to provide a more solid educational background and gearing a child to strive to rise above social obstacles, the very people crying foul about privilege will also condemn anyone trying to rise above it and serve them attitude for trying to better themselves. Quite often the people striving to better themselves will have to relocate to avoid the influence and resentment that makes attempts to hold them back.

 

While were waiting for the entire white race to come around to understanding white privilege, there's another factor that could also be brought to everyone's attention and attempts made to recognize it, and offer solution. This would be that quite often racism is a two way street. It's not just a case that all white people are racists, and all black people are being oppressed. We are deeply submerged in the whole volleyball game of it all where it's action, and reaction, and action and reaction, and kids raised either to learn to respect, or kids raised learning hatred and anger.

 

In the comic strip that you provided, although it may be valid in some respects, it's also slanted and full of a tone of cynicism that is not likely to win over too many whites to adhere to it, so ultimately can be highly ineffective.

 

The statistics provided where a much higher percentage of people of color are way more likely to serve prison time than whites is inserted here but is debatable if it actually belongs. It failed to mention the extremely important fact that the reason a person goes to prison 99.9% of the time is because of the criminal behavior that put them there. Where's the discussion for responsibility for one's actions?

 

In an attempt to right the wrongs of society, offering misguided propaganda won't likely help either.

 

Making attempts at seeing and addressing the whole bigger picture, and not only just from one narrow perspective, along with an emphasis on teaching and learning mutual respect is a good place to start.

 

I have made my stance clear in a previous post:

 

"My perspective, so that it is clear for you and others, is not that wealth doesn't create privledge. It is that racial privledge exists and must be addressed as a part of conquering any racial divide we hope to bridge in this country. It is a primary factor and, in not recognizing it as such, you are complicit in the issue."

 

To assume that there is one magic bullet to conquering racial divide in our country is as naive as denying the issues that are staring you in the face. There are nuances, as you have mentioned in numerous posts, including the one I am replying to. The approach must be a balanced one, but one that must include building trust through sharing perspectives.

Ok, let's for a moment stipulate that there is white privilege. I definitely think the idea of white privilege is often times overplayed but also realize that white people IN GENERAL have some advantages over minorities in some instances. That being said, what are white people supposed to do about it to improve things? What are black people supposed to do?

Ok, let's for a moment stipulate that there is white privilege. I definitely think the idea of white privilege is often times overplayed but also realize that white people IN GENERAL have some advantages over minorities in some instances. That being said, what are white people supposed to do about it to improve things? What are black people supposed to do?

 

Being aware of it is part of it.

 

This discussion and many of the others about race break down along two lines. The first is that some people say that racism is bad, but that there just aren't that many racists left in this country, so we ought not to dwell on it. The second is that some say there are fewer overt racists left, but many people have prejudices or make negative assumptions based on race without really thinking about it. I think this discussion of "white privilege" falls into the latter, where people are saying that just because no one is burning a cross in your yard doesn't mean race has no affect on your life.

 

The study I cited above about black sounding names on resumes not getting as many call-backs illustrates this point and is why I reference it here. I don't at all believe it means that companies or HR departments sit down and say "we just aren't going to hire black people." But I do think when someone picks up a resume that says "Jamaal" instead of "James" they might make some quick assumptions that don't work in Jamaal's favor.

 

So, I think the point of all this is that good, well-meaning people can still have some of these prejudices and ought to be more reflective about them instead of clamming up and getting defensive. I don't think that will "solve" racial issues (there are many, many layers there), but it will go a ways toward improving them. Everyone agrees with MLK's speech - "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character" - but I don't believe we are quite there yet, and that's a perfectly worthy goal.

Ok, let's for a moment stipulate that there is white privilege. I definitely think the idea of white privilege is often times overplayed but also realize that white people IN GENERAL have some advantages over minorities in some instances. That being said, what are white people supposed to do about it to improve things? What are black people supposed to do?

 

I do think that @Habib nailed the first thing- let's all acknowledge this so that we can recognize where it may play a factor. This way, we can specifically target racial privilege by design.

 

I cited the Rooney Rule in an earlier post; I think that is an example of what can be done when racial privledge is recognized.

 

Simple things can be done as well. For instance, how many companies post jobs to university job boards for new hires? Do you target Historically Black Universities like Kentucky St. and the multitude that are in Tennessee and Georgia? That is one way to find diversity. Have campus recruiters meet with diverse student unions on college campuses. This is another way.

 

Listen, these are small, simple steps to bridge some gaps. If we are talking wide-scale, major systemic changes, we are going to have to begin some grassroots conversations that will be difficult for ALL parties- including minorities that may hear about some of the harsh realities of statistics cited in this and other threads.

 

Bottom line- it will take a lot of work. I'm not sure if I have the influence to do the heavy lifting, but I'll be darned if I can't have conversations like this one to get people thinking and continue to invoke my influence where I can at other levels.

As I stated previously I feel I hit the genetic lottery when I was born white, male, American. I understand the privileges that I have. All of us who were born in this great country should be grateful.

 

I could be way off on this and it may not fit into this deep discussion but I think the biggest barrier race communications is the self appointed faces of the black community. Nobody in the country has profited more off of racism and black folks than Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton. If born2reign and Purple Pride had their forms we would be better off.

As I stated previously I feel I hit the genetic lottery when I was born white, male, American. I understand the privileges that I have. All of us who were born in this great country should be grateful.

 

I could be way off on this and it may not fit into this deep discussion but I think the biggest barrier race communications is the self appointed faces of the black community. Nobody in the country has profited more off of racism and black folks than Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton. If born2reign and Purple Pride had their forms we would be better off.

 

The thing is, Jesse and Al are largely just old war horses whose time has past. I don't really know of anyone with a brain who takes them seriously anymore. But among certain segments of the white population — the Fox News crowd — they are somehow seen as the authoritative, singular voices for all things black, and that galls the hell out of the Fox News crowd. The liberal media exacerbates this problem by making sure and calling on those guys for comments about any and all black-related incident nationwide, when it should be seeking out different people.

The thing is, Jesse and Al are largely just old war horses whose time has past. I don't really know of anyone with a brain who takes them seriously anymore. But among certain segments of the white population — the Fox News crowd — they are somehow seen as the authoritative, singular voices for all things black, and that galls the hell out of the Fox News crowd. The liberal media exacerbates this problem by making sure and calling on those guys for comments about any and all black-related incident nationwide, when it should be seeking out different people.

 

You blame Fox News yet it was one of those liberal media outlets gave Sharpton his own TV show.

Sounds to me like he blamed Fox and the liberal media. Seems fair enough.

Sounds to me like he blamed Fox and the liberal media. Seems fair enough.

 

I stand corrected. Jim uses big words.

The thing is, Jesse and Al are largely just old war horses whose time has past. I don't really know of anyone with a brain who takes them seriously anymore. But among certain segments of the white population — the Fox News crowd — they are somehow seen as the authoritative, singular voices for all things black, and that galls the hell out of the Fox News crowd. The liberal media exacerbates this problem by making sure and calling on those guys for comments about any and all black-related incident nationwide, when it should be seeking out different people.

 

I'm going to have to disagree. Everyone time there is a major incident involving a black citizen they allow Al or Jesse to take center stage.

 

A liberal outlet gave Al his own show.

 

None of that is on fox news.

I'm going to have to disagree. Everyone time there is a major incident involving a black citizen they allow Al or Jesse to take center stage.

 

A liberal outlet gave Al his own show.

 

None of that is on fox news.

 

Come on now, Fox is the boogie man