Opinion: When being white doesn't help
Editor’s note: Susan Bodnar is a clinical psychologist who works with people from diverse backgrounds and teaches at Columbia University’s Teachers College and at The Stephen Mitchell Center for Relational Studies. She lives in Manhattan with her husband, two children and all of their pets.
By Susan Bodnar, Special to CNN
W.E.B. Dubois once said that even working white people benefited from the “the psychological wages” of membership in a dominant race. There is, however, more to the story of class in white America than dominance. The hardship and success of upward mobility has created a myth about white American class structure that obscures our truth.
TV shows like "Gossip Girl" make it seem as though most white Americans are simply privileged. Yet, according to U.S. Census data, almost 22 million white people live in poverty. An analysis of reported incomes suggests that people in that income bracket, as well as those with higher incomes, identify with being middle class. In a series of interviews about class status with white Americans, most are uncomfortable being seen as poor or wealthy.
Further, many don’t know what class status they inhabit. Despite the hard work that once ensured upward mobility, many white families have seen stagnant income growth. Others have accrued wealth without anything even resembling a work ethic. When members of different cultural groups marry, diverse traditions of class meet at the kitchen table. Siblings, parents and children can occupy different financial statuses. Some identify with class backgrounds from childhood more than their own.
Behaviors like how to speak, dress, move and gesticulate define class as much as income in white America. On a visit to Westport, Connecticut, I overheard residents complain about a guy who could afford a big house filling the driveway with fixer-upper cars perched on cement blocks. He had the money but not the class.
Gene Bailly, a retired professional living in Vermont who was raised in South Carolina, felt identified with his culture of poverty despite comparative financial success.
He explained, “Even though I worked as an administrator at Columbia University and was pursuing a graduate degree, I behaved and understood the behaviors of others through the lens of a kid growing up in the cotton mills. "
My father-in-law, Sam Schatsky, grew up poor on Manhattan’s Lower East Side but become a manager of an arts supply store, proudly raising a family in a New York City suburb. The direct line from ethnic immigrant to a thriving member of the so-called melting pot is no longer typical. So many white Americans have more than one socio-economic affiliation and their connection to each has been a circuitous path rather than a straight line. Lifestyles and values interact with incomes to create a class structure that is more kaleidoscope than pie chart.
Aren’t all of us part long-skirted immigrant grandmother, part someone who longs to work with his or her hands, part kid dreaming of becoming a firefighter or part parent working too hard to achieve a secure financial future?
Further, those of us who now enjoy an easier standard of living sometimes find the concept of class alien. We have been so self-guided, self-driven, self-educated and self-blaming that we no longer consider ourselves members of any group. Many succeed economically, but falter emotionally, having lost family support and friendships in the quest to fulfill an ambition.
Some relatives and friends still feel angry that I moved on, not realizing how much it hurts to leave home and disconnect from loved ones to fulfill yearning dreams. A young woman who attended a prestigious private high school on scholarship expressed similar feelings when recalling what happened when her mom volunteered for the new school’s fundraiser: “I watched her pick up her coat and leave while the other moms stayed for the event. She couldn’t afford a ticket.”
Newly acquired class status brings the fear of losing it, and the worry about how loss would affect family and community. Even though the median net worth of white Americans is just more than $81,000, economic insecurity is at a record high of 20.5%. Especially in these times, it seems like anyone’s financial architecture could crumble without warning.
Jeanne Egan, a marketing consultant in New Jersey, who comes from an Irish-American working class family, explains, “I got here on my own and I’m still on my own even though I have a supportive and loving partner. But the minute I stop making my new life happen economically is the minute status can slip away.”
Sadly, white racism is legendary. Yet tensions between the classes also occur. Some white people aim to buttress their self-worth by enacting superiority over other white people derogatorily termed, “white trash.” Bailly, the son of the teenage cotton mill workers, revealed “even though I was in the top 15 or 20 of my high school class of 200, the guidance counselor never once suggested my going to college because I was the kid of mill workers and he didn’t see us as college material.”
Scott Lenz started working at age 14 and eventually graduated with a bachelor's of business administration in economics from a college he could afford. He was hired as a corporate logistics manager. When his job performance evaluations indicated he qualified for a promotion to the financial department, he was denied because “I didn’t have the markers of the right background.”
The assumption that white people should be able to “make it” in the style of Horatio Alger, despite economic stickiness at the higher and lower income brackets, also contributes to class tension. Is the wealth of those who work in finance a new standard that renders others less worthy? Even successful people perceive that they have failed, making excuses for what used to be considered triumphs. Doctors, artists, small business owners and teachers, as well as those performing the maintenance tasks that support a functional society, bristle at being undervalued. The fundamental respect traditionally granted to everyone’s contributions, including those still building their lives, has waned.
Charles S. Smith, a 30-year-old custodian working the night shift at a Tucson middle school, keeps trying to afford to complete college. He feels stung when people assume he is an immigrant because of the job he holds. “People come up to me while I’m at work and start speaking foreign languages to me,” he said, “as if they can’t believe that a regular white American could be doing such a job.”
Kelly Washburn, a strategy and communications consultant in New York, lost her job during the "Great Recession." Comparing her life to how hard it was for her widowed mother to raise a family, she now feels the expectation that "anyone can make it" denies a piece of reality.
She said, “We can’t, by definition, all be exceptional. We can’t all transcend the statistics."
Yet we relentlessly demand it of our selves. We trudge forward in pursuit of the same things that motivate most Americans: healthy meals, an excellent education, travel, a decent place to live, and a few good clothes. But those things now cost more money than most people have.
The real secret of class in white America is that whiteness is like our own Frankenstein. We built a giant creature of spectacle and entitlement that has taken on a life of its own, requiring more of our resources to feed it. But no matter what their class status, no white American is ever quite that white.
The opinions expressed are solely those of Susan Bodnar.
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Language and the proper or acceptable use of it is a factor.
If you say, "It don't make no difference to me.", your less likely to get a better job than someone who say, "It doesn't matter to me." This dynamic crosses color lines. Languge or accent is what divides the white classes in the UK. Speaking a certian way signals to others that you're "Low Class".
Brilliantly written. Especially the portion on support mechanisms and its affect on the feelings and realities of wealth and security. It is horrifying what people typically burn through (family, friends, loved ones, children) to achieve "success" .. only to feel it could disappear at any moment because in fact their measure of success is truly hollow. We've lost touch with the feelings, people and spirit that really matters. We do not live in the present with a humble respect for the past and responsibility for the future. I believe a lot of people blame much on the loss of spirituality and think that being "reborn" is the new fix .. but the issues we are facing as a culture are much larger. Even the "reborn" have lost touch with the core of those teachings. It is what we share with others and what the good they chose to accept from us that brings us together and lets us live here and now. It is also the only lasting part which continues of us long after we have departed this earth. That is the core the teachings in religion (a respect and caring for all people, all creatures, and the Earth that was created for us) and what we as a species/people must recapture if we are to succeed and be truly happy. Might sound way too hippy or religious for those looking at numbers but hopefully they too will see this in time.
The way you expressed it is definitely a bit hippy / religious, but the underlying message is still valid and correct.
Good point. I like hippy. It is better than Zealot.
For example, it is really kind of sad that there are so many aspiring to be financially "rich" for the sake of money alone. If you truly knew the life of the rich you would know that money does not actually change the fundamentals of life. It might avail you some access and sense of security that could also be achieved with more fulfilling relationships but does not change your levels of happiness (for most this is very difficult to accept). Being middle class and having enough so as not to spend time worrying about basics while having time for a more fulfilling life is where the real action and potential for true happiness is .. which is why I do not begrudge the "rich" who are not leveraging or abusing the efforts of others. Being financially "rich" should be a responsibility for those who wish to accept the additional burdens that come with it and should never be viewed as a right or reason for considering oneself better than anyone else. My issue is with the "rich" who are using their status to destroy/disassemble the middle .. which is a real problem for all of us present and future.
And being middle class is actually much lower than most realize or are prepared to accept. It takes very little for a person to live in terms of basic needs. All the rest is a distraction. Sometimes distractions are nice .. even a necessary part of being human .. a type of distraction we regularly refer to as vacation is one example .. but they should not consume your life. This is a core message in religion as well.
The assesement of Class starts in elementary school and is decided in Junior High.
It's what bus you get on and off of, what clothes you're dressed in, how your parents behave at meetings, etc.
Believe me, the teachers and guidance counselors were VERY aware of students Class Status.
And, other than a few exceptions, your life path would be directed accordingly.
Of course this wasn't blatantly obvious.
Can you elaborate? I was not aware of this, although it would not surprise me.
It was subtle but apparent if you bothered to notice.
Why waste all your efforts trying to help a poor student achieve the best grades, when they'll never go to college anyway? Dump them off at VoTech School with the other losers. Focus your attention on the higher class students that come from affluent families, because they WILL go to college. Class bias starts very young and they put you on a Track and you just assume that's where you belong...with the other poor kids in VoTech.
22 Million whites live in poverty? I wonder how come the white GOP NEVER talks about them being on welfare?
Because our dislike of welfare is not race based.
Mark N said, "Because our dislike of welfare is not race based." Then why do so many of the GOP talk about blacks on welfare specifically?
If that was true, then you wouldn't be ashamed to talk about white people who are on Welfare, food stamps, and other social programs. Instead, the GOP candidates talk endlessly about how African Americans need to get a work ethic, get a job, and get off welfare. By leaving out the facts, it makes it look like these candidates are expressing racial biases. It would be far more helpful if they stopped with the stereotypes and really addressed the issues if they really cared about getting people off of Welfare.
@Crys:
Since you're bringing race – uncalled for, by the rest of us – into this:
What percentage of those 22 Millions are on welfare? What percentage of black poor are on welfare? The onus is on you to back up your aggressive viewpoint. (If you really were to dive into those statistics, you might not like what you find – although you'd find your answer there)
Happy Readings. Let us know what you find.
might be from Friday, said that a very small number of the poor actually go hungry, so our definition of poor is certainly different than the dangerously poor
nunya sounds like Smelly KELLY.
Maybe because they do not look at everything in terms of race, like some do..
I can't afford to be Republican, there for I am not.
First, welfare is equated with Black people. Secondly, some are in denial as Gingrich and other spew venom about minorities, particularly Blacks on welfare, though statistics confirm significantly more whites receive welfare than Blacks. So, welfare is racially defined, no doubt about it.
Maybe all she's saying is there might be a better way.
Sometime reading these boards I wonder WHAT THE HECK you teach your kids this goes out to black people and white people or whatever color of your skin. You hide behind a keyboard to spill your hate and F-Up views of people you really don’t know personally. You can’t change the society outlook of any particular race.
Is there anyone over 30 writing here? This all sounds like twentynothing PC high-school texting ... I'm taking my toys and going home .... Bye children
I believe the the gov will take care of me is what keeps people poor in America, lack of motivation, lack of self respect, and lack of education will keep the poor poor. The more our Gov does for them the less they want to do for themself
If only we could somehow get them to realize that.
What about the people who need help? What should we do with them?
let me continue the sentence for you.... The more our Gov does for them the less they want to do for themself which its just fine with government because that gives them total control over our lives.
"You want to finish the race problem in America, let's stop talking about race, tha's that..." Morgan Freeman
Totally agree...
Ya gotta love old Morgan. He's right, race is an issue becaue people keep making it one.
to add to Morgan's, I heard an interview with Mr. Washington where he said something to the effect:
"the day you stop referring to me as a black actor is the day I start to think of racial equality"
I am sure I paraphased that, but that is how I remember it
Morgan is a rich actor. When you have money a lot of things get easier.
This will happen, when everyone on the planet has orange skin color from all the mixed marriages. We will also speak a mixture of languages, according to some authors.
I've read this article a couple of times and I still don't get it. What is she talking about? Class discrimination, but of poor white people by rich white people?! The embarrassment of poor white people who 'feel' that they should be doing better financially because they are white?! Does she expect us to feel MORE sorry for poor white people (than poor people of colour) because they are 'expected' to be doing better?!
Reality check, Doctor: poverty sucks the same for everyone regardless of what hue you boast. Oh and just in case you are truly oblivious, here's another bit of advice – an article that is deeply mired in 'perception' about 'class' and 'skin colour' is often a precursor to a racist discussion.
Well said.
I think she's trying to talk about the idea of "white privilege" and how people still tend to think that this concept exists, when it doesn't. If you are poor but think that you have privilege simply because of your white skin color, then you will probably never rise above the poverty. I don't think her intention is try and cause some type of race war , but to rather just point out that many people have it bad, equally, regardless of your race. And it's really only the top 1-5% of people in America who actually do hold this concept of "privilege."
Maybe she's saying we're capable of finding a better way.
tldr; if you think that you are "privileged" or on the opposite end "disprivileged" simply because of your race, then you could be viewing your life and your economic situation in a *delusional* way that will probably end up hurting you in the long run.
Race no longer defines whether a person succeeds in America or not. Persons with advanced degrees below the age of 50 have a superior chance of financial success in corporate America. There are plenty of degreed white and black people unemployed in America, especially those with ages of 55 and above. Today, there is more age discrimination than racial discrimination. Comments regarding slavery that was 4 generations ago are not even relevant, today. I have hired and worked with plenty of capable minorities and the color of one's skin makes no difference. There are classy black, hispanic, asian, and caucasion peoples just as there are ignorant whites and others. We all can't be rich or have the personal attributes to achieve scholastic or class distinction. There is no longer a privaleged group; look at our American President. He is very intelligent, highly educated, articulate, and has good judgement. I see that and so do all the white people who elected him. He could not have one the presidency any other way.
I was with you randy until you call President Obama "articulate". That word only some of US black folk don't like to be describe because it a GO TO WORD. 🙂 (yes he half white). side bar I'm not a President Obama supporter this year. Anyway good post
The overall point the writer was making is that in today's American economy, the entire middle class White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, are not making the economic avances as they did in earlier times. And almost everyone except the top 5% are teetering in a day-to-day survival mode in regards to finances and job advancement. The author made point that there was a time when "White priviledge" existed, this nation was founded on that to a great extent ( look at the treatment of Africans and Native populations) but clearly in todays economic system, White priviliege has ended.
I look forward to the day when the content of a person's character determines their worth, rather than their race or background (whether privileged or not). I doubt if I will live to see it, but I hope nonetheless. White privilege still exists, even if it doesn't benefit every single white person. The evils of the past have not been erased with time or the election of a black president. Even if you took direct racism out of the equation, inequality would exist because past racism has created broken cultural systems that will persist for generations. (From a white male with a relatively privileged background who knows he could have easily been that homeless man if life had dealt a different hand).
I am not going to demean anyone,especially based on what they look like .
I am not going to let myself be demeaned by anyone, epecially based on what I look like.
I will teach my kids to do the same. I pledge...hatred and bigotry will go no further in my life.
I am not naive. I simply choose.
Pass it on, do the same, and the day (then the nation) will get better and better.
When I was in high school there were "Tracks" that kids were put on. If you were from a blue collar home you were put on the "Vocational School" track. If you were from a white collar home you were put on the "College Prep" track – – this was regardless of grades. School administration decided what track to put you on based on your parents economic background - NOT academic perfomance. This goes on today.
That's funny, I had the same "tracks" when I was in school, except that people were assigned to the various tracks based on grades and IQ test scores. I'm not even sure how they would have assessed my parents economic background, as they never saw my parents' tax returns.
... but on the other hand, they had my entire school history since day one sitting in front of them.
The assesement of Class starts in elementary school and is decided in Junior High.
It's what bus you get on and off of, what clothes you're dressed in, how your parents behave at meetings, etc.
Believe me, the teachers and guidance counselors were VERY aware of students Class Status.
And, other than a few exceptions, your life path would be directed accordingly.
Of course this wasn't blatantly obvious, but it did occur.
We were working poor, but because of my grades I was automatically put into the college prep track. No one ever recommended that I go to Vocational school, but all my teachers, relatives and family friends were always asking what I was going to study in college. I knew I'd have to use scholarships, grants, and loans (which I'm still paying off), but it never once occurred to me to NOT assume I'd go to college.
I volunteer in the kindergarten, etc., and the parents have more to do with it than the schools and from what I observed, and it was not a black/white/chinese/spanish class problem so much as a bring up the kids at home and how they entered the school (compounded by school overcrowding). The teachers from what I could see work with what they are given and the stretched resources
Yes, they do that, but they also are quite flexible and when you come and complain and provide evidence that you are actually right they switch your "track" and when that doesn't work there are always big guns to bring to the table (parents). Schools needs some ways to classify people by performance it is your job to explain them that they are wrong (believe me, in about 85% of cases they are NOT wrong).
We had similar tracks growing up but it was based completely on grades and test scores.
Family background and grades often go hand in hand (not always). Parents with little education and low paying jobs will have difficulties helping their kids if they have trouble in school and won't be able to afford many books or a computer to access the internet. They may also not understand what college is about, how to get there.
My parents made less than $25K a year. We survived by growing our own vegetables and canning for winter. But my parents focused on our education. I was the first in the family (and the small town) to go to college and get a PhD. I have a 6-figure salary. Most of my classmates went to vocational school because that is what their parents had done and they fit in. I didn't fit in when in college, I just focused on studying. It was a struggle all along. All my classmates in college had family members who could advise them about the next step and give them letters of recommendation, I did not.
That being said, someone who went to a vocational school, learnt a good skill, and uses it well can make a fortune. We will always need good plumbers, carpenters, and electricians. Good is the important word here.
Really? Are you like 200yrs old? I am not trying to be funny, I am just really shocked. Could you please post the City an school district where this occurred so we can all look it up and verify. I would like to send them a nasty letter and get the news media on their behind..
Tracks are really funny things.. at my HS.. one year the son of Indian immigrant parents is valedictorian..
The next year its the black kid from the worst projects in Dallas who lives with his grandmother and gets picked at the bus stop right next to the crack house..
This is why tracks are worthless .. they are concocted by people with little intelligence and even less imagination.. a lazy way to 'help' kids get a better education while segregating kids of socioeconomic classes for fear of the poor kids bringing down the less poorer ones..
Its simply tragic that so many of those who commented missed the whole point of the article. Is this due to a lack of reading comphression skills? Or the fact that race in America is STILL such a hot-button topic that many use any forum to express their personal thoughts and experiences–even if it is completely irrelevant to the particular discussion. Slavery and race-relations in America has spun a complex, multifaceted tangled web. We ALL are still dealing with the effects and consequences. I applaud the author for her attempt to deal with a such a difficult topic. READ the article and seek to fully understand before you comment. Unfruitful slurs, insults and rhetoric just make us look like a bunch of dumb Americans.
Well put
Agreed. Well put.
Old money is the new royalty. 🙁
Another White person generalizing again. Perhaps that "passover" happened at YOUR husband's company but I can tell you that that DOES NOT happen across the board. Do you know what DOES happen....daddy (White) either owns the company or has some CEO or VP position in the company, and brings his "no nothing" son or daughter in "just because he can" and people of color who have worked at that company for years have to "train" that no nothing son or daughter.....to be a supervisor or manager....and they do become a supervisor or manager OVER the workers who have been there and know the job better than that no nothing son or daughter....but BECAUSE that no nothing son or daughter was the son or daughter of the white ceo or vp, they get to be INSTANT supervisor or manager OVER those who have worked there for years and know the job backward and forward....just because the no nothing White son or daughter is the son or daughter of the White CEO or VP. PRIVILEDGE??? I have "personally" seen this happen in EVERY company I have ever worked at. Notice, I did not generalize and say "ALL" just the ones I "personally" worked for.
not no nothing...
Wow. And how many complaints have you filed with the EEOC, Lynda? It's NEVER your fault, is it? It's always someone else's. I'd bet some good money that you're one of their "Constant Complainers". I've actually never seen what you've described happen, but I HAVE seen organizations take a chance and promote someone of color or a woman when they wouldn't have done it were the person a white male. Does that make the company bad? No, they're simply trying to be more diverse. But of course, you think that NEVER happens, do you Lynda? Try taking some ownership and responsibility for your own behavior–did you EVER stop to consider that maybe the reason you're not getting promoted is that you're just not as good as those who ARE getting the promotion? And for Pete's sake if nothing else maybe you should think about working at companies that are different than the ones you've been in. The world isn't as bleak and hateful as you paint it.
Is it because they were white or because they were the son/daughter????
That would be the same situation for any other race....
This never happens to white people.
I hate to be the one to point this out, but your communication style is obnoxious and your spelling is atrocious. Can you make a solid case that you deserve a leadership role with those soft skills?
Perhaps you should start your own business, and then you can run it as you see fit.
hi 5
Lynda,
I will agree that the problems you describe (nepotism) exist. However, when non-white people are in positions of power and influence, they will engage in nepotism to no lesser degree than white people. Nepotism is disgusting. However, it is not a hallmark of being white. Have a good day.
What you are referring to is nepotism, not racism, and it happens in companys that have black people in power, too. You are enforcing exactly what the author is saying people should stop doing. Let me break it down in simpler terms: (as per the article) if you are poor/white and you think that you are "privileged" simply because you are white, then you will never rise above the poverty, because you think that poverty doesn't apply to you. White privilege does not exist anymore. Now, on the oppisite end, if you are black and think that you are "disprivileged" simply because of your race, then you will probably never rise above the poverty, either, because you think that you don't deserve to. Black oppression does not exist anymore, either. Sorry but you can't pull the race card anymore. If you are unhappy with your job situation, blame it on yourself, not "society."
its called an INHERITANCE. What do you think he's going to do? give it to you? Who is in your will? The children of the orphanage? You can keep crying about how nothing is GIVEN to you or you can go out and MAKE it for yourself. Just sayin...
mmmm, ket me make sure I understand you correctly.. Someone who owns a company has their children work for him/her, and quickly advances them up the chain of command.. I am really struggling to understand this, your upset because a person who owns a company wants his/her children to run it? I am still struggling, he/she owns the company?? What am I not getting here, he/she owns the company right?????
Lynda, You just described life in a "family owned" business. If you don't like that type of organization , don't work for one. There are other opportunities. Don't make villains out of all family owned businesses. They provide a lot of jobs which I'm sure many other people appreciate.
The median wealth of white households is 20 times that of black households and 18 times that of Hispanic households, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of newly available government data from 2009.
Median Net Worth of Households 2005 2009
Whites 2009 $113,149,
Hispanics $6,325
Blacks $5,677
Too bad crack-cocain couldn't be utilized to calculate net worth...that stat might flip..:)
All of this would have been the other way around if the US population was 67.3% Blacks and 12.2% Whites
You're a Samuel Clemens fan aren't you? Lies, damned lies, and statistics.
Evidently you do not believe in equality of opportunity, just that outcomes should be equal.. And by the way, anybody can find a statistic to back any claim..
How different the world might have been should the nations of Africa industrialized before the rest of the world.
really, and what if the earth had not been the exact distance with its wobbly orbit around the sun
not an interesting question
Your educational level precedes you...that was not a question.
your sentence starts with 'How' and ends with a '.'
nice to hear something preceeded me
You mean, really is, not is really....red pen aside...you may just be beginning to get the point.
nothing to see here, move on
If you want to experience racism against caucasians, try living in a black African nation. You would probably be killed because of the color of your skin.
Not true. Whites would actually be treated better than fellow Africans. Sad but true.
Not sure where you get that impression. I was born and raised in sub-saharan Africa most Africans are curious about white people. We generally don't have a bone to pick with them. Can you please reference any substantial non-isolated animosity that black Africans in Africa have against white people living in Africa besides perhaps the situation in South Africa with apartheid? I'm pretty sure you can't
Zimbabwe, Egypt, Somalia, Nigeria . . . lots of places to be kidnapped or killed just for being white.
Historian,
Africans have a lot pressing issues to worry about than kidnapping or killing white people for being white. You have to name specific cases but I can tell you that in the case of Nigeria where I am from. White people were kidnapped not because they are white but because they tend to be rich and work for the oil companies which was having disputes with the inhabitants of the areas they mined. Basically the oil companies were destroying the environment wiping out local farming and fishing. It wasn't a race thing.
So please give specific cases of black africans targeting white people solely because they're white.
Have you heard of the ancient Egyptian civilization?
First, Ancient Egypt did not industrialize. They might have should they have kept it together for the next 1000 or so years.
Second, are you really going to cite a civilization that owes its monumental history to its use of historys greatest slave system ever in defense...?
The descrimination would have been the other way around if the US population was 67.3% Blacks and 12.2% Whites
RACISM STILL GOES ON TODAY, EVEN MORE SO IN ECONOMIC HARD TIMES!! CHANGE IS NEEDED !!!
I see caps lock is optional, invest in a keyboard that has it, makes it easier to read what you are writing
Seriously, the color of a person's skin is complete last-generation hooey, when will your generation get over yourselves? You've already bankrupted everything for future generations and are kicking and screaming to the grave demanding we take care of you.
Someone who's 30 is last generation?
Do you not live on this planet? If so, then please include yourself in the equation and quit being self righteous.
I must be right since I clearly hit a nerve and that's the best you have.
'Charles S. Smith, a 30-year-old custodian working the night shift at a Tucson middle school, keeps trying to afford to complete college. He feels stung when people assume he is an immigrant because of the job he holds. “People come up to me while I’m at work and start speaking foreign languages to me,” he said, “as if they can’t believe that a regular white American could be doing such a job.”'-Herein lies the rub, as well as the author recognizes that White America is so diverse within the economic and educational class structure of the nation, the content of her above statement fails to recognize that this also holds true for many modern-day minority citizens and immigrants in a converse manner, thereby validating the notion of a racially-inclined worldview of upward mobility by "White Americans" (aren't all born inhabitants of the New World Americans?), and therefore creating within the minority community a skeptical mistrust of claims to the contrary. What this statement does reveal, however, is that the mindset of racial upperclassmanship and priviledge may more subconciously, deeply ingrained within the collective mind of "White America" (whatever that is) than it cares to admit to itself.
somebody writes a piece on being white, and boy do the people go off.I am white and I guess poor,according to my friends anyways.Being white these days is as bad being black in the past.The white folk get blamed for everything. enter reverse racism here. I get lumped in with the poor black people often,such is life I guess.Glad somebody writes an article from my point of view
No. Just no.
I would not go so far to say it is the same as being black, but I am very tired of hearing how good I have it
I have done simply horrible jobs to make ends meet, my 'priviledge' seems to pass me by, but I am not looking for other races or groups such as gender to blame
leave it alone people, this is a very lazy analysis on a tired subject
it is tough all over, stop blaming the white man
People who say that there's no such thing as White Privilege have never been Brown in the United States of America.
Really?...Where do you live I haven't seen a plantation with white slaves yet...lol...I'm not black, i'm just saying...
White privilege has nothing to do with wealth or classism; it's about the way you're viewed by the world around you. Shame on you for conflating them and perpetuating the myth that one negates the other.
White privilege is a myth in today's America. It's nice to see the facts come out.
shame on you for grouping people and attaching attributes: perhaps some small percentage has benefits, but not the group of white people
No, it's not a myth. Because these comments are positively dripping with it.
half are just dumb comments, but I just read all of them and they fall perhaps by accident all over the place, I see not pattern
You mean someone actually crawled out of their cage and found a poor white person. Lamestream media never heard of such a thing. Be careful: if you find a poor white trailer trash woman and combine her with a N African Muslim radical, you just might create the next president of the U.S. – Oh wait, that already happened!
Funny. But, Obama's mama wasn't trailer trash.
Kind of sucks how if you're poor, white, and happen to live in a trailer, that makes you automatically "trash." I think that's the sort of thing the article's trying to say right there. Poor blacks and hispanics are "disenfranchised" but we're just "trash."
Shows how dumb you are.. Kenya is in East Africa.. not North Africa.. and his dad was Muslim but far from radical.. in fact he had a Masters degree from Harvard.. and judging by your comments.. you dont have a degree.. and anybody in your immediate bloodline wont qualify to do anything at Harvard except work as a janitor..
So grab your mop and bucket.. you have work to do..
TO SWG and everyone else who thinks like you do....The word is "BENEFITED". Say it with me now – "BENEFITED". Every White generation from slavery to TODAY, has BENEFITED IN SOME FORM OR FASHION FROM THE MISDEEDS OF YOUR GRANDFATHERS, GREATGRANDFATHERS, GREATGRANDFATHERS, AND YOU CAN KEEP ON GOING. Of course you young people can't comprehend this but what it means is that, anything that has been passed down through your line of people (not all) but most.....in the form of jobs, inheritance, homes, education, you name it....it comes from, and off the backs of Blacks who reaped it or built it....and MOST OF THAT WAS FREE LABOR. ASK YOUR GRANDPARENTS. What comes from cotton? Tobacco? you name it, you PROFITED FROM IT, and we provided the FREE LABOR FOR IT, so you all could BENEFIT from it. If anyone needs to read a history book its White people. The real reason they don't want to hear this TRUTH is because then they would have to admit that in fact, THEY HAVE BENEFITED from FREE SLAVE LABOR. WITHOUT THAT FREE SLAVE LABOR there would be no cotton to make clothing or tobacco to make you know what and more. Pass that legacy down 4 or 5 generations and you have a whole lot of Whites people BENEFITING off the backs of Blacks. You can't get any plainer than that. But I guarentee you there will been Whites who will twist this fact to make THEMSELVES "FEEL" BETTER ABOUT THEMSELVES. No my dear, you didn't whip that slave into picking that cotton....that made the clothes you wear today.....but you sure as hell BENEFITED FROM IT.
Sorry Lynda – you are wrong...there are many people descendants of poor, European immigrants or poor white families who are so far removed from your example that it is a foolish argument. All the folks who migrated during the great depression who were poor white farmers knew nothing about "benefits" from former slavery. Your post is as poorly conceived as some of the others...lumping all whites into a single group. Please do some additional research – your knowledge base is still incomplete.
I am from a family of 13 and Dad was from 12, and we had NOTHING to inherit, and still do not. But we had the WORK ETHIC and worked the fields as kids and were told to go to college (but not how to pay for it) SEVEN of us have gone to college, with earned scholarships ( studying late under one light bulb overhead in the old dining room) and working our way through. My ancestors worked for pennies in inner city factories, on the rrail cars, the coal mines, etc and ruined their health and gave their lives for their families and THE MEN STAYED WITH THEIR FAMILIES. We never had welfare then and grew our own food and canned it for winter and budgeted and often were hungry in the winter. Blacks see affluent whetie on tv and that is not the situation at all. We just do not whine about it and were taught, "When the going gets tough' the touigh get going." We were not taught to feel like victims and whine because others inherit from hard working ancestors. If the blacks had it so great in Africa, when they were freed, why didn't they all go back there?
First, you should look up the number of whites that actually owned slaves, it was actually less than 10%. You had to be wealthy to own slaves back then.
Second, I am white, but I am Hispanic. My family moved to S. American in the middle 1800's (post slavery) and we moved to the United States when I was a child.
@Lynda
With your logic then so has ever black person living in America. Do you really think you would be better off had slavery in America hadn’t taken place? Take a loooooong look at Africa madam and get back to me when you have some perspective.
not*
White and my family has only been in the US of 100 years (Poor Irish). Not a slave owner.
Hey Lynda, you just couldn't help yourself, could you? You just had to turn your response into the usual black cop-out of no matter what happens, whites will never be done being guilty for slavery and racism, and black people will always be able to use it as an excuse to underacheive and be antisocial.
All four of my grandparents moved here, poor, from Europe in the 1920's. They Weren't here during slavery and were thus never involved. They all made lives for themselves in Pennsylvana, nowhere near the Jim Crow south. So, guess what Lynda: I DON'T OWE BLACKS A G-DAMN THING!!
And let's talk about your use of the word "BENEFITTED": you BENEFITTED by being brought to this country, albeit against your will. If that hadn't happened, you'd be in Africa, covered in flies, starvingm watching genocidal warlords steal all of the food provided by the UN.
So, Lynda, go F*** yourself, you race-baiting b****!
Lynda, why so angry with white people. Was it not black Africans who sold black Africans into slavery? Why no anger towards them? and when you say "we" I feel pretty confident that you did not personally work in the cotton fields, as my white grandmother did. my family has never owned slaves, but they did work the cotton fields as well.
Why Not, I agree with you but don't bother trying to present facts to people like Lynda. She won't accept that blacks sold each other into slavery..."it MUST have been white people that did it". The hatred of racists like Lynda (and her white counterparts) aren't open to rationality and reason.
Lynda, you're a racist, pure and simple. Not only that, you not only blame an entire race for your misfortunes (which is patently ridiculous) but in your "racial lens" you fail to accept ANY responsibility for things since then. Sadly, even 200 years from now there will still be people like you who refuse to take any responsibility for your own situation and wait to get things from others...but it will hopefully be a much smaller number. You could actually try and consider facts (e.g., the overwhelmingly VAST number of white people did not own slaves) AND that many many white men (and women) have died to help your cause. But that would take away from your angry little "pity us" diatribe, wouldn't it? And racists like you aren't able to understand that perspective anyway. Thank God that MLK Jr. didn't think like you.
Wow Lynda, such sweeping generalizations here–the very root of the problem with racism in America are these broad generalizations, like the one you made. Lets see, my father's mother immigrated from Lebanon to California. My father's father was a descendent of a Norwegian immigrant to Hawaii. My father was raised in Hawaii, before it was part of the United States, abandoned by his parents and worked as a child slave on a sugar plantation. Fortunately he was saved and adopted by a local Polynesian family that raised him as their own. My mother's mother left the Netherlands during the Holocaust (Jewish), my mother's father was from Ireland. America is a nation of people with complex diversity. Even America's president, Obama, is an example of our diverse nation, an American-Irish-African with influence and exposure to many different cultures and religions. To categorize in terms of "black" and "white" demonstrates complete ignorance. It is this ignorant and overly-simplified approach that perpetuates racial divide and racism in America.
Leave this country ... You degrade every American with your racist postings as much as CNN degrades the printed word. Smallow your hate ...or at least some cyanide.
Lynda –
Where do I fit into your close-minded and socially cold rant? I am "white" based only on the color of my skin. You say every "white generation" benefited from slavery but you regret to acknowledge immigrants who happen to have "white" skin. My Mother's grandparents were Romani (gypsies by others) from Europe who came to America in the 1900's and my Fathers family immigrated to America in 1925 from Ireland. Do you have any clue about the persecution that they faced? I repeat, you say all white generations benefited from slavery? How did my family benefit then? My grandmother married an Italian immigrant who gave birth to my Mother and My Grandfather came to America already married to my Father's mother...So how do I benefit? I don't! I am only white due to my Irish heritage. It is these kind of statements that Dr.King spoke against. Remember "A should NOT be judged by the COLOR of his skin but by the CONTENT OF HIS CHARACTER"
Lynda, I challenge you to look inside yourself and think of situations like these before you spout off. A less couth individual might have called you a racist given how direct your statement was but I will not. I will pity you and your narrow-mindedness.
Wow Lynda. You should take all that hate and self-pity and use it for something constructive instead of blaming white people for your problems.
Seriously?... I am Hispanic, first generation I should add,but I chose not pull the race card every chance I get. Whites benefited from Black, Asian, Hispanic, European labor..blah blah blah...So what? It s the circle of life we all benefit from each other at the end of the day. You talk as if you are still picking cotton and tobacco, just let it go.
If you expect to be treated equally, and with respect, you need to stop with these racial posts.
Hispanic is not a race.....look it up.
Lynda- I'm just glad I don't know you.
you blame white people today that never had relatives who owned slaves.Not all of us were plantation owners!
Let go of the racism. My god. Please. Yes some whites did some bad things. I WAS NOT ONE OF THEM! We did genealogy and guess what? We NEVER owned slaves. And we traced our family back to Ireland, England and more. No Slaves! So pardon me if I am sick and tired of the race card and sick and fed up with being made to be your whipping post for what you're angry over. I'm just so tired of this going on and on and bringing up 400 years ago.
Just like I won't blame YOU for all the black crime in the ghetto!
If that is the case Lisa, then what you are saying is the Jews do not need to remind people about Hitler...Right? You don't want blacks to talk about racism and yet white's are the one's who invade other countries, force their belief on others, destroy other races through history and the media. And who are in control of the flipping planet. But you don't want Black's talk about injustice. WOW you are from Ireland!!!!!!!
Wow – these posts show so much BLAME. Here's the reality – there are achievers in every race and slackers in every race. To the white people who swear they didn't get a promotion due to 'quotas' or the black people who swear you didn't get a job or promotion due to 'racism' check yourself first. Start with the man in the mirror. I am black, female, educated, married with children, and, I am part of Obama's 1%. My parents, my grandparents, nearly all of my friends – nationwide – fit the exact same demographic or are very close. There isn't that much affirmative action in the world. We earned it – just like the white people I know in this demographic – they have similar degrees and similar jobs....they also earned it.
Anybody see a common thread here?
I have seen my share of white men getting promoted just for the fact that they are white. No other reasons. Being a white man in an office is steps ahead of everyone else when it comes to promotional opportunities. Sure, equal opportunities all right, except that some are more equal than others.
Maybe so, Tom, but I've also seen a significant number of women and minorities get promoted largely because of the organization's desire to be more diverse, when they probably weren't the best candidate out there. If you think this doesn't happen every bit as much as what you're describing, then you need to get out more.
Please ! You do need a history lesson...like the crabs in the barrel they only let a few get out, so they can control them and have the rest thinking if they got out so can I, when really they are the ones pulling the strings, Just look at how they treat Obama, if it's the last thing we do it will be to not see him do another term, they hate him and believe me they knew what they where doing when he got in office let Him try to clean up our MESS and show the rest of them that we all want to get along big joke, they got a plan but so does GOD.GO BACK AND REALLY STUDY HISTORY, ALL OF IT.
It's interesting to see so many racist comments like yours, Ms. Jammeh, come out on this thread. I'm a white guy, and while I didn't vote for Obama it wasn't because he was black. I very much admire Colin Powell and would vote for him in a heartbeat because he'd be a great President. Yours is the typical racist mindset that says "if you didn't vote for Obama you're a racist. If you don't agree with him you're a racist." Blah blah blah.
News flash: Obama is a GREAT orator. But it takes more than oratory skills to be an effective President, and before you say he's in a tough situation, etc., what the HECK do you think a President of the United States should be able to do????? This is arguably the highest position of leadership in the world, and anybody in this role should be able to deal with discord like we're facing. This isn't an entry level leadership position! I disagree with Obama because I believe the direction he wants to take the country is a wrong one. If you can't accept that, you ARE a racist. Pure and simple.
TruthBtold I agree.Achievers achieve and the rest don't. If you aren't getting that promotion you want or reaching some personal goal than you have 1 person to blame, Yourself.
Well put, I completely agree. I am Hispanic, dark complexion and first generation. I have worked hard and earned a great position within my company. I have learned that with hard work it does not matter who you are, or where you come from, you can reach great height.
Self pity will get you nowhere, earn your keep, and quit blaming everyone else for your inability or unwillingness to advance in life.
And the status of today with being unemployed, whether you are white, black, green, pink, etc etc and having collected unemployment and still to be without an income and the stigmatism of an "address" to be able to get out of the realms of desparation, did we forget those? Not to be hired because one again whether white, black, green or pink, to have a brain, the respect of the experience one may have had until the severity of this recession and how it has affected everyone today, to literally starve because you cannot find a job or a job that would even remotely look at prior responsiblity or profession, so "color" of an individual in today's world has nothing to do with any of it, it is a changed world one of which today is not nice and will continue not to be nice until someone realizes what has happened in just short of four years.
When was the last time you saw a green person?
Last Tuesday.
was it in the Walmart? I saw them, I thought it was the gin fizz, thank you for posting, I feel better
oh no, someone call the wahhmbulance, white people are sad and insecure. way to cultivate a completely racist discussion thread, y'all.
"What this demonstrates is your total lack of understanding of what “othering” means in a practical sense. You’re ignoring the way your life is otherwise entirely immersed in a state of absolute privilege and revealing the fact you fail to comprehend the process of objectification and marginalising they go through all the time. When you are Privileged®, “similar” experiences simply do not happen on an equal footing because they do not otherwise reflect marginalisation. This obliviousness is highly insensitive and trivialising and will definitely cause them to grind their teeth!
"But it’s also an important step in affirming your privilege: Privileged People® are accustomed, after all, to it being “all about them”. Not used to simply sitting back and listening to othered people‘s issues, Privileged People® like to be the centre of attention at all times. It reminds them that they are important. By doing this, you will feel good about yourself and send a crucial message to the Marginalised Person™ (yes you really can diminish their experience by making it all about you, all the time!). "
http://www.derailingfordummies.com/#butbut
Uhh, I would up your meds if I were you...
A one page article on the downside of being white? Did they leave the up side to the thousands of articles on Wikipedia?
DividedWeStand....this is EXACTLY the kind of wording that gets EVERYONE in trouble. You obviously never met me, or any of my friends, or any other Black person that I have EVER known....because I don't know people like who you are talking about. Might YOU know MORE Black people than I do????????? Lucky you. Lumping a whole race of people in your diatribe against them just to make your argument, defeats any purpose on the subject. Stick to ONLY those Black people you know PERSONALLY. That way, your statements are ACURATE and not heresay. Unless you know FOR A FACT that each and every Black person is on welfare, has 10 children, receives perks, handouts, dresses in designer clothes, receives student aid above and beyond anyone else, uses food stamps, etc....then you ARE NOT QUALIFIED TO MAKE THE STUPID IDIODIC AND IGNORANT statements you make here. So do us all a favor and stop it.
If you don't want white people to talk about black people they don't personally know, then stop talking about white people you don't personally know. Self righteous hypocrites are the worst kind of people.
LOL. you rock, Dan.
"Unless you know FOR A FACT that each and every Black person is on welfare, has 10 children, receives perks, handouts, dresses in designer clothes, receives student aid above and beyond anyone else, uses food stamps, etc"
No not all but MOST.
Good Article,
Class determined by how you speak, what you wear, your manner really has a tendency to pigeonhole you. This happens regardless of color. My parents grew up poor but got themselves educated and made sure I was educated. I went to college and was fortunate enough to meet people from higher status backgrounds. Once you learn how to engage, upward mobility becomes easier, but I retain the fear of the days when I subsisted on Ramen noodles, eggs, and turkey hot dogs. Blacks in cities like Atlanta also self segregate by class.
This is a thoughtful article that bends the simple notion that everything is based on race. education and hard work is important, but learning the social skills is equally important to the tangible stuff and came matter even more in determining success. I suggest you have those tatoos removed!
this is so, so true.
behavior means much more than wealth does.
as you say, get rid of the tatoos.
Being white never really helped me much. I'm just as broke as anyone else, and if you go in looking for food stamps and have light skin and speak English as your first language, you are treated as some sort of criminal, and given all sorts of hurdles to jump over that no one else really has to. That's only happened to me in the city though, where there are a lot of 'minorities'. When I lived in the country, where there simply were no jobs, they didn't give us half of the grief that the offices in the city do. I have enough Cherokee blood in me to get reservation rights, which would have helped me get through college, but one of my grand parents was such a racist that he refused to fess up his heritage, so that was lost as well. And of course I can't complain about it, because I'm white – if I do, I'm a racist.
I was raised to be so tolerant, and I always am. I'm being TURNED into a racist.
Is there such a thing as persecution envy?
That's a load of crap and you know it. You're old enough to choose or not to choose being a racist. There isn't a gun pointed at your head y'know.
No, you're not being turned into anything. You are what you've always been. You're just getting brave enough to say it out loud.
I am a 45 year old white male. I would consider myself middle class based on my income. I lived hand to mouth for many years and put my way through night school to get a degree, while I worked 3 jobs. I ate peanut butter sandwhiches for lunch and dinner for a year. I have had a reverse discrimination in every corporate job I have had. Then I have had to do part of another persons job because they can't get the job done. I completely realize that I have not had as tuff a live as many others, but it is a same to put people in jobs to fill a quota or fear of a law suit.
yeah right you are a white guy sorry we cant hire you 🙂
Trying to correct bias with more bias is never the answer.
Welcome to the club, I'm a New York-born middle-aged man of Hispanic descent, and I've been subject to EXACTLY the same treatment as you here in the state of Georgia for YEARS. You can get over it, if you put your mind to it, or you can move elsewhere. It is what it is.
...how did the reporter who wrote this article get away with using the word "white"...why am I white...what I mean is if I am not allowed to use the word black..why am I considered ..."WHITE" do you follow me...if we are all the same then why do you refer to me as being ..."white'....I mean every time I say the word black I am considered a racist...so then why are you not a racist for calling me ...WHITE"...explain that to me....
You are not a racist if you use the word "black". You are a racist if you lump all blacks into a single group and ascribe characteristics to them as though they were a single person.
...no.... you are wrong... no one can write the word BLACK while posting at Fox news...if you don't believe me then go there and try it.......
This is not Faux News, and I do not post there. I imagine that they have their own rules due to the kind of people their reporting attracts.
The reporter got away with this article because their is nothing wrong with categorizing people as Black and White or even Latino or Asian. You are white if you look more European than any other group, to answer your question.
White people are absolutely allowed to use the word black. They should refrain from using it in a derrogatory manor. I appreciate when others make use of my latino and or black backround in positive light. I wouldn't be offended one bit if someone called me the latino guy or even the black guy. I'm pretty confident that there's nothing wrong with being Latino or Black so if they want to refer to me that way then fine. Just proceed win a positive manor.
I think there is such a stigmatism in the white community that say's that whites can't identify people by color or race. But in reality minorities in the US do it all the time. We just know not to do it in a negative or insulting manor.
The over sensitive white community has programmed into white folks that they are racist if they categorize people by color or race. Its just not true. I will respect you if you know that I am Latino and can still be my friend. I will respect you more if you can admit that you are White.
I believe White people need to feel more secure in the diversity that is around them and be able to interact and yes even label folks positivly and not negativly. Unfortunatly white folks have such a history of negativly labeling people that now they think that they need to step away from labeling all together.
In reality we are all very different. Some labeling may be necessary when speaking about certain subjects. I make sure I always come accross positively. You are white and I am brown. We can speak happily and positively about these facts and we are not racists in the least. Have a gread one. jjo
"we all look the same with the lights off" -Cee Lo Green
Listen to the Beatles People
I do not see any priveledge by color, what I do see is a group of people with nothing else to do but compare
get a job other than making up statistics and telling a group of the population how bad they are for the color of their skin, it is tough all over and picking out one group for the collective bashing of everyone else is just lazy
I completely concur. Is it more common in the Black community? Yes... but it happens in every race
However we don’t act or sound the same.
Idiot
The apologists are in full force here. Nothing is ever 100%, but being white still has its previleges in MANY circles. Get off the high horse and realize that the recent 400+ years of world inequalities and problems are the direct result of "white" poeple. Whatever "white" means, anyway.
Please. Really?
Casting blame check
No plausible facts check
Typical rhetoric check
HAHA....you are pitiful Jethro......still looking for a crutch
Who said life was fair?
If you are going to compare history by race you should include the positive and negative aspect respectively. For example ‘whites’ have only done to others what said others were doing among themselves long before ‘white’ involvement. Don’t be butt hurt because ‘whites’ were better at it. “Whites” also created the fairest and most just societies on the planet. This is only relative to the alternative societies of course
Plus, whites have always been the best at organized killing. If minorities, whatever that is anymore, want to be and stay dominant then they have to learn how to kill in an organized manner, being mixed makes me only halfazzed good at organized killing.
@David in Corpus
Do you have a point David?
Well, white MEN, anyway. Meanwhile, it was frequently the middle-class white WOMEN who were working to make things more equitable. Maybe we should stop blaming whites and just blame men for all the bad stuff.
Racism in general is just stupid. what is the point in hating a race because of something that happens in your own as well. Im sorry but i am an African American Male that was raised by White parents who made $300k annually, i wasnt adopted till i was 10, where i live in 1 bedroom apartment with 6 other families. 3 dead brothers, a dead dad, and a mom whose addicted to crack?? its not even about race here Folks, it about class status. we wouldnt be in the bind that we were in if we would trash our negative views taught to us by people who didnt understand the importance of togetherness. If we can pull our heads out of our a**es and lend a helping hand, America as a whole would be a better place. I lived both lives. There are struggles with both, but if there is a better understanding, we can help to address the problem that affects each and every one of us in our own way. Your allowed to express your opinions, but before you do so, look on the other side of the fence.
The fact that you call yourself African-American and European-Americans "white" is racist in itself. Why do you feel the need to do that? Does that give you a feeling of superiority?
Becuz i am fully african, However My family has a breadbasket of different culture making them primarily "white." Sorry JJ, i will attempt to be more politically correct next time.
I think you made some great points there anono. And as far as this "white" guy is concerned you don't need to worry about being more "politically correct." I think JJ's comments proved your point perfectly.
What you describe isn’t racism. (Many people get this wrong) What you describe is culturally biased. Citing examples such as your only proves this. Genetically speaking there are differences, but nothing that would give one race any real advantage in modern society (affirmative action not included). Culture is another issue altogether though. Compare Europe and Africa for example. Africa has been populated far longer and has a much larger population. However in every aspect Europe is much more successful. Is this because of genetics? No… it is because of culture. Same thing happens here in America. Are blacks genetically inferior? No… however ‘black culture’ has enumerable issues. (yes white culture does also, we are comparing respective success) To be successful as a black person is seen by other blacks as being ‘white’ in a negative context. Black Americans tend to believe they have been held back by slavery and racism. However compared to their African brothers they have not. This is seen globally.
I’m sorry but we are NOT all equal, even if we do have the capacity to be so.
You're white, aren't you? And yes, it does matter. Because white people have no business explaining what racism really is to the people who have spent their whole lives experiencing it. The fact that they think they can is what white privilege is all about.
lets see: murders, not can't judge
pediphiles: no can't judge
thives: no can't judges
rules that commit genicide: no can't juddge
DC, you are a lazy writer
You just put being a PoC on the same level as being a murderer, a thief, or a pedophile. And you don't see that as a problem?
I put branding of people (a race) as a problem; the laziness of judgement and how quick to judge a problem
are the crimes the same; I could not judge the how bad they are and would not want to, and I don't think you want to either, they are all bad at some level; two of those are horrific, the other is bad on some level and the prejudging of a person based on their white skin color is also bad on a level worth speaking out on
judging that a white person immediately has it better because they are white is bad, you seem more than ready to do that – that is bad
Please do a special on how/why the poorest most dysfunctional countries are non-white. No one's perfect but look at the FACTS. Evolve already. Mohammad Ali said it best: "I'm real glad my ancestors got on that boat".
This author spend her days thinking of racial divisions. It's her job as an academic. Please go feed your cats.
Why are the poorest most dysfunctional countries "non-white"? Colonialism and empire.
@ tacc2
Excuses.
Colonialism and Empire are not ‘white’ only activates.
And suggest that the cultures / countries were inferiors to start with, to so easily be steam rolled.
Race, race... racism is thriving at Columbia. The Klan must be happy.
We are very happy
WVLady63........you're so typical of those usually ignorant old school whites who whine whine whine about everybody taking your jobs and your this and your that...and you have nothing. You don't even know what your talking about. You are just scares, mis informed, insecure, uneducated, defensive, scared, short-sighted, one-sided, scared.....insecure...notice how some adjectives are being repeated here.......thats because they fit people like you who think the way you think.. You need to ask yourself..exactly WHY you feel the way you do? Dig deep and be HONEST with yourself. Are you in your station in life REALLY because of someone else taking it away from YOU or are YOU in YOUR station in life BECAUSE OF YOU YOU YOU?
If there is a "need based scholarship", and someone who is white is passed over to give it to a "minority" whose family has MUCH more than said white kid, they did lose out due to unfairness. Your lack of ability to even admit that this type of thing exists and happens all the time is telling. I have seen it in school, I have seen it in hiring.
While I do not agree with the way that WVLady went about making her point, in some ways she is right. I've seen it many times before both when I worked as an assistant in a human resources department and from personal experience. It's a sad truth that sometimes caucasian people are passed over for jobs in favor of minorities simply based on race. My husband is an example. When he worked as a police officer and a new chief was hired, the new chief wanted to get rid of all of the most recent officers hired by the old chief to assert his authority. My husband lost his job even though he was very good at it and a woman from his same graduating class who could barely write her reports was kept on (I will not go into her race because that's not the issue; suffice it to say she was a minority). I even saw such instances when I worked for human resources myself. Of two equally qualified candidates, if one were a minority, that person would be chosen over the other for fear of legal repercussions. I'm not saying this is always the case but it does happen.
My family was the poorest on our block, the only one that didn't own a car but, and included a disabled father. But, being White, I didn't qualify for the hardship scholarship a Black friend of mine got whose family earned much more than mine. Seven of us got good paying summer jobs during college. The three Black guys ONLY were the ones kept on during the school year. The Kennedys have been given so much credit for improving the lives of minorities, but no Kennedy had to sacrifice a place in line so that quotas could be met. The lower middle-class White kids were the ones pushed aside.
Awwwww...I'm so sorry for you!!! Poor thing!
Ana – does it somehow make you feel better that someone else suffered....aren't you special.
I feel for you, Mick–but the way your situation informs the bigger picture couldn't be farther from the truth. Let's contrast each other's anecdotal experiences. I grew up poor and white, saw white and black families alike receive assistance–my own family, though white, were able to take advantage of many programs offered by the government. Despite my WHITE-NESS, I was able to attend college with federal assistance. No doubt I worked harder than the average person, but instilled in me now is a sense of self-worth and (to the closest degree possible) a need to give back as I become more established in the world. I feel fortunate as hell, because even the color of my skin is a privilege. I'm sorry your life hasn't felt fair, Mick, but keep it up. It's pretty damn dark before the dawn, I can tell you from experience.
I remember in 1979, I tried to get a job at Memphis International Airport and was told, Sorry, you are white and the next person I have to hire has to be black.
I remember in the Air Force in 1990, they had one stripe to give as a step promotion. I didn't get it. They had to give it to a black guy.
I am white. I made my way in the world all on my own. Black can't say the same. Quit complaining.
You say that Black people should 'stop complaining'..First of all my ancestors – that are African-American" built this Country. Have you forgotten that my Ancestors were FORCED to live in this Country? Not only that they were forced to do a lot of crap that White people forced them to do! They worked for at least 400 very long years and did not get one red cent! Theny YOU COMPLAIN that Black people 'allegedly' received a stripe in the Air Force because they were Black? Do you hear yourself? Do you hear your racism seeping out? I'm 1,000% sure that the Black person that received that stripe DESERVED that stripe! Then you have the audacity to say that we should not complain! The first thing a person sees when they look at a person of color..IS ONLY THAT...THE COLOR OF OUR SKIN!!! Not the fact that we have degrees and are very intelligent with and with out college degrees! THE COLOR OF OUR SKIN!!! For White people it is much easier. You are treated totally differently than any other race in this Country. Although white people are the MINORITY in the World. That is another subject...Don't you DARE say that Black people need to stop complaining. White people complain so much more than any other race! You whine and complain when you 'feel' you have been mistreated once! Booo hooo...get over it! At least YOUR Ancestors were NOT FORCED to come to this country..beaten, stolen from their families and their beautiful Continent of Africa....You need a reality pill... Get over it! The reason why you are where you are is because of the poor choices you made period!!! If you as a white person had to walk one block in a Black persons shoes you would probably kill yourself..Especially a Black Man..you would just die because White people are VERY WEAK!!!
Part of the problem is that YOU weren't forced to live here. You weren't a slave any more than I was a slave holder. Yes, history sucks. But the current generations of blacks were not slaves nor forced to live here any more than the current day whites were slave holders who forced you to stay here. I think slavery was abhorrent. Yet I am pigeon holed as one of those priviledged whites even though my Irish ancesters came here as poor farmers and were treated like crap. They didn't have slaves and were treated pretty bad themselves (not as bad as African slaves were treated however). My entire point is that I am tired of being punished for what some white people's ancestors have done to some other people's African ancestors. My ancestry wasn't a part of that and I am offended by being treated as such. For the record, I grew up as "white trash" in a trailer park because my family was poor. They were good people but just poor. I had to join the military for my education because NOTHING was ever just handed to us because we were white. I'm not even sure where that happens. It sure never happened to us. Anyway, I'm just tired of some folks throwing blame for historical events around based upon color. Yes, I may be white, but my ancestors were never a part of enslaving anyone so I am sick to death of being judged for it and black people looking at me like I am privileged. Anything I have I had to work my butt off for in the military. Since I was "white trash" I also was not given any guidance or assistance for college as I did not have the "right background". I really wish people could open their eyes and realize that a skin color is not a free pass to luxury and it is ignorant to believe such nonsense.
White people did come here "forced" out of persecutions, bad political climates, land restrictions, religious persecution, famines, etc. They came here to survive and did not come here joyriding across the ocean. They brought picks and hoes and seeds and got to work. I am sick of blacks claiming THEY made this country. If they are so work oriented why are the major slums in this country black? If you hold such a grudge against the forced black population brought here by primarily jewish slave ship merchants, why not contribute to the land of your roots and go back and help bring that continent into this century! The middle class owrker in this country has paid and paid for this type of whining and the country is going bankrupt paying for welfare babies (over 70,000 deliveries in Milwaykee alone paid for last year) and feeding them generation after generation. Blacks have it better here than anywhere in the world. If you need to whine maybe you should go shopping for another country. YOUR hatred of white people, angry black person, shows no respect for the strides WHITE PEOPLE (including old foggies like me) made on your behalf in the last century, and continue to make, and to pay for. Billions of dollars every year. Blacks seem to have no pride when it comes to the billions of tax dolalrs earned by the sweat of white brows. since we are so horrible, why not turn down our taxes?
@Are You Kidding?
You conveniently (or ignorantly) forgot that the Irish and Chinese also ‘built’ this country.
P.S. “because White people are VERY WEAK!!!” then what does that say about Africans that were so easily enslaved? You lost get over it.
Saying blacks built this country is as silly as saying mules built it. Blacks were used as totally unskilled labor. This country did not get to its position of prominence by manual labor, but by innovation. If sheer labor could produce prosperity, Africa's countries should be among the richest in the world.
my white uncle was downsized from his job of 25 years in as a forklift driver because affirmative action said they had to have 12 more blacks/ hispanics on payroll.
he ended up dying unemployed
thank you affirmative action
Seems like he died with little other skills except being a forklift driver too.. sounds like his fault to me..
maybe he should have started a business.. banks give loans to white people to do that..
In the Air Force step promotions are few and are offered to individuals who go above and beyond their regular duties, contributing to the community, volunteering, exceptional performance. You imagined because someone else received it instead of you that it had to be because of color. Furthermore; the personnel office does inform you why you did not get it, just that you did not make it. Take responsibility and stop feeling sorry for yourself.
I have been denied my application for an Army JROTC college scholarship because I am not of African-American or Hispanic descent, because they want to 'break the "curse"' of minorities historically getting a very small percentage of these coveted scholarships. No hard feelings about it, but, it irritates me when people try to say one race has it SO much harder than another. Go to Walker Street in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. White people are literally CHASED off. Go to the southern part of Fayetteville, Arkansas. There's nothing but white people for BLOCKS. Every race is discriminated by another, somewhere, in some way. Just because one is more public doesn't mean it's more important. Stop trying to say so for the heaven's sake.
Statistics are just that, they are bent to the means of the person looking for them just as racisim is. Racisim exists only to propogate ones own platform, be it soap box, political, or street credit.
If you take out the very small percentage of White Americans making over $250,000, which the government has described as rich, the average Caucasion Worker earns $29,000. Thats a stagering difference and it is amazing how a few billionaires kew that number. Even more so when you realize the average cost of living in the United States is $48,000.
Take the blame off of race, creed, and political affiliation and place it where it belongs. A very long line of back alley corporate deals and transgressions based on quarterly gain and greed, which has destroyed the American work ethic and forced people to believe that flipping burgers and folding shirts for their corporate masters is a woth while endeavor.
End corporations rights as "people" and raide inport tarriffs on good outsourced to other countries SO high they can't afford to bring it back into the U.S.A. , out law lobbyist, outlaw political "Contributions", and make our elected officials do their damn jobs.
What a crock of baloney. You need to take a spelling class, it might improve your chances of getting a decent job!
pardon my syntax, i have a nasty flu and make $80+ a year, how bout you.
Lol, good one jeauntx. Especially since the only real spelling error I see there looks to be a typo. I have a feeling this person is much better off than you, and they probably worked for it.
The only thing holding anyone back in America of any race is the "poor me" mentality as well as "envy" if you want something, study hard in school, go to college and then get a good job. End of story.
The entire point of this article is that the 'Dream' (work hard, get educated, and you'll get a good job and rise in the ranks) is not necessarily the reality. Sure, you do your job and you'll be okay, but there's a psychological element to it all that can undermine your security and skew your association to the groups you come from or belong to. That alone can affect your success, or your perception of it.
It's not as straightforward as people think it is. For anyone.
Finally...a White person ascribing that Whites are NOT the perfect, rich, educated saints they all make themselves out to be. Everyone knew this BUT them. Whites have ALWAYS done themselves a great disservice by perpetrating this lie because very human experiences like losing a job, living amidst child aburse, domestic violence, drugs and alchohol, illiteracy and job loss, just to name a few things, is HUMAN NATURE, yet when those Whites experience these things they tend to hide it, don't talk about it, out of shame. They then suffer in silence and often don't get the help they need because of it. Blacks have experienced these issues for as long as they've been Black...either thru racism, the economy, or personally. They instinctly know how to deal with challenging situations. They are more resourseful and stronger. Now that more Whites are feeling the "pinch" they can no longer "hide" or keep in "under wraps". There is no shame in this. The sooner they learn this the better. They have no choice if they want to survive.
So basically you are saying whites don't complain about bad things that happen to them and instead try to solve the issue instead of waiting around for someone to solve it for them?
Not sure who you've been hanging around with, but I and everybody I know always knew we weren't perfect.
The only person I've ever run into who held the notion that being white meant you lived a charmed life was this columnist. I've never seen anybody of any race that got ahead in life because of the color of their skin. The blacks, asians, hispanics and whites I know who have nice houses, good jobs and good lives got them by working hard and making good choices in their life.
Racist!
The only races on the face of the planet that get preferential treatment is EVERY OTHER COLOR BUT WHITE!!! Blacks get preferential treatment in EVERYTHING! Doesn't make any difference if they are un-educated, by choice, propogate the species via three or four different men, demand jobs they are not qualified for AND GET, and brag about how they rip off the Government! White people work, pay their bills and support colored races. In the process, we that support these low lifes, have no insurance, pay taxes that we can't afford and get turned away for jobs we ARE QUALIFIED for but because of the color OF OUR SKIN, WE DON'T GET THESE JOBS!!! Only in America are white people FOREIGNERS!!!
Ask your ancestors about how qualifies african americans are to do "work"
99% of white people have no ties to slavery. Not only that, but there were slaves WAY before the blacks were enslaved. I'm Slavic and my people were enslaved by the Italians. Grow up...
i would suggest you educate yourself. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_the_United_States. Black people owned other black people as well. The white man holding me down doesnt ring as loud when you bring that little fact up.
It was Black Africans who sold Black People to the White Traders typically.
That is totally wrong perception. We are not white. We work very hard and make a decent living and contribute to the society. We never take advantage of white people, sometimes it is the opposite way. Although I agee with the author that we cannot look at every human problem from a race angle, it is the white person like you that give other white people a bad name of racist.
Have you ever worked at a blue collar job? If you knew the way white trash and black trash were you would be appalled. Let me say this, if I got a dollar for every curse word and mention of genitalia, it would be enough to live off of for a month. I'm not a prude but some people just don't act right.
Wow... I've never seen so much 'white' hating... And they call US racist... Being white today is a bad thing. Being judged by ones skin color is against political correctness but it seems it's okay for everyone to do. You can't say these things with blacks, mexicans or asians but it's okay to bash whites...
Makes you want to bring back some of the 'old' laws....
The old laws...what about the 'old laws'? Katie you are a racist clown tha need to get help. I think we should bring back people like Nat Turner who killed ALL white people because they are NOT the natural race and they are just plain old evil..like yourself! Yeah NAT TURNER!!! NAT TURNER!!! NAT TURNER!!!! He is my hero!
I remember a long time ago when I had a job I was working my tail off on the midnight shift and two of my fellow co-workers came in for the day shift. The saw I was buzzing around like a chicken with it's head chopped off. They were black and I was white, the came up to me and said "If you were black they (management) would consider you a "the N" word." What they meant by that is, it was the first time they saw a white person being treated like a black person who had been racially discriminated against. We all had a good laugh about it. Just to let you know I personally didn't think I was being mistreated or discriminated against, I think it was just one of those days where everything on my shift was chaotic and they just seen the last part of my shift.
Interesting read. Being from a small rural town, I’ve seen white poverty throughout most of my life. People complain about minorities and blame them for this and that, but any poor white person I’ve ever known was poor because of their own decisions and/or actions. Like someone else said, if you’re white and poverty stricken, you have no one to blame but yourself.
As Alec Baldwin once put it on "30 Rock": "We white males have it the hardest. We have to make the unpopular decisions and hear the rest of you complain about them."
....I am white and I have to admit that black people have more soul and understanding of life in general...and that's what I admire about them and I have learned a lot from them
You are a a race traitor.
I am the great-granddaughter of Italian and Slavic immigrants. I am classified as white, even though I also have Native American ancestors on my mothers father's side. I have tried to start a business, but I don't qualify for any small business aid from the bank,state, or federal agencies that oversee that stuff because I am white. my employer cannot relocate his business, even though space is available,and has been in business for almost 20 years, because the small business agencies focus on "immigrant" startups pursuing the american dream..My boss is white and his parents worked hard to send him to Culinary school as did mine. American dream isn't for americans..we aren't allowed to dream anymore...we don't count anymore. P.S. our rental space was just bought out by another mexican restraunt...that makes 14 in 1 town. Add in the fact that there are 18 chinese restraunts in the same area, where does that leave a small business like ours?
Statistics are just that, they are bent to the means of the person looking for them just as racisim is. Racisim exists only to propogate ones own platform, be it soap box, political, or street credit.
If you take out the very small percentage of White Americans making over $250,000, which the government has described as rich, the average Caucasion Worker earns $29,000. Thats a stagering difference and it is amazing how a few billionaires kew that number. Even more so when you realize the average cost of living in the United States is $48,000.
There is a race war against whites. It's time to give the KKK another look-see!
Please go back to your shack in the woods. You're not helping.
I have great respect for blacks and enjoy working with them. They are some of the best people I know.
How's middle school going? You graduate from the 8th grade soon?
You may have tried that crap years back....just you go ahead and try it now. People have more sense than that. Maybe we should give the black militants another go??? How stupid is your post? Look in the mirror, that's how stupid.
I've said it before and I'll say it again......ANY WHITE MAN THATS POOR, BROKE, HOMELESS, ON WELFARE, UNEMPLOYED, etc......Is a loser. You can blame blacks, mexicans, indians, etc. all you want.....But the fact of the matter is this is America, built just for you to succeed and prosper, the american dream. Now that the roads not paved in gold anymore, whitemen stick their tail between their legs and cry about not being treated fair........gimme a break.....LoL!!
Kelly rhymes with SMELLY.
I'll give you the benfit of the doubt and assume you're just drunk and not stupid.
You're nicer than I am. I think the person who posted this is drunk AND stupid. The person that posted that is obviously one of those people who are at or near the bottom of the barrel, and happy to be there. Race has nothing to do with that mentality; it's all about character. Unfortunately, losers like that breed and perpetuate the "I'm a victim and happy being one" mentality. rather than doing something to make life better for themselves, they just coast along, looking at unemployment as a vacation, or welfare/food stamps as what the government owes them.
In case anyone is reading this and starting to bristle, let me say again – This has NOTHING to do with race. I'm sure every person reading this can think of at least one worthless human being in each major ethnic group they know personally. So please, don't make it about race. That's an old and tired argument that just doesn't cut it anymore.
Keep reinforcing that victim mentality. Maybe one of these decades it will pay off for you.
100% correct. Whites who have it rough have done it to themselves.
I'm sorry, but shouldn't that be "ANYONE who has it rough has done it to themselves?" The color of your skin doesn't matter here. Each and every person in this world is responsible for their own situation. If they don't like it, they have resources and time to change it. I have been down in the dumps and busted my rear just to get where I am now, and I'm proud of myself all others who have done so. Remove finger-pointing at skin colors from articles like these and they become unpopular self-help articles.
I sometimes wonder if the media publishes garbage like this just to keep stirring the pot and turning people against each other... makes me sick to my stomach.
Another "whites have it so hard article"..........Woe is me is the blackmans game I thought???
Hostility or Jealousy? Which is it?
try reality. Here at CNN we have a whole section devoted to defining people by the color of thier skin. We used to think that was racism but now we are supposed to believe that it's reallly the case.
Say it ain't so! Whites are now playing the "victim" card?
Please re-post your comment after you've read the article. Go ahead... I'll wait.
To be honest, African Americans might be one of the strongest races on the planet.... All the problems that they have dealt with yet they are still thankful for everyday they are a live.... Think about it bro..
Funny how in the eyes of minorities, whites seem to have the racist market cornered. Here are a few facts to consider: Why does the average black guy sleep with anyone, but will only marry a woman who is at least slightly lighter complected then himself? Why is it that in Mexico, when elections roll around, the lighter skined, more spanish looking candidates have such a huge advantage over the average Aztec looking person? Could it be that there is racisim within every race?............................No could'nt be that!
I think you made some good observations, and you are correct about racism in all..
Good observation and valid – we stupidly think the whole world is just some big Black-White thing – I travel a lot – they couldn't care less about the black-white racism here – because I usually found they had their own. You could look to Australia, Russia, China, all over the place.
That is not true.......prove it!
I actually agree with most, if not all, of what the author has to say. What I disagree with is how some resort to name calling, racial slurs, and making claims with no facts or quotes to back them up. Many will site one experience they may have had and will use that one experience to either put down or lift up an entire race.
There ya go "Fair & Equal," an original post. Now comment away.... 🙂
Not pointing at you, but, I personally am appalled that the one story done this year on "white in America" recieves so much backlash from non-whites. The fact is that as long as we have programs like affirmative action in place, we will never be able to move beyond racism. The story above makes note of the average white being worth $81,000, but it fails to take into account that you are adverageing them in with the Bill Gates, Warren Buffets and Mitt Romneys of the world. Poor whites do have a right to be angry, when their goverment excludes them from taking advantage of programs laid at the feet of others in their same socio-economic status.
Now there is something I can agree with..
Why is it everyone seems to blame everyone else? I'm white. Make too much to qualify for aid, but keep falling through cracks. We don't have that 'poverty net' the politicians keep talking about.
In my kids' private school I sacrifice tons by going without to pay for : all blacks are on the Hassa board. If you try to help or take part, they shut people out. only 55 families pay full amount for the tuition. I am one of them. I have three kids. I can't afford the schools without living check to check..but I can't afford to put them in the free, failing, public schools.
The church that runs the school is telling the school they have to start hiring more Mexicans. A majority of the Mexican students in the catholic school are anchor babies – parents that in the country illegally. But no one is supposed to protest or complain when they use systems put in place for citizens of the USA. – paid for by the law abiding citizens – because it makes us racist, they claim.
Uhm, no, it makes us law abiding.
Stop wrapping racism around it when people are tired of folks breaking rules and laws. I don't care if it is the ghetto or wallstreet.. if you do wrong suck up the consequences. That includes sneaking into my fellow LEGAL Americans' country and milking it for your benefit without giving back.
@ImpishLisa If you take as much responsibility for your kids education as the school does it doesn't matter if they go to public or private schools. I went to public schools and graduated from them, my mother supplemented my schooling every year of my life. I placed in the top 2% when I took my placement test. My wife went to private school, her parents did not supplement her learning, she placed in the top 15%.
I know this is slightly off topic, but, if you blame schools for the fall of child intelligence, think again. YOU are to blame just as much as the schools.
Actually, the article says median, not average (mean). Meaning, that Bill Gates provides the exact same weight to the statistics as someone making 81K, or someone making 0. He's 1 person, he gets a weight of 1.
Median works by arranging all the salaries of white people from highest to lowest, and then ticking off the highest and lowest until your left with the "middle" value.
That means, 50% of white Americans make 81K or more, and 50% make 81K or less. Whether your Bill Gates or homeless!
@Impish, while I will agree Public Education has not done well, be mindful of your cheap shots; I went to a public school as well – and still blew away my LSATS for Law School. No grants, no equity, no nothing (yes Im white). Stop blaming schools, public or private does not stop your kids from Harvard.
@tired -excuse me? I accept my kids' responsibilities for their education and my kids volunteer, do church work and more. Don't turn this on me. The Columbus public school failure rate for graduation levels is atrocious. Schools full of kids that don't do the work, have supplies, or give a darn holds back those that DO want to succeed. Don't pretend a school doesn't matter. I came up ADC/welfare poor and did great in school without parental support ..thank you very much. If the tax dollars were doing their job I wouldn't HAVE to pay for private schools. But I care enough that I prioritize and don't vacation, buy bling, new cars or such things YOU might find important. 1/4 of my taxable income is paid on tuition. THAT is how much I care. If more people cared about their kids the same as I do for mine, the world would be much better.. until then I do my duty and put them where it does them best. I volunteer in their schools, so don't tell ME I am to blame for a thing.
I resent the hell out of seeing special treatment given to people that they only get because of their skin.
You don't get it both ways. People are either equals and as intelligent and able..and not needing stop gap programs, or lesser, and needing them. Which is it?. if you have the programs you cannot limit it to a specific race, because THAT is racism.
The best person for the job should get it. Not a less-able one that has the right skin color. And NO one should be fired from a job they have to make room for another race. THAT is racial discrimination and it is a two sided sword. It cuts both ways, folks.
Actually, she said median net worth, meaning 50% had a total net worth above 81k. (which seems like a weird statistic to use, I had to re-read it because I knew there was no way median income was that.) It is a weird stat because it includes all the people who have worked all their lives, just to save that. Her implication is that this should be enough money to be secure, but I don't know anybody who thinks they can retire with that amount of net worth.
Fair & Equal: Mathematics fail. Don't try so hard to look for things to prove a point.
Ialsoagree: You beat me to the punch. You are correct. They said median and not mean.
@ImpishLisa x2 I find it interesting that you supported my argument while still being a hypocrit about it. You go on to say that you came from an unfortunate backround of public schooling yet you are succesful enough to ensure that your benefiting your childrens education by SENDING THEM TO PRIVATE SCHOOL. So basically your argument is: "While I am prime example that public school can be a success with drive and determination, I choose to ensure my children will do well by paying 1/4 of my salary (Which could be saved for my childrens college) to a private school"
O and if you are wondering what I do with my meager pay check that I collect for protecting this country, which I chose to do instead of going into a fiscally impressive job. I save for retirement and ensure that my wife and soon-to-be child are well fed and happy. Of course, I ensure that I have as many books as possible in my house so that as my child grows up I will be able to teach them at an accelerated level that ANY school would be shamed by. But, what do I know?
This is the Uited States of America. No jperson should ever be held down becasue of the color of their skin, or their gender. But, placing a black, 95 pound woman in the fire department, simply because she is female and black, is totally racist. I would much rather have a 200 pound, 6'4" person rescueing me from a burning building, than a 95 pound physical shrimp, no matter what color they are. And no person should be given points up front for the entrance exam to any job, except for military veterans. Otherwise, it is racism.
that's ok, son the whites will be the minority then it will work for us, right? 😉
No, it will not _WORK_ for anyone. We have gone from a society where (for the most part), people succeeded or failed on their own merits, to one where we promote and reward based upon some magical formula to achieve the "right" quota.
Agreed. At the fire department testing a family member took part in for applicants, able, strong white men were passed over, but a black woman that dragged the dummy down the stairs with it banging its head on the metal steps in the training tower they lit up on fire got the job. This SKIN lens people judge by is broken.
uh oh,
Seems like all the lazy unemployed white males on here are blaming the minorities for their underemployment.
You guys sound just like those lazy black folks...:)
I guess you'll want food stamps next!
I just want a job and for the government to stop sending my taxes to other countries.
Sounds like the uneducated are making posts again..
@kelly. no I actually live in this world....along side blacks and whites and latinos and asians....and we all get along for the most part. Get out of the suburbs and expand your horizons.....sorry, there are some good suburbs out there.
Kelly simply feels that he (or she) has all the answers, so anyones view who does not agree with Kelly's, must be wrong. People like Kelly are usually politically correct to the rotting core, like a federal politician. They actually have no statement to be made, they are to busy judging others thoughts to form one of their own.
Kelly, I notice that you have not once made an original post. Are you only capable of judging others with your superior "education". Education dous not make one any smarter, or raise one's IQ, and today, all it really does is clone the masses. All the importance you put on your education, and the feeling of superiority it gives you is living proof.
mmm, someone who use the moniker "Fair & Equal" should know better then to make assumptions.. Most who know me would never refer to me as liberal, but I do like to keep things civil and factual..
Fair & Equal,.. mmm, you are not living up to your moniker.. I have never once claimed to have education at all, I have only made the comment that others sound uneducated when they make racially tainted statements that have no basis in fact..
You made the comment, if you dont like being called on it then don't make them.. And you really shouldn'y comment on something you know absolutely nothing about, such as me.. I live in a racially diverse state, city, neighborhood and even household.. When you make assumptions about people you usually end up being wrong, so we should all try not to do it..
@kelly..I assumed the assumptions started with you calling me "unedjamacated". I wasn't assuming when I said all the white folks were whining on this thread...that was/is fact. Love you Kelly.
Love ya back White guy.. 🙂 But what I said was "Sounds like the uneducated are making posts again" You have to admit that your post was racially charged with no facts.. But heck, we all make mistakes..
can't agree on this one. It is a fact that all these white males are whining about not being able to get this hand-out or that one, just like there minority counterparts do....go back and read all these comments....its kinda true..."kinda" like every other "fact" .....oh well, enjoy the superbowl. Next topic can be about all the products that will be pushed during half-time.....products made by the poor for us rich white westerns. But your right....white people face all the same challenges as minorities.
Have to disagree White guy, I am a White guy also and have not whined at all about not getting my due.. You sterotyped all White guys here.. Never good to stereotype.. Enjoy the SuperBowl..
you are an idiot
Well, the topic is white privilege or lack of it, right? There is no white privilege in 2012 for the most part, but there is an evident American obsession with the topic of race. Why do I mention other countries? As you know from travelling and living abroad, race is less of an issue in many foreign countries. So, we all need to do some soul searching as Americans as to why this continues to be a topic in 2012. Some of us are sick of it because we find it offensive to be denigrated for our skin color. All the white people I know work for their salary. Nobody gave it to them. LOL. I have never had a white supervisor, and almost everyone I know is non-white.
You have mentioned several times that you immigrated to Mexico, and have a Mexican wife. If that is the case then making the point that your supervisors and/or friends are non-white is rather pointless. By the way, I understand that for the sake of this conversation we are differentiating between White an Hispanic, but in reality most people who refer to themselves as Hispanic are in fact White. Or at least partially White. Many South Americans would be dismayed to learn that they are not considered White. Hispanic is not a race, it is a cutural group that any race can belong to.
I thought there was only one race; the human race.
Then you are wrong. There is only one species, with a few races within that species..
There you are both wrong. There is only one race, The Death Race.
FINALLY someone educated on "race". i'm a blonde, blue eyed,whiter than white, bilingual with a mexican mother. I can confirm I'm WHITE. My mother is white too because Hispanic is a cultural, not a race. Thank you Kelley. UGH.
Stop sending our taxes to Israel. I need a full scholarship for college. Why are Jewish settlers getting free new homes on our taxes?
Politicians,religious people,psychologists,soothsayers,cultural leaders,public opinion figures,etc.. are the reason why America is divided. One think thatt i thought it was kinda like a paradox in the past was that, i was always questioning myself why people are easily manipulated with topics such as this on here? c'mon now my friends....... dont forget about capitalism system in america is also in newspapers,books,tv,internet, etc.... authors and writers love attention and money and they surely know how to get it. Subjects like:racism in america,crimes,politics,sports etc... always get people attention... and in order for these money hungry people to eat, they have to mess with your mind with racism topics... Just like when someone is under the influence of drugs, demons invade his spirit and start reasoning in him but the poor guy starts to think that he smart and knows everything... you see? wake up people. Let's talk about Salvation!
THERE IS NIOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN! BELIEVE IN PROPHET KACOU PHILIPPE AND YOU WILL BE FREE FROM RACISM'S DEMONS. GOD HAS SENT THE WORLD A PROPHET FOR THE RAPTURE THAT'S TAKING PLACE SOON.
when the sky falls, maybe it will fall on your head
Remember, racial discrimination is discrimination based on skin color or physical features (phenotype?). There are also economic status, national origin, and ethnic forms of discrimination. An example, would be Irish immigrants to the US. Were they racially different from Anglos? Maybe a little, but not much. Mainly there were differences in economic status (poor), national origin (Ireland), and ethnicity (Irish accent, religion).
I for one consider myself a very lucky man for having had the opportunity to choose to be a US Citizen. Yes, the US has many issues, however, I am still grateful and proud to be able to live in the US. We have always had challenges and will continue to have them. This discussion is an example one of the aspects that conintues to make the US a great country. Serious problems stem from tunnel vision minds that want to stomp differing perspectives.
Some of us dwell on obstacles while others work, plan and follow through in order to over come them. More of us need to focus on how to move forward rather than sit and stew on statistics and views we do not like!
As a 25 year old black woman, it's both easy AND difficult to be successful.
If my name were something rediculous like "Laquisha" or "Uneeque", or if I didn't know how to speak and write properly, I'd have a a pretty hard time landing a decent job.
THE STEREOTYPES ARE THERE FOR A REASON! And there is no "man" to blame for such ignorance. It's generational madness that's getting passed down.
It's not just blacks or whites, but EVERYONE. Every race has that group of people that makes the race as a whole look bad. They are the reason for why sometimes whites get hired over blacks that are equally qualified.
You can't take someone like that seriously.
Let's kill tham all- I mean, err uhh, Increase government spending towards public schools!
Rmotalia rhymes with GENITALIA. So your point is that racial discrimination is the fault of some bad apples. I guess the Jim Crow Laws never existed. It seems like you would agree to blame the victim, all of the time.
You belittle yourself, not her, by your comment about her name..
Jim Crow laws no longer exist. It's 2012, but it's good you know about them.
But yes, for the most part, as a people of all races we create these problems ourselves through fear and horrible communication.
Not all rednecks are racist. Not all back people are ghetto. Not all Mexicans are lazy. Not all Asians drive bad.
Though, I'm sure you've heard the opposite before.
But, in the end, we are all in the same boat. Fighting for survival, and it will keep getting harder. Every race faces racism in different ways.
So feel victimized all you want, but the same things that happen to black people happen to everyone else... including whites.... all the time.
Teenager has a good point. Seems like miss genitalia is brushing over certain historical facts that have had a great influence in today's wealth disparity in the USA. I guess she would also tell the Native Americans that their dispossession and genocide never took place. I do not remember white people in the USA being scalped wholesale as an official government policy. The Jim Crow are thankfully gone but they, and others like them, played a major role in creating a disparity in wealth.
She chose to identify as "remotalia." You only belittle yourself when you make fun of someone's name..
It may be hard for you to understand, but not all white people "benefited" – may of our families came here AFTER all the Jim Crow laws and we have struggled to succeed against all the "remediations" that have been put in place to help the people that were never subjected to the laws in the first place.
THANK YOU!
You rock.
Sorry, meant to say money rather than race on that comment.
To a true southener, "white trash" has very little to do with economics and a whole lot to do with manners, character and behavior. If you act like trash, then you are trash regardless of race.
Very good post. I’ve known rich folks who have behaved like trash and poor folks who have been nothing but tasteful. I grew up in a very modest home and my parents taught me that you don’t have to have money to have class.
Thank you for such an insightfull point of view. I am surprised that the CNN PC police would allow such an opinion.
There is more to privilege than promotions and whether your guidance counselor thought you were college material. I'm unsure the author clearly understand the deep social impact of racial division that's so clearly exhibited in these comments. For instance, the author writes about how difficult it is for whites, and casually notes the median net worth for a white family is $81,000, but neglects that this is ten times that of the average black family.
Certainly many in the privileged class will have a variety of reasons, based on their own prejudices and myopic views of why everyone else is ganging up on them, but the simple fact is that widespread, systemic barriers exist for the poor and for non-whites. For people who are non-white and poor, the issues are compounded. So, yes, the US has a poverty problem – of the most wealthy nations in the world we have the most people living in poverty – but we also have a racism problem. Pointing out that white people also sometimes encounter prejudice doesn't deny the impact of racism on other people of minority, it just points out the issue is much larger.
There certainly is a wealth difference, but why should poor whites have to pay for the crimes of rich whites. My family has voted Democrat for generations mainly for economic reasons. When you lump poor whites with rich whites, you are making a huge error. Also, you have neglected cultural differences. Different cultures place different emphases on education. Consider Asian cultures, for example.
Good point. The Rev MLK was murdered partly because he began to unify the poor people, regardless of color. Poverty and hunger cross all boundaries. These days, even some rich, white folks are losing their mansions.
Maybe voting one way consistently for generations, no matter the candidate, is part of the problem...
Ditto
As Americans busy themselves with never-ending arguments about race, other countries are either gaining ground on us or surpassing us economically with each passing day.
thank you
I only speak for my personal experience. As an immigrant to Mexico, I was treated very well. I know that centroamericanos suffer abuse, but that is related to economic status, and not race.
Exactly.
Race can be used as a roadblock for anything. The problem with using it is, folks of every color and background are successful. Many of these folks came out of poverty to be successful. So, if some of all backgrounds can do it I would say that success is available to all. I think it is the approach that might be the opportunity roadblock and not the race.
If there weren't so many racist/conservatives, we'd have a more intelligent country who would all be upper middle class-we can't ALL be super rich, it'd be nice, but that could never happen. Education is key, it's been pointed out numerous times how important at LEAST graduating means. The reason other races get the "free rides" is because the bs they're families endured 50+ years ago, bringing me back to my original statement of racist/conservatives not having a high IQ....then maybe the playing field would be leveled, and we'd ALL have a shot at an excellent, not threatening life
Actually, your statements are more of an indication of YOUR lower IQ. There are many conservatives who started out POOR and worked their way up, overcoming all the handouts and special treatments given to "minorities" for things they and their families never experienced here. Many of the "fixes" for problems in the past have helped no one.
It's not about being white, it's about being connected to the right people...no connections, no chance.
I have to agree with that.
well who is inclined to have better connections in the USA? Whites.
"inclined" doesn't mean always. Why do you keep associating all whites with tr@sh like George Bush or Romney? Not every white is rich. Not every white has connections. Maybe the majority do, but certainly not all. Why would a white person choose to live in poverty?
Some of you imply that you are experts on the world, yet where have you lived? If you have lived your entire life in the US, you don't know much. And visiting China for 3 weeks one summer doesn't count.
Been reading some of your post, your pretty impressed with yourself. Just living in Mexico does not make you an expert either..
LOL. My wife is a Mexican citizen (Mixtecan descent), and I'm working on my citizenship. I can't change my color or ethnicity (?), but I can certainly change my citizenship. Hmmm...maybe someday I'll renounce US citizenship.
Again, what does that have to do with anything anybody has been talking about.. You live in another country, one that it's citizens are fleeing by the millions, and you think that that gives you insight.. And then you mention that your wife is Mexican.. Again, what does it have to do with anything?? If your happy where you live, great.. If you love your wife, even better... But stick to the discussion at hand..
Well, the topic is white privilege or lack of it, right? There is no white privilege in 2012 for the most part, but there is an evident American obsession with the topic of race. Why do I mention other countries? As you know from travelling and living abroad, race is less of an issue in many foreign countries. So, we all need to do some soul searching as Americans as to why this continues to be a topic in 2012. Some of us are sick of it because we find it offensive to be denigrated for our skin color. All the white people I know work for their salary. Nobody gave it to them.
@jim
Spoken like one truly ignorant of the Eastern Hemisphere.
Racism is rampant in other countries. To the point where other races are considered 2nd class citizens or worse in some. Heck, in some countries, one race will still try to massacre the other (even in this age).
If you're going to get up in arms over the difference between race vs. ethnicity, then you're just splitting hairs. I speak in terms of clusters of genetic variations.
So does racism matter in the rest of the world? You bet it does.
Folks in the US with all different kinds of colors and backgrounds can be successful because........they are doing it. Just look around. No other country in the world offers such an opportunity. US citizens are envious. They will find an excuse or roadblock for the reason they aren't as successful as their neighbor. It is what it is.
I wish I did have that "free ride" through college that white folks say black folks get. I would not have any student loans to be paying off. Dagnabbit!
exactly. they seem to have forgotten me when it comes to the free rides as well, even though I am black.
I'm white, and I live on the outside of a pretty affluent community. I don't have the kind of money that my classmates have, but I'm certainly not poor. Most of them can afford to get Ivy league educations, but I can't even though I may want to. On the other hand, my parents both grew up very poor, and because of that, went to college for free. One of my friends gets to go to college for free because he's 1/8 Native American and 1/8 black despite having more than enough money to afford it. This is where it gets difficult for middle class whites. We're expected to be able to afford things that we simply can't, whereas that expectation is does not exist for minorities. Then we learn about affirmative action, and it just doesn't seem fair.
Scary. This is what is between the ears of a professor at the People's Republic of Columbia U? This woman is blatantly racist. There is not a single item there that does not apply to every other human being who has had to leave home when young in search of a better life or of a life, period. Or of any of us who had to find jobs to eat and build a life. This woman blithely (and "whitely"?) assumes that "hard work" is a special feature of white people.
It is the No-Ethics, Rob, Rape and Kill Everyone mentality that is a special characteristic of the predatory white race.
You COMPLETELY missed the point, or maybe choose to ignore it. The point is that not all "white" people have some form of privileged life where things are just handed to us on a platter. Many (most) have had to work for what we have, and I would say even harder, if you started out lower on the socio-economic ladder. This article is meant to point out that there is not some sort of "secret" white person handshake where things are then suddenly handed to us....
It truly does not matter what color you are purple, green, white, black, yellow, aqua. Yes we do live in a racist country with racist barriers. Even racist down to the religion. Stop take a look. I don't care if your educated or not. The board should be played equal. Foreign or not. Green card, work visa, an American citizen. The funding for schools and education and work should be equal. I have worked for a few companies and in there hiring policy they have to hire other races no matter how educated they are or not. They would pass someone up that actually can do the job but they have to hire someone that could be not educated or able to do the job but of a different race. That is just wrong in my opinion.
I been rich, I been poor, I worked for someone else, and I have worked for myself. The cards are not right in any direction. Being white has advantages but it has it disadvantages. Cant get a biz loan because I am considered a white male. But my friend who is black can get the same loan that i cant because of the race factor. Even my white wife can the get the loan, because she is a female.
Wish someone could fix the issue but in this world it will never happen.
I hear ya man. I'm attending school right now after every employer in the last 4 years I've worked for has gone out of business. I figure with me being completely broke at this point maybe just maybe my school would give me financial aid. Nope, they say my family makes too much money....interesting because my family is completely broke, my father's small business went out of business after the real estate market crashed and my mother had to file bankruptcy when her humble sales salary wasn't able to handle the backlash.
So after explaining this they said "Well we're sorry but we can't do anything about it" so I asked why the spanish girl next to me sporting Louie Vatton and a wardrobe worth more than I make a month was awarded financial aid and the clerk told me it was because she was a minority. I continued to watch every minority be awarded financial aid while every white kid got turned away (given the fact that the school is only 15% white...I had to ask who really is the minority in this situation). Funny that they all needed so much financial aid when they're able to buy Dr. Dre beats headphones, iphones, ipads, luxury brand apparel, etc.
Everyone says white people are racist, and yes there are some who are, but more and more I'm finding so called "minorities" who are using racist tools against white americans to prove some 40 year old point to the consequence that even being white is racist now.
By the way I'm white and more of a minority than any latino or black, I'm Basque...one of the smallest races left on the planet. And I don't EVER get any of the handouts that you are all so privileged to receive.
My wife and I experienced the same thing in college 20+ years ago. We were working and struggling to make it while minority students (son's and daughters of lawyers, etc) were given "need based" scholarships because they were not white. They had all the latest clothes / CDs (I am older), while we scrimped to make it. "need based" had nothing to do with actual need and everything to do with race.
Seriously!?
How Dare CNN post such a racist story, so what a white man has to work 4 times as hard to get a third as much as his black brother.
Dude – what planet do you live on?
America: land of racist trash. How much longer will this country last? I see a red star rising in the East.
Wow, that has to be the most ignorant statement of the day. You think that we are bad? China has one of the most historically xenophobic populations in the world.
Have you ever lived in a foreign country? No? Well, I have and I can tell you that Americans are some of the most racist people on Earth. China is rising for better or worse. Este pais me da asco, Maya.
Xenophobic is putting it mildly.
If Chinese history is any indication, China will thoroughly wipe out the heart and mind of a subjugated country. Not some half-assed attempt that gets curbed because part of the population gets squeamish or gets distracted by some other interest.
The way that they have done and will do it – Let's just say China will continue to make the US and other civilizations look like pansies.
If it considered a country in this age worth the effort.
I ahve lived in forgeign countries, and visited many more.. You are mis-informed at best...
Oh, and where have you lived? Did you go to countries that were the same race as you? If you did, that doesn't count. I was a one percent minority, and they treated me with the utmost respect. No, visiting doesn't count. Of course, I bet you have an answer for all these right? Then answer this: Why does Mexico not indicate race on their birth certificates and the US does?
Brazil, Mexico and Thailand.. I was treated well in all, but as you have said I was a small minority. but, as you say, I was only one. And I had my own source of income, never looked for or was offered work, an never asked for any sort of public assistance. If I had been millions, looking for work, and needing public assistance I am sure all of these places would have not been as hospitable. It is human nature.. And you mentioned Mexico, which has a terrible record of mistreating it's indian population, but I am not sure what relevence that has to this conversation..
I am talking about racial discrimination, not ethnic or economic discrimination. These are not the same. Mexican people who are "Indian" do not have a color different than mestizos. They could dress differently or speak differently, but you cannot instantly know if someone is indigenous without observing their clothing or hearing them speak. This conversation about white privilege is moot because it does not exist for ALL white people in 2012. Yes, it did once exist.
@jim
Completely predictable. Kelly throws up some credentials, and you change the argument.
Racial and ethnic differences develop because of differences in origins.
Discrimination on that level still amounts to a similar class of discrimination.
At this point, most readers will be convinced of one thing. You are trying to win an argument simply because you want to win. Not that you are willing to agree to anything. Much less do any kind of constructive discussion.
Are you even capable of agreeing with another commenter? Or advancing the points of another?
I think the point of this article, despite what people are saying on this forum, is that when it comes to poverty and struggling to get ahead, race doesn't matter. We're ALL on equal footing, no matter what color you are. Prejudice isn't just about the color of a person's skin, it's also about an individual's background, upbringing, religion, etc. There are so many other reasons people might prejudge you. The bottom line is it's wrong and unfair. Humans are very good at judging others, and this holds everyone back. We need to move beyond this bs if this world is truly ready and willing to become a better place.
You nailed it Christine i'm sorry others could not get the point of the article.
Right, because being dirt poor is a much better experience when you are white.
This reminds me of a joke that comedian Cris Rock said some years ago. "Now there is no white person in this room that would be willing to trade places with me – AND I'M RICH! So if minorities have it so much better how many of you are ready to swap places. If not – seach your souls about why and it will put this issue in perspective.
I am white, but I would be proud to be Hispanic of any color. What's your point?
The secret is that white skin has an intrinct value for some folks to the point that if given the choice of being poor and white or rich and black, the great majority would choose poor and white because they know the real advantages that gives them in the country.
Would you choose to be rich and white if you could? Or poor and white? LOL. Come on now, you're hesitating. Of course, you realize that's an unfair question to ask of anyone.
Any device or mechanism which grants preferential treatment on any basis is by definition discriminatory.
Discrimination is and always has been an unwritten law, want freedom from discrimination ?? eliminate the people who discriminate,nothing else will work, bloody and violent elimination of course.
Scary. This is what is between the ears of a professor at the People's Republic of Columbia U? This woman is blatantly racist. There is not a single item there that does not apply to every other human being who has had to leave home when young in search of a better life or of a life, period. Or of any of us who had to find jobs to eat and build a life. This woman blithely (and "whitely"?) assumes that "hard work" is a special feature of white people.
It is the No-Ethics, Rob, Rape and Kill Everyone mentality that is a special characteristic of the predatory white race.
This is my last post on this subject but it is directed to JOE: In 2012, there should be no preferential treatment of ANY ethnic group – period. Immigrants should not get government grant money (tax payer money) just because, as an immigrant, they are classified as a "minority". IT IS REVERSE DISCRIMINATION. I guarantee you that, if all a person had to do was check "white" for there ethnicity and they automatically got a $10,000 scholarship while all "others" only got a $1,000 scholarship – people would be in an uproar. Why? Because it is showing a bias on our governments part. No bias, no preferential treatment to ANY group. As it stand, the White Male is the most legally discriminated against person in America.
if you don't agree try to get a small business loan as a white male. you are screwed.
What yall need a loan for ??
Yall white folks is exceptional,productive,hard working, and don't need no stinkin government handouts.Or is yall not one of those ?
'reverse discrimination" what an ignorant white made word. that's like saying only YOU can dish out racism, but don't dare any minority make you aware of it. racism is racism wheather it's in reverse, park, nutural, or drive. what a dumb word.
Black people ought to have a head start on realizing how dumb race prejudice is, since they get a lot of it, but they fall right into it themselves. People are so clueless . . .
If you truly understood what was written by the author, you would not have argued reverse discrimination. It's not a race thing. Its a class thing.
As it stand, the White Male is the most legally discriminated against person in America.
HA HA
White males aren't legally prohibited from owning land, as Blacks were in America
Whites males aren't legally prohibited from getting an education, as Blacks were in America
Whites males aren't legally segregated in separate facilities, as Blacks were in America
You have no idea what it means to be "legally" discriminated against, read a book, several of them.
Boo Hoo, whites have to finally earn their place in American society and they don't like it. Cry me a river.
you are talking about the past. The present is a whole different problem. Why do I have to pay now for the misdeads of generations long dead.
One word keeps coming up in your argument: "were." There is no argument that blacks have been historically discriminated against, even by the law. But that was in the past, we're talking present tense.
Since the past is supposedly irrelevant(it seems to only irrelevant for blacks, not Jew) I'd like for someone to show me where are White men legally discriminated. Not your feelings of discrimination, but cite a law that states "White men cannot...."
I'll be waiting...
LOL. funny.
I was once told i couldn't go outside when I was a kid 30 years ago. Can i go outside now? you bet. do i hold it against my parents for not letting me go outside? at the time but i got over it.
you're talking about things that happened in the past. you need to remember white people were slaves to, they just got over it. stop pushing racism onto people.
When we have a NAAWP people then you can get mad.
Bigots are having a hard time admitting nobody cares anymore. We're all eating lunch at the same table now. We all watched the Super Bowl, etc.
white america has oppressed others out of fear to the point that they are oppressing themselves out of fear.
Who is "white america?" Don't generalize.
Thank you
And what of the disabled? Discrimination on the basis of appearance goes beyond the issue of race. There's ageism, and there is discrimination toward the disabled, despite rhetoric and laws to the contrary. Many disabilities affect a person's appearance, and the able-bodied and physically beautiful are at an advantage. I'm white, with a Master's degree. But I'm middle-aged, and disabled, and I can't find work. I don't resent black people for that, or any other minority. It's other whites: able-bodied, younger whites who are discriminating against me, and who are getting the jobs before I am.
Keep electing republicans and everyone is gonna be a slave to the obscenely wealthy,gutless coward criminal class plantation owners, or we can revolt now, if they want a class war let it start here and now, show no mercy and take no prisoners, what they gonna do ??
send the help out to fight us ??
Wrong. The younger people are not discriminating against you. People your own age are discriminating against you, because THEY are the ones in a position to make hiring decisions. If you have a bone to pick, pick it with them.
The US is the most racist country on earth. I lived nearly 4 years in Mexico, and was treated with courtesy and respect although I was white. No one ever questioned me as to how I obtained my job or how I earned my salary. Race is hardly an issue in Mexico. Mexican birth certificates do not list race. My fiancee is a beautiful morena, and her family has accepted me without question. I am disgusted when I read all the racist comments below written by AMERICAN racists of all colors.
go back to mexico.
LOL. We are here to stay. Comprendes, compa?
The Vandals are at the gates. To arms! To arms!
Apparently, you have not read Amnesty International's report on immigrant abuses in Mexico.
So am I supposed to feel sorry that whites now have to earn their place in society, and not have it given to them because they are white?
Fat chance.
LOL! ^5
Reblogged this on Drdonaldgregory's Blog.
In response to White Whine Chris Rock once said something to the effect of: If y'all are losing...who's winning?! He followed that up with the joke that even though he is rich not one white man in the audience would want to trade places with him... and he is right.
"not one white man in the audience would want to trade places with him" Bobcat Goldthwaite is rich and famous, but who'd want to be him, or Chris Rock?
No he isn't. I'd trade places with him in a heartbeat. I'm white. Stereotype much?
How many white men would trade places with Newt Gingrich? He's rich, too, but that giant bulging head is scary.
Joe, I'd rather be Will Smith. You just don't know what it's like seeing this big toothy grin in my mirror.
OMFG, If CNN would stop publishing stupid FKING articles like this, and if people would stop making grants and groups and rallies based on skin color, maybe we could finally move past this juvenile BS.
WHITE MAN RULES
Nope.
YEPPPPPPPPPPP
Maybe if pigs had wings they'd be pigeons. People are people and that's how they are.
I'm starting to think that pretty much the only Americans who think much about race at this point are people like the author who make a living by doing nothing else.
The rest of us are just trying to get by in our lives and don't really worry about that sort of nonsense.
Hello, and welcome to 2012. It's not the 60's anymore.
urmomlol – You are absolutely right! Most of us are just trying to earn a living and support our families and don't care if the white family or black family across the street has a bigger house or nicer cars. It's people like Susan Bodnar who want to keep stirring up this racial mess to keep us all divided so she can earn a paycheck. Whenever I see a person making it, I don't care what race they are – I'm happy for that person – Good! He or she made it!
99% of Americans either do or would work hard if given a chance.Why accept the fact that you can end up in desperate poverty despite your hard work, this is America and it's been taken over and plundered by people who work hard at making themselves fabulously wealthy at the expense of everyone else.Those sub-humanoids are not making HONEST livings, time to eliminate them with extreme prejudice.They are the enemy, and they love to see Americans at each other while ignoring the reason for their problems, all caused by the wealthy and criminal 1%.
whites have ALWAYS been the minority they just never brought knives to gun fights
those of you who think the white males are still on top, why is it that any non-white organization is protected by the government, but any white organization is racist? Why also are there hundreds of groups out there to help non-white people with almost anything imaginable, and a white family is forced to fend for themselves? From where I sit, square in the lower-middle class, the only folks who are on easy street at those who are not white.
It is not so simple. Remember that the overall majority of welfare recipients are white families. Also, close to 50 million Americans do not have health insurance but every member of the congress has a top notch medical plan. There is a class problem as well. There are poor white people as well.
couldn't agree with you more. but atleast we don't sit around with our hands out
When a white person is poor or not wealthy....they are indeed considered white trash. There is the belief that is is laziness or lack of intelligence that has caused them not to succeed. When other racial groups are in the same situation, more sympathy is given. Then other considerations such as opportunity are considered. That is one cause of racism.
Being poor does not make you white trash. Their are plenty of low income white families that are not white trash and plenty of middle income to wealth families that are. Being unapologetically ignorant and a lack of morals is usually what I consider to be trash. But then again that's just my opinion.
I agree with Katie. The cast of "Jersey Shore" is ample proof of it.
"why is it that any non-white organization is protected by the government, but any white organization is racist?" Yawn, snore. Aw, poor white baby, did your mom dump you in a black neighborhood? Grow a pair.
The First Amendment is protective of all organizations.. even the racist ones.. I think what you perceive as a popularity rift as protection from the government..
The racist organizations most of the time are run by idiotic, psychopathic people whose views are generally unpopular.. If you want them to be popular.. then I suggest they try to benefit more people instead of just dressing up in combat uniforms and pledging their loyalties to Hitler's corpse..
Even the NAACP and UNCF give scholarships to non black students.. maybe if you want the KKK to be more popular, they should try something similar..
"Dimitri
Oh they give out scholarships of being white all the time. They're not as blatantly obvious as saying 'CONGRATULATIONS WHITE GUY, HERE IS FREE MONEY' But being from the Ukraine? I netted a good amount of scholarship funds when studying Law. "
You received this, Dimitri, because, as an immigrant, you were classified as a "minority" and not white. Your own words are a testament to exactly what I am saying – you received a "good amount" of our tax dollars to get a law degree. My children, who are not immigrants, will not receive ANY money from the government to get a law degree. You are i gnorant. Go back to Russia.
All colleges and universities want international student to attend and provide financial assistance to do so. If you have a problem with that then too f'ng bad.
Boy, your really showing off your education with this post..
Joe – Is it white folks fault that so many black males chose to be wannabee rapstar pimps instead of being fathers?
We need more of him and fewer of you, he may do something with his law degree other than figuring out new and improved ways to rob Americans and benefit the obscenely wealthy, but I'm afraid, actually I hope it will take a bloody and violent "Class War" to eradicate your type,permanently of course, something Grant and Sherman should have gotten done in 1865,You Can Not Show Any Mercy On the Enemies of America
A bloody class war by the trailor trash???... nah just form your little country in some swamp slime area in the southern US where you can all marry your sisters...
Your posts make absolutely no sense..
The Ukraine is not part of Russia. Also, we give plenty of our tax dollars to undeserving countries like Israel. We need to spend all that foreign aid right here to educate all of our children.
Joe, Trailer Trash ??? Those are the uninformed enemies of critical,objective, and analytical thought processes who favor infantile and adolescent, emotional responses in response to the Pavlovian right wing bell ringers with their distortions and deceptions
intended for the simple and feeble minded right ?? Those are the perpetual losers and failures who have always been a roadblock to the progress of not only America but also to humans as a species, we need to eradicate them 1st because they are responsible for foisting these right wing, neo-psychotic criminals on the rest of us.Dab Nab those generals, Grant and Sherman in particuar, and meek and mild honest Abe too, who didn't hang every one of those treasonous traitors along with their trailer shacks and pick up wagons back in ought 1865.Yall help me spread the hate, we need to adopt their tactics, and since we're smarter,braver,better looking,more physically fit, and have fighting ability, we can use their tactics much more effectively than they ever could. I always wondered why them cowards was so in love with them shootin irons they ain't got the guts to use.
You need help, serious professional help..
What you posted doesn't make any sense. He's still white at the end of the day, immigrant or not. He's still a person of European descent (Caucasian). He's definitely part of the majority.
They will if they make better grades..
Why don't you quit complaining.. and help your kids study so they can make better grades..