News: Herion Addict: White privilege got me to the Ivy League

Jberg

Quote:

When police arrested me in 2010, I was carrying six ounces, an amount they valued at $50,000 — enough to put me in prison for up to 10 years. Cornell suspended me indefinitely and banned me from campus. I had descended from a Dean’s List student to a felon.

But instead of a decade behind bars and a life grasping for the puny opportunities America affords some ex-convicts, I got a second chance. In a plea deal, I received a sentence of 2½ years. After leaving prison, I soon got a job as a reporter at a local newspaper. Then Cornell allowed me to start taking classes again, and I graduated last month. What made my quick rebound possible?

I am white.

Second chances don’t come easily to people of color in the United States. But when you are white, society offers routes to rebuild your life. When found guilty of a drug crime, white people receive shorter sentences than black people. And even after prison, white men fare better in the job market than black men with identical criminal records.

Quote:

In one case, I watched prison officials send a black inmate to solitary confinement for wearing her pajamas at 10 a.m. Apparently, there was a little-known rule prohibiting inmates from wearing pajamas after a certain hour, despite the fact that they looked nearly identical to regular state-issued clothes. I never even thought about when to change out of my pajamas, so I’m sure I wore them after the appointed hour, too. But nobody ever troubled me about it, let alone sent me to solitary. There were many times that black inmates were hassled for things that white inmates weren’t.

Really interesting and cool.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/postev...he-ivy-league/

Lose My Breath

He probably received such a great plea deal because he ratted others out, not because they thought they would just give him a "second chance".

I do agree with a lot of what he says, white privilege is apparent in many cases.

Jberg

Quote:

Originally posted by Lose My Breath

He probably received such a great plea deal because he ratted others out, not because they thought they would just give him a "second chance".

I do agree with a lot of what he says, white privilege is apparent in many cases.

It's a female and she didn't "rat" out anyone. Read the article, she's very honest.

Goosey

This is obviously invalid, because I'm always told that whites can't speak about white privilege.

Or do those rules magically change when they're agreeing with the "privilege" theory?

Jberg

Quote:

Originally posted by Goosey

This is obviously invalid, because I'm always told that whites can't speak about white privilege.

Or do those rules magically change when they're agreeing with the "privilege" theory?

Idk, I just thought the article was interesting.

MaRy

sad

But it's true, a white man commits a crime, it's a man, a black man commits a crime, it's a race

Flawfree

She should also talk about how she wouldn't have received that opportunity if she was male.

Jberg

Quote:

Originally posted by Flawfree

She should also talk about how she wouldn't have received that opportunity if she was male.

You can actually write to her, she's famous and stuff now.

princedonte

I wish I was white

TrashyNavy

or how about don't commit crimes?

Chucko

Quote:

Originally posted by Jberg

It's a female and she didn't "rat" out anyone. Read the article, she's very honest.

I read the article it says she made a plea deal for her sentence, first time offender, so she was probably offered a good deal for a guilty plea. She probably had a liberal judge that saw she was a smart girl about to graduate from an Ivy League school and saw a chance for her. She got lucky.

If she feels so guilty, she can go sell more drugs and see how lucky she gets with her next sentencing it won’t be 2 1/2 years. How about some statistics from this girl, how many of these people in prison were repeat offenders? What are they in there for? If Police pull you over and you are not breaking a law you won't go to jail. Do you think police say look at that innocent black man let's trump up some charges and the corrupt legal system will put them away or perhaps the police are patrolling really bad neighborhoods and are doing their job? That's how she got caught.

I will accept her claims that the black people inside got treated badly because I have to assume she is telling the truth and that's a shame. They don't need extra abuse so when they come out they are even more pissed off at the world.

Instead they should be teaching everyone real class material and skills that will help them when they get out.

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

KareBear

White people with a record sometimes fair better than black men without a record

B'Day

Interesting read - I'm glad she can acknowledge her privilege and raise awareness - some choose to ignore it

Hooligan

Quote:

Originally posted by princedonte

I wish I was white

Donte, this isn't new information.

NE.

Quote:

Originally posted by KareBear

White people with a record sometimes fair better than black men without a record

!!!!!!!