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Discussion: Myths about Racism and Privilege
Banned
Member Since: 9/1/2012
Posts: 7,074
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Quote:
Originally posted by new evolution
I seriously wish more people on the internet would think like this and not just believe things from Tumblr they read that they know nothing about
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Those two posts are spot on. It still boggles my mind how easy it is to spot the double standards in racism, and people choose to ignore it.
It means one thing if a white person does something, and another if someone else of another race says it. The contradictions are too much.
Calling a white person a cracker, and then going up in arms when a white person says ******. Clearly there's more history behind n*, but the double standards is the very reason why racism is still so vibrant today. None should say it, not one race does something and another can't. That itself is segregation.
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Member Since: 8/16/2011
Posts: 19,718
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Quote:
Originally posted by Blatboy
1. I don't believe in "privilege."
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Whether you do or not, it exists.
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3. ANYONE CAN BE RACIST.That's why the word is as general as RACist and not WHITEPEOPLEHATEEVERYTHINGist. It's the literal ****ing definition and no amount of MS Paint power points that are probably made by some Hitalia/Social justice fan blog on tumblr will change that.
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Like Clark mentioned earlier, this kind of reasoning is used to distract from the greater problem at hand. By saying this, you're admitting that your perception of racism is pigeonholed into trivial things.
So someone calls a white person a "cracker". Who gives a sh*t? Hell, someone calls a black person a "nigg*r" or a Mexican a "spic" and still so what? It's not racial slurs that effect black people most, it's discrimination in school, discrimination at work, not hiring someone because of their skin color, racial profiling, segregation, e.t.c. Shooting a black child to death and walking out the court a free man. That's racism in its sincerest form. Where one race is treated as inferior...by police, by courts, by employers, by companies, and overall by the general public.
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Banned
Member Since: 9/1/2012
Posts: 7,074
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Quote:
Originally posted by Sunshine.
Whether you do or not, it exists.
Like Clark mentioned earlier, this kind of reasoning is used to distract from the greater problem at hand. By saying this, you're admitting that your perception of racism is pigeonholed into trivial things.
So someone calls a white person a "cracker". Who gives a sh*t? Hell, someone calls a black person a "nigg*r" or a Mexican a "spic" and still so what? It's not racial slurs that effect black people most, it's discrimination in school, discrimination at work, not hiring someone because of their skin color, racial profiling, segregation, e.t.c. Shooting a black child to death and walking out the court a free man. That's racism in its sincerest form. Where one race is treated as inferior...by police, by courts, by employers, by companies, and overall by the general public.
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The thing is, every piece matters. Slurs may not be the biggest problem, but it is still one nonetheless. There will always be double standards, but everyone has the same amount of hands in this issue; all races contribute to this, and not one more than the other like most think.
Equality is the only answer. The more boundaries put up, the more races are separated. And the small ones add up too. I'll use one that you actually talked about : slurs - permitting one race to use a particular word and another not, that itself is segregation. Everyone is to blame in this, not specifically whites like how the slide in the OP tries to imply.
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Member Since: 8/18/2013
Posts: 12,079
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Nnn- not the main discussion in here coming from the fact people in here are misinterpreting this poor girl's little powerpoint.
This is a perfect example of why schools need to teach better reading comprehension tbh. 
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The girl's powerpoint is good. She messes up in a few places but it's literally negligible because this isn't some formal social commentary. It's just to get her point across and make you reanalysis what you think is 'racism' and how it actually effects people of different races. That's all it's trying to do. The girl never said "white people are evil" or "all other races should band together against white people" as multiple of you suggested 
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Member Since: 4/22/2011
Posts: 1,516
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Quote:
Originally posted by Genocide
The thing is, every piece matters. Slurs may not be the biggest problem, but it is still one nonetheless. There will always be double standards, but everyone has the same amount of hands in this issue; all races contribute to this, and not one more than the other like most think.
Equality is the only answer. The more boundaries put up, the more races are separated. And the small ones add up too. I'll use one that you actually talked about: slurs - permitting one race to use a particular word and another not, that itself is segregation. Everyone is to blame in this, not specifically whites like how the slide in the OP tries to imply.
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I agree that total equality is the answer, but we can't make it that far without people in positions of power realizing they're privileged. I've also stated this already but racial slurs can't be compared to institutionalized racism that changes the quality of life. The article wasn't to blame white people, it was to make them aware that they are indeed privileged, and other races aren't on level playing fields with them.
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Member Since: 4/22/2011
Posts: 1,516
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We can never fully move forward from racism until we acknowledge that privilege is still given to the race that isn't the minority. It's not something that doesn't exist, sweeping under the rug is skirting the real issue.
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Member Since: 5/10/2012
Posts: 10,996
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I see people are still blurring the lines between umbrella racism and the far more specific, complex concept of institutional racism.
The OP's American-centric definition of racism doesn't bode well as a support beam for his argument, considering that white people weren't the only ones in history that perpetuated institutional racism. Look up the history of Sri Lanka.
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Member Since: 8/16/2011
Posts: 19,718
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Quote:
Originally posted by Genocide
The thing is, every piece matters. Slurs may not be the biggest problem, but it is still one nonetheless. There will always be double standards, but everyone has the same amount of hands in this issue; all races contribute to this, and not one more than the other like most think.
Equality is the only answer. The more boundaries put up, the more races are separated. And the small ones add up too. I'll use one that you actually talked about: slurs - permitting one race to use a particular word and another not, that itself is segregation. Everyone is to blame in this, not specifically whites like how the slide in the OP tries to imply.
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Quote:
Originally posted by Genocide
Those two posts are spot on. It still boggles my mind how easy it is to spot the double standards in racism, and people choose to ignore it.
It means one thing if a white person does something, and another if someone else of another race says it. The contradictions are too much.
Calling a white person a cracker, and then going up in arms when a white person says ******. Clearly there's more history behind n*, but the double standards is the very reason why racism is still so vibrant today. None should say it, not one race does something and another can't. That itself is segregation.
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The double standards exist because inequality exists. The thought process white people go through to justify using ***** still boggles me. They feel because there's ONE THING that isn't acceptable for them to do, ONE PLACE where their privilege doesn't extend to, NO ONE should be able to do it. "If I CAN'T do it then NO ONE ELSE CAN," they reason. It's self serving and disingenuous.
Well here's a few things I can't do:
-I can't walk into a fancy store without being profiled.
-I can't talk about girls with my friends because black girls are synonymous with ugly.
-I can't walk down in a neighborhood, while it's raining with a hoodie on without being considered a crimnal.
-I can't get a fair loan to provide myself with affordable housing.
etc.
So until all that stuff goes away, no, white people will never have cause to justly use *****. And it makes no sense to complain because they can do everything else.
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Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 2,123
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Every race can be and is discriminated against in some way on a daily basis, white people included. And tbh if a black person says something offensive about a white person or white people in general its often overlooked because a majority believe white people can't be discriminated against which is untrue.
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Member Since: 8/16/2011
Posts: 19,718
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Quote:
Originally posted by Justinintime
I agree that total equality is the answer, but we can't make it that far without people in positions of power realizing they're privileged. I've also stated this already but racial slurs can't be compared to institutionalized racism that changes the quality of life. The article wasn't to blame white people, it was to make them aware that they are indeed privileged, and other races aren't on level playing fields with them.
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Thank you! That's the sum of the OP and what this whole thread is all about. Ignorance of the majority greatly affects of the minority. Minorities can hate whites all they want, but whites will still hold the power in this country (and many others). Now if whites hate minorities, we have well over 400 years of documented history to show for the deleterious effects.
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Member Since: 6/9/2012
Posts: 3,964
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Quote:
Originally posted by Sunshine.
Whether you do or not, it exists.
Like Clark mentioned earlier, this kind of reasoning is used to distract from the greater problem at hand. By saying this, you're admitting that your perception of racism is pigeonholed into trivial things.
So someone calls a white person a "cracker". Who gives a sh*t? Hellsomeone calls a black person a "nigg*r" or a Mexican a "spic" and still so what? It's not racial slurs that effect black people most, it's discrimination in school, discrimination at work, not hiring
someone because of their skin color, racial profiling, segregation, e.t.c. Shooting a black child to death and walking out the court a free man. That's racism in its sincerest form. Where one race is treated as
inferior...by police, by courts, by employers, by companies, and overall by the general public.
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And here's why this thread keeps circling around. I'll slide this off in bullet points
*A large portion of the PowerPoint talks about "white privilege" and how whites should spread the word to other whites. How blacks can't be racist.
*Someone in this thread with a brain states that literally ANYONE can be racist. RACist. Not WHITist. Not BLACKist .
*Person in thread replies by saying "DISCRIMATION STILL EXISTS OMG"
Yes, racial discrimination still exists. Be it in school, at work, on the street. Yes, white people are at the very bottom of the racial discriminatory list. But that does not change the fact that anyone can be racist. I repeat. ANYONE CAN BE RACIST. Instead of the Internet crying and bitching and ignoring definitions of words, why don't we actually DO SOMETHING about discrimination? A restaurant doesn't hire a black person for being black? Do something. The only way to fight oppression is to fight the oppressor.
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Member Since: 1/5/2012
Posts: 4,667
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Quote:
Originally posted by new evolution
I seriously wish more people on the internet would think like this and not just believe things from Tumblr they read that they know nothing about
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Member Since: 8/25/2012
Posts: 30,317
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Why are some white posters in here up in arms about not being able to cry "racism"? Do you really need to? Has there ever been a time you felt racially profiled? Ever lost out on a job due to your European heritage? Do people look down on you because of your white skin? Has the white race suffered through oppression, discrimination and segregation? You probably have never even been called a "cracker" to your face. Not that the word carries any serieus stigma. It doesn't even exist in other languages. Stop.
The truth might make you feel uncomfortable, but oh well. Black people and other minorities have dealt with your **** for hundreds of years.
Just looked up something about unemployment and the comments were pretty interesting...
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Am I surprised? No. With white Americans becoming the minority, it's about time we end the "incentives" for the African-Americans by giving them points when applying for a job to "level the playing field."
Personally, there are plenty of questions I couldn't ask them when if they were interviewing for a job with me. However, I would ask them directly if they voted for Obama. After they started squirming in the chair as they tried to say "Noonnnooonooooonoooo" - I'd then tell them that they didn't get the job because they lied to me.
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Double standards my ass 
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Banned
Member Since: 6/25/2011
Posts: 37,192
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Sorry Genocide, but if you're describing one race being allowed to use slurs as "segregation," you are historically ignorant and have absolutely no concept of what real segregation is or looks like.
Anyone CAN say ****** if they want to. You are not forbidden by law from saying it, and you will not be separated from society for saying it. Freedom of speech does not mean that you can say whatever you want, whenever you want. People can and will call you out for saying things the world has deemed inappropriate. That's not segregation. Blacks being forced to attend separate schools is segregation. When you whine about not being able to say a word without consequence, you sound just as childish and historically unaware as my tumblr activist.
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Banned
Member Since: 6/25/2011
Posts: 37,192
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Quote:
Originally posted by Ressti
Why are some white posters in here up in arms about not being able to cry "racism"? Do you really need to? Has there ever been a time you felt racially profiled? Ever lost out on a job due to your European heritage? Do people look down on you because of your white skin? Has the white race suffered through oppression, discrimination and segregation? You probably have never even been called a "cracker" to your face. Not that the word carries any serieus stigma. It doesn't even exist in other languages. Stop.
The truth might make you feel uncomfortable, but oh well. Black people and other minorities have dealt with your **** for hundreds of years.
Just looked up something about unemployment and the comments were pretty interesting...
Double standards my ass |
Grouping all white people together with statements like "your ****" doesn't help anyone. Generalizing and stereotyping all white people based off one ignorant comment doesn't help anyone. You've gone so far into the social justice rabbit hole you've come out on the opposite side. If what you are taking away from power points like this is that you should dislike individual white people for the unearned privilege of their whiteness, you have missed the entire point.
A white/straight/male cannot help being born into privilege any more than a black/gay/woman can help being born into disadvantage. Any "activist" who seeks to mock, trivialize, or silence individual white voices is missing the entire point of the movement they claim to support. There is no faster way to show that you are uneducated on the material.
And for the record, simply being a minority does not automatically make you right about issues like these. You still have to be educated and thoughtful. Making it "Well I'm a PoC and you're white so shut up, check your privilege, I'm right" removes any need for dialogue, and removes any requirement for you to back up your claims with statistics and evidence. Its toxic to debate and completely destroys the point of discussion.
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Member Since: 6/9/2012
Posts: 3,964
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Quote:
Originally posted by Ressti
Why are some white posters in here up in arms about not being able to cry "racism"? Do you really need to? Has there ever been a time you felt racially profiled? Ever lost out on a job due to your European heritage? Do people look down on you because of your white skin? Has the white race suffered through oppression, discrimination and segregation? You probably have never even been called a "cracker" to your face. Not that the word
carries any serieus stigma. It doesn't even exist in other languages. Stop.
The truth might make you feel uncomfortable, but oh well. Black
people and other minorities have dealt with your **** for hundreds of years.
Just looked up something about unemployment and the comments were pretty interesting...
Double standards my ass |
Please don't reproduce.
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Member Since: 6/9/2012
Posts: 3,964
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Quote:
Originally posted by Jameson Teqkilla
Grouping all white people together with statements like "your ****" doesn't help anyone. Generalizing and stereotyping all white people based off one ignorant comment doesn't help anyone. You've gone so far into the social justice rabbit hole you've come out on the opposite side. If what you are taking away from power points like this is that you should dislike individual white people for the unearned privilege of their
whiteness, you have missed the entire point.
A white/straight/male cannot help being born into privilege any more than a black/gay/woman can help being born into disadvantage. Any
"activist" who seeks to mock, trivialize, or silence individual white voices is missing the entire point of the movement they claim to support. There is no faster way to show that you are uneducated on the material.
And for the record, simply being a minority does not automatically make you right about issues like these. You still have to be educated and thoughtful. Making it "Well I'm a PoC and you're white so shut up, I'm right" removes any need for dialogue, and removes any requirement for you to back up your claims with statistics and evidence. Its toxic to debate and completely
destroys the point of discussion.
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I love you
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Member Since: 8/16/2011
Posts: 19,718
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Quote:
Originally posted by Blatboy
ANYONE CAN BE RACIST.
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Yes. Anyone can be racist. In fact, black people can be racist to other black people. But racism against whites is a whole other conversation. It's nothing of parallel to racism against minorities. So bringing it up as a counterargument for white privilege is pure avoidance. You can get beat up by black people and consider it racism, but it doesn't negate the position of whites in society.
Also, one could also argue that "racism" against whites is not really racism at all. When people of color do hate white people, it doesn't come from a place of superiority. Society structures ensure this. It's a reaction to the system being stacked against them.
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Instead of the Internet crying and bitching and ignoring definitions of words, why don't we actually DO SOMETHING about discrimination? A restaurant doesn't hire a black person for being black? Do something. The only way to fight oppression is to fight the oppressor.
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In order to do something, you'd have realize and admit that there's a problem there. Which means realizing whites are at an advantage and then here we are back to the OP. 
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Member Since: 2/20/2012
Posts: 24,225
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Quote:
Originally posted by MissAmericanDream
Every race can be and is discriminated against in some way on a daily basis, white people included. And tbh if a black person says something offensive about a white person or white people in general its often overlooked because a majority believe white people can't be discriminated against which is untrue.
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This.
And then the second the smallest offense is made toward a black person, the entire world has to get its titties in a bunch.
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Banned
Member Since: 6/25/2011
Posts: 37,192
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Quote:
Originally posted by Sunshine.
Yes. Anyone can be racist. In fact, black people can be racist to other black people. But racism against whites is a whole other conversation. It's nothing of parallel to racism against minorities. So bringing it up as a counterargument for white privilege is pure avoidance. You can get beat up by black people and consider it racism, but it doesn't negate the position of whites in society.
Also, one could also argue that "racism" against whites is not really racism at all. When people of color do hate white people, it doesn't come from a place of superiority. Society structures ensure this. It's a reaction to the system being stacked against them.
In order to do something, you'd have realize and admit that there's a problem there. Which means realizing whites are at an advantage and then here we are back to the OP. |
Okay I've realized that.
Now what.
Why do you guys always stop there? That's not the final step of this process at all, and we're there. The vast majority of people DO realize the way cards are stacked now. Stop repeating the same things that other people have already sis and give something new to the discussion.
You guys spend too much time talking the semantics of the word "racism," and not enough time talking racism itself.
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