A non-debt ceiling topic to cleanse the pallet.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1435158 Ahhhh...nothing like some white guilt to pump up one's progressive street cred.
Taverner Donating Member (1000+ posts) Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Thu Jul-07-11 02:33 PM
Original message
White Male Privilge: Most people don't "get it"
And by "get it" I mean notice and realize that our society favors white people, and especially white men.
I work in Oakland. There are a lot of African Americans here in this city. The building I work in is highly secured: in fact there is a security guard at the bottom floor.
I am white. I never have to show my badge to get in the building. Half the time its all wrapped around my wallet (don't ask) and showing the blank side. Black employees, however, always show their badge. When they don't, they get asked to. I never see white people getting pulled aside.
That is just one example.
It extends to everything, from parking spaces to restaurants. I have seen groups of whtie people who arrived after black people getting priority seating. They also get seated first. Usually the hostess will seat the black people in the back, and the white and non-black people near the front.
This is in 'liberal' Oakland, a town which I really do feel is more liberal than most.Keep this in the back of your head while reading his post.
If I can take notice of this just after a few weeks, just imagine what goes on behind closed doors.
Let me add that elevators are an interesting experience. I've seen elevators with white people never trying to hold the door if a black employee wants in, but if the elevator has black people, they will go out of their way to let a white person in.
Again, I don't think this is conscious racism. This isn't people trying to show privilege to whites. This is subconscious, but that doesn't make it any more or less real.
So the next time you hear about "White Male Privilege" don't roll your eyes. It exists.
If you did not work in a liberal city maybe the WMP would not be so bad.
A DUmmie who has a some real world experience tries to add some real world knowledge into this thread:
lumberjack_jeff Donating Member (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Thu Jul-07-11 02:45 PM
Response to Original message
6. I'm a white male. I own a business.
If I bid on a government contract against woman-owned business and another vendor which is a minority-owned business, everything else being equal, I'll be in third place.
That's just the way it is. I don't really think it's wrong (especially not for minority owned businesses), but if you're telling me that the reason for the policy is because white people don't hold elevator doors...
That privilege (to the degree that it exists) is offset by legal, institutionalized and accepted discrimination. It's not at all subconscious, invisible or hard to detect.
And is deflected by another DUmmie:
seabeyond Donating Member (1000+ posts) Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Thu Jul-07-11 02:49 PM
Response to Reply #6
7. and in a private company if a white man, woman or minority were to bid, as likely the white man
Edited on Thu Jul-07-11 02:50 PM by seabeyond
would get it even if his bid was much higher than the other two. gotta finish the story. that is the inherent privilege
Another DUmmie adds an additional parameter to the WMP:
LynneSin Donating Member (1000+ posts) Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Thu Jul-07-11 02:59 PM
Response to Original message
12. I would modify that to White Straight Male
Because White Gay Males are in the same boat with the rest of us
Your thread requires more cowbell!
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Taverner Donating Member (1000+ posts) Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Thu Jul-07-11 03:03 PM
Response to Reply #12
14. This is true - however there is no gay male dress code
And pink triangles have been out of fashion for a while
General Strike NOW!!!
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FreeState Donating Member (1000+ posts) Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Thu Jul-07-11 09:40 PM
Response to Reply #14
79. There is
It's much like the sexism of body image women have to put up with, the same is true for most gay males.
Don't trust everything you think.
And to put some whipped creme on this piece of guilt pie:
N7Shepard (14 posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Thu Jul-07-11 04:10 PM
Response to Original message
42. As someone who started life as a white man and is now a white woman, it's completely obvious
Only on DU could a discussion on race ever have a post like that. It has to be someone's mole establishing some cred. If it is, stop being so obvious. If not...
