White Privilege (Article by Tim Wise)

[Supergirl]

This article pretty much nails it on the head...

This is Your Nation on White Privilege
Tim Wise
http://www.timwise.org/

For those who still can’t grasp the concept of white privilege, or who are constantly looking for some easy-to-understand examples of it, perhaps this list will help.

White privilege is when you can get pregnant at seventeen like Bristol Palin and everyone is quick to insist that your life and that of your family is a personal matter, and that no one has a right to judge you or your parents, because "every family has challenges," even as black and Latino families with similar "challenges" are regularly typified as irresponsible, pathological and arbiters of social decay.

White privilege is when you can call yourself a "fuckin’ redneck," like Bristol Palin’s boyfriend does, and talk about how if anyone messes with you, you'll "kick their fuckin' ass," and talk about how you like to "shoot shit" for fun, and still be viewed as a responsible, all-American boy (and a great son-in-law to be) rather than a thug.

White privilege is when you can attend four different colleges in six years like Sarah Palin did (one of which you basically failed out of, then returned to after making up some coursework at a community college), and no one questions your intelligence or commitment to achievement, whereas a person of color who did this would be viewed as unfit for college, and probably someone who only got in in the first place because of affirmative action.

White privilege is when you can claim that being mayor of a town smaller than most medium-sized colleges, and then Governor of a state with about the same number of people as the lower fifth of the island of Manhattan, makes you ready to potentially be president, and people don’t all piss on themselves with laughter, while being a black U.S. Senator, two-term state Senator, and constitutional law scholar, means you’re "untested."

White privilege is being able to say that you support the words "under God" in the pledge of allegiance because "if it was good enough for the founding fathers, it’s good enough for me," and not be immediately disqualified from holding office--since, after all, the pledge was written in the late 1800s and the "under God" part wasn’t added until the 1950s--while believing that reading accused criminals and terrorists their rights (because, ya know, the Constitution, which you used to teach at a prestigious law school requires it), is a dangerous and silly idea only supported by mushy liberals.

White privilege is being able to be a gun enthusiast and not make people immediately scared of you. White privilege is being able to have a husband who was a member of an extremist political party that wants your state to secede from the Union, and whose motto was "Alaska first," and no one questions your patriotism or that of your family, while if you're black and your spouse merely fails to come to a 9/11 memorial so she can be home with her kids on the first day of school, people immediately think she’s being disrespectful.

White privilege is being able to make fun of community organizers and the work they do--like, among other things, fight for the right of women to vote, or for civil rights, or the 8-hour workday, or an end to child labor--and people think you’re being pithy and tough, but if you merely question the experience of a small town mayor and 18-month governor with no foreign policy expertise beyond a class she took in college--you’re somehow being mean, or even sexist.

White privilege is being able to convince white women who don’t even agree with you on any substantive issue to vote for you and your running mate anyway, because all of a sudden your presence on the ticket has inspired confidence in these same white women, and made them give your party a "second look."

White privilege is being able to fire people who didn’t support your political campaigns and not be accused of abusing your power or being a typical politician who engages in favoritism, while being black and merely knowing some folks from the old-line political machines in Chicago means you must be corrupt.

White privilege is being able to attend churches over the years whose pastors say that people who voted for John Kerry or merely criticize George W. Bush are going to hell, and that the U.S. is an explicitly Christian nation and the job of Christians is to bring Christian theological principles into government, and who bring in speakers who say the conflict in the Middle East is God’s punishment on Jews for rejecting Jesus, and everyone can still think you’re just a good church-going Christian, but if you’re black and friends with a black pastor who has noted (as have Colin Powell and the U.S. Department of Defense) that terrorist attacks are often the result of U.S. foreign policy and who talks about the history of racism and its effect on black people, you’re an extremist who probably hates America.

White privilege is not knowing what the Bush Doctrine is when asked by a reporter, and then people get angry at the reporter for asking you such a "trick question," while being black and merely refusing to give one-word answers to the queries of Bill O’Reilly means you’re dodging the question, or trying to seem overly intellectual and nuanced.

White privilege is being able to claim your experience as a POW has anything at all to do with your fitness for president, while being black and experiencing racism is, as Sarah Palin has referred to it, a "light" burden.

And finally, white privilege is the only thing that could possibly allow someone to become president when he has voted with George W. Bush 90 percent of the time, even as unemployment is skyrocketing, people are losing their homes, inflation is rising, and the U.S. is increasingly isolated from world opinion, just because white voters aren’t sure about that whole "change" thing. Ya know, it’s just too vague and ill-defined, unlike, say, four more years of the same, which is very concrete and certain.

White privilege is, in short, the problem.
For those who still can’t grasp the concept of white privilege, or who are constantly looking for some easy-to-understand examples of it, perhaps this list will help.

White privilege is when you can get pregnant at seventeen like Bristol Palin and everyone is quick to insist that your life and that of your family is a personal matter, and that no one has a right to judge you or your parents, because "every family has challenges," even as black and Latino families with similar "challenges" are regularly typified as irresponsible, pathological and arbiters of social decay.

White privilege is when you can call yourself a "fuckin’ redneck," like Bristol Palin’s boyfriend does, and talk about how if anyone messes with you, you'll "kick their fuckin' ass," and talk about how you like to "shoot shit" for fun, and still be viewed as a responsible, all-American boy (and a great son-in-law to be) rather than a thug.

White privilege is when you can attend four different colleges in six years like Sarah Palin did (one of which you basically failed out of, then returned to after making up some coursework at a community college), and no one questions your intelligence or commitment to achievement, whereas a person of color who did this would be viewed as unfit for college, and probably someone who only got in in the first place because of affirmative action.

White privilege is when you can claim that being mayor of a town smaller than most medium-sized colleges, and then Governor of a state with about the same number of people as the lower fifth of the island of Manhattan, makes you ready to potentially be president, and people don’t all piss on themselves with laughter, while being a black U.S. Senator, two-term state Senator, and constitutional law scholar, means you’re "untested."

White privilege is being able to say that you support the words "under God" in the pledge of allegiance because "if it was good enough for the founding fathers, it’s good enough for me," and not be immediately disqualified from holding office--since, after all, the pledge was written in the late 1800s and the "under God" part wasn’t added until the 1950s--while believing that reading accused criminals and terrorists their rights (because, ya know, the Constitution, which you used to teach at a prestigious law school requires it), is a dangerous and silly idea only supported by mushy liberals.

White privilege is being able to be a gun enthusiast and not make people immediately scared of you. White privilege is being able to have a husband who was a member of an extremist political party that wants your state to secede from the Union, and whose motto was "Alaska first," and no one questions your patriotism or that of your family, while if you're black and your spouse merely fails to come to a 9/11 memorial so she can be home with her kids on the first day of school, people immediately think she’s being disrespectful.

White privilege is being able to make fun of community organizers and the work they do--like, among other things, fight for the right of women to vote, or for civil rights, or the 8-hour workday, or an end to child labor--and people think you’re being pithy and tough, but if you merely question the experience of a small town mayor and 18-month governor with no foreign policy expertise beyond a class she took in college--you’re somehow being mean, or even sexist.

White privilege is being able to convince white women who don’t even agree with you on any substantive issue to vote for you and your running mate anyway, because all of a sudden your presence on the ticket has inspired confidence in these same white women, and made them give your party a "second look."

White privilege is being able to fire people who didn’t support your political campaigns and not be accused of abusing your power or being a typical politician who engages in favoritism, while being black and merely knowing some folks from the old-line political machines in Chicago means you must be corrupt.

White privilege is being able to attend churches over the years whose pastors say that people who voted for John Kerry or merely criticize George W. Bush are going to hell, and that the U.S. is an explicitly Christian nation and the job of Christians is to bring Christian theological principles into government, and who bring in speakers who say the conflict in the Middle East is God’s punishment on Jews for rejecting Jesus, and everyone can still think you’re just a good church-going Christian, but if you’re black and friends with a black pastor who has noted (as have Colin Powell and the U.S. Department of Defense) that terrorist attacks are often the result of U.S. foreign policy and who talks about the history of racism and its effect on black people, you’re an extremist who probably hates America.

White privilege is not knowing what the Bush Doctrine is when asked by a reporter, and then people get angry at the reporter for asking you such a "trick question," while being black and merely refusing to give one-word answers to the queries of Bill O’Reilly means you’re dodging the question, or trying to seem overly intellectual and nuanced.

White privilege is being able to claim your experience as a POW has anything at all to do with your fitness for president, while being black and experiencing racism is, as Sarah Palin has referred to it, a "light" burden.

And finally, white privilege is the only thing that could possibly allow someone to become president when he has voted with George W. Bush 90 percent of the time, even as unemployment is skyrocketing, people are losing their homes, inflation is rising, and the U.S. is increasingly isolated from world opinion, just because white voters aren’t sure about that whole "change" thing. Ya know, it’s just too vague and ill-defined, unlike, say, four more years of the same, which is very concrete and certain.

White privilege is, in short, the problem.

[Spurminator]

None of this has anything to do with white privilege. It's called "Presidential Ticket Candidate for One of the Two Major Parties Privilege."

If Sarah Palin was black, you'd hear the same excuses from Republicans. If Sarah Palin was a Democrat, Democrats would be the ones making those excuses. Suggesting Palin's immunity from criticism by Republicans has anything to do with her being white is pretty short-sighted.

[whottt]

Race Card isn't going to work...in fact it's just going to piss people off.

I get sick of my intelligence being insulted in an election where 95% of African Americans are expected to support Barrack Obama.

[Spurminator]

Bill O'Reilly hypocritically attacked Jamie Lynn Spears' mother while defending Sarah Palin... Must be because Spears is black.

[Anti.Hero]

The dems worst nightmares are black and women conservative role models.

Take the race card and shove it.

[clambake]

white privilege is where a super-rich ancient old man can call a black kid that was raised on foodstamps by a single mother an elitist.

[SnakeBoy]

All very good points. Let's hope Obama picks up on it and gives a grand speech on the evils of whitey.

[lebomb]

Dude is right.............

[Spurminator]

Obama has already given a well-reasoned and powerful speech on racism, pretty much the exact opposite of the above blog entry by whoever this guy is.

[George Gervin's Afro]

Race Card isn't going to work...in fact it's just going to piss people off.

I get sick of my intelligence being insulted in an election where 95% of African Americans are expected to support Barrack Obama.

intelligence? :rolleyes

[2centsworth]

I'm cool with the dems using the race card.

[whottt]

The White Supremacists support Ron Paul...this sort of article will actually probably get some of them to jump to McCain. Bad move for the D's.

The traditional Republican moderate racists were and aren't going to vote for Obama anyway...they weren't going to vote for any Democrat anyway.

The Republicans, Moderates and Democrats that want true equality are going to be the most offended by this sort of attempt to guilt trip the vote, any of them that are on the bubble are going to be pushed towards McCain by this sort of writing.


The racists that attempt to compensate for their racist inclinations are already Democrats and voting for Obama...to prove they aren't racists.


So basically who is this going to impact?


Well it's not going to impact African Americans...they are already supporting Obama.



Who is it going to impact? All the Hillary voters that haven't yet decided to switch to McCain...who already saw Obama and the Democrats play the race card on the Clintons and now see the attempted manipulation for what it is.





It's not going to work...Americans aren't going to elect a candidate just to prove racial equality.


I encourage the Democrats to drop this...it's going to blow up in their faces and cost them even more voters.


You already have the white guilt vote...it's only to get smaller if you keep pushing it.

[lebomb]

Doesnt hide the fact that the article speaks the truth.

[2centsworth]

Doesnt hide the fact that the article speaks the truth.
your judgement is clouded if you think that article speaks the truth. It is an election year, so you gotta do what you gotta do.

[Spurminator]

The White Supremacists support Ron Paul...this sort of article will actually probably get some of them to jump to McCain. Bad move for the D's.

The traditional Republican moderate racists were and aren't going to vote for Obama anyway...they weren't going to vote for any Democrat anyway.

The Republicans, Moderates and Democrats that want true equality are going to be the most offended by this sort of attempt to guilt trip the vote, any of them that are on the bubble are going to be pushed towards McCain by this sort of writing.


The racists that attempt to compensate for their racist inclinations are already Democrats and voting for Obama...to prove they aren't racists.


So basically who is this going to impact?


Well it's not going to impact African Americans...they are already supporting Obama.



Who is it going to impact? All the Hillary voters that haven't yet decided to switch to McCain...who already saw Obama and the Democrats play the race card on the Clintons and now see the attempted manipulation for what it is.





It's not going to work...Americans aren't going to elect a candidate just to prove racial equality.


I encourage the Democrats to drop this...it's going to blow up in their faces and cost them even more voters.


You already have the white guilt vote...it's only to get smaller if you keep pushing it.


I don't think Tim Wise wrote this on behalf of Democrats. From the looks of it he's working on some kind of "guilty white guy" public speaking/book career so this is just a case of him opportunistically writing something relevant to current political events to get his name out there. Frankly, an Obama victory would not be in his best interests career-wise.

[lebomb]

your judgement is clouded if you think that article speaks the truth. It is an election year, so you gotta do what you gotta do.

I honestly believe that a black, Hispanic or other minority would not have been asked to be vice president with Palins credentials. Her being white and attractive went a LONG LONG way. Sorry, that is just the way I see it.........and apparently the author of that article does as well. :(

[2centsworth]

White guilt is a powerful thing. Just because you didn't date people of color when you were younger doesn't mean you're inherently racist.

[efrem1]

The race card has led to untold misery across the Africa and urban centers in North America. What else can explain why Hitler was rightly condemned but not Mugabe. Or why Stalin is rightly condemed, but not the dictator Mengistu of Ethiopia. Also why we rave about Larry Craig, but not Alcee Hastings. It seems that liberals want whites to be morally accountable, but not blacks.

Only the outreach of the gospel and the ministry through good works will heal the rifts between the races. Oh, but I forget, we can't impose our religion on anybody!!

[2centsworth]

I honestly believe that a black, Hispanic or other minority would not have been asked to be vice president with Palins credentials.

women are in the same boat. If Sarah Palin was black or hispanic it would have made the pick that much better. McCain wanted a woman, regardless of color.



Her being white and attractive went a LONG LONG way. Sorry, that is just the way I see it.........and apparently the author of that article does as well. :(

her being a conservative woman went a long way. Republicans adore minorities who subscribe to republicans ideals.

[Wild Cobra]

White Privilege is often being passed up for a job position so a less qualified minority can have it.

[Spurminator]

This douche requires registration before you can post comments...

[2centsworth]

White Privilege is often being passed up for a job position so a less qualified minority can have it.

Often?:jack

[Spurminator]

People like WC make it possible for Tim Wise to have a career.

[Wild Cobra]

Often?:jack
Not so much anymore. At least now it's getting rare. It used to be the commonplace.


People like WC make it possible for Tim Wise to have a career.
What, bringing up a counterpoint to a stupid thread called "White Privilege?"

The 'privileges' had nothing to do with skin color. It has to do with having the finances to accomplish it, and the drive and commitment to follow it through.

Being honest about 'special rights' is not being against equal rights.

[2centsworth]

People like WC make it possible for Tim Wise to have a career.

apples oranges IMO, but whatever.

[whottt]

If it spoke the truth it'd be speaking about Black Privilege...


You know, how 95% of African Americans can support an African American candidate without the word racism even being thought about, and the media terrified to even mention it....because they don't want to be called racist.

It's not going to work...Obama's already got the white guilt vote. In fact this will probably pare some of them off.




Meanwhile...a better question is, are African Americans sexist?


They left Hillary off for Joe Biden? An incredibly stupid move....


95% of them are going to be voting against a female candidate.


African Americans got the right to vote before women did...


Hmmm...

[whottt]

Pulling the race card in this election is going to set race relations back decades...and it's going to cause whites to unite racially. I guarantee it.



Pathetic move by the Democrats.


Stop selling victimhood...it's so passe.

[lebomb]

Pulling the race card in this election is going to set race relations back decades...and it's going to cause whites to unite racially. I guarantee it.



Pathetic move by the Democrats.


Stop selling victimhood...it's so passe.


If you dont think the race card is out there?...........see what happens if/when Obama wins the election.

[SnakeBoy]

Meanwhile...a better question is, are African Americans sexist?


No Way! They respect women. Just start listening to rap if you don't believe it.

[whottt]

her being a conservative woman went a long way. Republicans adore minorities who subscribe to republicans ideals.



True...if a guy like David Robinson went into politics the Republicans would be just as hyped about him as they are about Palin.


And make no mistake about it...David Robinson is a Republican(leaner).

[whottt]

If you dont think the race card is out there?...........see what happens if/when Obama wins the election.


I have no idea what you said there...would you mind clarifying?

[lebomb]

I have no idea what you said there...would you mind clarifying?


You act like racism isnt out there or doesnt exist. It does......even in politics. If Obama gets elected you will see.

Im hoping the unthinkable doesnt happen.....otherwise you WILL see the USA fall on its ass.

[whottt]

You act like racism isnt out there or doesnt exist. It does......even in politics. If Obama gets elected you will see.

Im hoping the unthinkable doesnt happen.....otherwise you WILL see the USA fall on its ass.

You are out touch...white unity is basically non-existent in this country. It's the minorities that unite racially, not whites. Whites do it less than any minority group in this country.


...Obama being elected President won't cause whites to unite, but pulling the race card in an attempt to guilt trip the vote, with 95% of African Americans supporting Obama will. Just because whites don't unite racially doesn't mean they are stupid.

Every racial guilt trip article posted in this election is going to be the equivalent of a KKK membership drive.

[2centsworth]

You act like racism isnt out there or doesnt exist. It does......even in politics. If Obama gets elected you will see.

Im hoping the unthinkable doesnt happen.....otherwise you WILL see the USA fall on its ass.

this is what the Clinton's would complain about during Hillary's run. The race card being thrown out irresponsibly. If our country as a whole is past our prejudices, the race card strategy will fall flat. We shall see.

[Wild Cobra]

Stop selling victimhood...it's so passe.
The democrats have to sell victimhood. It's the only way they can stay in power.

[lebomb]

I dont know..........we will see, as yall have said. :(

[whottt]

I dont know..........we will see, as yall have said. :(



Well take a look at the voter demographics...the white vote is pretty much split. The Democrats actually had the advantage in white women...until leaving Hillary off the ticket...quite possibly the most ignorant political move in history. It's extremely hypocritical to pull the race card with 95% of African Americans supporting Obama.


Funny thing...truthfully Obama is about as black as John Kerry is...and blacks know it, and they are still voting for him because of a literal shred of being black.

[Supergirl]

The article is dead on. The fact that people can't see it is indicative of the problem with white privilege. BTW, a little oppression theory 101: There is no such thing as "black privilege". Anyone can be prejudiced remarks, and certainly Black people are no less likely to be prejudiced than White people, but only people with institutional power can be racist, sexist, etc. Oppression=prejudice + power.

That being said, Obama has NOT chosen to focus on the truths in this article, because in order for him to be elected, people are going to have to rise above these truths, and elect him anyway, because he's the best man for the job. And that's absolutely the right choice to make. His message has been about unity, but just because that's his goal doesn't mean there aren't underlying, often subconscious messages he's challenging just by being where he is.

But there's a reason no Black person has been elected president before. And why the ONLY Black person we could be considering electing is someone with as middle class, clean cut a background as Obama. You think Jesse Jackson could ever be taken seriously, with all his adultery? But no one questions McSame, who cheated on his ex-wife for a woman decades younger? You think a Black former coke addict could be elected president, but we're just fine electing Bush, a former coke addict? That's white privilege, my friend.

[SnakeBoy]

You think a Black former coke addict could be elected president, but we're just fine electing Bush, a former coke addict? That's white privilege, my friend.

Umm, you might want to rethink that example considering what Obama has said about himself...


"Junkie. Pothead. That's where I'd been headed: the final, fatal role of the young would-be black man. . . . I got high [to] push questions of who I was out of my mind."


"Pot had helped, and booze; maybe a little blow when you could afford it. Not smack, though,"

[Wild Cobra]

This article pretty much nails it on the head...

Not in my opinion. What the hell, let me explain a few viewpoints on the matter. Besides, it find it so degrading for Obama that you democrats have him running against Palin.

Did I miss something? Is Palin running for President, or is Obama running for Vice President?

Which is it that the two are to be compared?



White privilege is when you can get pregnant at seventeen like Bristol Palin and everyone is quick to insist that your life and that of your family is a personal matter, and that no one has a right to judge you or your parents, because "every family has challenges," even as black and Latino families with similar "challenges" are regularly typified as irresponsible, pathological and arbiters of social decay.

Is Bristol Palin going to be a sponge off the taxparers dollars to support her child? I doubt it. It is nobody's business when they don't ask for outside help. The moment you expect the state, and others tax dollars to pay your way... Expect it to be other people's business.



White privilege is when you can call yourself a "fuckin’ redneck," like Bristol Palin’s boyfriend does, and talk about how if anyone messes with you, you'll "kick their fuckin' ass," and talk about how you like to "shoot shit" for fun, and still be viewed as a responsible, all-American boy (and a great son-in-law to be) rather than a thug.

Heresay...

The MySpace link hadn't been changed for over a year, or two. I forget now. Anyway, it was set to "private" so tell me. How could that article be accurate? I say it's a fabrication.



White privilege is when you can attend four different colleges in six years like Sarah Palin did (one of which you basically failed out of, then returned to after making up some coursework at a community college), and no one questions your intelligence or commitment to achievement, whereas a person of color who did this would be viewed as unfit for college, and probably someone who only got in in the first place because of affirmative action.

I'm sorry if that's the authors racial opinion. Can anyone show evidence of that with a black and a white person of two identical situations?



White privilege is when you can claim that being mayor of a town smaller than most medium-sized colleges, and then Governor of a state with about the same number of people as the lower fifth of the island of Manhattan, makes you ready to potentially be president, and people don’t all piss on themselves with laughter, while being a black U.S. Senator, two-term state Senator, and constitutional law scholar, means you’re "untested."

The difference is executive experience. Can we be factual here please?



White privilege is being able to say that you support the words "under God" in the pledge of allegiance because "if it was good enough for the founding fathers, it’s good enough for me," and not be immediately disqualified from holding office--since, after all, the pledge was written in the late 1800s and the "under God" part wasn’t added until the 1950s--while believing that reading accused criminals and terrorists their rights (because, ya know, the Constitution, which you used to teach at a prestigious law school requires it), is a dangerous and silly idea only supported by mushy liberals.

I have yet to see that statement in full context. I'll bet she was making the point that "God" was good enough for the founding fathers rather than in the pledge.

Complete transcript please.



White privilege is being able to be a gun enthusiast and not make people immediately scared of you. White privilege is being able to have a husband who was a member of an extremist political party that wants your state to secede from the Union, and whose motto was "Alaska first," and no one questions your patriotism or that of your family, while if you're black and your spouse merely fails to come to a 9/11 memorial so she can be home with her kids on the first day of school, people immediately think she’s being disrespectful.

This is a problem in perception. This is the only point so far that may be true. When you see someone black toting a gun, it can cause fear compared to someone white. This is because of the crime statistics. The black community organizers obviously don't know how to keep their citizens from breaking these statistics.



White privilege is being able to make fun of community organizers and the work they do--like, among other things, fight for the right of women to vote, or for civil rights, or the 8-hour workday, or an end to child labor--and people think you’re being pithy and tough, but if you merely question the experience of a small town mayor and 18-month governor with no foreign policy expertise beyond a class she took in college--you’re somehow being mean, or even sexist.

What a stupid statement. Is being a community organizer only a 'black' thing? That is not very much experience to claim for the presidency. Neither is civil rights work, because these are activities of a special interest group. Not one that embraces national values. It is the lack of executive experience being made fun of. Not anything to do with color.



White privilege is being able to convince white women who don’t even agree with you on any substantive issue to vote for you and your running mate anyway, because all of a sudden your presence on the ticket has inspired confidence in these same white women, and made them give your party a "second look."

Huh? Who thinks white women aren't independent thinkers?



White privilege is being able to fire people who didn’t support your political campaigns and not be accused of abusing your power or being a typical politician who engages in favoritism, while being black and merely knowing some folks from the old-line political machines in Chicago means you must be corrupt.

This is so utterly stupid. If this stupidity keeps up, I will stop responding to the statements.



White privilege is being able to attend churches over the years whose pastors say that people who voted for John Kerry or merely criticize George W. Bush are going to hell, and that the U.S. is an explicitly Christian nation and the job of Christians is to bring Christian theological principles into government, and who bring in speakers who say the conflict in the Middle East is God’s punishment on Jews for rejecting Jesus, and everyone can still think you’re just a good church-going Christian, but if you’re black and friends with a black pastor who has noted (as have Colin Powell and the U.S. Department of Defense) that terrorist attacks are often the result of U.S. foreign policy and who talks about the history of racism and its effect on black people, you’re an extremist who probably hates America.

Stupid.



White privilege is not knowing what the Bush Doctrine is when asked by a reporter, and then people get angry at the reporter for asking you such a "trick question," while being black and merely refusing to give one-word answers to the queries of Bill O’Reilly means you’re dodging the question, or trying to seem overly intellectual and nuanced.

Which one of the four or more policies dubbed "The Bush Doctrine?"

Come on. This author is a complete joke.



White privilege is being able to claim your experience as a POW has anything at all to do with your fitness for president, while being black and experiencing racism is, as Sarah Palin has referred to it, a "light" burden.

Has this been a claim for experience? An aspect of understanding, yes. I don't recall it being used as executive experience. I though it was McCain's direct executive experience as troop commander, and other things he did before he was in congress.



And finally, white privilege is the only thing that could possibly allow someone to become president when he has voted with George W. Bush 90 percent of the time, even as unemployment is skyrocketing, people are losing their homes, inflation is rising, and the U.S. is increasingly isolated from world opinion, just because white voters aren’t sure about that whole "change" thing. Ya know, it’s just too vague and ill-defined, unlike, say, four more years of the same, which is very concrete and certain.

It's more and more obvious to me. this guy writes about other headlines. So what. Obama voted with president Bush 85% of the time using the same criteria.

Stop being liberal lemmings people. Stop drinking that addictive kool-aid and think for yourselves.

[CuckingFunt]

Not so much anymore. At least now it's getting rare. It used to be the commonplace.

What, bringing up a counterpoint to a stupid thread called "White Privilege?"

The 'privileges' had nothing to do with skin color. It has to do with having the finances to accomplish it, and the drive and commitment to follow it through.

Being honest about 'special rights' is not being against equal rights.

Every bit of this is bullshit.

The group most helped by affirmative action has been white women, not unqualified men of color.

And, in the same breath you mention that privileges are based on finances, but not skin color... aren't finances themselves largely affected by skin color? Drive and commitment are great, but when you're part of a group so marginalized that access to education, or even a sense of hope, is nearly impossible, they're not going to get you very far on their own.

[CuckingFunt]

No Way! They respect women. Just start listening to rap if you don't believe it.

They? African Americans share a hive mind, now?

[CuckingFunt]

You are out touch...white unity is basically non-existent in this country. It's the minorities that unite racially, not whites. Whites do it less than any minority group in this country.

Whites don't unite racially because they don't need to. What need does the group already in power have to unite?

[SnakeBoy]

They?

Oh sorry, I meant to say blacks.

Nice username ya got there.

[Wild Cobra]

The article is dead on. The fact that people can't see it is indicative of the problem with white privilege. BTW, a little oppression theory 101: There is no such thing as "black privilege". Anyone can be prejudiced remarks, and certainly Black people are no less likely to be prejudiced than White people, but only people with institutional power can be racist, sexist, etc. Whites are not resentful of blacks. Blacks being resentful of whites do not mean whites are privileged by nature. There are rising numbers of affluent blacks. Most of them get there by embracing values that include hard work rather than the victim mentality that allows for this 'privileged' thinking.

Everyone has the RIGHT to work hard and achieve things. What I see as holding down blacks, is their own 'victim hood.'



Oppression=prejudice + power.

That's why the so called 'black leader' keep the victimhood mentailty alive. It keeps them in power.



That being said, Obama has NOT chosen to focus on the truths in this article, because in order for him to be elected, people are going to have to rise above these truths, and elect him anyway, because he's the best man for the job. And that's absolutely the right choice to make. His message has been about unity, but just because that's his goal doesn't mean there aren't underlying, often subconscious messages he's challenging just by being where he is.

The truths of being a victim of race? See, that's a problem in your thinking. He had a good education. He doesn't think of himself as a victim.



But there's a reason no Black person has been elected president before. And why the ONLY Black person we could be considering electing is someone with as middle class, clean cut a background as Obama.

That's because he doesn't espouse racial inequality like others before him has. It's not that he's upper-middle class, but because he is a good speaker. He doesn't speak Ebonics. He is educated.



You think Jesse Jackson could ever be taken seriously, with all his adultery?
Sure, if he wasn't the jack-ass he is otherwise.



But no one questions McSame, who cheated on his ex-wife for a woman decades younger?

Is McCain a jack-ass like Jesse jack-ass is?

Jackson plays to the victimhood mentality. Nobody who believe is equality will vote for him. Maybe you think you believe in equality, but if he's your example of a good leader, then you want special rights. Not equal rights.



You think a Black former coke addict could be elected president, but we're just fine electing Bush, a former coke addict? That's white privilege, my friend.

Bullshit. The allegation of president Bush being a coke user was by one person that knew him, and never collaborated by any second person. Even if he did use coke way back when, he was never an addict.

When will you liberals learn to stop lying? It really hurts your credibility.

Maybe if you looked up a fact here and there instead of reading liberal dogma, you might gain some useful insight.

[Wild Cobra]

And, in the same breath you mention that privileges are based on finances, but not skin color... aren't finances themselves largely affected by skin color? Drive and commitment are great, but when you're part of a group so marginalized that access to education, or even a sense of hope, is nearly impossible, they're not going to get you very far on their own.
This is true to a point. It's still not a black/white issue. There are plenty of white families living in poverty with the same problems in getting ahead.

[CuckingFunt]

This is true to a point. It's still not a black/white issue. There are plenty of white families living in poverty with the same problems in getting ahead.

Of course it's not merely a black/white issue. Nothing in this country is, unless you're ignoring the millions of other people who live here.

The system of power, privilege, oppression, and institutionalized inequality in this country is extremely complex -- race, age, ability, gender identity, sexuality, nationality, class, etc. all work together to determine one's social location. People who are on the privileged side of one match-up may be on the oppressed side of another, and vice versa. For the record, I think that the Wise article is a ridiculous oversimplification of the issue, but so is the assertion that hard work is the only thing keeping hood rats from the corporate world.

[whottt]

Whites don't unite racially because they don't need to.


False...whites don't do it because it's hypocritical for them to do so. The ones that don't I mean.





What need does the group already in power have to unite?


Well first off all..the entire concept race is an ignorant one, but beyond that, either the same rules apply to us all, or else they don't. Different rules for different people, regardless of criteria, is discrimination.


It's a line being drawn...a division.

It's just that simple...and this is the difference between the Republicans and the Democrats...the Democrats don't stand for equality, they stand for favoritism.

And before that, they stood for discrimination...they are the ones that have been all over the map on things, not the Republicans.



Martin Luther King JR. was a Republican.

Al Gore Sr. was the guy who fillibustered against the 1964 Civil Rights Amdendment...


What hypochrisy. What deception. What bias.

[Supergirl]

Well first off all..the entire concept race is an ignorant one, but beyond that, either the same rules apply to us all, or else they don't. Different rules for different people, regardless of criteria, is discrimination.

And before that, they stood for discrimination...they are the ones that have been all over the map on things, not the Republicans.


Martin Luther King JR. was a Republican.

Al Gore Sr. was the guy who fillibustered against the 1964 Civil Rights Amdendment...



What is the point of your last two comments? Nothing in the article made any insinuation that Republicans or Democrats, past or present, are any more or less immune to the effects of racism, or less likely to perpetrate it.

While I agree that the intellectual concept of "race" is an ignorant one (and I am giving you some credit here that this is even what you were referring to) --that doesn't negate the realities of racism.

Does it look different today than it did 10, 20, 50, 100 years ago? Of course. But it still exists. IN ALL OF US. In the words of Avenue Q..."we're all a little bit racist..."

The only way to overcome the impact of racism, to not perpetuate it yourself, is to own that you are either the benefit of white privilege or internalized racism, depending on your skin color.

I actually wrote my thesis on this many years ago - specifically on the impact of racial stereotypes in rape trials. In one of the pre-studies I did, I discovered that the strongest racial stereotypes people hold in our culture are that of Black men, White women, Asian women, and finally Black and Latina women, in that order.

[Biernutz]

This is Your Nation on White Privilege by Tim Wise is nothing than a DNC article supporting Hussein. Every paragraph has a reference smearing republicans and McCain-Palin. Wise has found himself a niche in the guilt trip group. Tim it's not working, I don't feel guilty voting against someone who counts as his friends William Ayers.

[CuckingFunt]

It's just that simple...and this is the difference between the Republicans and the Democrats...the Democrats don't stand for equality, they stand for favoritism.

No, we're just not ignorant enough to think that abandoning a broken system is the same thing as fixing the problems it caused. Bully for you that you think "race" is an ignorant concept and that the rules should be the same for everyone -- as a white male that opinion comes with fairly little to lose -- but it doesn't change the fact that the rules haven't been the same for everyone at any point in the history of this country.


Martin Luther King JR. was a Republican.

Of course he was. Southern Blacks were largely Republican for generations out of loyalty to Abraham Lincoln.


Al Gore Sr. was the guy who fillibustered against the 1964 Civil Rights Amdendment...

Good for him. Exactly what does that have to do with either this discussion or the presidential election that inspired it?

[remingtonbo2001]

The system of power, privilege, oppression, and institutionalized inequality in this country is extremely complex -- race, age, ability, gender identity, sexuality, nationality, class, etc. all work together to determine one's social location.

Don't forget height.

Taller individuals are more likely to be successful at the workplace.

[whottt]

No, we're just not ignorant enough to think that abandoning a broken system is the same thing as fixing the problems it caused. Bully for you that you think "race" is an ignorant concept and that the rules should be the same for everyone -- as a white male that opinion comes with fairly little to lose

As a white male...go fuck yourself. You are every bit as ignorant as any racist whoever lived...you're just on the opposite side of the coin. Pity really.



Only an idiot thinks preferntial treatment is a solution to discrimination...it's just an opposite form of discrimination...and it's going to wind up with the exact same result.

It's not a solution.



-- but it doesn't change the fact that the rules haven't been the same for everyone at any point in the history of this country.

Well you know what? Replacing unfair laws with other unfair laws doesn't solve that problem.


When you draw racial lines, you create the racial construct, no matter your justification for doing it.






Of course he was. Southern Blacks were largely Republican for generations out of loyalty to Abraham Lincoln.


Ironically enough...I never saw Martin Luther King asking for preferntial treatment. That's why he was a Republican. Perhaps that's why he was listened to whereas his followers are considered racebaiting divisive idiots.


The Democrats were the ones that fought to keep them enslaved, and founded the KKK...and they reversed their earlier bigotry and went from discriminating against them, to discriminating in favor of them...an equally ignorant position.

An equally racist position.

That is still not the mindset of someone who understands equality...that is the mind set of someone who knows only how to discriminate, trying not to discriminate.

And that is what drove the racists over to the Republican party...equality was better than favoritism.









Good for him. Exactly what does that have to do with either this discussion or the presidential election that inspired it?

It's to point out the hypochristy of the Democrats and the way they attempt to compensate for years of discrimination by...years of discrimination.

[whottt]

Don't even get me stared on the way the Democrats view African Americans and minorities and women as helpless idiots that can;t do anything for themselves dependent on government favoritism...

And don't say it's not true...


Every fucking anti-war lib on this forum that I have argued with when pushed comes to shove has described mid-easterners, as savages, incapable of grasping the concept of Democracy...which I find plainly idiotic....since it's an extemely simple form of government at it's heart..and one that originated right there in Iraq, long before Greece or Rome.


Furthermore primitive peoples have virtually no concept of any sort of bias...bias ALL BIAS is a product of surplus...and sadly, very few people understand that.

[lebomb]

We might as well just end this thread.....white people will never understand.....you can debate till you are blue in the face. White people have never suffered racism or oppression, so they just brush everything off as ignorant. That is why I stopped talking about this subject earlier. White people run pretty much everything in the US......why would they understand, or better yet, why would they need or want to??? :rolleyes

[CuckingFunt]

As a white male...go fuck yourself. You are every bit as ignorant as any racist whoever lived...you're just on the opposite side of the coin. Pity really.

Only an idiot thinks preferntial treatment is a solution to discrimination...it's just an opposite form of discrimination...and it's going to wind up with the exact same result.

It's not a solution.

Find the post where I argued for preferential treatment for anyone.


Well you know what? Replacing unfair laws with other unfair laws doesn't solve that problem.

Agreed. That's why I think we should strive for replacing them with fair laws/programs/policies. Or, when possible, removing those unfair laws completely.


When you draw racial lines, you create the racial construct, no matter your justification for doing it.

Ironically enough...I never saw Martin Luther King asking for preferntial treatment. That's why he was a Republican. Perhaps that's why he was listened to whereas his followers are considered racebaiting divisive idiots.

The Democrats were the ones that fought to keep them enslaved, and founded the KKK...and they reversed their earlier bigotry and went from discriminating against them, to discriminating in favor of them...an equally ignorant position.

An equally racist position.

That is still not the mindset of someone who understands equality...that is the mind set of someone who knows only how to discriminate, trying not to discriminate.

And that is what drove the racists over to the Republican party...equality was better than favoritism.

Again, find me the post in which I argued for favoritism.

I merely suggested that the oft quoted Bootstraps Theory is far too simplistic an approach to the idea of the privilege/oppression dynamic in this country. It suggests that laziness and the lack of motivation are the only things standing in the way of success, and for a huge part of this country (based more on a class barrier than on race) that simply isn't the case. There are numerous roadblocks that will keep many people from every reaching that success, regardless how much work they may be willing to put in.

Should race be an issue in this country? No. Is it? Yep. It's incredibly convenient for those of us in power (and, yes, as a young, able bodied, Caucasian female with an education and enough money to support myself, I recognize my own areas of privilege) to say "Hey, guess what, racism is, like, really bad, and we should just be colorblind and start everyone off with a clean slate from now on" because there are no real consequences to you or I if that's what were to happen, but it just doesn't work that way. I don't advocate preferential treatment, I don't advocate favoritism, and I absolutely believe that a clean slate is what we should strive for, but I'm not ignorant enough to think it's going to magically happen because we will it so.


Don't even get me stared on the way the Democrats view African Americans and minorities and women as helpless idiots that can;t do anything for themselves dependent on government favoritism...

And don't say it's not true...

It's not universally true.


Every fucking anti-war lib on this forum that I have argued with when pushed comes to shove has described mid-easterners, as savages, incapable of grasping the concept of Democracy...which I find plainly idiotic....since it's an extemely simple form of government at it's heart..and one that originated right there in Iraq, long before Greece or Rome.

I don't know any anti-war libs who share that belief. I know I certainly don't. I think that the Iraqi people are perfectly capable of understanding the concept of Democracy, but I also think that they're entitled to decide for themselves whether or not that's how they want to be governed.


Furthermore primitive peoples have virtually no concept of any sort of bias...bias ALL BIAS is a product of surplus...and sadly, very few people understand that.

You're insane if you think racism, or any other systems of power/privilige/oppression, have anything to do with bias. It's about power and control, at its very core, both of which are extremely primitive motivations. If I want control, I need followers. And if I need followers, the best way to get them is to invent a common enemy.

[CuckingFunt]

We might as well just end this thread.....white people will never understand.....you can debate till you are blue in the face. White people have never suffered racism or oppression, so they just brush everything off as ignorant. That is why I stopped talking about this subject earlier. White people run pretty much everything in the US......why would they understand, or better yet, why would they need or want to??? :rolleyes

Sorry, but I disagree with this just as fervently as I do with whottt's assertions. The systems of institutionalized discrimination in this country are based on far more than just race, and there are plenty of White folks out there who know what it feels like to be oppressed in ways that perhaps you don't understand (on the base of gender, sexuality, etc.). Nothing will ever be changed/accomplished if we refuse to accept that people with a different perspective may have something valuable to bring to the table.

[lebomb]

:king

[lebomb]

:king

[efrem1]

We might as well just end this thread.....white people will never understand.....you can debate till you are blue in the face. White people have never suffered racism or oppression, so they just brush everything off as ignorant. That is why I stopped talking about this subject earlier. White people run pretty much everything in the US......why would they understand, or better yet, why would they need or want to??? :rolleyes


You remind me of Mugabe who parrotted the Oppression card to seize white farms in Zimbabwe through his "war veterans." Where has that left that nation, a broken nation that is bankrupt. Christians have suffered oppresion in India, the former Soviet Union, China, Indonesia and a host of other countries and yet many of them forgave their oppressors. Your are a very bitter man and has enjoyed the riches that this nation has to offer.

[lebomb]

I take it all back..........may the best candidates win.

Have a great evening.

[whottt]

Funt I'll respond in a bit...but since I was always talking about what I see as the Democratic Party's idea of equality, and you took issue with my statements...I simply felt you agreed with it.

[The Reckoning]

white privilege is affirmative action