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Does "white privilege" exist? If so, should it be corrected?[W: 356]

Does "white privilege exist"?

  • Yes, and it is a problem we should fight to fix.

    Votes: 24 33.8%

  • Yes, but it is not an issue. Whites should have first privilege in nations they built.

    Votes: 2 2.8%

  • No, white privilege does not exist

    Votes: 45 63.4%
  • Total voters
    71
Re: Does "white privilege" exist? If so, should it be corrected?

PirateMk1 said:
Does this "white privelage" only apply here in the states or does it apply elsewhere, say Angola, Ethipoia, Somolia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran, India, Cuba, or perhaps Argentina? How about Russia, or Isreal, or Germany, or France?
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I haven't studied those places as extensively as I've studied the United States so I don't have as informed opinion about the role white privilege does or does not play in those areas.
 
Re: Does "white privilege" exist? If so, should it be corrected?

DA60 said:
And imparting non-superficial stereotypes to people strictly on the basis of superficial tendencies adds nothing to humanity... Plus is supremely ignorant.
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Dude, race is just one way out of many that we categorize other human beings. It isn't inherently problematic; it's only problematic when people attribute false deterministic attributes to race (e.g. being black means you're stupid). You're giving it way too much power.
 
Re: Does "white privilege" exist? If so, should it be corrected?

Tucker Case said:
Race is a social construct that exists. Denying it's existence as a social construct doesn't add anything to the discussion at all.
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If its a social construct, then I can deny its significance to anything.
 
Re: Does "white privilege" exist? If so, should it be corrected?

Tucker Case said:
Race is an existing social construct, regardless of our opinions on the existence of such a construct. In a perfect world full of puppy dogs and candy canes, there would be no social construct that is called race, but we don't live in a perfect world. Because the social construct exists, people experience its effects psychologically.

It is the opposite of ignorance to acknowledge reality.
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Sorry pal, the reality is that more melanin in one's skin does not constitute anything more then the most superficial differences.

You might as well call people over 6' tall a different 'race' OR people with red hair a different 'race'.

And just because the masses believe in 'races' - doesn't mean it is correct. The masses used to believe the world is flat and women are genetically inferior to men and a whole bunch of other ignorant ideas.
 
Re: Does "white privilege" exist? If so, should it be corrected?

ThePlayDrive said:
Dude, race is just one way out of many that we categorize other human beings. It isn't inherently problematic; it's only problematic when people attribute false deterministic attributes to race (e.g. being black means you're stupid). You're giving it way too much power.
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And when people think that any personality characteristic is inherently actually "caused" by a person's race, they are attributing false deterministic attributes to race.
 
Re: Does "white privilege" exist? If so, should it be corrected?

DA60 said:
Sorry pal, the reality is that more melanin in one's skin does not constitute anything more then the most superficial differences.

You might as well call people over 6' tall a different 'race' OR people with red hair a different 'race'.

And just because the masses believe in 'races' - doesn't mean it is correct. The masses used to believe the world is flat and women are genetically inferior to men and a whole bunch of other ignorant ideas.
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We're not talking about "right" or "wrong", were discussing what exists in reality and the effects that reality has. Your righteous indignation does nothing to mitigate those effects, and can actually exacerbate them.
 
Re: Does "white privilege" exist? If so, should it be corrected?

ReformCollege said:
If its a social construct, then I can deny its significance to anything.
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You can deny it's affects all you want, but reality doesn't give a **** if you believe in it or not.
 
Re: Does "white privilege" exist? If so, should it be corrected?

ThePlayDrive said:
Dude, race is just one way out of many that we categorize other human beings. It isn't inherently problematic; it's only problematic when people attribute false deterministic attributes to race (e.g. being black means you're stupid). You're giving it way too much power.
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The point isn't if it is problematic or not. The point is that it is nonsensical.

However, if you honestly believe that lumping people into 'race's' because of superficial attributes that cannot be altered is not problematic - then I suggest to you that you do not understand the human condition.

Name one way that humankind has substantially benefitted from calling a person with a certain level of melanin a different race?
 
Re: Does "white privilege" exist? If so, should it be corrected?

DA60 said:
However, if you honestly believe that lumping people into 'race's' because of superficial attributes that cannot be altered is not problematic...
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Don't you see? Acknowledging the effects of such lumping is pointing out how it is problematic in a very specific way.

That doesn't mean that one agrees with the social construct, or that they believe the social construct itself causes intrinsic differences between groups (short of superficial biological ones).
 
Re: Does "white privilege" exist? If so, should it be corrected?

Tucker Case said:
We're not talking about "right" or "wrong", were discussing what exists in reality and the effects that reality has. Your righteous indignation does nothing to mitigate those effects, and can actually exacerbate them.
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If stating the truth exacerbates people - tough.
 
Re: Does "white privilege" exist? If so, should it be corrected?

Tucker Case said:
Don't you see? Acknowledging the effects of such lumping is pointing out how it is problematic in a very specific way.

That doesn't mean that one agrees with the social construct, or that they believe the social construct itself causes intrinsic differences between groups (short of superficial biological ones).
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And a partridge in a pear tree.
 
Re: Does "white privilege" exist? If so, should it be corrected?

Tucker Case said:
How does one exacerbate people?
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:rolleyes:

You say it exacerbates people and then you ask me how it does.

Sorry pal, I have better things to do then play that game.

If you have a point, please just make it.
 
Re: Does "white privilege" exist? If so, should it be corrected?

ThePlayDrive said:
The reality of white privilege isn't taught enough in schools as it is - in fact, it's barely, if at all, referenced in schools. I know I didn't read about it specifically until AFTER college. From the comments in this thread, it's pretty obvious to me that 1) a lot people don't know what white privilege actually is (i.e. they think it means all white people are rich), and 2) a lot of people are hopelessly ignorant of how prevalent white privilege is. I would strongly support efforts to educate people from a young age about it. Education is always a good thing.
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Its not education, its indoctrination. I think the first time I heard about white privilege was in my 8th grade class? Wall of silence. It was brought up again in college last semester in my sociology class. Wall of silence.

I'm all for teaching nondiscrimination. But when you start attributing success on the basis of race, that in my opinion is crossing the line. Its basically turning into, "you're white so you owe everyone else something because you were historically privileged." What the F? I don't feel privileged when I'm up studying for 6 hours a night, I don't feel privileged working my way through college while others use their grant money on $300 headsets and $900 iPads. I'm originally of a Jewish Heritage, might I remind you one of the most historically oppressed groups for thousands of years. You look at other immigration groups in our countries history, they all faced discrimination and hatred at first in this country. Now you just consider them "white" and act like they're the ones who have had it easy. I think Frank Costello (the Departed) said it best "no one is going to give it to you, you have to take it."

And quite frankly, I'd say if you want to teach white privilege, you also have to teach iq discrepancy on the basis of race. How do you feel about that? Its something that has been widely discussed and supported, and we'd simply be "educating people." But I'm not for teaching either, because its teaching people to judge individuals and what may be true over an entire population is not always true on an individual level. But if you're going to teach one for the "education factor" I'd say you have to teach both.

And here's the thing, race is a social construct. But why do we have to accept it as such? Teaching about white privilege merely validates the construct. Why? Shouldn't we be teaching students to get rid of the social construct, not trying to validate it?
 
Re: Does "white privilege" exist? If so, should it be corrected?

DA60 said:
:rolleyes:

You say it exacerbates people and then you ask me how it does.
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Reading comprehension fail. I didn't say it exacerbates people at all.

"those effects" = "them" in that sentence and "those effects" =/= "people"
 
Re: Does "white privilege" exist? If so, should it be corrected?

ReformCollege said:
But when you start attributing success on the basis of race, that in my opinion is crossing the line.
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White privilege is not the cause of success. When discussing the existence of white privilege, we are not attributing success on the basis of race.
 
Re: Does "white privilege" exist? If so, should it be corrected?

DA60 said:
The point isn't if it is problematic or not. The point is that it is nonsensical.
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It isn't nonsensical to categorize people. It is nonsensical to attribute false characteristics to categories.

However, if you honestly believe that lumping people into 'race's' because of superficial attributes that cannot be altered is not problematic - then I suggest to you that you do not understand the human condition.
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I didn't say it wasn't problematic ever. I said it wasn't inherently problematic. It isn't.

Name one way that humankind has substantially benefitted from calling a person with a certain level of melanin a different race?
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Why would substantiate an argument I haven't made?
 
Re: Does "white privilege" exist? If so, should it be corrected?

Tucker Case said:
White privilege is not the cause of success. When discussing the existence of white privilege, we are not attributing success on the basis of race.
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Perhaps that should be made a lot more clear, because even at a college level, it certainly was used as attributing success.
 
Re: Does "white privilege" exist? If so, should it be corrected?

Tucker Case said:
You can deny it's affects all you want, but reality doesn't give a **** if you believe in it or not.
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You know whats great about social constructs? They can cease to exist.

Hence the term "social" construct.
 
Re: Does "white privilege" exist? If so, should it be corrected?

Tucker Case said:
Reading comprehension fail. I didn't say it exacerbates people at all.

"those effects" = "them" in that sentence and "those effects" =/= "people"
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Based on what was typed, I stand behind what I typed.

Take a wild guess if I care much if you agree with me on this or not?


You can try and deflect and nitpick all you like.

The fact (imo) remains, there is only one race...the human race.

And to call someone a different 'race' because they have more melanin in their skin is ignorant in the extremis...for lots of reasons.
 
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Re: Does "white privilege" exist? If so, should it be corrected?

ReformCollege said:
Perhaps that should be made a lot more clear, because even at a college level, it certainly was used as attributing success.
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Was it actually doing that or was it perceived by some to be doing that? Because I heard people say the same thing when it was taught in my college, when I was present for it being taught, and it didn't actually do that at all, dspite their belief that it was.

For example, I know for a fact that I never once did that here, but some people have certainly made the assumption that I have. That's on them and their own insecurity about racial discussions, not on me.
 
Re: Does "white privilege" exist? If so, should it be corrected?

ThePlayDrive said:
It isn't nonsensical to categorize people. It is nonsensical to attribute false characteristics to categories.


I didn't say it wasn't problematic ever. I said it wasn't inherently problematic. It isn't.


Why would substantiate an argument I haven't made?
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Well, let me know please when you can/are prepared to answer my question with something others then another question.


Have a nice day.
 
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