The term "white privilege"
- Locked due to inactivity on Jul 7, '23 3:54am
Thread Topic: The term "white privilege"
-
This term is very problematic for a very simple reason:
White is not a race.
White is a skin tone.
(The same also goes for black)
People, for one reason or another, have associated white people with american, british, and other countires even though you don't have to be birn in any place like that to be white.
I'll elaborate more in a bit. Computers are being stupid and gtq is weird on mobile. -
So in school did you ever have a class where the teacher favortized a student? Maybe the student was the kid of their friend, or maybe they were a part of a certain extracurricular that the teacher was fond of.
Did it really bother you? Did you ever think to yourself as a kid "this kid is getting special privilege just for being born into a wealthier family than I, or for being friends with the right people."
That is the same principle as systemic privilege. If you were the kid getting treated well by teachers you'd probably think "I worked for it!" or "it's not my fault I was born into an attractive, well off family," but to the kid who can barely get C's, not because they're not smart enough, but because of external factors like socioeconomic status or mental health, it's totally unfair to them.
All I'm saying is it's hard to see privilege when you're the one receiving the benefits of it. It's a form of cognitive bias. I am not saying that it's okay to demonize all white people or make unfalsifiable claims, but systemic privilege does exist. -
Uh... what
I was just saying the term was problematic given that white isn't a race -
And, no, I've thankfully never dealt with any real favortism as far as school teachers
-
I agree that it can be irritating when people say stuff like "ugh white people" and generalize an entire race (especially when they're specifically referring to Americans, like come on bro)
I think what people mean by the term "white privilege" is closer to "light privilege" as in people of lighter skin, and even people of colour can be guilty of encouraging/enforcing it. -
yeah but i don't think "Light privilege" is any better...
You don't have to be of Caucasian descent to have light skin. -
I know it may be entirely futile to post in this thread because you seem to completely sidestep the point every time, but ehh I'll give it one last shot.
You KNOW racism still exists. Perhaps there are POC who dislike/are distrustful of white people. (You say "white" doesn't exist, but come on, dude, that's a cop out. You know exactly who is being referred to with the term white. Arguing semantics does not make you seem intelligent or funny. You are purposely ignoring the point and focusing on nitpicking the most useless thing.)
The lives of POC in the United States specifically is drastically different than the lives of white people in America. This is true, period. They face discrimination at a systematic level for simply being born into African-American, Pacific Islander, Asian, Native American, ect, families.
People who are caucasian/white/whatever you think it should be called, simply do not face the same struggles. This is a privilege. Simply by being white they are excused from many of the plights poc experience just by existing in their bodies.
Here's how the US census broke down race in America.
Also an interesting article of why hispanic descent is listed the way it is. The reason? Fear of racism and discrimination. Huge shocker.
Anyways. Stop arguing over the phrase. It just makes you sound ignorant. Privilege exists for non-poc, and the colloquial turn of phrase is white privilege. You understand what people mean when they say that, you are choosing to argue over the stupidest s--- when people are facing deadly discrimination. It's pathetic and annoying and I feel bad for the poc who have to deal with your racism. -
"Light" privelage is a real thing. Let's throw aside america for a moment because the whole world doesn't revolve around us.
According to anthropologists, & the lived experiences of the people from countries all over the world, light privelage is an actual thing that can affect daily life.
In many eastern countries, harmful skin bleaching procedures are not only allowed, but actively encouraged. Light skin is considered a beauty standard and people are more likely to be the victims of police brutality and social discrimination if they don't match the status quo or are "foreigners."
I'm happy to send you resources if you'd like, but I'm not going to take the time to link them here because I don't think you'd actually look into them.
If you can't bring yourself to care about American social issues, at least admit that it's a real problem for many other countries and thay they deserve better. Admit that societies across the world are biased towards light skin & western standards & that it's not okay. -
My genealogy is literally like 99% Caucasian. I don't blame myself for being born white, but I do recognize that I don't have the same struggles as others because of it. The least you can do is be self aware
The original point I was trying to make is that if you don't understand racism, try to think of another form of discrimination you've experienced in your life so you can empathize more with people who do experience racism. Discrimination and privelage dont just not exist because you don't see it or don't like the way it makes you feel. -
(You say "white" doesn't exist
Before i finish reading your post, just wanted to say that's not even remotely what I'm saying. -
This is exactly what I mean. Instead of addressing the argument in any meaningful way, you pick apart the way things are said. I clearly meant that you say white as a race doesn't exist, and I'm sure you knew exactly what I intended.
-
And I did not realize that's what you were saying.
There's a reason "Before I finish reading this post". I wasn't going to include that in my counter argument.
I'm happy to send you resources if you'd like, but I'm not going to take the time to link them here because I don't think you'd actually look into them.
Mint, you're a cool person and all but how about we ALL, and I mean everyone here, just drop the passive-aggressiveness, that kosher? -
*There's a reason I said "Before I finish reading your post
-
Did you look at the links chainsaw sent? I wasn't trying to being passive aggressive. I am sorry if you took it that way. I don't see discussions as things to "win" or ways to tear people down, I just want us to be able to find some common ground or mutual agreement to build off of.
This will probably be my last post here though because I don't think this is a productive conversation. -
I'm not being passive aggressive. I'm not going to play nice, I don't care if that's mean. I've got 0 tolerance for racism.
And again, you fail to address or acknowledge anything I said.
Pages:
- 1
- 2
This thread is locked, therefore no new posts can be made.
