"White Privilege Conference" In Colorado?

[Jeana (DP)]

You can't make a racial comment against blacks without getting fired, or it becoming national news but if a black person were to make a comment then it would be PRAISED by the likes of Jackson and Sharpton and everyone would rally around it . We have become so AFRAID not to offend anyone anymore that no one can even speak their mind anymore and I am sick of it!

I'm not saying whether I agree with this, but IF its true, the reason its true is because they ORGANIZE protests to get the people who ADVERTISE to pull their spots. Money talks and b.s. walks. If you want someone who makes a racist remark against a white person fired, then I'm sorry to have to say it, but you're gonna have to complain to the people who are in a position to pull the almighty dollar out of their pockets. Complaining to us won't help.

 

[Glow]

I went to the University of Florida. I work with blacks, whites, Indians and some people that I have no idea what they are labeled, but it doesn't matter. We are all paid according to our position - and since it's computers, the positions are pretty much given to who can perform. It's not often the white guys. We're all paid (men, women, whatever race) based on what we put out. The State is the BIGGEST employer in this area - so if "blacks are paid less than whites" it's situational, not racial around here. (My bosses are both black, they make more because they DO more.) I could make more than them if I was willing to put forth the effort they do - but being white would not help me.

ANYWAY - my college alumni has a hispanic alumni club and a black alumni club. There is no white alumni club. Why not? White people went to college there, too.

Stupid racial issues need to go the FREAK AWAY because it should be a non issue anymore - if people would stop pretending to be offended based on color of herd of sheep and start being INDIVIDUALS, it would help!

If you WANT to be part of a herd of sheep - of any label - at least get your numbers together and abolish the death penalty, or rebuild homes for hurricane victims, or feed the homeless in the name of your race - not riot, overwhelm foodstamp offices and pop out babies like you don't know how to cross your legs. Don't put on sheets and light crosses, don't form gangs and kill people over the hat they wear, don't look like thugs with your pants hanging off of you and speak in such slaughtered english that you look like an idiot - and if you DO wear clothing - do it when you volunteer at daycare centers, or the big dog rescue center or help little old ladies their cars with their groceries. If you want to be a group - black, white, hispanic, gang related, whatever - be a group that makes a POSITIVE difference. It's the groups of rioting blacks, sheet wearing whites, knife weilding hispanics, bombing muslims - that people see in the media and fuels this whole racial thing. It's the invididuals that act the fool like a white kid using the N word, or a black kid robbing a store, too - if you are proud of your race - use that pride for some GOOD.

Argh. I was raised racist in a racist household. Not a major concern, just now and then a comment. I TRIED so hard to overcome it, but I have only been able to overcome it through indivuduals like my boss, who is bright, smart and hardworking - like a coworker who is as much a goof off as I am, but he's nice and a genuinely good person. The large group of blacks that swarmed my car and beat on it when I accidently got lost in a "bad neighborhood" once - they didn't help matters. The large group of gold wearing, cellphone carrying, STRONG, HEALTHY blacks that broke into line for foodstamps during the 3 months stint I was on them after my divorce - they didn't help matters.

How can you stop being racist when people won't stop acting stereotypical? I can SEE why blacks are racist. I can SEE why whites are racist. I can SEE why muslims are discriminated against.

When I stop SEEING REASONS for racism, perhaps I will stop seeing racism.

Go Individuals! Go groups who do good things! Wheeee!

PS
I practice what I preach to my daughter. We don't discuss race at ALL. Our issue is still discrimination though. She dresses gothic. Chains, black clothing, red dyed hair - she looks like she should be feared. I told her she is allowed to wear what she wants, but she needs to do two things for the privledge....
1. If she is accused of stealing things, or being a bad person - she can't cry to me - it's the clothes talking to the ignorant.
2. SHE HAS TO MAKE THOSE CLOTHES LOOK GOOD!

Yes, in those clothes, she entertains babies and small children in waiting rooms of doctor's offices, or picks up dropped toys while shopping. She has assisted lost kids, returned lost pets, volunteered at dog washes for the humane society, given free computer lessons to underprivledged kids that received donated computers. She is in the math club, she is in the computer and robotics clubs. She wears those clothes to church (yes!) and when she is out with her friends she keeps them in line - to make people SEE that large groups of gothic kids aren't necessarily bad kids - they just LOOK different.

I don't mention race to her - but the issue of making your large group socially acceptable translates to race, religeon, national origin, sex, group affiliation of ALL kinds. It's NOT about race, people! It's about WHO YOU ARE.

Thank you. Now back to your regularly scheduled posting.

I just wanted to say thank you Glitch for writing one of those most thought provoking and balanced posts I have ever read on this subject. Points well taken.

 

[Paladin]

Glitch has been at the top of my "favorite posters" list here at Websleuths for a while now.

 

[Jeana (DP)]

Glitch has been at the top of my "favorite posters" list here at Websleuths for a while now.

Mine too.:woohoo:

 

[MissieMt]

Wow Glitch-that was awesome. I think you just wrote what I've been thinking for a long time. I wasn't going to take a side on this topic because there wasn't a side on here I could agree with, but I can definately agree with what you said!

 

[GlitchWizard]

"White privilege" is not about racism or racist acts. It is about the organization of our society and the differential access to wealth, power, and authority.

I'm white. I don't have any wealth, power or authority. Where can I sign up for some of this cool white privilege stuff? I must have missed the memo. ha ha! All kidding aside, though - I believe THAT concept is more of an education issue than a race issue. You get further with an education.

Yes, it USED TO BE that blacks couldn't get this education as easily as whites could - YES - but that is NO LONGER VALID. It's used as an excuse, not a reason. Black educational opportunities are all over the place that aren't offerred to ANYONE but blacks. United Negro College Fund (the most advertised example) isn't paying for my little girl to go to college - she has to EARN her scholarship through hard work.

It belittles the black kids who work hard to get to college, I think, but it was a nice little bandaid to the problem of blacks having lesser educational opportunities. It's fixed now. Now that they have plenty of educational opportunities - it's time to work hard and EARN your jobs.

HARD WORK should get you where you want to go - not being a member of a racial organization, or reverse discrimination.

Another thought - has anyone looked at advertising lately? Look around your next board meeting. At least in the computer world, it's as colorful as a freaking rainbow. I left my last Java Programming project meeting feeling like I was the token white girl!

And I had no idea I was anyone's favorite anything. Aww shucks! Thanks! :crazy:

I know I generally post quips that entertain me about subjects that ought to make me just sad - off the cuff, not well thought out and often misunderstood - but there is just a time and a place for me to open up and say "LOOK AT THE BROADER PICTURE" and this seemed like the time.

Thanks for reading. I had assumed it was going to be scrolled past.

Pardon me while I go deflate my ego now.

 

[2luvmy]

Very interesting article Cypros. The climate has improved but racism still exists.

I have experienced it and so have my children from both Whites and Blacks.

I was lucky enough to go to highly regarded private schools while growing up. As a biracial female, I noticed the differences.

I junior high, I was the only minority student in my class. I was an honor roll student and had never gotten into any sort of trouble except for this one instance with a teacher. The trouble maker of the class stole an extra teachers edition from the teacher's cabinet while she was talking in the hallway. She came back into class collected the tests and graded them. She later discovered that the text was taken from her cabinet. A few students told her in confidence who took it - the trouble maker. She confronted the class before handing out the tests, I am guessing in the hopes of getting him to confess. She stated that only 3 people in the whole class had received perfect scores. Myself, the trouble maker, and the gal that regularly received high marks. No one fessed up as to who took the book. So she took the trouble maker to the hall to confront him. He blamed me for taking the book. She called me into the hallway and confronted me. I explained that I had no part in taking the book and that I had studied hard for the test and that I was a good student. Trouble maker insisted I took the book and that he doesn't steal, but maybe I do. I was told that I was not credible, given a zero on the test and outed as the stealer in front of the whole class. For the rest of the week I was seated next to the teacher to take quizzes, tests, etc. I was so upset by the ordeal that I wrote the teacher a note presenting my case and bringing in all of my past assignments, notes, and tests from all classes, proving that I earned nothing less than a B in all of my classes. Nothing I did would sway her. The only thing that changed her mind was when a few of my classmates saw the distress I was in and went to her to say that they saw him take the book. Why was he automatically believed when he was known to do those things? Why was the straight A student never accused? Why was my explanation never good enough?

In high school, I was treated better by my classmates than the Black students. I was less alienated by my classmates than the Black students. I had less conflict with teachers and those in authority than that Black students that attended with me. Was it because I was lighter in color? The Black kids were all nice people too. When I started mingling with the public school kids, I was too white acting and too light pigment wise for most of them to like me. Oh yeah, I never had dates to dances and prom with any of the boys from my own school. They would always tell my best friends that I was hot, but they didn't want to upset their friends and parents by asking me.

Fast forward to my DD's. They attend public school and the climate is much better than I faced growing up. They are amongst many children of many races, which I love. My youngest is in the gifted program and there are only 6 Black children in it. She has never mentioned any of the issues I faced. So I believe that changes are happening. Amber has all races of friends and has had crushes all races of boys. She has been accused of acting too white.

My oldest has blondish hair and blue eyes. She is always oohed and ahhed over my youngest because of her blond hair and blue eyes. She had a good middle school experience similar to younger DD's. She has been exposed to more minority children being in the regular track classes than my youngest and therefore has more minority friends. Her H.S. experience has been interesting. She too has been shunned by some Blacks students because of her looks. Her Black friends comment that she is too White. When she is in class with all white students, she has never gotten in trouble. When she is in class with her Black friends, she has been given detentions, gotten notes home, etc. She was having a hard time with a math teacher and when I appeared for a conference her tuned changed when she realized that I was going to stand up for my daughter and that in my daughter's other classes she was never a problem and had not been a problem the past two years of H.S. until her class.

It is interesting that we were shunned or treated differently by Black children because we were too white looking/acting. It was almost as if those children were/are threatened by us or felt we were better than them. It has also been interesting that as a child I was accepted in my private schools and never in trouble, but when an event happened, I was a suspect.

Anyways, I have never played the race card. I have told my children that we would never play the race card. I would only act if it was absolute, blatent, in your face racism that was detrimental to us. Other than that, they are to chalk it up to ignorance and move on. We will earn everything we get and work hard for it. They are to treat everyone as they want to be treated. If someone doesn't like them for who they are, it is that person's problem - not theirs.

 

[luvbeaches]

Or what about White History Month???

No, it's not all black people and that is what is really sad. The ones that are crying "injustice" are the ones who have been taught that they are owned because of the past. My hubby worked with a black guy (who is very nice, they have a son our daughter's age and will come to our parties and vice versa) but when things didn't go his way at work he would pull the racist card. I told my hubby that even though we're friends with them that he better watch what he does. This guy would turn on you in a heartbeat. Now, I work with a lot of black people and none of them complain or threaten racism. Yes, we all sit and complain about our jobs but none of them ever once blamed where they are on white people.

Yeah, hubby said the same thing last night...about White History Month. Can you imagine the outcry that would come?

I was watching one of the talk shows last night, and they were focusing on those 3 boys who were falsely accused of rape. The guy was comparing what's going on with Imus (he's an idiot, IMO, and deserves everything that's coming his direction), and how the civil rights people (Jackson and Sharpton) are all over this, but they are just ignoring the rights of those boys. They were, after all, falsely accused. And can you imagine what would be going on now if the table had been turned and the accuser had been white and the boys black? It would be all over the news. But because the boys are white, this is where we were today.

And like I said, I feel terrible for all the good black people out there...and there are lots and lots. I'd just be so pi**ed if I were one of those that are trying to better myself and my family (like most of us are trying to do).

And Sharpton and Jackson are the ones who are encouraging this to continue. Can you imagine how many qualified black people are not hired for jobs because the employers are just afraid to get into what you described? And that's not fair...but who can blame them. The best thing would be if Sharpton and Jackson closed up shop and told everyone to get out there and work hard, get an education and knock of this crap.

Yes, I know it's not that simple, but you got to start somewhere. I'm sorry people were slaves...but that had nothing to do with me. My family fled Germany and came to the US. They weren't slaves, but they worked in factories for peanuts and worked long and nasty hours. I don't want to insult anyone by them thinking that I am comparing slavery to this, because I am not, but I am saying that they had a crap of a life. And they said many times, they did it for their families...to give them a better life. Now all those decendents of slaves should be thankful that they are at least here. Here in the good old USA. It's awful that their ancestors were slaves...there's no excuse for that...but they are here, and they need to get past that and make the best for themselves and their children.

And this "race card" thing is out of hand. It's like the little boy who cried wolf. You know there are times when I am sure things are race related, but anymore, everyone cries about this. It's too bad...because those that are discriminated against, don't have a chance because of all the others that use this term for every little wrinkle in their lives.

Education is the key to success. And until education is a priority, we're going to continue to see this country spin out of control. My heart really breaks for all the good black people in this country. I just wish I knew the answers to all these things, but I don't. Honestly, it would be overwhelming for me I were black. We're just in such sad times.

 

[Masterj]

LOL - pretty much every month is white history month even though it doesn't have that label.

 

[2luvmy]

I'm white. I don't have any wealth, power or authority. Where can I sign up for some of this cool white privilege stuff? I must have missed the memo. ha ha! All kidding aside, though - I believe THAT concept is more of an education issue than a race issue. You get further with an education.

Just wondering...did you read the article? It is very interesting. Some of the questions asked had nothing to do with privilege, weath or power - just the day to day midframe of social interations.

 

[Masterj]

Just wondering...did you read the article? It is very interesting. Some of the questions asked had nothing to do with privilege, weath or power - just the day to day midframe of social interations.

I think that many people have been bothered by the title of the conference and as a result, have not read the article which is a shame. While I don't necessarily care for the title, maybe this was intentional on the part of the organizers to spur discussions like this.

 

[2luvmy]

I think that many people have been bothered by the title of the conference and as a result, have not read the article which is a shame. While I don't necessarily care for the title, maybe this was intentional on the part of the organizers to spur discussions like this.

Hi, MasterJ.

I was referring the article that Cypros posted. I agree that I do not like the conference title at all.

 

[Masterj]

Hi, MasterJ.

I was referring the article that Cypros posted. I agree that I do not like the conference title at all.

Oops, sorry! :doh:

 

[White Rain]

So, we are supposed to protect them from the truth? How is THAT going to help their self-confidence?

"White privilege" is not about racism or racist acts. It is about the organization of our society and the differential access to wealth, power, and authority.

"White privelege" alone sounds racist to me!!!! It doesn't single out any certain people, IMO it's saying if you're white, you're privelged.
Are we supposed to protect them from the truth? WHAT TRUTH??? I do NOT believe that most whites these days are privileged and I think it's garbage for people to be telling black students that we are!
About the "differential access to wealth, power, and authority" comment...There are plenty of black people out there who are 10x richer than me and have more power and authority that I can ever dream of having, ARE THEY NOT MORE PRIVILEGED THAN ME?????
Or am I more privelged than them simply because I am white, no matter that I am just a middle-class white girl who doesn't have a whole lot of money after bills are paid?

 

[White Rain]

LOL - pretty much every month is white history month even though it doesn't have that label.

Yeah right! Why can't we just drop the white and black labels and call it American history?

 

[Masterj]

Yeah right! Why can't we just drop the white and black labels and call it American history?

I actually don't agree with you White Rain. Black history month began in 1926 (although was only a week then) to honor those who strived to make a difference in the black community. And the date he selected was to honor both Frederick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln. I bet most people here didn't even know that.

 

[luvbeaches]

LOL - pretty much every month is white history month even though it doesn't have that label.

You may think so, but I disagree.

How about...

White Entertainment Network or the White People Awards. lol Can you even imagine the outcry from the blacks!!! But yet, we see this sort of thing on all the time for the blacks. I don't get it. We all talk about equality, but there's nothing equal about networks or awards that label them for a specific race. That's racism plain and simple....and double-standards to boot.

So until black people begin to understand that you can't have it both ways, we're going to continue to see this country go on a downward spiral. But there's Sharpton, Jackson, and the NAACP that's going to be there hoist these people up and patting them on the back. How about a quick kick in the rear? Like I said, I feel bad for all the hard-working decent black people in this country who are being pulled down because some of the black people can't seem to get a grip and get an education and make something of themselves. It's always the race card, or we've been wronged.

Look at what happened to the Jews. And the American Indians.

At some point, you just have to take responsibility for yourself regardless of the situations of your ancestors.

We never want to forget these things...because we never want them to happen again. But something has to give, and I just wish Jackson and Sharpton would close up shop.

 

[White Rain]

I actually don't agree with you White Rain. Black history month began in 1926 (although was only a week then) to honor those who strived to make a difference in the black community. And the date he selected was to honor both Frederick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln. I bet most people here didn't even know that.

If the date selected was to honor a white man why is it called BLACK HISTORY month?
Why can't we have a WHITE HISTORY month honoring whites who have strove to make a difference in ANY community, be it black or white?

 

[luvbeaches]

If the date selected was to honor a white man why is it called BLACK HISTORY month?
Why can't we have a WHITE HISTORY month honoring whites who have strove to make a difference in ANY community, be it black or white?

That will never happen because it would be racist to label it "white." Funny how that works.

But I do think things will change, because most people are getting fed up with these "labels.' All this PC BS is getting out of hand...and for most part, the white people are the ones who are shoved onto the back burner.

Like I said, can you imagine the ruckus that would be going on now had the stripper who accused those 3 three boys been white, and the boys been black. But you don't see the "white man" standing up and screaming...but maybe you should. Things aren't equal...and it's not all in the black world.

 

[IrishMist]

If the date selected was to honor a white man why is it called BLACK HISTORY month?
Why can't we have a WHITE HISTORY month honoring whites who have strove to make a difference in ANY community, be it black or white?

I'm trying to stay out of this discussion, but as far as your question, to me, it is clear. US history was, for many, many years all about white men and what they did. Sure, there was a black person here... and woman there, but overall? White men, and their deeds. I'm almost 41, and can tell you, that's what history class was when I was in school. (until college)

I don't have a problem with black history month, or a women in history course, at least until they get caught up.