White professor discusses white privilege in America.

reply to post by beatbox


Well black people were more heavily discriminated against and segregated back in the day that DID hurt them more than now. But to say that it doesn't exist today is ridiculous.

Banks wouldn't give mortgages to blacks JUST because they were black. This helped create the state of the third world nation appearance of ghettos today.

Although in the United States informal discrimination and segregation have always existed, the practice called "redlining" began with the National Housing Act of 1934, which established the Federal Housing Administration (FHA).[10] The federal government contributed to the early decay of inner city neighborhoods by withholding mortgage capital and making it difficult for these neighborhoods to attract and retain families able to purchase homes.[11] In 1935, the Federal Home Loan Bank Board (FHLBB) asked Home Owners' Loan Corporation (HOLC) to look at 239 cities and create "residential security maps" to indicate the level of security for real-estate investments in each surveyed city. Such maps defined many minority neighborhoods in cities as ineligible to receive financing.

Since African-Americans were unwelcome in white neighborhoods, which frequently instituted racial restrictive covenants to keep them out, the policy effectively meant that blacks could not secure mortgage loans at all

en.wikipedia.org...

In the 2000's banks prayed on black people by giving them higher priced non-fixed rate loans than whites.

“We just went right after them,” said Ms. Jacobson, who is white and said she was once the bank’s top-producing subprime loan officer nationally. “Wells Fargo mortgage had an emerging-markets unit that specifically targeted black churches, because it figured church leaders had a lot of influence and could convince congregants to take out subprime loans.”

“We’ve known that African-Americans and Latinos are getting subprime loans while whites of the same credit profile are getting the lower-cost loans,” said Eric Halperin, director of the Washington office of the Center for Responsible Lending. “The question has been why, and the gory details of this complaint may provide an answer.”

www.nytimes.com...

Originally posted by beatbox

Originally posted by paganini

Originally posted by beatbox

Originally posted by woodwardjnr
I don't feel guilty for being white , but acknowledge the fact being white is a lot easier than being a minority race. Institutional racism has existed for decades, things have got a lot better, but to deny racism exists in society is to deny reality. That's where the power relationship comes into it.

so why do ppl continue to ignore it or dismiss it like it doesn't exist?? just look at some of the comments. Its mind boggling..do they do this on purpose or are they truly blind to the fact?? and this is a serious question..

edit on 13-6-2012 by beatbox because: (no reason given)

Alot of the comments aren't saying it doesn't exist. Its matter of to what degree does it exist and to what degree does it impact and hinder the individuals life. Further people are taking issue with the professor feeling he can speak on the life experience of others.

Now stop and think. Would you appreciate it if someone you don't know and doesn't know you spoke on how your life is?

It's amusing that so many people can not grasp that their life is not the totality of existence everywhere else.

ok i definitely see your point...i didnt look at it that way..

I hope a mod sees this and applauds you for it. Its heartening to see there are folks on ATS who are willing to admit the possibility they could be wrong. Not saying you're wrong, but kudos nevertheless.

white privilege it its simplest form is not being stopped by police for walking down the street and minding your business..

I have to laugh about it, all i can do, I was stopped while riding my bike to the store , my mouth crushed because he thought I had crack or some drugs in my mouth ? and arrested blocks from home because i had no ID and "HE" had to id me.

reply to post by beatbox


Personally, I don't believe in affirmative action. I have not benifited by being white, I have actually been picked over jobs because of it. All white people are not considered equal, thats the problem. Not all white people are wealthy, not all white people have connections. My family came from poor regions of the Appalachia, tell those people they are privilaged, they still get stereotyped, and looked down upon by other white people.

reply to post by beatbox


they forgot to add the word rich, rich white people have advantages, poor white people dont, and trust me poor white people "white trash" if you will, are just as "scary" as some would put it, than a "thugged out" black dude. i know this cause the area i live in is filled with poor whites, thugged out black dudes, shady Mexicans, shifty Asians, and natives that will cut you face off if you cross them. its also filled with people of the same races as mentioned above who are nice genuine compassionate people that are of the same social and poverty level.

Originally posted by EvilSadamClone
I wish I had some of that privilege.

I've never seen that kind of privilege, ever.

People call me white because I have really fair skin, so why can't I get any of that privilege?

You see, people may talk about white privilege because all they see is white people, but it's really just a few white people screwing the world in the na,e of their idiotic greed.

/\ This /\

See. im white. and i wasn't handed a damn thing in my life, I had to scratch and dig for every bit just like everybody else. I earned what i have....and I have received no compensation for being White.

In this day and age the very notion simply does not exist.......in 1955 maybe.....just not in 2012. And whites are the minority officially now....so maybe we'll actually start to see a white history month..not that I want one.

Originally posted by Illegitiminoncarborundum
So since the caucasian race, as of 2012, is the minority are we going to get the same treatment as the blacks? Turn about is fair play right? I mean.. it's hard bein a white man in the black mans world

Black, Hispanic, Asian and mixed-race births made up 50.4% of new arrivals in the year ending in July 2011.

Non-Hispanic White Births Now the Minority in U.S.

ETA: I tried to confirm this article by looking at other sources and I saw a few from Fox and CNN. Weirdly though, I went to the 2012 census on Wikipedia and it still shows the caucasian's as the predominate race in the U.S. so I wonder if someone hasn't updated it yet. Just FYI.

edit on 13-6-2012 by Illegitiminoncarborundum because: (no reason given)

? please explain, out of the 4 + races in this country we make up the highest number of the population, why do u add all the other races together, the other 3+ races are all seperate races just as we are seperate, the only thing u showed by ur post is whites have the highest population # in the U.S. it almost as if you grouped all other races together just because they were not white, isnt that rascist?

Originally posted by magnetik
white privilege it its simplest form is not being stopped by police for walking down the street and minding your business..

For exercise I usually take a walk for about an hour every other night or so. Several times I have been stopped by police officers while walking withing 3-4 blocks of my home. I am a young, white, male. So what exactly are you talking about?

I've also been stopped while driving. I was not speeding, tags and plates were all in order. No traffic violation. Officer never even told me why I was pulled over. I guess I forgot to tell him that I was white?

I have also had a police officer threaten to shoot me if I ran, while he searched my friends car and we were both sitting on the curb handcuffed. You know, I really should start to wear a shirt that says "I'm white" so that the police will leave me alone due to this supposed magical effect of being white.

Someone asked earlier in this thread why white people get upset or defensive when the whole white privilege thing is brought up. Well, I'll tell you why. When I break my back every day of my life trying to survive, and when I have worked very hard for the very little I have, and then someone comes along (who most of the time has more than I do, and lives an easier life) and tries to tell ME that I have a privileged life? Yes, that upsets me. It actually REALLY, REALLY pisses me off.

In this day and age, there is no such thing as white privilege. What there is though, is CLASS privilege, mixed with a few racist business owners here and there. Are there white business owners that don't want to hire blacks? Of course. Are there black/asian/whatever else business owners that don't want to hire whites? Of course.

If you are poor you will be looked down upon and have chit slung on you REGARDLESS of your race. And when you are wealthy, and connected, you will have the world bow before your feet, REGARDLESS of your race.

As someone else mentioned, look at Asians. On average they have more education, are more intelligent, and have more wealth than white people. So why are Asians so well off, explain that? You don't think Asians have the same level of "whatever" leveled against them that blacks do?

No no no, I think I figured it out, using your type of logic. Asians have simply worn that "I'm white" shirt that I was talking about earlier in order to take advantage of white privilege. They just tricked everyone into thinking they are white, and therefore the pearly gates have opened up and they get the keys to the city like every white person out there. Sure.... that must be it. Because apparently life for white people is as close to heaven as we can get to on this earth.

That "college student" should have simply said "two wrongs don't make a right" and been DONE WITH THE STUPID ARGUMENT.

Load of rubbish.Sorry.

reply to post by beatbox


Affirmative action has underprivileged the white population. For example, all those applying to an American college must list their ethnicity. Whites do not benefit from this; where as minorities are given a lenient advantage when their transcripts are being considered for admission.

White male with a 3.7 GPA / 2000 SAT < Ethnic Male (African, Native American) 3.5 GPA / 1900 SAT

"Like all white Americans, I was living with the fear that maybe I didn't really deserve my success"

:shk: Speak for yourself. Open your eyes. You are dead wrong.
This guy is a dope.

Originally posted by RealSpoke
lol @ white people acting like discrimination against minorities suddenly ceased to exist

I'm white and I've been discriminated against by black people. Why do you not realize that every human being on the planet deals with things like that? It's called life. You're not special.

reply to post by beatbox


I am white, apparently my creator chose this for me. So now I am supposed to be guilty for my color? Something is messed up here. How is it that our schools teach globalism, do this white guilt trip and ignore that the very same thing occurs in reverse in predominately black countries? Zimbabwe is an example.
Did you know that when they teach about slavery, they skip the actual history of it and imply that slavery came about when White people kidnapped blacks from Africa? I guess it is true that those who control our history, control our future.
Thanks to the education system we have kids who can't read or write but have learned to be angry and point fingers *bravo claps hands...that's exactly what I wanted my school tax dollars to be used for... training the next generation of pawns so completely.

White, Poor and Ignored?
news.change.org...

“Poor, White, and Invisible
robertlindsay.wordpress.com...

Poor, White and Pissed
— A guide to the white trash planet for urban liberals
Joe Bageant—02/2005

www.energygrid.com...

You guys gotta read Joe Bageant's article above.

Paw, am I am paradox?

To be poor and white is a paradox in America. Whites, especially white males, are supposed to have an advantage they exploit mercilessly. Yet most of the poor people in the United States are white (51%,) outnumbering blacks two to one and all other minority poverty groups combined. America is permeated with cultural myths about white skin's association with power, education and opportunity. Capitalist society teaches that we all get what we deserve, so if a white man does not succeed, it can only be due to laziness. But just like black and Latino ghetto dwellers, poor laboring whites live within a dead end social construction that all but guarantees failure. If your high school dropout daddy busted his ass for small bucks and never read a book in his life and your mama was a textile mill worker, chances are you are not going to be recruited by Yale Skull and Bones and grow up to be president of the United States, regardless of our national mythology to that effect. You are going to be pulling an eight-buck-an-hour shift work someplace and praying for enough overtime to make the heating bill. A worker.

The political left once supported these workers, stood on the lines taking its beatings at the plant gates alongside them. Now, comfortably ensconced in the middle class, the American left sees the same working whites as warmongering bigots, happy pawns of the empire. That is writing working folks off too cheaply, and it begs the question of how they came to be that way — if they truly are. To cast them as a source of our deep national political problems is ridiculous. They are a symptom of the problems, and they may be making it worse because they are easily manipulated, or because they cannot tell an original idea from a beer fart. But they are not the root cause by any means. The left should take its cues from Malcolm X, who understood the need to educate and inform the entire African-American society before tackling the goal of unity. Same goes for white crackers. Nobody said it would be easy.

Understanding America's Class System
www.joebageant.com...

reply to post by Stormdancer777


I agree, we are witnessing this in the UK. The left used to represent the working class's, but as they moved to the middle ground to appeal to more middle class voters, they abandoned their working class routes. Now a lot of working class people turn to the more nationalist and right wing groups which represent their concerns.

The Labour Government in this country is a disgrace for the way they have abandoned their working class routes. They are now no different from the Conservative or Liberal party all following the same neo liberal consensus.

I think a lot of people take privilege the wrong way, and think when people say privilege that they're suggesting white people are all living a great and easy life, but that's a misunderstanding of the word.

What white privilege means is that white people have it slightly easier than other people. If it was called "minority disadvantage" people would easily accept it, but they get thrown off by privilege because they think "well I'm not privileged, nobody gave me sh/t"

All that needs asking is does the average white person have it easier than the average black person, the answer is yes.

Just as the average middle class person has it easier than the average working class person.

Easier and easy are not the same thing, but certainly some have it easier than others. As a white working class male I have it easier than black working class males, but I have it worse than middle class white males.

White people in America are more likely to have access to quality education, healthcare and by extension good health and good careers. Doesn't matter what you think about affirmative action or welfare or w/e else.

reply to post by smyleegrl

I'm going to get flamed for this, but I'll admit it anyway. I have a knee-jerk reaction whenever I see an African-American male or any teenager dressed in "gangster style" clothing. If I'm in my car, I automatically lock my door. If I'm walking down the street, I cross to the other side. I also do this with any males of any color, maybe because of my past experiences. But to judge someone so quickly and based entirely on their fashion choices...that's wrong. Luckily its just a knee-jerk reaction and after that intial moment I can move past it.

This makes me sad..... but not for the reason that you think....


Allow me to enlighten you on something, and pay attention, because *THERE WILL BE A TEST*



There, did you watch that?

Good.... Now, here is the funny, and tragic part.


The setup for the "Public Service Announcement" is that She is scared of him beating her to death and taking her purse.....

And his response to her fear, is *A DESIRE TO BEAT HER TO DEATH WITH HER PURSE*


The Black population of the Western world are being brainwashed into being violent towards white people, by design, for the ultimate purpose of engineering a Race War against the middle class, so that the Global Oligarchs can be secure in their power.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

And

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Quod Erod Demonstratum.

Once again drawong from peronal experience, let me give an example of how white privilege works here in New Mexico. Back in high school it was obvious to all hispanic and afro-american kids that it was prevailant. The white kids seemed oblivious to the fact that they were treated differently, If you were a hispanic or black teen that was having trouble in school, you were pulled in to the counselor's office. There you were encouraged to drop out and get into building trades. The counselor would say things like, "School isn't for everyone, you know. Some people are just better off dropping out and joining the workforce. Have you considered building trades? You can make a good living that way."
If you were a white teen having trouble in school, you were pulled in to the counselor's office and offered tutoring. You were told how important it is to finish high school and encouraged to keep trying. " There is help available, you just need to know where to look."

The only white privilege that exists is the rich one....you can sit here and spout off all day long how back in the day the black man was held back and that is why they are still so low to this day. Its excuses and white guilt is the PC weapon choice of this era. Again Im not saying bad things did not happen, but when do we get to move on and take responsibility for our actions today?

Poor white people have it bad, you see a poor black kid can get a college education paid for just because hes black, nothing else. The poor white kid, cannot get a paid college education plain and simple because he is white. Take 2 kids from the same city, same age etc, both dirt poor and send the white and black kid to ask for help to get into the school, and which one gets the free ride. I hate to pounce on the current POTUS, but it sure worked out good for him didnt it, look at the life he was given and where it got him. He did not pay a dime and neither did his family

Now being white and rich, ya you got me there, they definitely have the easiest life of any on the planet, but they are far and few between as there are not that many rich people these days compared to just living and the poor. Nothing you or I can do about this, they won the being born easy route lottery and I dont like it very much either.

Affirmative action might have started for a good cause, but we are past that point and it 100% should be removed from society, its dangerous and detrimental to everyone now. A black man achieved the highest ranked job you can get in the United States, so I think time is up on that one. Do you want the local fire chief , the guy that will ensure that your local community is safe and taken care of to be the absolute best at what he does, no matter if hes white or of color? Or do you want to be forced to accept a mediocre person that had to be placed in that position because they had to fill a quota? I know which I would choose for any important role, the guy that is the best at what he does and the rest doesnt mean a thing. We are such a mixed breed these days I think the days of saying Im black or white are getting cliche and we need to move on to worrying about much more important things than race.