Racism, Us vs Them, and Useful Idiots

originally posted by: thinline
Do you believe there is a thing called "White Privilege"? When a white people succeed in life, it's because of their race or because of their hard work and God given skills?

Do you judge every white person who is successful as individual or do you see them for their shared pigmentation, with other successful people?

There are definitely two different groups of white folks. One group is privileged. Gets all the breaks. Succeed because they are white, etc... all this is true. We can see them everywhere.

However, there's another group that most people don't like to talk about. They are also white. But, they are not privileged. They don't succeed. They think they should be succeeding because of their skin. They get annoyed at this, and blame all the other races for their failures. They put on white robes and march the streets to fight for their right to share in the same "white privilege" of the other white group. They believe that somehow, magically, if they lived in an "all white" society, their lot would improve, and they would then have better success like the other whites.

So, we should always remember that despite appearances, there are two completely different groups out there that both share the same skin tones: "privileged whites" and "underprivileged whites".

originally posted by: AMPTAH

originally posted by: thinline
Do you believe there is a thing called "White Privilege"? When a white people succeed in life, it's because of their race or because of their hard work and God given skills?

Do you judge every white person who is successful as individual or do you see them for their shared pigmentation, with other successful people?

There are definitely two different groups of white folks. One group is privileged. Gets all the breaks. Succeed because they are white, etc... all this is true. We can see them everywhere.

However, there's another group that most people don't like to talk about. They are also white. But, they are not privileged. They don't succeed. They think they should be succeeding because of their skin. They get annoyed at this, and blame all the other races for their failures. They put on white robes and march the streets to fight for their right to share in the same "white privilege" of the other white group. They believe that somehow, magically, if they lived in an "all white" society, their lot would improve, and they would then have better success like the other whites.

So, we should always remember that despite appearances, there are two completely different groups out there that both share the same skin tones: "privileged whites" and "underprivileged whites".

Two groups? Two groups you say?

One born with nothing but privilege? Silver spoon in the mouth....life handed to them on a silver platter.

The other, not born with the same privilege, yet still caucasian? Nonstop whining about not having the same privilege their caucasian brothers and sisters have?



My family are, for all intents and purposes, dirt farmers. Hard working people who earned every penny. Caucasian.

Nothing was handed to me. Not one thing. Well, bills...bills were handed to me.

I am a H.S. drop out. I have 45 college credits but no college degree. I've worked for very, very large corporations that are well known were I to start dropping names. I've worked for various alphabet agencies, including the IRS. Do you happen to like the functionality given to you by the IRS e-file system?

Guess what. I was part of that team.

My career has had ups and downs, but has overall been a success. My wife, my children, do not need anything. They enjoy a degree of the creature comforts that my career can offer them.

Am I whining because I had to actually get off of my ass and work to EARN what I have today? No.



So, all of this being said...which of those two groups do you think I belong to?

originally posted by: nullafides
So, all of this being said...which of those two groups do you think I belong to?

Privileged.

originally posted by: AMPTAH

originally posted by: nullafides
So, all of this being said...which of those two groups do you think I belong to?

Privileged.

And what "group" do you belong to?

originally posted by: nullafides

originally posted by: AMPTAH

originally posted by: nullafides
So, all of this being said...which of those two groups do you think I belong to?

Privileged.

And what "group" do you belong to?

I happen to be very unique. I don't fit into any group.

originally posted by: AMPTAH

originally posted by: nullafides

originally posted by: AMPTAH

originally posted by: nullafides
So, all of this being said...which of those two groups do you think I belong to?

Privileged.

And what "group" do you belong to?

I happen to be very unique. I don't fit into any group.

So......

You are unique.....and yet....those with a given physical trait somehow are incapable of being unique as well?

originally posted by: nullafides
You are unique.....and yet....those with a given physical trait somehow are incapable of being unique as well?

That really depends on how unique a person is. Everyone has some unique attributes. Yet, they often share many common characteristics with others. The ratio of unique to common traits would set each individual farther from or nearer to the closest group that might fit their profile. Now imagine that you partition the world into all the various groups that could be defined based on selected characteristics. Then imagine that there are a few individuals that are farther from each of those groups, than they are near to any particular one of them. These individuals would be easily classified as very unique.

If you saw one of these very unique individuals walking on the street, you would not know what group to put them in. And even if you tried to place them into a group, when you spoke to them, you'd be shocked that they did not sound the way they appeared to look. Then again, even if you overcame that shock in contrast, you'd be totally amazed at the things the individual is able to do, and what the actual background of the individual was, as there is nothing common among any known groups that would automatically suggest these things to you, before that person revealed all these details to you himself or herself.

In short, without the very unique individual giving you all the details of his or her background, you could not place that person into any group yourself, without error.

That's what I mean, when I say I'm very unique. I am really and truly in a group of one.

a reply to: AMPTAH


So....

as I happen to be caucasian, I am not unique. Never had the possibility of being unique, as all caucasians fall into the privileged, or whiny-non-privileged classification?

Huh. Interesting.

Makes me wonder just how far you'll get in life with that approach.