RE: My privilege as a straight, white, cisgender, middle class thin male
January 13, 2015 at 10:17 pm
Quote:I don't have to take into consideration demographics or statistics to see that some of your first statements were wrong.Yes you do because I'm basing myself on probability, not absolute statements (100% constant)
Quote:You said JUST because you're white you won't be identified by your race.I meant most likely. And that's a fact. I will only be identified as white in a place full of people of colour, in all other places which are the majority the situations reverses
Not that you will be identified less than other races, just that you WON'T be.
Quote:To sum it up as a formulaMost likely not - Individual x + being born black = Frequently identified and notice because of race
You + being born white within western civilization = not being identified by your race.
Quote:So you say you don't care about my personal experiences but my personal experiences proves your statement wrong.Personal experiences don't prove jackshit, just like a Christian who claims visions doesn't prove god. Your personal experiences proves that in some situations you lose benefits. But it doesn't disprove the general status quo
Quote:I was born white, in western civilization, and I've been in situations where I've been identified by my race, and I know of other white, straight, CIS gender, middleclass males who have been through the same experience. So if you personally have never been identified by your race, it MUST be due to other factors other than you just being born white.No, it's because I was born white and never had to live in a poor area populated by immigrants of other races - And being white makes you more likely to not live in those areas because a white family's income is on average larger
It's that simple.
Quote:Your statement can be seen as being similar to a person, let's call them subject A sayingBullies don't target larger intimidating targets unless they're vastly superior in numbers. So yeah. But bully is not related to this, bully is not something you're born wih
"I'm 6ft tall and 200 pounds and JUST because of this fact I won't get bullied."
Quote:"I'm six ft tall and 200 pounds and I get bullied because I live around people who are taller and bigger than me, and people who just use knifes and weapons so it isn't just because of your height and weight, so your statement is incorrect, it must be something else, maybe the people you live around or your personality."The probability of having a large number of people living around someone with more than 6ft (I'm guessing it's 1.85m+) is highly unlikely so it's not likely to happen compared to someone smaller. And even so, your analogy is fallacious, bullying has nothing to do with this.
Quote:Then subject A responds back by sayingYou are not understanding - I'm not denying that it's impossible, it's very possible, if I went to Africa I'd probably be identified because I'm white, but I'm stating that it's much less likely in western societies due to the number of black and white people and the larger income and higher social position (jobs, etc.) of white people. Understand now? This is about probabilities, not absolute statements. My phrases in the OP were categorical and meant to cause impact, I didn't remember to put that "This doesn't apply by 100% to all people because in some situations you can lose your benefits" - Apologies for not making myself clear.
"But look at the statistics and the demographics, I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, NOT LISTENING!"
Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you