RE: Is white privilege real? To what extent?
July 15, 2016 at 5:30 am
(This post was last modified: July 15, 2016 at 5:40 am by paulpablo.)
(July 15, 2016 at 4:53 am)SteelCurtain Wrote:(July 15, 2016 at 4:27 am)paulpablo Wrote: But can you see how it would be annoying as a white person to be told you don't have to deal with things you definitely have to deal with?
Especially the last one, white people get to walk the earth without being aware of their colour?
Because I'd really fit in perfectly well without standing out in China, Nigeria, Pakistan, India, Ethiopia, Japan, Korea.
I have friends in work who are Pakistani and I'm pretty certain they would be more safe than me while in Pakistan, same as the Nigerians who I work with.
Come on Paul. I'm not talking about Pakistan or China. That is such a red herring, I really don't know why you brought it up. We can talk about xenophobia and nationalism if you'd like. I'm talking about people who were born in America, whose families have been in America for a long time, and who have to fear small examples of racism every day, in nearly every aspect of society.
I live in Tennessee. The black side of my family has been in this country for ~240 years longer than the white side of my family. Every day, everywhere I go, it is more than possible that I will be followed around in a store. I have been told to leave a small restaurant because 'we don't serve no ISIS here.' I was pulled over by a cop two months after I got out of the US Navy and had a service weapon pulled on me because I didn't request permission to reach into my glove box. People tell me "you're very articulate," surprised. I am constantly, consistently aware and reminded that I'm brown.
I have black female friends who have to tell people all the time not to touch their fucking hair. Who don't get jobs because they wear they hair natural. Who can't be angry about anything without being seen as the typical out of control black female.
And then we have to explain why it's not the same if you have to travel to a foreign country in order to experience the same issues.
I'm not saying that you said or didn't say anything.
The buzzfeed article.
It says specifically, white people can walk the world not being aware of their colour.
This is exactly what I'm talking about, I'm not denying the existence of white privilege in certain circumstances but to say I can walk the world without ever being aware I'm white or of what colour or lack of colour I am is ridiculous.
It's not a red herring if I'm talking precisely about what the article is talking about word for word.
Additionally I can just walk around my local area to be made to feel aware of my colour since there's lots of Pakistani majority streets in my area.
They used to be known as white no go zones but have calmed down since.
Are you ready for the fire? We are firemen. WE ARE FIREMEN! The heat doesn’t bother us. We live in the heat. We train in the heat. It tells us that we’re ready, we’re at home, we’re where we’re supposed to be. Flames don’t intimidate us. What do we do? We control the flame. We control them. We move the flames where we want to. And then we extinguish them.
Impersonation is treason.