White Privilege: Does it exist?

[Sir Suomi]

"White Privilege" is a fairly new term that has begun to pop up around social media following incidents such as the South Carolina shooting. The term revolves around the concept that an average white American citizen is at an advantage compared to colored American citizen in terms of education, treatment from law enforcement, finances, and roles in our society and culture.

My question here is do you believe in White Privilege and if so why?

[DriveAlive]

I believe in white privelage. I mean, a white guy has never been pulled over for dwb (driving while black)

[Gwen]

It feels more like a phrase to make any person who is an average white person have their argument feel invalidated. Since the average white people of USA make up the majority of the population it isn't really a privilege is it? It is more an issue of minority discrimination in the current legal, education and society's system. When using the term 'white privilege' it comes off as if you'd want to remove that, it makes more sense to have all people be RAISED to equal standing.

[Body odah Man]

"White Privilege" is a fairly new term that has begun to pop up around social media following incidents such as the South Carolina shooting. The term revolves around the concept that an average white American citizen is at an advantage compared to colored American citizen in terms of education, treatment from law enforcement, finances, and roles in our society and culture.

My question here is do you believe in White Privilege and if so why?

It exists. A lot of people do racist things and many are just racist deep down. Cops give African Americans harsher sentences, are more cruel to them during arrests than they are to whites. Caucasians can get better jobs and are less discriminated against at job interviews. Our society is very pro white and there is definitely White Privilege :(

[Microcosm]

I think it exists. I think it also exists because it is statistically true that more non-white Americans live in poverty than white Americans. It isn't because of their race that this happens, though. It's because of how we treated and separated African Americans before the civil rights movement. It's true I think that African Americans have a slightly different culture than whites in America and it's because we used to treat them so poorly. The poverty rates show it. The impact that pre-civil-rights-movement racism had on African Americans can still be seen in their lives today, unfortunately. It could be a while before this cultural separation truly dissolves, but it has dissolved in some areas.

http://kff.org/other/state-indicator/poverty-rate-by-raceethnicity/

Note: This post is not intended to be racist. The only reason I made the distinction between white American and black American culture is because it has to be made to figure out the reason that the so-called "white privilege" exists.

[dxcxdzv]

"White Privilege" is a fairly new term that has begun to pop up around social media following incidents such as the South Carolina shooting. The term revolves around the concept that an average white American citizen is at an advantage compared to colored American citizen in terms of education, treatment from law enforcement, finances, and roles in our society and culture.

My question here is do you believe in White Privilege and if so why?

...
It exists since the triangular commerce. I don't see how you can even use the world "believe". It's a fact.

[maggs]

It does in my opinion, and I think just like him:

It exists. A lot of people do racist things and many are just racist deep down. Cops give African Americans harsher sentences, are more cruel to them during arrests than they are to whites. Caucasians can get better jobs and are less discriminated against at job interviews. Our society is very pro white and there is definitely White Privilege :(

[Body odah Man]

It does in my opinion, and I think just like him:

I'm flattered. And yes, you may bite me.

[Drewboyy]

It feels more like a phrase to make any person who is an average white person have their argument feel invalidated. Since the average white people of USA make up the majority of the population it isn't really a privilege is it? It is more an issue of minority discrimination in the current legal, education and society's system. When using the term 'white privilege' it comes off as if you'd want to remove that, it makes more sense to have all people be RAISED to equal standing.

How is it discriminating? It's up to the indivual to see how far he/she succeeds. And if it's not their fault it's their crackhead mother, or abusive fathers's,etc... Nomatter what the race is. That's like saying a test is hard and for whatever reason mostly white kids pass and the rest fail so they change the test just so the rest of the races pass.

[Gwen]

How is it discriminating? It's up to the indivual to see how far he/she succeeds. And if it's not their fault it's their crackhead mother, or abusive fathers's,etc... Nomatter what the race is. That's like saying a test is hard and for whatever reason mostly white kids pass and the rest fail so they change the test just so the rest of the races pass.

I did not imply that any tests needed to be changed, neither was I implying that the issue stems from purely family matters that can affect people no matter their race. Minority fathers are usually more loyal than white fathers (http://ecr.sagepub.com/content/5/3/245) but people can easily assume that the problem with minorities is isolated to a rough upbringing. Not that it might be impossible for some households to even afford the same education (http://www.blackvoicenews.com/news/news-wire/49600-new-report-blacks-are-beyond-broke.html) as other upper class families can. But if we blame these minorities as being lazy or uneducated than you are discriminating. They don't receive the same opurtunities and chances someone of the 'white privileged' group would. But devaluing people who work hard who are white is just as bad as discrimination.

Of course it isn't just when they are children problems arise even out on the streets and handling their own legal and criminal system they will have difficulties. Police officers employing racial profiling doesn't help at all (http://www.civilrights.org/publications/reports/racial-profiling2011/the-reality-of-racial.html), Even when arrested their situation doesn't improve (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-quigley/fourteen-examples-of-raci_b_658947.html). The individual could be born a genius but they can't go as far when they are being held back from the beginning. People are becoming more racist not less (http://bigstory.ap.org/article/ap-poll-majority-harbor-prejudice-against-blacks) and it is really hurting chances from all aspects of life. How do you expect a minority from a poor family to pay student loans for college? Even though we like to think that their isn't abundance of discrimination it exists and we like to label it the 'white privilege' being the problem. On average if you are black or latino you will receive a 10% longer sentence for the same crime as someone who is white or asian would get. Their crimes aren't more violent they are just being discriminated (http://www.sentencingproject.org/doc/publications/rd_sentencing_review.pdf), that is the long and short truth of this.

Can you really look at everything and just ask "How is it discrimination?". New York is the worst state to live in if you are someone black, an epicentre of where this kind of discrimination can flourish and grow, visit a prison there and tell me how many of them are minorities. Find the average sentence between them and their white inmates for stealing a wallet to earn more than welfare can give, for doing illegal drugs to escape from the shitty life you are forced into or selling those drugs so your kid has a better chance then your poor ass ever had. Tell me then with those facts and say there isn't discrimination and that it is the individuals fault. Don't change the test change the system.

[Drewboyy]

I did not imply that any tests needed to be changed, neither was I implying that the issue stems from purely family matters that can affect people no matter their race. Minority fathers are usually more loyal than white fathers (http://ecr.sagepub.com/content/5/3/245) but people can easily assume that the problem with minorities is isolated to a rough upbringing. Not that it might be impossible for some households to even afford the same education (http://www.blackvoicenews.com/news/news-wire/49600-new-report-blacks-are-beyond-broke.html) as other upper class families can. But if we blame these minorities as being lazy or uneducated than you are discriminating. They don't receive the same opurtunities and chances someone of the 'white privileged' group would. But devaluing people who work hard who are white is just as bad as discrimination.

Of course it isn't just when they are children problems arise even out on the streets and handling their own legal and criminal system they will have difficulties. Police officers employing racial profiling doesn't help at all (http://www.civilrights.org/publications/reports/racial-profiling2011/the-reality-of-racial.html), Even when arrested their situation doesn't improve (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-quigley/fourteen-examples-of-raci_b_658947.html). The individual could be born a genius but they can't go as far when they are being held back from the beginning. People are becoming more racist not less (http://bigstory.ap.org/article/ap-poll-majority-harbor-prejudice-against-blacks) and it is really hurting chances from all aspects of life. How do you expect a minority from a poor family to pay student loans for college? Even though we like to think that their isn't abundance of discrimination it exists and we like to label it the 'white privilege' being the problem. On average if you are black or latino you will receive a 10% longer sentence for the same crime as someone who is white or asian would get. Their crimes aren't more violent they are just being discriminated (http://www.sentencingproject.org/doc/publications/rd_sentencing_review.pdf), that is the long and short truth of this.

Can you really look at everything and just ask "How is it discrimination?". New York is the worst state to live in if you are someone black, an epicentre of where this kind of discrimination can flourish and grow, visit a prison there and tell me how many of them are minorities. Find the average sentence between them and their white inmates for stealing a wallet to earn more than welfare can give, for doing illegal drugs to escape from the shitty life you are forced into or selling those drugs so your kid has a better chance then your poor ass ever had. Tell me then with those facts and say there isn't discrimination and that it is the individuals fault. Don't change the test change the system.

When I said it wasn't discrimination I was talking about education, not prosecution, which is a completely different subject.

When immigration was big they would come into New York and were "discriminated". They had no money because they spent it all so they could come to the US, and if they did it was because they worked hard in their old country. That is why education is free for tax payers, so people with no money could get a good education and build up their own business with no welfare, and no drugs.

I go to a public school in New York where whites are actually the minority (mostly Hispanic, then black, then Asian, then white) and I'm doing perfectly fine over there. You could even say better than people that pay to go to school.

By the way, even though this is a completely different subject racial profling is beneficial to security.

[dxcxdzv]

By the way, even though this is a completely different subject racial discrimination is beneficial to security.
What do you mean?

[phuckphace]

"people are becoming more racist, not less" well golly g. willikers I wonder why (starts with an M)

[Drewboyy]

What do you mean?

Lol, sorry I meant profiling.

[Stronk Serb]

Not here. Me and my girl saw a pair of gypsy boys beating a white boy, trying to steal his Coca-Cola and the cops were ten meters away. Only when we and a few others asked them to do something, they did. The problem is the law, they don't do shit about it. They just take them in and return them to the streets, no punishment, no social rehabilitation.

[Aajj333]

It feels more like a phrase to make any person who is an average white person have their argument feel invalidated. Since the average white people of USA make up the majority of the population it isn't really a privilege is it? It is more an issue of minority discrimination in the current legal, education and society's system. When using the term 'white privilege' it comes off as if you'd want to remove that, it makes more sense to have all people be RAISED to equal standing.

White privilege is not having the media paint you as a thug when you are murdered by police

[Microcosm]

White privilege is not having the media paint you as a thug when you are murdered by police

There is no proof whatsoever that Bland was murdered by the police if that's what you're referring to.

I made a response in the "Sandra Bland" thread about this if you want to hear more about it, but it would be off-topic to continue the discussion in this thread.

[Dalcourt]

it exists...you'll experience it sooner or later if you are non-white.

[Miserabilia]

There's no such thing as an entire race being privileged. The fucking concept itself is just funny to me, because all these "intellectual" people using this term have never *ever* bothered to look beyond the USA.

Their own country is the only thing SJW's know anything about, it's why their so rare outside of it.
White privilege refers only to white people in the us, and even there the concept is not even flawed, it just doesn't exist.

[Microcosm]

There's no such thing as an entire race being privileged. The fucking concept itself is just funny to me, because all these "intellectual" people using this term have never *ever* bothered to look beyond the USA.

It's a very general stereotype, but that doesn't mean it's wrong.

The concept is that it's a psychological assumption that white people are better or perhaps "more safe" than an African American. For instance, if a white American sees a black man on the street walking next to them, their defense goes up more so than it would be if it had been a white man(even if they don't intend this to be so).

Their own country is the only thing SJW's know anything about, it's why their so rare outside of it.

I think this debate really only applies to the U.S.

White privilege refers only to white people in the us, and even there the concept is not even flawed, it just doesn't exist.

That's just an assertion without evidence that it "just doesn't exist." Current events would suggest it does, at least to some extent.

Also, I know first hand that it exists because I live in Alabama, the home of racism.

[Miserabilia]

It's a very general stereotype, but that doesn't mean it's wrong.


The point of a stereotype is that it's a generalizations instead of an actual representation, so yes, that does make it wrong, or atleast not a truth.


The concept is that it's a psychological assumption that white people are better or perhaps "more safe" than an African American. For instance, if a white American sees a black man on the street walking next to them, their defense goes up more so than it would be if it had been a white man(even if they don't intend this to be so).


That man would be a racist or atleast subconciously a racist, but that does not have anything to do with the current definition of white privilege since it's described as *being privileged as a white person* not being afraid of black people as a white person.
On an unrelated sidenote it's easier and more logical to just say black instead of african american.


I think this debate really only applies to the U.S.


Race doesn't just apply to the US.
If white privilege only applies to the US it shouldn't be called white privilege. Various shades of white people live all throughout the world and have uncountably many different cultures peoples and social systems. You know something like white privilege is inaccurate when even the name itself doesn't make sense.


That's just an assertion without evidence that it "just doesn't exist." Current events would suggest it does, at least to some extent.

Name one current event that shows that all white people living in the US are born privileged over all people of colour.


Also, I know first hand that it exists because I live in Alabama, the home of racism.

The fact that racism exists does not correlate to white privilege the assertion that one race can be privileged over another which is racist in itself.

[Jean Poutine]

The concept is that it's a psychological assumption that white people are better or perhaps "more safe" than an African American. For instance, if a white American sees a black man on the street walking next to them, their defense goes up more so than it would be if it had been a white man(even if they don't intend this to be so).

But white people are statistically more safe.

Yeah, whenever I go to the US I feel more fidgety and nervous around black people than I do around whites.

Look at Appalachia. White as fuck, poor as dirt, full of drugs, yet they still have the decency to not shoot each other too often. In fact, violent crime rates in Appalachia are half the national average and overall crime, two-thirds of the national average, despite the region being one of the poorest in America. (http://www.nationalreview.com/article/367903/white-ghetto-kevin-d-williamson)

Compare black-dominant and white-dominant major cities. Compare rural States with few blacks and rural states with many blacks. Even when they have similar economic indicators and poverty levels, the pattern is clear 99% of the time : more blacks, more violent crime.

Proportionally, blacks have a higher poverty level than whites, but whites being much more numerous overall means there's many more poor whites than poor blacks in the US. So why aren't poor whites committing more crime? Blacks don't commit more crime because they're poor. They commit more crime because they're black, with everything this entails, such as being influenced by an urban culture glorifying violence.

Not all blacks are violent criminals, but from a pure safety standpoint, it makes sense to be more cautious around blacks.

How is this a privilege enjoyed by whites? It's a disadvantage suffered by otherwise decent black people, of which there are many. A "privilege" implies that it has been something granted to us by our skin colour, but it's rather the opposite, isn't it?

I don't think "white privilege" and "black disadvantage" are synonyms. "White privilege" puts the onus and the responsibility on us to change our ways, as it always is with the whole SJW language that understands the world purely on a "majority = oppressor, minority = oppressed" dichotomy. It shifts the responsibility for minorities' well-being on us and us alone. But wouldn't a better idea in that case be for blacks to commit less crime?

Further, "white privilege" implies it is an universal privilege to be white, everywhere. I wouldn't want to be white in Mugabe's Zimbabwe. Wouldn't want to be white in the Islamic State.

[Sir Suomi]

Holy shit Poutine I'm beginning to to agree with you. What the hell has happened since I last took a break?

[mattsmith48]

In the US yes thanks to the cops

[Zenos]

It exists. A lot of people do racist things and many are just racist deep down. Cops give African Americans harsher sentences, are more cruel to them during arrests than they are to whites. Caucasians can get better jobs and are less discriminated against at job interviews. Our society is very pro white and there is definitely White Privilege :(

Cops do not give sentences,the judges do!

Also our society is not pro-white,yet the media makes one feel it is!

Try if you are white and lose your job due to illness or injury or a lay off to get on welfare or foodstamps long enough to get through a rough patch until you can find another job. If you are white 8 out of every 10 are not going to get government help,you will be denied!

what about the White Guy who stopped Black Mugger then a Black crowd Attack him, chanting "Trayvon Martin"


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1mx9s2Dyi4


or



White guy beaten nearly to death by Blacks for dating a Black woman, no hate crime there


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8bEX-y1nr8


so please don't scream about white privilege.it's a myth designed to make todays whites feel guilty for things of the past they had no control over!

[Body odah Man]

Cops do not give sentences,the judges do!

Also our society is not pro-white,yet the media makes one feel it is!

Try if you are white and lose your job due to illness or injury or a lay off to get on welfare or foodstamps long enough to get through a rough patch until you can find another job. If you are white 8 out of every 10 are not going to get government help,you will be denied!

what about the White Guy who stopped Black Mugger then a Black crowd Attack him, chanting "Trayvon Martin"


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1mx9s2Dyi4


or



White guy beaten nearly to death by Blacks for dating a Black woman, no hate crime there


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8bEX-y1nr8


so please don't scream about white privilege.it's a myth designed to make todays whites feel guilty for things of the past they had no control over!

Society is TERRIBLY pro white. How many whites have you heard of getting attacked by cops while being arrested? Most white judges view black guys as guilty the instant they enter a court room. And yes, Blacks hate whites but for good reason seeing as whites often harass and terrorize them

[Sir Suomi]

Society is TERRIBLY pro white.

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EcfPLL3qjkI/hqdefault.jpg

http://pixel.nymag.com/imgs/daily/intelligencer/2013/07/02/02-cnn-n-word-cracker.w529.h352.2x.jpg

http://www.11alive.com/images/640/360/2/assetpool/images/110802114154_bounce.jpg

How many whites have you heard of getting attacked by cops while being arrested?

Actually whites are 1.7 times more likely to be killed by a police officer than a black person.

Most white judges view black guys as guilty the instant they enter a court room.

That's extremely incorrect. I shouldn't even need to state that.

And yes, Blacks hate whites but for good reason seeing as whites often harass and terrorize them

I hate blacks because they often harass whites and terrorize them

By your logic I can state that as well.

[Microcosm]

Actually whites are 1.7 times more likely to be killed by a police officer than a black person.

http://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2014/aug/21/michael-medved/talk-show-host-police-kill-more-whites-blacks/

A 2002 study in the American Journal of Public Health found that the death rate due to legal intervention was more than three times higher for blacks than for whites in the period from 1988 to 1997.

Perhaps times have changed since 1997? Doubtful, but that would be the only real objection you could make to this. This seems to invalidate your statement unless you can find a more recent study that states otherwise.

Most white judges view black guys as guilty the instant they enter a court room.

You'd need to provide some serious evidence to back that up because I highly doubt that.

[Zenos]

Society is TERRIBLY pro white. How many whites have you heard of getting attacked by cops while being arrested? Most white judges view black guys as guilty the instant they enter a court room. And yes, Blacks hate whites but for good reason seeing as whites often harass and terrorize them

I love it when people like you lump the majority of white in with a small group of idiotic people who happen to be white and racists!


Also not all blacks hate whites a group of blacks do but not all!!

[Porpoise101]

Hmm I think whites are stereotyped often as being rich and prosperous but the issue is that 'white' is not a homogenous group of people. There are hillbilly types, Californians, business executives, trailer trash, etc. This is important because it proves that people discriminate on more than race. I believe that classism and elitism is an overlooked factor. If you take a well educated black man who studied in Nairobi and put him with a white man from the boonies the black man will appear better. This will be the next big divider in American society, especially with the shrinkage of the middle class.

Of course, racism will still be prevalent for at least another generation and whites do have a statistical advantage in life but by saying "white privilege" you ignore other "-isms" white people face in life, be it classism, sexism, nepotism, a disliked ethnic background, etc.

What I'm trying to say is that race doesn't matter as much as it did and your background is what matters more.

[Zenos]

hmm i think whites are stereotyped often as being rich and prosperous but the issue is that 'white' is not a homogenous group of people. There are hillbilly types, californians, business executives, trailer trash, etc. This is important because it proves that people discriminate on more than race. I believe that classism and elitism is an overlooked factor. If you take a well educated black man who studied in nairobi and put him with a white man from the boonies the black man will appear better. This will be the next big divider in american society, especially with the shrinkage of the middle class.

Of course, racism will still be prevalent for at least another generation and whites do have a statistical advantage in life but by saying "white privilege" you ignore other "-isms" white people face in life, be it classism, sexism, nepotism, a disliked ethnic background, etc.

What i'm trying to say is that race doesn't matter as much as it did and your background is what matters more.

ding ding ding! Spot on spot in the truth!

[tonymontana99]

"White Privilege" is a fairly new term that has begun to pop up around social media following incidents such as the South Carolina shooting. The term revolves around the concept that an average white American citizen is at an advantage compared to colored American citizen in terms of education, treatment from law enforcement, finances, and roles in our society and culture.

My question here is do you believe in White Privilege and if so why?

It's just a way for them to justify acting like uncivilized people and chimp out whenever possible. There is no such thing as "white privilege". A company doesn't care about your skin color, they care about your skills and what you can bring to the table. This is a term used by left liberals who want to make everyone who isn't a loser like them feel bad and think they are just successful because of white privilege. Take a look -- who uses these terms? You don't see successful people using these terms or even believing this. This is a term used by social justice warriors and uneducated people who'd rather bring everyone down instead of bringing themselves up. Also, its embedded into their culture. Rap, wanting to be a G and shooting shit up, etc. It's all in their culture and you can't change it. So instead of peacefully protesting and trying to have logical, rational debates with everyone else, they go and tear up neighborhoods, shoot law enforcement officers, rape women and even attack WHITE people on THEIR side just because they're white, which just brings the racial gap even bigger and the tension higher. They're just as racist as many others. They hate us cause they ain't us.

[Sir Suomi]

They hate us cause they ain't us.

http://i.imgur.com/tXLefZd.gif

[thegreatgatz]

Honestly, yes. Most students at private schools and the best public schools are white, whites overwhelmingly inhabit the best neighborhoods, and as a demographic they have much lower rates of incarceration, unemployment, and teenage pregnancy.

Our society has created white privilege by neglecting blacks and enabling social prejudice against them. This has caused blacks to suffer from social economic and cultural isolation and starvation due to the refusal of society to include them. Even if we seek to include them now, blacks still suffer from built in structural racism in our society. Whites do not

So yes, white privilege is very real, but overall, we are more divided by class than by race

[Karkat]

It totally exists, but a lot of people mistake "well I'm white but I'm a female/poor/disabled/LGBT so I don't have privilege" as being proof that there is no white privilege

Like gee, if life were that simple

But yeah, a lot of white people are still marginalized because they're a part of other marginalized groups, such as the lower class, the female sex, LGBT, the physically or mentally ill, handicapped persons (this is a bit different than just physically and mentally ill because while you may be disabled, you may still be able to function normally with societies physical architecture/etc. Whereas persons confined to wheelchairs, or who have mental handicaps, most likely cannot. If they can, it's much harder), mixed-race caucasians, foreigners, non-naitive English speakers, religious minorities- the list goes on.

However, if you're a colored person, if you're in the exact same situation as a white counterpart, you're almost guaranteed to be treated as lesser or distrusted/discriminated against.
This is white privilege.

It isn't to say that a black, straight, middle class man doesn't have more privilege than a white, gay, lower class woman- or even a white, gay, middle class woman; it's just to say that were she a white, straight, middle class man (or even a straight woman as brown people are just treated with so much mistrust and disdain even in white collar society- Eli Stone has a good example of this when a black lawyer is criticized for having natural hair.) the white man is favored in society 99x/100

There's so much more to it than "white=automatically has it all, colored=automatically victim"

It's like people don't wanna think bc taking offense is easier

Honestly, yes. Most students at private schools and the best public schools are white, whites overwhelmingly inhabit the best neighborhoods, and as a demographic they have much lower rates of incarceration, unemployment, and teenage pregnancy.

Our society has created white privilege by neglecting blacks and enabling social prejudice against them. This has caused blacks to suffer from social economic and cultural isolation and starvation due to the refusal of society to include them. Even if we seek to include them now, blacks still suffer from built in structural racism in our society. Whites do not

So yes, white privilege is very real, but overall, we are more divided by class than by race

This is almost straight out of my freshman year psych textbook. Well done.

[thegreatgatz]

This is almost straight out of my freshman year psych textbook. Well done.

Thank you

[tovaris]

We realy dont get to many nonwhite people here in Slovenia. The most numerous group with shlightly darkers skin are gypsies, but they get quite a few rights, in only depends on which branch they are on how they behave. We have to major branches of the clans and the one in Prekmurje is wery nice and theyr neighbours like them they build houses on land they baught, the one in Dolenska is realy bad.
But with all the new laws we have to protect all sorts of mynoreties i realy dont think we have white privalege (a costal town of ours even has a black mayour)