White privilege, are you guilty?

ALAYMAN

ALAYMAN

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Just curious, with all of the recent protests and issues of racial Injustice if you are familiar with the term white privilege and if you are guilty of what you think it means?
 
White privilege: Benefits and advantages that society grants to white people because of the colour of their skin.

It's not something I can be "guilty" of, unless I accept the racist assumption that melanin content determines a person's moral worth.

"White privilege" is a leftist invention to explain "white guilt." Since I have no reason to feel white guilt, I have no need to believe in their fairy tales. I am culpable for Adam's sin and my own, not "white people's," whatever that is. (Is there a paint chip I have to compare myself to, or something?)
 
No!! I've worked for everything I have and nothing has been handed to me. There may be people that abuse white privilege but its not me. Thank you God!!
 
I'm definitely privileged but it has nothing to do with flesh and blood.

It sure does feel good to be a child of the King. The Lord Jesus Christ.

I believe in an unprivileged Gospel. A salvation available to any son of Adam.
 
I grew up without cable TV, and didn't have central air until I was in college (only because my grandma moved in with us), so I would say I was underprivileged.
 
I suppose it is a privilege that when I buy flesh-colored bandages, it is more likely they will match my skin tone.
 
voicecrying said:
I suppose it is a privilege that when I buy flesh-colored bandages, it is more likely they will match my skin tone.
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Just curious, did you read about this bandage thing before making the comment, or was your comment from your own observations of life? I only ask because I am planning on making some comments that relate to your statement, and those comments are in reference to an article sympathetic to the concept of white
privilege which actually used your "bandage" statement as a supposed legitimate example of white privilege (so I'm curious if you read that same article).
 
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ALAYMAN said:
Just curious, did you read about this bandage thing before making the comment, or was your comment from your own observations of life? I only ask because I am planning on making some comments that relate to your statement, and those comments are in reference to an article sympathetic to the concept of white
privilege which actually used your "bandage" statement as a supposed legitimate example of white privilege (so I'm curious if you read that same article).
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I'm not original at all. :D I saw a video using that line.
 
voicecrying said:
I'm not original at all. :D I saw a video using that line.
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Interesting. Sounds like you saw the same argument on a different source. I will post some context from that later tonight, but the short version of what I saw would view all of our answers here so far and say that they typify our (white) ignorance of their perspective.
 
Okay, so here's the link to the article that I thought voicecrying may have read (about "skin colored bandaids"), with a couple of excerpts....

So, What Is White Privilege?
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White privilege is—perhaps most notably in this era of uncivil discourse—a concept that has fallen victim to its own connotations. The two-word term packs a double whammy that inspires pushback. 1) The word white creates discomfort among those who are not used to being defined or described by their race. And 2) the word privilege, especially for poor and rural white people, sounds like a word that doesn’t belong to them—like a word that suggests they have never struggled.

This defensiveness derails the conversation, which means, unfortunately, that defining white privilege must often begin with defining what it’s not. Otherwise, only the choir listens; the people you actually want to reach check out. White privilege is not the suggestion that white people have never struggled. Many white people do not enjoy the privileges that come with relative affluence, such as food security. Many do not experience the privileges that come with access, such as nearby hospitals.

And white privilege is not the assumption that everything a white person has accomplished is unearned; most white people who have reached a high level of success worked extremely hard to get there. Instead, white privilege should be viewed as a built-in advantage, separate from one’s level of income or effort.
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Seems innocuous enough, but it gets much more interesting...

White Privilege as the “Power of Normal”
Sometimes the examples used to make white privilege visible to those who have it are also the examples least damaging to people who lack it. But that does not mean these examples do not matter or that they do no damage at all.

These subtle versions of white privilege are often used as a comfortable, easy entry point for people who might push back against the concept. That is why they remain so popular. These are simple, everyday things, conveniences white people aren’t forced to think about.

These often-used examples include:

  • The first-aid kit having “flesh-colored” Band-Aids that only match the skin tone of white people.
  • The products white people need for their hair being in the aisle labeled “hair care” rather than in a smaller, separate section of “ethnic hair products.”
  • The grocery store stocking a variety of food options that reflect the cultural traditions of most white people.
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This is the first area where I have to plead ignorance, or simply denial of the author's premise. Take the "hair care" example from above. Economics 101 would dictate that when you market something to a particular demographic you want it to be easily accessible and marked for that groups easy recognition. Placing these "hair care" products in their own ethnic section seems to be a matter of simple business, not to mention making it easier for the consumer to navigate the aisle(s) for the product they are looking for. It really seems this is a case of looking for harm when none is intended.
 
ALAYMAN said:
It really seems this is a case of looking for harm when none is intended.
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Those "often-used examples" are also examples of what is termed "microaggressions": brief, casual indignities that target "oppressed" or "marginalized" groups. Which is, as you rightly say, looking for harm when none is intended.

I frankly doubt there's a serious white person in North America that would sincerely object to "ethnic" hair care being put in the same aisle as "hair care" supposedly for white people. (Obviously, I'm not talking about the Aryan boneheads who probably think their Herbal Essences was miscegenatin' if it touched a jar of hair relaxer.)
 
Here's an example of white privilege:
My niece is currently a sophomore at the University of Cincinnati. She is an exceptional student and gifted artist. She is in the Design, Art, & Architecture Program (DAAP). She plans to do a co-op job at the end of the year. She met with a co-op advisor who is supposed to help guide her in finding a co-op job. The advisor was impressed with her portfolio but advised her not to include a photo of herself when applying for jobs "because of her skin color" - that's exactly what the advisor said. My brother and his wife are both of German & Irish descent, so guess what skin color would be a hindrance for her?
 
There is no such thing as "white privilege!" I've busted my butt for everything I have..just because some socialist African American, Asian, or Latino is too lazy to work for what they have, or to educate themselves enough to get themselves out of the gutter isn't my problem. There are many in their ethnic groups who have "made it" out of poverty, been treated fairly, or who have gone beyond what they perceived as inequality to thrive. Life's a battle...they need to learn how to fight against the system they feel is wrong without bringing race into it.
 
I had a coworker whose daughter was attending Liberty University about 10 years ago. He told me that she came back claiming that some of her professors at Liberty were teaching the notion that white people are privileged. I challenged him on that thinking that there's no way Liberty had bought into that sort of Woke ideology, particularly way back then when it was just getting traction. Surely they hadn't jumped on board I thought. He never backed down and gave me a few examples but I don't remember at this time what they were. I have nieces and nephews that are now in their late 20s and 30s have bought into this bunk. What I have observed that is legitimate as far as privilege goes over the years is a chasm and burden caused by economic disparity. People who don't have money, regardless of skin color, often have a harder life and and greater inability to avail themselves of the privileges of life afforded to those who have power and persuasion through income.
 
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