White privilege is hard (for white people) to see, so consider this a compilation album of White Privilege's Greatest Hits. Submit your examples. All flavors of people welcome, but we don't serve vanilla at this yogurt shop. Modded by a naked sushi, ...
“We have no idea why the US didn’t follow the typical pattern of development set by other affluent societies in the 20th century, eschewing both a labor party and a welfare state. Social democracy never happened in the US and we have no clear reason why.”
Race. At every turn, anti-black racism was used to mobilize poor whites to fight against their class interests bc we were more concerned with subjugating our black population. Welfare was squeezed into nonexistence in the 80s and 90s with wide public support bc of propaganda about “welfare queens,” bc the idea of black women, mothers, getting “money for nothing” was enough to cause a public outcry for the gutting of welfare. Earlier, in the 40s and 50s, socialized medicine was killed before it could even get started because white voters could not accept paying taxes for a program that would benefit black americans, even if they stood to benefit as well. Seriously, the whole history of the american lower classes is poor whites gleefully accepting destitution and exploitation because it meant that black americans would suffer too.
Also note that Europeans have started to think “y'know, maybe we should follow the US’ lead and start rolling back social welfare too” in recent years because the waves of migrants and refugees from Africa and Asia pose a threat to their lily-white national images.
This is probably most extremely visible in Scandinavian countries where we had some of the most extensive social welfare programs… But now, in Denmark, our labour party is cozying up with the actual nationalist party and caring little for welfare and more about kicking out immigrants, making sure that none of them get a piece of the cake. We literally just had an actual law made with the support of the Labour party which changed a lot of things. It kicks immigrant families out of low income housing if there is too big a percentage of immigrants living in a certain part of a town. People living in low income / immigrant apartment blocks also face twice the punishment for criminal acts. Poor immigrant families will also be punished economically by losing part of their welfare if their children skip school or if their young children stay at home with a stay at home parent instead of going to daycare. Immigrants who do not yet speak fluent Danish also do not get economic support for bringing a translator along with them when they go to the doctor anymore. Even if you can speak Danish well enough for conversation, you might want a translator when it is your health on the line. There have been made regulations such that only a certain amount of immigrant children are allowed in one school ore daycare facility. Then the rest of those children (small children. Even toddlers) have to take the bus to another daycare or school which will be located god knows how far away. Parents will have to then ride the bus with their kids (or drive them if they own a car) if they don’t feel comfortable letting their three year olds take the bus alone. Mind you, we have school buses Sometimes, but there aren’t any daycare busses for three year olds. Parents will lose opportunity to work if they have to ride on the bus with their children every morning for half an hour. And remember, if they then just take care of their children at home, they can face economic punishment.
@white allies: because i see constant self-deprecation based on your whitness, here’s a detailed explanation of why it’s not helping us (or you).
if you continously go on about how horrible white people are, you may rot your own brain into thinking that these shortcomings are a natural state of being rather than a manufactured supremacist system which is simultaneously widespread, evil, and capable of being dismantled.
recognizing that you have the same human compassion capabilities as everyone else, regardless of how alienated from them you have become, is the first step toward becoming a better person capabable of helping other people (of color).
don’t mirror the way that PoC talk about you as an oppressor class. the context is different, and the mindset that you develop from it is different.
don’t fall into a mindset where you (act as if you) are a morally compromised being for being white. the ultimate end of antiracism is to denaturalize racial hegemony, including virtuous moralization of the “oppressed”
evaluating your engagement in racism & the benefits you receive from white supremacy is only one piece of this process. the other piece is interacting with other people (of color) as if they are indeed the same species as you.
so instead of demoralizing yourself, look at your actions to determine if they are compassionate. academic stuff aside, this is often a good litmus test for racism; even the unintentional you will soon realize was often a failure to conceptualize how your actions would affect others- not a failure by some innate aspect of your race but by the normalized lack of consideration whiteness may afford you
“One of the most malevolent characteristics of racist thought is that it never produces new knowledge. It seems able to merely reformulate and refigure itself in multiple but static assertions. It has no referent in the material world; like the concept of black blood or white blood or blue blood, it is designed to construct artificial borders and maintain them against all reason and all evidence to the contrary. And while racist thought and language have an almost unmitigated force in political and social life, the realm of racial difference has been allowed an intellectual weight to which it has no claim. It is truly a realm that is no realm at all — an all-consuming vacancy that is both common and strange.”
White privilege is not having to deal with your white female friends saying, “You should sleep with/date my white male friend, because he’s never been with your race (insert non-white ethnicity here) before.” We are a lot more than being an “exotic” checkmark on some white person’s bucket list.
I think for a lot of white people, when you call them out on their casual racism (microagressions and non-overt things), they see it as a case of hurt feelings from your point of view as opposed to a discussion of harmful practices that aid the vehicle of racism. So in response, they take it as a personal attack, rather than a learning experience, and go on the defensive by bringing up a time that you made them upset as leverage. Or they defend their actions by doubling down on the behavior at hand and dismissing your criticism as over sensitivity and emphasizing their “harmless” intent. And I think that is one of the reasons why it’s so hard to address casual and interpersonal racism with the general white population (and also other poc tbh).
I think white people NEED to read this and let it sink way deep down inside them.
I’m just super fucking bitter that once the flint water crisis got it’s 15 minutes of fame people stopped giving a shit. The water is still poisoned, people! Donations have plummeted and people have been forced back into drinking and bathing with the water! The medical effects of this are astounding, cases of legionnaires disease have skyrocketed, people are having seizures, people are having weird rashes break out over their body, people (including me!) are having their blood poisoned, and it’s not just lead! it’s coliform bacteria! it’s THMs! it’s all in the water and it gets into the bloodstream and breaks down blood vessels, causing bruising and petechiae and internal bleeding and no one gives a shit anymore and it’s only gotten worse like how many people are going to have to die until people realize this is still a problem
I would like to add that the people of Flint cannot sell their houses, because selling a house with leaded water is illegal. Additionally, households with children can’t stop paying for the water because living in a house without running water is cause for CPS to take their kids. Flint has been living this way for over two years.
Immediate improvements to the conditions of prisons and prison policies that recognize the humanity of imprisoned men and women.
An immediate end to prison slavery. All persons imprisoned in any place of detention under United States jurisdiction must be paid the prevailing wage in their state or territory for their labor.
The Prison Litigation Reform Act must be rescinded, allowing imprisoned humans a proper channel to address grievances and violations of their rights.
The Truth in Sentencing Act and the Sentencing Reform Act must be rescinded so that imprisoned humans have a possibility of rehabilitation and parole. No human shall be sentenced to Death by Incarceration or serve any sentence without the possibility of parole.
An immediate end to the racial overcharging, over-sentencing, and parole denials of Black and brown humans. Black humans shall no longer be denied parole because the victim of the crime was white, which is a particular problem in southern states.
An immediate end to racist gang enhancement laws targeting Black and brown humans.
No imprisoned human shall be denied access to rehabilitation programs at their place of detention because of their label as a violent offender.
State prisons must be funded specifically to offer more rehabilitation services.
Pell grants must be reinstated in all US states and territories.
The voting rights of all confined citizens serving prison sentences, pretrial detainees, and so-called “ex-felons” must be counted. Representation is demanded. All voices count.
The strike begins August 21. The article has various suggestions for ways you can help and support the strikers.
I love when people are like Japanese people in japan or Mexican people in Mexico don’t care about cultural appropriation lol stupid sjws. Friend do you know the diaspora experience is a completely different experience than growing up in your country of origin and never being shamed or shunned or criminalized for practicing your culture or looking different?
What’s sad about this is the government isn’t taking into account what these families go through!It might’ve only been 2 months but he is physically disengaged with his dad,does not know what is happening,why it’s happening, and he’ll be stuck with those feelings/memories forever!
Shits so fucked man. That poor baby. I’m literally sick.
I want everyone to read this:
The last names Che, Pop and Coc are indigenous and these people are indigenous to the Americas. FUCK your nation states and borders. They have every right to move across this continent. The colonists have been pulling this bullshit on indigenous people for more than half a millennia already. Enough. This broken child they finally returned to his dad? The last in a long long line, victim of just the latest administration.
