General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Dear Whiny White People: Great rant from a Native American Facebook friend [View all]Liberal_Stalwart71
(20,450 posts)I don't think many black Americans are. And we also know and appreciate how Jewish Americans, in particular, joined with us, some of them even losing their lives for civil rights causes. No one is denying that. However, to deny that these groups have been able to blend in and assimilate because they benefit from white skin privilege is simply to deny the truth. I am not suggesting that hard work and determination are not factors. Of course they are. And Jewish Americans and other minority groups have made significant contributions to this society in every facet of it. (As have black Americans.)
If I am a black LGBT and I go to vote, I don't have to declare my sexual orientation, but it is very clear that I am black, and therefore, easier to identify me, to have preconceived notions about me, and to deny me the right to vote.
I hope that makes sense.
If not, read Tim Wise's writing on the subject:
http://thesunmagazine.org/issues/403/by_the_color_of_their_skin
Here's an excerpt that is pertinent to this discussion:
Cook: Why do you think so many white Americans deny the existence of privilege?
Wise: One reason is that most people want to believe they are living in a just society. Another is that to acknowledge the truth would call upon us to make some tough changes, and people are afraid to give up their advantage. It can also be psychologically harmful to confront the fact that one is benefiting unfairly from the system. The first thing whites tend to do, when they open their eyes to their own privilege, is fall into guilt and self-flagellation, and that isnt helpful. This becomes another reason not to confront the truth.
White denial isnt new. It has always existed. In the early sixties, when we were an apartheid nation, polls found most whites didnt think there was a problem. In 1963 two-thirds of whites thought blacks were treated equally. Every generation of white Americans, by and large, hasnt believed the problem to be real.
What is so disturbing to me about white denial is that we are denying the reality of other peoples experiences. We are saying to people of color that what they think they experience is not what they actually experience. Its true that not every allegation of racism is well-founded. People can make mistakes of interpretation, and none of us is a perfect chronicler of his or her life. But white deniers are saying that people of color are hypersensitive, that they overreact and play the race card.
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