General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: As a white christian male I don't feel privileged by any means [View all]hfojvt
(37,573 posts)When I say that there is no such thing as "white privilege" I do not by that mean that there is no such thing as discrimination.
My point is that discrimination against you does not thereby translate into privileges for me.
For one thing, it is rather absurd, isn't it, to call "not being discriminated against" a "privilege".
And for another thing, it does not materially make my own five mile slog any easier. Suppose I am walking five miles to school and back every day, and that there is also a black kid who walks the same five miles. Only he often gets stopped and frisked by racist cops on his way to school. Now we can be allies if he complains "man, I have to put up with some bullsh*t on my way to school every day." And any sensible person is gonna say "you sure do, that ain't right" and join the fight to end it.
But if the same person (or more likely his supposed advocates) points at me and says "you are privileged because you don't have to put up with the same bullsh*t that the black kids do", then I just became a non-ally. First of all, because you have not even relayed to me what sort of bullsh*t that that kid faces, you have just made an accusation about me, like I am doing something wrong by walking to school. Second of all, because I still have a long frigging walk every day which is hardly a picnic or some sort of joyride, and yet this business of "privilege" makes it sound like a limo takes me to school every day - which is clearly nonsense, but sure as hell would come much closer to fitting a reasonable definition of "privilege" than walking to school does. And third, I can see some black kids whose parents do give them a ride to school every day, and yet I am supposed to believe I have the privileges while I fugging walk?
So, with one, two, three, I am calling this nonsensical shibboleth of "white privilege" out on strikes and it needs to go back to the dugout and let the beloved community have a crack at the plate. http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022244131