Does White Privilege Really Exist?

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   vveaseyposted 9 years ago

   Does White Privilege Really Exist?
   
   

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   chuckandus6posted 9 years ago

   i dont think anymore that it does,people are so worried about this sometimes it actually goes in the other direction

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   dashingscorpioposted 9 years ago

   I suppose it depends on who you ask.
   Whenever you are (in a group) your perception of your group is always different from those who are outside of your group!
   I think it's human nature to focus on what's missing in your life while only seeing the advantages other people have.
   Unattractive people believe attractive people have it easy, overweight people believe thin people have it easy, short people believe tall people have it easy and that's if all of these people are of the same race! In our mind there's always a reason beyond our control why we have less. Ironically the privileged see things differently!
   People are incline to "downplay" any perceived pluses in their lives.
   Even rich people have been known to say; "More money more problems". Suddenly it becomes a contest of "Who has it worse!" or "Who started with less." Fortunately success leaves clues.
   People with "old money" tend to be conservative while people with "new money" tend to want to show the world all their homes and toys!
   If race was the determining factor on who succeeds and who fails in life there would be no such thing as white people who are high school drop outs, drug addicts, on welfare, receiving food stamps, going to prison, or ever unemployed. Clearly (individual choices) one makes has more to do with the outcome of one's life than their skin color.
   No matter who one is or how bad they had it they are going to have some opportunities cross their path. However if they fail to recognize it or take advantage of them they're probably not going to "blame themselves".
   American history is filled with examples of people from various races and stations in life that went on to become rich and successful.
   Madam C. J. Walker an African American woman born in {1867} is known for being  (the first female self-made millionaire) in America!
   Today there are over  35,000 black millionaires.  According to Statistica.com African Americans make up 8% of millionaires in the U.S. as of 2013 which percentage wise is nothing compared to the 76% of white millionaires. However considering it was only 50 years ago where many blacks didn't have a right to vote that's a significant improvement.
   Spectrem Group, found that there are now 10.1 million households in the U.S. with $1 million or more in investable assets, excluding the value of their primary residence. According to an article from CNBC there are more millionaires than ever are living in the US!  We have about 350 million people living in America of which most aren't rich regardless of their race.

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   Larry Wallposted 9 years ago

   I am white, and once stated in response to a Hub or question, that I did not think white privilege existed. The author took me to task.
   
   My father did not finish high school because of the depression. My mother did not finish because of a serious accident she was in as a teenager.
   
   My parents could not manage money. We often did not own a car. We had to declare bankruptcy once and there was never enough money. I went to an all-white school, because that was what was offered. My father worked at a chemical plant and many black men worked there with him.
   
   There were black nurses at the hospital we used.
   
   While privilege did exist because, while people made fun of my speech impairment, the color of my skin was never the cause for a joke. I did not walk in fear of a bunch of white guys jumping up on me, but I did not fear the black people who live near us.
   
   I guess I had an easier time in some ways, and certainly recognized at a young age that black people were not treated in a fair manner. We did not need separate restrooms, or waiting rooms at the doctor's office. We had black women fixing meals at local restaurants, but black people could not be customers. I was a pre-teen and teenager during the heart of the civil rights movement. In college, I had a campus job in the dining hall. All the other people on my shift were black. We got along. We discussed issues. They did not like violence. They wanted fair treatment. Yes, I had some advantages, but there was an upper class of white people who had more advantages. So I am not sure it is a matter of color or a question of how one assumes a superiority about himself that has no basis in fact, and is, in fact, meaningless.
   
   Did and does while privilege exist? I guess it does. Do black people always get treated fairly, probably not? My issue now is age. When I lost my job at age 59, I could not find work because of my age. There were too many younger people willing to work for less and able to work more hours in a day than me. Is that privileged--not really. It is just a matter of reality for that time and that situation. It still exists, but the while people who think they are superior to others are only fooling themselves. I have a biracial grandson. I never thought I would be so captivated by a grandchild. He shows me there is hope for the future and eventually an end to the animosity among the races. At least that is my prayer.

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      Dr Billy Kiddposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      You tell it like it is!  Thanks.

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   Dr Billy Kiddposted 9 years ago

   Of course white privilege exists.
   A recent study sent identical resumes to dozens of businesses. The authors put white sounding names on half of them and black sounding names on the other half. The call back for an interview was twice as high for the white sounding names.
   Whites get shorter jail terms for similar crimes.
   I'm hoping a black American will answer this question. But I know that when people start talking race black Americans get turned off. The whole thing is a white people's debate. Blacks know their discriminated against.
   Obama was taken as the help at a political cocktail party when he was a state senator.

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      Larry Wallposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Prejudice and white privilege are not the same. Some of the worst bigots who are while have not been successful. They are just filled with hate. Unfortunately, black people did not get the advantages that came from being white. That has/is changing.

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   Say Yes To Lifeposted 9 years ago

   I suppose it does, but it's less important than a lot of people realize. 
   1) I had horrific experiences in Seattle, which led me to suffer a nervous breakdown.  My brother rescued me and brought me to the Big Island of Hawaii, where I have since thrived.
   2) A white friend of mine moved from Kona to Portland OR, bounced around on a bunch of jobs (her choice), inherited a house from a boyfriend, sold the house for a $20,000 profit, and blew it in a year.  She now faces homelessness.
   3) A black friend of mine from the Seattle area, when things went bust for her there, moved back to her hometown in the Shreveport LA area where she had bought four houses costing $3,500 each (you read right - that's not a typo!).  She lives in one and rents out the other three.  She is now retired, recently passing her 59th birthday.  She barely has a high school education; she learned her business acumen from her father, who finished 3rd grade!
   According to what I've noticed, just because someone has advantages doesn't mean they know how to use them.  Most of the problems blacks face, they bring on themselves.  Check out the black-on-black crime statistics in their neighborhoods.  They're worse than the Ku Klux Klan!

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      dashingscorpioposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      You made an excellent point! Much of how our lives turn out has more to do with the choices (we) made rather than the privileges of other groups. Having grown up in Gary, Indiana during the 70s I learned early:
      If it's going to be it's up to me!

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   Ericdierkerposted 9 years ago

   It is a big old world out there and I am sure it exists. Our neighborhood is just too mixed and most of our officers are mixed or minority. And in my own home I am the only complete white guy so it does not exist here. I think when I visit my wife's home town in Asia and am the only big old white guy they go out of their way for me. In grad school they were trying so hard to attract black students they certainly had some privileges above mine.
   Racial profiling is a weird concept, but I think it exists in all of us giving a white guy and easier time of it in general. Perhaps it is just historic or perhaps there is some current reason.

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