Teacher told kids on zoom class to write about their white privilege

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last year Burgundy Farm had my middle school child list his privileges. I was fine with it, but my child was upset. He said it made him feel awful and he can’t help it if he is male, white, straight and wealthy. I just explained that he needs to be aware of his privileges and work to help others not as fortunate. Is this really a big deal? I want my kid to make the world a better place, and this seems to be a move in that direction.

Be careful and watch what the internet algorithm sends your son. This is creating a huge backlash and honestly their young brains are not old enough to understand these nuances, so it is backfiring is a scary way with some kids. Parents need to do a lot of damage control here.

My child takes it this way as well. She feels bad and needs to told to be happy and proud of who she is -/yet the school is telling her the exact opposite. Our oldest was thrilled to move on to college and out of that guilt laden racist environment her school created.

In less your kids have a trust fund, they aren't wealthy, you are. They have no money and benefit from your wealth.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t want to say much because I think I know this school and teacher because I used to work there. The school has made it a priority to teach a lot of super privileged kids that they are privileged. I don’t disagree. People who are really hurt or offended by this should ask themselves why they are. I suspect it is because they believe firmly that they deserve everything they have, and no luck was involved.

That is not the schools job and that is on the parents.

I am offended as we have zero privilege based off our skin color.

My kid is has had some very horrible things happen and nothing most people could understand so having him pretend he has this great privileged and forcing him to agree when he doesn't makes no sense.

Holy crap. I can't believe this many delusional, one-assumes-educated people send their children to private school.

You don't know what "white privilege" is if you think you have zero. Hint: It does not include being handed anything by virtue of being white. It does not mean being issued the keys to a McMansion or a Lamborghini becaus you are white.

I would say educate yourself on what white privilege is, because clearly you have no idea, but since this post makes it abundantly clear that you're either a Drumpf voter or a "libertarian," I would be wasting my keystrokes.

You need to educate yourself on what privilege is. Its surely not the poor kids living in Appalachia who are white.

NP: "Privilege" is a broad term that can be applied to a multitude of circumstances. Wealth and beauty have their privileges; education has its privileges, heritage has its privileges, VIP passes have attached privileges, age has its privileges, citizenship has it privileges, and so on. Each of those things can also carry with them disadvantages, and having them doesn't not always mean you enjoy the benefits. Cinderella certainly did not feel that beauty was was a privilege at the beginning of her tale because it made her the object of jealousy, scorn and abuse; but it would have been silly of her to try to argue that her individual circumstance meant that the privilege of beauty did not exist at all.

You do need to educate yourself on what "white privilege" is because your argument makes you look ignorant. "White privilege" means something very, very different from the kind of "privilege" you are referencing when you say poor kids in Appalachia are not privileged. "White privilege" doesn't mean "all white people enjoy the privileges of safety, wealth, education, and health." It does not mean all white people enjoy all the advantages in this world. Everyone knows they don't. That fact is not relevant to the discussion of "white privilege." Why? Because that is not what "white privilege" means. Do some open minded research and learn what people actually are talking about if you want to enter the argument, because you are failing in your uninformed attempt at this time.

The term white privilege is offensive and not appropriate. If we used the term black privilege it would be racist. Just because you are white in this country, it does not give you privilege and those saying it does are very racist and this is why we have the divide we do.

Wealth is a privilege. Living in a 2 million dollar house is a privilege. Going to private school full pay is a privilege. Going to $100 a plate restaurants is a privilege. Going to Europe or vacation yearly is a privilege. Skin color is not.

If you don’t think being white confers advantages in this country, you are clearly a white Christian who has been living under a rock for the past 400 years.

I am absolutely NOT a Christian and stop living in the past to justify your racism and hate. 400 years ago was a very different world and culture. None of us living had anything to do with that. There are many horrible things going on in the world and country now that are far more impacting but that doesn't matter to you.

White has very little advantage anymore. Time to let go of the past and live in the present. You are the reason why our country is so divided and making white people hate themselves because of something they did not choose and cannot change is wrong. You are teaching your kids to hate. That is racism.

And, what about those white Christians in places like Appalachia. What privilege to they have living in shacks worrying about where their next meal is coming from?

The challenge of their poverty may outweigh the privilege of their race. Doesn’t change the fact that privilege exists. Teaching our children about the privileges they enjoy helps them to be more empathetic towards those who didn’t have those inherent advantages. It is not about hating one's own privilege, it is about recognizing it and doing better. If you are Jewish, for example as I am, you might observe that not too long ago you couldn’t attend certain schools or live in certain neighborhoods- those privileges were reserved for white Christians.

You are very self righteous and a huge part of the problem. My children have no privilege. They are fortunate we can provide from them but we are far from privileged. Stop living in the past and live for today. If you want to be an advocate, advocate for those living now who need help. And, don't assume everyone is white Christian when we are not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t want to say much because I think I know this school and teacher because I used to work there. The school has made it a priority to teach a lot of super privileged kids that they are privileged. I don’t disagree. People who are really hurt or offended by this should ask themselves why they are. I suspect it is because they believe firmly that they deserve everything they have, and no luck was involved.

I am offended because it perpetuates stereotypes which we keep preaching we need to get rid of in society. This just teaches the stereotype that all whites are privileged (with an assumption that their life is easy and blacks always struggle). Don't make assumptions about peoples lives based upon their skin color. People have hardships and struggles in different aspects of their life for many different reasons - poverty, hunger, broken homes, drugs, disabilities, abuse, tragedy, health issues, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, race, gender, religion, etc.

The goal of the exercise might be for kids to examine their life and determine what factors might be a privilege but NOT for a teacher to tell them their race is always a privilege. This just perpetuates a belief that certain races think the other is better off or worse off when in reality, the course of anyone's life is a combination of luck, hard work, and how you respond to what life deals you.

Actually, white people, regardless of their socioeconomic status, their ability, their sexual orientation, their religious beliefs, etc., all benefit from the white privilege that is part of our white supremacist culture. Certainly that privilege becomes muted because of other identity categories, but the fact remains: our society has historically held white people to a different standard than people of color. Accepting this fact is an important step in dealing with systemic racism.

More extreme leftist personal victim ideology.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Absolutely inappropriate, but I'd want to confirm the assignment with the teacher directly before I raised hell about it.

Ask for the zoom recording, report either way. Their messaging is convoluted and misguided, big time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people saying “it’s racist to categorize people at all” sound to me like naive and defensive adolescents. If you are white, the world treats you differently — even if you are a single parent, have a substance abuse problem, are poor, whatever. If you are white, how many times have you been pulled over while driving? Been followed in a store? Had someone clutch their purse when you got on an elevator with them? Had people cross the street when they see you coming? Your blindness to these things is part of the problem.

I hate to break it to you but in many cases no. If its important to you to think that, then go ahead. I can state multiple times that stuff has happened.

1) When I car shopped multiple dealers insisted their sales staff go with me as a white woman, not dressed fancy which was really uncomfortable being in a car alone with a strange man (sometimes with my child). Range Rover on the pike was really nasty and kept asking me about my finances and they didn't need to know anything more than I had the money and planned to pay cash. And, yet no one believed me. The dealers were a huge mix of races.

2) I have also been watched at stores very carefully and followed around. I've never ever stolen anything.

3) I was pulled over near my home and accused of not stopping at a stop sign when I knew I did.

4) I worked for DC government and the only white worker. Some of the staff, especially administrators were horrible to me. They very clearly treated me differently and finally a few co-workers who treated me very well told me to quit as there was nothing there for me. They never let me do my job and had me do basic office tasks, including cleaning and things like setting up a Christmas tree (and got angry with me for how I did it because I had no idea how to do it and it was before youtube. They knew I had never had a Christmas tree nor did I practice their religion and they still forced it). Same office insisted on Christian prayers and shamed me for just standing there and not saying them.

Would you like me to keep going?

No, I’m sick of seeing the exact same examples from Reddit last year. The school BLM blog did the same all summer. Run the plagiarism software on it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So sorry OP. This is terrible. I say this as a mixed race woman too. Finding new ways to categorize, separate and embarrass is not the way forward. I was a philosophy major and am well aware of the meta narratives Foucault and Derrida were hoping to tear down. I think of her neo Marxist like Adorno and Marcuse before the postmodernists of the 60s. It is a bizarre philosophy that was mostly started in relation to area studies, especially Mideast Studies on the form of Said’s Orientalism. It trickles down into race with Kimberlee Crenshaw and her theory of intersectionality in the early 90s now it’s Kendi and DiAngelo and that sounds like what this teacher is parroting.

It sad that most people mean well, don’t want to be racist and want a more equitable society. All very good intentions. The problem is the super flawed theory being used to achieve progress only leads to further division. So hopeful we wil do better but this latest way is not it.

+1. I'm not educated in philosophy, but I agree with everything you've said and I've believed it for a long time. This is definitely NOT the way to overcome racism and it is absolutely making the situation worse.

All great points. Very misguided approach in schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Last year Burgundy Farm had my middle school child list his privileges. I was fine with it, but my child was upset. He said it made him feel awful and he can’t help it if he is male, white, straight and wealthy. I just explained that he needs to be aware of his privileges and work to help others not as fortunate. Is this really a big deal? I want my kid to make the world a better place, and this seems to be a move in that direction.

I love Burgundy Farm so much. Also last year, one of the white kids was going around making racist jokes to the Black kids, probably without any actual understanding that the jokes were harmful. The teachers stepped in immediately and put a stop to it, taking an educational approach rather than a punitive one. Their intervention benefited all the kids. I was really impressed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The people saying “it’s racist to categorize people at all” sound to me like naive and defensive adolescents. If you are white, the world treats you differently — even if you are a single parent, have a substance abuse problem, are poor, whatever. If you are white, how many times have you been pulled over while driving? Been followed in a store? Had someone clutch their purse when you got on an elevator with them? Had people cross the street when they see you coming? Your blindness to these things is part of the problem.

If you are attractive, the world treats you differently...if you are fat/thin, the world treats you differently....if you tall/short, the world treats you differently....if you are Asian/Persian/Mexican/African, the world treats you differently....if you are smart/dumb, the world treats you differently...lesson...people treat everyone differently all the time...every hour of every day...humans.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people saying “it’s racist to categorize people at all” sound to me like naive and defensive adolescents. If you are white, the world treats you differently — even if you are a single parent, have a substance abuse problem, are poor, whatever. If you are white, how many times have you been pulled over while driving? Been followed in a store? Had someone clutch their purse when you got on an elevator with them? Had people cross the street when they see you coming? Your blindness to these things is part of the problem.

I hate to break it to you but in many cases no. If its important to you to think that, then go ahead. I can state multiple times that stuff has happened.

1) When I car shopped multiple dealers insisted their sales staff go with me as a white woman, not dressed fancy which was really uncomfortable being in a car alone with a strange man (sometimes with my child). Range Rover on the pike was really nasty and kept asking me about my finances and they didn't need to know anything more than I had the money and planned to pay cash. And, yet no one believed me. The dealers were a huge mix of races.

2) I have also been watched at stores very carefully and followed around. I've never ever stolen anything.

3) I was pulled over near my home and accused of not stopping at a stop sign when I knew I did.

4) I worked for DC government and the only white worker. Some of the staff, especially administrators were horrible to me. They very clearly treated me differently and finally a few co-workers who treated me very well told me to quit as there was nothing there for me. They never let me do my job and had me do basic office tasks, including cleaning and things like setting up a Christmas tree (and got angry with me for how I did it because I had no idea how to do it and it was before youtube. They knew I had never had a Christmas tree nor did I practice their religion and they still forced it). Same office insisted on Christian prayers and shamed me for just standing there and not saying them.

Would you like me to keep going?

No, I’m sick of seeing the exact same examples from Reddit last year. The school BLM blog did the same all summer. Run the plagiarism software on it.

I don't post on reddit and those were my experiences so you could not see that there. And, if you don't want to believe it, fine. You stick to your racist ways and continue to keep racism alive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people saying “it’s racist to categorize people at all” sound to me like naive and defensive adolescents. If you are white, the world treats you differently — even if you are a single parent, have a substance abuse problem, are poor, whatever. If you are white, how many times have you been pulled over while driving? Been followed in a store? Had someone clutch their purse when you got on an elevator with them? Had people cross the street when they see you coming? Your blindness to these things is part of the problem.

If you are attractive, the world treats you differently...if you are fat/thin, the world treats you differently....if you tall/short, the world treats you differently....if you are Asian/Persian/Mexican/African, the world treats you differently....if you are smart/dumb, the world treats you differently...lesson...people treat everyone differently all the time...every hour of every day...humans.

Not pp but to everyone thinking we shouldn’t be categorizing/ generalizing according to race, what do you think of affirmative action?
Isn’t that precisely categorizing according to one’s (perceived) race?

[Anonymous]

I don't think it's an appropriate assignment for this age--I think talking about systemic racism, bias, etc. is appropriate enough for an exercise in self awareness. Dialogue about empathy and discuss of other's experiences.
White privilege is a difficult concept and needs the full context of individual experiences--I think it takes a lot of maturity. The teacher may be well-meaning.

[Anonymous]

I think that OP and the teacher need to meet and discuss it. Because of the sensitive nature of the discussion, a third party like an Academic Dean or a Department Chair or the HOS should also be there. As they discuss it they might also be able to view the Zoom tape to clarify what really happened. The teacher sounds well-meaning but it doesn't sound like the teacher's delivery was appropriate and that the lesson wasn't framed correctly.

It would be interesting to know what subject matter and curriculum focus was being taught at the time. Was this during Social Studies or Religion (if the child is at a religious school)?

[Anonymous]

Based on the comments in this thread, I’d say it’s an appropriate exercise that apparently some adults could still use. The teacher’s language could have been better, but starting to encourage kids to think about others less fortunate at a young age is more impactful in the long term IMHO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last year Burgundy Farm had my middle school child list his privileges. I was fine with it, but my child was upset. He said it made him feel awful and he can’t help it if he is male, white, straight and wealthy. I just explained that he needs to be aware of his privileges and work to help others not as fortunate. Is this really a big deal? I want my kid to make the world a better place, and this seems to be a move in that direction.

Be careful and watch what the internet algorithm sends your son. This is creating a huge backlash and honestly their young brains are not old enough to understand these nuances, so it is backfiring is a scary way with some kids. Parents need to do a lot of damage control here.

My child takes it this way as well. She feels bad and needs to told to be happy and proud of who she is -/yet the school is telling her the exact opposite. Our oldest was thrilled to move on to college and out of that guilt laden racist environment her school created.

In less your kids have a trust fund, they aren't wealthy, you are. They have no money and benefit from your wealth.

? They assignment didn’t differentiate by whites w trust funds and whites without them. It generalized that all are privileged and guilty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people saying “it’s racist to categorize people at all” sound to me like naive and defensive adolescents. If you are white, the world treats you differently — even if you are a single parent, have a substance abuse problem, are poor, whatever. If you are white, how many times have you been pulled over while driving? Been followed in a store? Had someone clutch their purse when you got on an elevator with them? Had people cross the street when they see you coming? Your blindness to these things is part of the problem.

If you are attractive, the world treats you differently...if you are fat/thin, the world treats you differently....if you tall/short, the world treats you differently....if you are Asian/Persian/Mexican/African, the world treats you differently....if you are smart/dumb, the world treats you differently...lesson...people treat everyone differently all the time...every hour of every day...humans.

Not pp but to everyone thinking we shouldn’t be categorizing/ generalizing according to race, what do you think of affirmative action?
Isn’t that precisely categorizing according to one’s (perceived) race?

Yes of course it has been and is. Why do think it’s heading towards the Supreme Court?