Attention white people

[Anonymous]

I actually think we need more of these threads. Apparently people won't say these things in real life for fear of being called racism. Openness is what will stop all of this for future generations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:White person here I have seriously never asked anyone "their story".

I feel like more often than not it's black people telling me about racism than me actually seeing racism in real life. One of my close black friends recently said to me "I think I didn't get the job because I'm black." umm pretty sure he was the only one thinking about the color of his skin in the interview.

spoken as a white person who really has no fucking clue

You should see some of our affirmative action hires

yeah, in my agency those hires are white women and then the diversity office checks the affirmative action report as 100% complete.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Holy, fuck. Can we simply stop these damn threads. Everyone wants to play the victim. I am a victim because I am a poor black. I am a victim because I am a rich black assumed to have been a poor black. I am a victim because I was a poor white assumed to have privileged I never had. I am victim because I am a rich white and have to pay for everyone else. I am a victim because I am an asian and everyone expects me to have superior intelligence....Where the hell does it stop. As a young child I understood that racism is wrong. However, all this victimization is just about to push me somewhere I don't want to go.

My problem with people like you is that you discount people by calling them victims. Progress can not be made when you have such a disdain for the struggles of others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:White person here I have seriously never asked anyone "their story".

I feel like more often than not it's black people telling me about racism than me actually seeing racism in real life. One of my close black friends recently said to me "I think I didn't get the job because I'm black." umm pretty sure he was the only one thinking about the color of his skin in the interview.

spoken as a white person who really has no fucking clue

They might not have a clue. But I can say as another white person that I've been personally accused of being racist based on African American person's assumptions about me and not because of anything I'd said or done (or ever even thought, honestly). Racism exists and is real and does hold perfectly capable people back (plus, and not having experienced it myself, I'd guess it's irritating, too, per
OP's story). But you cannot pretend to read people's thoughts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I actually think we need more of these threads. Apparently people won't say these things in real life for fear of being called racism. Openness is what will stop all of this for future generations.

How, exactly? My grandparents had about the regular level of racism for white people their age, and their gift to my parents and us was by not using racist words or terms or ever discussing any lingering racist beliefs they'd had (as they aged, they became more open minded). You can't learn what you aren't exposed to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

IME, all races get the benefit of having ethnicities EXCEPT for black people. It's very easy for folks to understand Italian/Irish/German/Scottish/Swedish etc and recognize that they are different ethnicities of white people, but when you get to black people and AA/Nigerian/South African/Kenyan/etc, folks are scratching their heads. Amazing.

Actually, you're wrong. Those aren't different ethinicities of white people, they're different nationalities. Nationality is one's country of origin, ethnicity refers to racial ancestry. They all share common racial ancestry, assuming you are talking about white Germans, Swedes, etc. That's not necessarily an accurate assumption, though. There are also Finns who are Indigineous peoples, the Sami. Not White European Finns. Finnish Nationality, Sami Ethnicity.

My apologies; I used the wrong term. I meant nationality, but my argument still stands.

No it doesn't. If you replace ethnicity in the sentence with nationality you get:
IME, all races get the benefit of having nationalities EXCEPT for black people. It's very easy for folks to understand Italian/Irish/German/Scottish/Swedish etc and recognize that they are different nationalities of white people, but when you get to black people and AA/Nigerian/South African/Kenyan/etc, folks are scratching their heads. Amazing.



That makes no sense. By your argument, you stated that AA is a term for blacks brought from Africa to the Americas as slaves. Only US blacks identify as AA--Brazilian blacks don't, and there are 4 million there--far more than were ever brough to the US (100 times more). AAs have a nationality--American;.

SOrry, what was your point again?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Holy, fuck. Can we simply stop these damn threads. Everyone wants to play the victim. I am a victim because I am a poor black. I am a victim because I am a rich black assumed to have been a poor black. I am a victim because I was a poor white assumed to have privileged I never had. I am victim because I am a rich white and have to pay for everyone else. I am a victim because I am an asian and everyone expects me to have superior intelligence....Where the hell does it stop. As a young child I understood that racism is wrong. However, all this victimization is just about to push me somewhere I don't want to go.

Best post on this thread so far. If everyone would just put their heads down, do the best they can, and quit wasting energy on pinpointing some imagined disadvantage we'd all be happier and better off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Holy, fuck. Can we simply stop these damn threads. Everyone wants to play the victim. I am a victim because I am a poor black. I am a victim because I am a rich black assumed to have been a poor black. I am a victim because I was a poor white assumed to have privileged I never had. I am victim because I am a rich white and have to pay for everyone else. I am a victim because I am an asian and everyone expects me to have superior intelligence....Where the hell does it stop. As a young child I understood that racism is wrong. However, all this victimization is just about to push me somewhere I don't want to go.


My problem with people like you is that you discount people by calling them victims. Progress can not be made when you have such a disdain for the struggles of others.

People like me? I am a fucking white person who grew up in abject poverty in an abusive home and I managed to claw my way out of the gutter. I don't claim victimhood. I am a survivor and yet every fucking day I have to hear about my goddamn privilege from people who don't have a damn clue about what it means to go to bed hungry or wear shoes with holes or have no winter coat. So yeah, I am getting pretty fed up with middle and upper class blacks claiming vicim hood. Get a fucking grip. Most people have struggles in life. I was never a racists until I started frequenting this board had had to hear about my privilege over and over and over again. People need to get a clue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Holy, fuck. Can we simply stop these damn threads. Everyone wants to play the victim. I am a victim because I am a poor black. I am a victim because I am a rich black assumed to have been a poor black. I am a victim because I was a poor white assumed to have privileged I never had. I am victim because I am a rich white and have to pay for everyone else. I am a victim because I am an asian and everyone expects me to have superior intelligence....Where the hell does it stop. As a young child I understood that racism is wrong. However, all this victimization is just about to push me somewhere I don't want to go.


My problem with people like you is that you discount people by calling them victims. Progress can not be made when you have such a disdain for the struggles of others.

People like me? I am a fucking white person who grew up in abject poverty in an abusive home and I managed to claw my way out of the gutter. I don't claim victimhood. I am a survivor and yet every fucking day I have to hear about my goddamn privilege from people who don't have a damn clue about what it means to go to bed hungry or wear shoes with holes or have no winter coat. So yeah, I am getting pretty fed up with middle and upper class blacks claiming vicim hood. Get a fucking grip. Most people have struggles in life. I was never a racists until I started frequenting this board had had to hear about my privilege over and over and over again. People need to get a clue.

Church!! I feel that way too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
IME, all races get the benefit of having ethnicities EXCEPT for black people. It's very easy for folks to understand Italian/Irish/German/Scottish/Swedish etc and recognize that they are different ethnicities of white people, but when you get to black people and AA/Nigerian/South African/Kenyan/etc, folks are scratching their heads. Amazing.

Actually, you're wrong. Those aren't different ethinicities of white people, they're different nationalities. Nationality is one's country of origin, ethnicity refers to racial ancestry. They all share common racial ancestry, assuming you are talking about white Germans, Swedes, etc. That's not necessarily an accurate assumption, though. There are also Finns who are Indigineous peoples, the Sami. Not White European Finns. Finnish Nationality, Sami Ethnicity.

My apologies; I used the wrong term. I meant nationality, but my argument still stands.

No it doesn't. If you replace ethnicity in the sentence with nationality you get:
IME, all races get the benefit of having nationalities EXCEPT for black people. It's very easy for folks to understand Italian/Irish/German/Scottish/Swedish etc and recognize that they are different nationalities of white people, but when you get to black people and AA/Nigerian/South African/Kenyan/etc, folks are scratching their heads. Amazing.

That makes no sense. By your argument, you stated that AA is a term for blacks brought from Africa to the Americas as slaves. Only US blacks identify as AA--Brazilian blacks don't, and there are 4 million there--far more than were ever brough to the US (100 times more). AAs have a nationality--American;.

SOrry, what was your point again?

How do you know how other blacks identify themselves? Some island folks (Trinidadian, Jamaican, Brazilian, etc) choose to use the designation; some don't. It's absolutely their choice. Either way is okay with them, but that DOES NOT hold true for those who are born in Africa and who later came to the US. It's about your origins *in Africa*, not elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:White person here I have seriously never asked anyone "their story".

I feel like more often than not it's black people telling me about racism than me actually seeing racism in real life. One of my close black friends recently said to me "I think I didn't get the job because I'm black." umm pretty sure he was the only one thinking about the color of his skin in the interview.

spoken as a white person who really has no fucking clue

You should see some of our affirmative action hires

yeah, in my agency those hires are white women and then the diversity office checks the affirmative action report as 100% complete.

This is bs. Unless you work in an engineering firm or something, in this area there are far more women than men candidates

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Holy, fuck. Can we simply stop these damn threads. Everyone wants to play the victim. I am a victim because I am a poor black. I am a victim because I am a rich black assumed to have been a poor black. I am a victim because I was a poor white assumed to have privileged I never had. I am victim because I am a rich white and have to pay for everyone else. I am a victim because I am an asian and everyone expects me to have superior intelligence....Where the hell does it stop. As a young child I understood that racism is wrong. However, all this victimization is just about to push me somewhere I don't want to go.

Best post on this thread so far. If everyone would just put their heads down, do the best they can, and quit wasting energy on pinpointing some imagined disadvantage we'd all be happier and better off.

Amazing. In your criticism of those passing judgement, you've managed to do the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Holy, fuck. Can we simply stop these damn threads. Everyone wants to play the victim. I am a victim because I am a poor black. I am a victim because I am a rich black assumed to have been a poor black. I am a victim because I was a poor white assumed to have privileged I never had. I am victim because I am a rich white and have to pay for everyone else. I am a victim because I am an asian and everyone expects me to have superior intelligence....Where the hell does it stop. As a young child I understood that racism is wrong. However, all this victimization is just about to push me somewhere I don't want to go.


My problem with people like you is that you discount people by calling them victims. Progress can not be made when you have such a disdain for the struggles of others.

People like me? I am a fucking white person who grew up in abject poverty in an abusive home and I managed to claw my way out of the gutter. I don't claim victimhood. I am a survivor and yet every fucking day I have to hear about my goddamn privilege from people who don't have a damn clue about what it means to go to bed hungry or wear shoes with holes or have no winter coat. So yeah, I am getting pretty fed up with middle and upper class blacks claiming vicim hood. Get a fucking grip. Most people have struggles in life. I was never a racists until I started frequenting this board had had to hear about my privilege over and over and over again. People need to get a clue.

You're confusing class with race. While I don't discount your experiences, that DOES NOT negate the reality that you *do*, in fact, have white privilege. It's not just about growing up with money. It's about how you move throughout society and how society sees you. I suggest you read up on what "white privilege" means because you are misinformed.

And if DCUM made you a racist (a board primarily comprised of white people), you didn't have very far to go in your journey to get there on your own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would just ask White people to consider one point. I will say in advance that I am not trying to stir the pot - just being honest. I am upper middle class AA. My parents were college educated middle class. My grandparents were college educated middle class on one side and prominent farmers on the other. Both my parents and grandparents lived that majority of their lives in the segregated South.

Many AA's (and certainly our parents and grandparents) have experienced racism firsthand regardeless of SES. Whites used our color and the various labels as tools of discrminination to deny equal treatment and equal opportunity. AA's, as a method of survival, internalized these labels.

Sure, some people lean on racism as a crutch. But many of us, rich or poor, HAVE experienced racism at some level and from some places we could not expect. Whites now think we overreact and sometimes we do, but sometimes it IS about race.

My point is that you cannot use color and labels against a people for generations and then expect that people to disregard all of that because the world has changed somewhat.

I do agree with a PP that SES is going to be the next big -ism issue.

Likewise, not all white people have had privileged backgrounds, and some of them have in fact lost out on college or job opportunities because an affirmative action candidate who was objectively less qualified hot the spot. All of these things can be true. I have seen African-American friends and colleagues discriminated against in my view based on their ethnicity. I myself was explicitly told while working at a law firm that I was the top choice for partnership in our department, but I should realize the firm would probably make their second choice partner because he was African American. He is a good lawyer, and we are friends. As associated, though, we had shared our reviews with each other, and, objectively speaking, my reviews were consistently stronger. Luckily, I left the firm for a better position, but it was a frustrating situation. He felt terrible, and some partners at the firm still, completely inappropriately, blame him for my departure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Holy, fuck. Can we simply stop these damn threads. Everyone wants to play the victim. I am a victim because I am a poor black. I am a victim because I am a rich black assumed to have been a poor black. I am a victim because I was a poor white assumed to have privileged I never had. I am victim because I am a rich white and have to pay for everyone else. I am a victim because I am an asian and everyone expects me to have superior intelligence....Where the hell does it stop. As a young child I understood that racism is wrong. However, all this victimization is just about to push me somewhere I don't want to go.

Best post on this thread so far. If everyone would just put their heads down, do the best they can, and quit wasting energy on pinpointing some imagined disadvantage we'd all be happier and better off.

Amazing. In your criticism of those passing judgement, you've managed to do the same.

Feel free to continue shouldering that chip but realize that it's off-putting and making life harder than it has to be.