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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]

Thank you.  I'm not sure I buy all that (it's a very broad brush with which to paint an entire race, many of whon did not go to private achool or come from wealthy families), but taking it at face value, [b]the PP before me suggests that white people "just don't want to share the benefit and lessen it for yourself and your future generations"[/b] - what should be done about it?  What should I share?  [/quote]Oh I know. Not everyone has wealthy grandparents - but I will say that on one side of the family, the folks who came over from England were not rich by any means but, being white, they were able to get education and work and my grandfather, who was orphaned at a young age still was able to work  his way to the top of his company.  And for decades among working class folks, jobs were also open to whites that were not open to blacks, so that they had the potential of providing a better life for future generations. That that may not have happened I think says more about how the economy has changed over the years so that working class jobs less and less often provide access to the middle class.

As far as what that person said, I don't think it's that white people consciously don't want to share the benefits.  I think it's because we don't realize the great benefits we've received historically from being white and we think that, everything's fine now, anyone who can't make it is just being lazy.  But, yeah, you can't really respond to an accusation like that constructively.  That person is mad, I don't blame her/him, but that kind of accusation leaves you not really knowing what to do.  I don't know that I know what to do other than try to be aware, realize that it's still a great advantage to be white in the United States (although I will insist that the US is ahead of many other countries when it comes to race relations), and try to examine my own perceptions - and give back to the community through volunteering. But the thing you have to realize is that even as you do this you will piss someone off  - they might be right to be pissed off or they might be reacting to some phantom story in their head and you won't always know which it is and whether you're in the right.  I used to obsess about whether I was right or not but I eventually realized that this just goes with the territory.  Our country is still  hurting from the damage of the past and I think it's gonna be this way for a good while longer.[/quote]

Very thoughtful response.  Thank you again.  [/quote]

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