tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345952629145379909.comments2019-07-11T21:50:14.161-07:00Whitewashed USAWhitewashed USAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430279687966184647noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345952629145379909.post-68181688943517941662015-07-20T12:20:19.173-07:002015-07-20T12:20:19.173-07:00Thanks for the comment, I think we need more peopl...Thanks for the comment, I think we need more people like you on all sides of the issue who can step back and take a breath before we respond to something that might offend. Race has been and is such a divisive thing in this country we all need to educate each other about the problems, and give each other a nudge in the right direction when the opportunity comes up.Whitewashed USAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00430279687966184647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345952629145379909.post-79903341544148082862015-07-20T11:34:19.053-07:002015-07-20T11:34:19.053-07:00I'm black and if someone asked me if I was dri...I'm black and if someone asked me if I was drinking a watermelon smoothie I would just assume that it was because it was the color of watermelon or smelled that way. <br /><br />I've been asked all kinds of silly questions concerning my ethnicity and race but I like to make it a teaching moment. But I have encountered some real grade-A assholes.<br /><br />I know everyone's experience in life can be difficult and maybe a past experience made her edgy in that moment.<br /><br />I love that you've written this article, I think when we interact with each other critical thinking can be a real asset.<br /><br />How on earth would this article be offensive, it's very insightful.<br /><br /><3Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345952629145379909.post-2939723313444267692015-04-28T17:43:34.207-07:002015-04-28T17:43:34.207-07:00Thanks for posting Anonymous person, the thing wit...Thanks for posting Anonymous person, the thing with priviledge that is hard to understand is that it's not just a white thing, every single one of us has some advantage in different circumstances, this article focuses on white priviledge, but the general idea is that we all identify ourselves in multiple ways - by gender, religion, race, age, etc. and we are all of these things at once. if any one of those things aligns with the majority group in charge, then you will have some advantage that you did not earn, take age for instance, if you are 14 years old and decide to go see a PG-13 action movie with a friend who is only 10, you will naturally have an advantage at the theater to get in and see the movie. Not because of anything you did, just because you were born 4 years sooner. This would be age privilege. Our society happens to be majority white, male, Christian, straight, etc. so if you call yourself any of those things you have an advantage in that way. Oh, and I speak just for me, and i'm right, but that's beside the point.Whitewashed USAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00430279687966184647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345952629145379909.post-51219184595951392332015-03-02T20:03:14.821-08:002015-03-02T20:03:14.821-08:00I would just like to say, that of all those statem...I would just like to say, that of all those statements on your list, I maybe be able to do 1 or 2 things as White person. The rest is out the door. I live in a heavily populated minority community; my college is over 75 %minority and growing. I have never had the so called "white privilege" in my entire life. The list itself would be considered racist against the white population. You(the writer) when referencing this list; are speaking on behalf of an entire race;which I do not agree with. Your article dose not align with current statistics, I would be interested to see how you will debate these.<br /><br />Interesting theory. ...<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345952629145379909.post-69511418991375147652015-02-24T14:21:30.777-08:002015-02-24T14:21:30.777-08:00For the last part, you are right, culture change a...For the last part, you are right, culture change and fixing this is a massive undertaking that will need work on all sides. Luckily the work we need to do is all on our side of that fence, we just need to really identify our personal bias, and then push for changes in our society that remove some of the road blocks for minorities and invite everyone into a stronger, more diverse middle class.Whitewashed USAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00430279687966184647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345952629145379909.post-43992107107333619082015-02-24T14:07:44.560-08:002015-02-24T14:07:44.560-08:00I need to be blunt about the second part, color bl...I need to be blunt about the second part, color blind sounds like a great idea, but the unintended consequences have been really bad. The trouble is that a long time ago people invented this thing based on skin color and called it "race". Then in this country they used it to cause a lot of damage to families, cultures, and people for hundreds of years. Thomas Jefferson once said that "we cannot free the slaves, because white people have committed too many crimes, and black people have too good of a memory". The damage was so bad, that even after slavery stopped, it caused ripples for generations that are still going. This includes a lot of the problems you see in black communities like poverty, lack of education, and unstable families that were created in slavery and then reinforced by laws and social rules in every generation since then. When someone is being punched, you can't just stop punching and say we're even now, you have to provide some medical care and healing before you can move on as equals. That community was badly broken. That's not your fault or mine, but collectively as a country we are all still paying for not fixing the damage. Once that damage is fixed, color blind might be a good option, but right now it feels like we are saying "I don't see your color, your history or your injuries, we're even now". That's why you will see most black people cringe every time they hear that phrase. I'm telling you this as a friend, because I wouldn't want you to offend someone without knowing what happened. Whitewashed USAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00430279687966184647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345952629145379909.post-17519773387320560722015-02-24T13:14:03.161-08:002015-02-24T13:14:03.161-08:00Thanks Tonia, you bring up several really good dis...Thanks Tonia, you bring up several really good discussion points, I Should probably tackle each one in a separate reply so they don't get jumbled. Now about racial quotas - Like the article above talks about, we as humans tend to gravitate towards other humans that look and act like us. This has some real down sides for businesses, because if all your employees come from similar backgrounds, your products and services will naturally be designed for other people who look and act the same. Companies all over the country are scrambling right now to put in diversity hiring programs because study after study has shown that the more differences you can get in your employees, the wider variety of customers you can attract and the better your products are because they are more rounded and better thought out from different directions. This is the same for schools, in the last decade the supreme court ended the busing programs that forced us to integrate in the 1960's. In the last few years our schools have been naturally segregating again at an alarming rate, the result of this is that it's easier for our kids to choose to only associate with their own race for comfort reasons, that's puts our kids at a disadvantage in the world the same way choosing to not take any English or math classes for comfort reasons. The outcome is kids who are only comfortable around their own culture and are socially not equipped to work in those diverse companies, and interact in diverse social groups where they can learn the most and be better people. Another way to look at racial quotas is that if you have 10 jobs, and you say 2 of them have to go to a person from a minority group, you are really saying "we are setting aside 8 out of every 10 jobs for white people" that still seems unfair, but not for us. Once people get more comfortable with diversity and change, quotas won't be needed, because employees would naturally be a big mix of cultures to match our society. We're just not quite there yet.Whitewashed USAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00430279687966184647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345952629145379909.post-64316775892870030252015-02-23T09:11:34.395-08:002015-02-23T09:11:34.395-08:00How do you feel about "racial quotas" at...How do you feel about "racial quotas" at jobs and schools and the like? For example, say a company is striving to reach a certain percentage of minority employees. How do you feel about a highly qualified "white" person being turned away because the company has not yet met their quota of minorities? <br />My children attend a school that is very racially diverse. At the beginning of the 2013-14 school year, their student body was made up of 56% minorities. That number is slightly smaller this year I think, but I couldn't find the exact number. I'm raising my children to see people and not skin colors. We try to teach our children to be "color blind." Do you see the coming generations becoming more tolerant of skin color? Do you think this is a problem that will lessen in time? Obviously, I whole-heartedly agree that we need to set good examples for our children and those with whom we associate.<br />I think one of the things that society needs to do is figure out how to get rid of the "ghettos". Those children live as they have learned. Some are not taking the opportunities to further their education and get themselves out. It's a vicious cycle. I think the whole welfare system and prison system need to be reformed in order for things to really and truly change.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01145341960719840183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345952629145379909.post-4483830534227135372013-11-18T06:03:25.150-08:002013-11-18T06:03:25.150-08:00Well said, Joel. And I hate to be the first to di...Well said, Joel. And I hate to be the first to disappoint you, but I wasn't offended. ;)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07895550454446806357noreply@blogger.com