4 ms·

It’s time to stop guilt tripping white people

6 points by jp_sc 11y ago

smt88 11y ago
This is attacking a straw man. People aren't trying to guilt-trip white people, although guilt is a negative, unintended side-effect of the real effort. The real effort is for white people to understand their privilege. The article addresses this: > not all white people are majestically privileged This is simply untrue. There were explicitly, literally racist federal housing policies until only a few decades ago. Law enforcement is still racist. For example, more black people are arrested for drug use than white people, even though all races use drugs at roughly the same rate. The degree to which white people are privileged varies a lot, and some white people are genuinely not benefiting at all from their privilege. Society should do something about that. Solutions for black people should serve people of all races. White people shouldn't be guilt tripped, but they shouldn't argue that they don't have automatic advantages from being white, either.
- 13thLetter 11y ago
  What do you think you're gaining by walking up to a white homeless man freezing on the street and explaining to him how much better his life is because of his "privilege"? If you think that was an unfair summary, well, a) it was, and b) it also quite clearly explains why "privilege" is a losing argument if you're actually interested in increasing the amount of justice in this world. Privilege sounds automatically unfair and feels unfair and people's minds will slam shut. Do you really want to expand the reach of your ideas, as opposed to just virtue-signal to fellow activists? Then drop "privilege."
  - rewqfdsa 11y ago
    I agree. I'm a white guy who's gone through some very difficult stuff. When SJWs talk to me about my privilege, it just enrages me. Academic left discourse turned me from a middle-of-the-road guy to someone adamantly against the entire program of social justice.
richmarr 11y ago
This sounds awfully like #NotAllMen but for s/sexism/racism/
emjoes1 11y ago
Well this article nailed one thing "apathy". I just don't give a shit anymore. College burned me out with preaching about diversity and the media and SJW's are burning me out on hearing about this shit. As a white male that grew up poor and has paid for everything I own and struggled to finish an undergrad (which left me in debt), I do not feel privileged. I feel tired... and I'm only 34. So now I am a selfish bastard that only cares about the needs of my family.

6 points by jp_sc 11y ago

smt88 11y ago

This is attacking a straw man. People aren't trying to guilt-trip white people, although guilt is a negative, unintended side-effect of the real effort. The real effort is for white people to understand their privilege. The article addresses this: > not all white people are majestically privileged This is simply untrue. There were explicitly, literally racist federal housing policies until only a few decades ago. Law enforcement is still racist. For example, more black people are arrested for drug use than white people, even though all races use drugs at roughly the same rate. The degree to which white people are privileged varies a lot, and some white people are genuinely not benefiting at all from their privilege. Society should do something about that. Solutions for black people should serve people of all races. White people shouldn't be guilt tripped, but they shouldn't argue that they don't have automatic advantages from being white, either.

13thLetter 11y ago
What do you think you're gaining by walking up to a white homeless man freezing on the street and explaining to him how much better his life is because of his "privilege"? If you think that was an unfair summary, well, a) it was, and b) it also quite clearly explains why "privilege" is a losing argument if you're actually interested in increasing the amount of justice in this world. Privilege sounds automatically unfair and feels unfair and people's minds will slam shut. Do you really want to expand the reach of your ideas, as opposed to just virtue-signal to fellow activists? Then drop "privilege."
- rewqfdsa 11y ago
  I agree. I'm a white guy who's gone through some very difficult stuff. When SJWs talk to me about my privilege, it just enrages me. Academic left discourse turned me from a middle-of-the-road guy to someone adamantly against the entire program of social justice.

richmarr 11y ago

This sounds awfully like #NotAllMen but for s/sexism/racism/

emjoes1 11y ago

Well this article nailed one thing "apathy". I just don't give a shit anymore. College burned me out with preaching about diversity and the media and SJW's are burning me out on hearing about this shit. As a white male that grew up poor and has paid for everything I own and struggled to finish an undergrad (which left me in debt), I do not feel privileged. I feel tired... and I'm only 34. So now I am a selfish bastard that only cares about the needs of my family.