5 ms·

The point of the statement is explaining that only a white American male, raised in privilege and cosseted in the belief that nothing really bad ever happens to

by evgen 10y ago

The point of the statement is explaining that only a white American male, raised in privilege and cosseted in the belief that nothing really bad ever happens to people like him, would be so oblivious as to the potential consequences of such an action. It is not that others would have been treated better or worse, but others would have been acutely aware of the dangers of such a risky action in the same way they were constantly made aware of the dangers of being not white or not male and taking such risky actions as speaking out or standing up for their rights in 1960s America. Sometime privilege is not just in the outcome of your actions, but the range of consequences you can possibly imagine as a result of an action. Privilege is what led him to conclude that his plan was not suicidally stupid.

libeclipse 10y ago
> only a white American male, raised in privilege and cosseted in the belief that nothing really bad ever happens to people like him, would be so oblivious as to the potential consequences of such an action > Privilege is what led him to conclude that his plan was not suicidally stupid I disagree with this completely. I think you're giving too much importance to something quite insignificant here, his race and background. What's with this profiling? "White male makes stupid decision, it's because of privilege." This needs to stop. Disclaimer: I myself am not white, but I can see the unfairness of this bullshit association.
- coldtea 10y ago
  >I think you're giving too much importance to something quite insignificant here, his race and background. It's not insignificant. People from non-privileged backgrounds know that things can happen to them if they cross some lines. If it was a black man in the 60's (same era as Mott) he would know that he could be beaten up for just going to the wrong restaurant, or sitting at the wrong side of the bus, in his own home country. Which means he would for that reason alone think thrice about crossing an international border of a cold war enemy illegally...
  - hueving 10y ago
    >It's not insignificant. People from non-privileged backgrounds know that things can happen to them if they cross some lines. So do most "privileged people". The propensity to ignore borders has a lot more to do with your views of the countries and international politics than it has to do with privilege.
- fidget 10y ago
  >I think you're giving too much importance to something quite insignificant here, his race and background. How about his entire socialisation?
G62hAanr 10y ago
Is this privilege story a U.S. thing? Where I live (in Europe), white men are frustrated, work hard and pay for the spouse after the divorce. It sounds like every white male in the U.S. lives like a Saudi prince.
- douche 10y ago
  There are people who are very invested in pushing that narrative, but it's a complete fiction for all but the richest 1% of US white men. The reality is no different than you describe.
  - ams6110 10y ago
    And in those cases it's much more about the "richest 1%" than "white men"
- varjag 10y ago
  The undertone of this (hopefully unintended) is that non-whites don't have to work hard or pay alimony. Atop of being non-white with all inconvenience it involves, that is.
  - G62hAanr_ 10y ago
    Against the rules I'm creating a second throwaway, but I felt the need to clarify that the undertone was not intended. Non-whites (mostly immigrants where I live) absolutely work hard and pay alimony, but getting into the social structures of their families (where male privileges do exist) would probably lead to a heated discussion.
    - varjag 10y ago
      Gender rights is a bit of a different topic, but I can point out that what you call "male privilege" is common still throughout most of (near exclusively white) Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. So let's not mix that with skin color: it is a cultural problem first and foremost, and yes, it's pandemic throughout the world. As to the white privilege in Europe, it definitely exists. People change their names to "native sounding" just to land the job interviews; you never hear a slur on the street for being white. At the same time, in the better part of Europe this issue is acknowledged and there's an effort to counter it, mainly throughout education. Expecting it to disappear completely is unrealistic, but I'd say Europe is doing an honest effort.

by evgen 10y ago

libeclipse 10y ago

> only a white American male, raised in privilege and cosseted in the belief that nothing really bad ever happens to people like him, would be so oblivious as to the potential consequences of such an action > Privilege is what led him to conclude that his plan was not suicidally stupid I disagree with this completely. I think you're giving too much importance to something quite insignificant here, his race and background. What's with this profiling? "White male makes stupid decision, it's because of privilege." This needs to stop. Disclaimer: I myself am not white, but I can see the unfairness of this bullshit association.

coldtea 10y ago
>I think you're giving too much importance to something quite insignificant here, his race and background. It's not insignificant. People from non-privileged backgrounds know that things can happen to them if they cross some lines. If it was a black man in the 60's (same era as Mott) he would know that he could be beaten up for just going to the wrong restaurant, or sitting at the wrong side of the bus, in his own home country. Which means he would for that reason alone think thrice about crossing an international border of a cold war enemy illegally...
- hueving 10y ago
  >It's not insignificant. People from non-privileged backgrounds know that things can happen to them if they cross some lines. So do most "privileged people". The propensity to ignore borders has a lot more to do with your views of the countries and international politics than it has to do with privilege.
fidget 10y ago
>I think you're giving too much importance to something quite insignificant here, his race and background. How about his entire socialisation?

G62hAanr 10y ago

Is this privilege story a U.S. thing? Where I live (in Europe), white men are frustrated, work hard and pay for the spouse after the divorce. It sounds like every white male in the U.S. lives like a Saudi prince.

douche 10y ago
There are people who are very invested in pushing that narrative, but it's a complete fiction for all but the richest 1% of US white men. The reality is no different than you describe.
- ams6110 10y ago
  And in those cases it's much more about the "richest 1%" than "white men"
varjag 10y ago
The undertone of this (hopefully unintended) is that non-whites don't have to work hard or pay alimony. Atop of being non-white with all inconvenience it involves, that is.
- G62hAanr_ 10y ago
  Against the rules I'm creating a second throwaway, but I felt the need to clarify that the undertone was not intended. Non-whites (mostly immigrants where I live) absolutely work hard and pay alimony, but getting into the social structures of their families (where male privileges do exist) would probably lead to a heated discussion.
  - varjag 10y ago
    Gender rights is a bit of a different topic, but I can point out that what you call "male privilege" is common still throughout most of (near exclusively white) Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. So let's not mix that with skin color: it is a cultural problem first and foremost, and yes, it's pandemic throughout the world. As to the white privilege in Europe, it definitely exists. People change their names to "native sounding" just to land the job interviews; you never hear a slur on the street for being white. At the same time, in the better part of Europe this issue is acknowledged and there's an effort to counter it, mainly throughout education. Expecting it to disappear completely is unrealistic, but I'd say Europe is doing an honest effort.