4 ms·

> We (in the US) live in a culture of white supremacy What does this mean? I was born in and grew up in the US and I have no idea what you're talking about. I'

by b6 8y ago

> We (in the US) live in a culture of white supremacy What does this mean? I was born in and grew up in the US and I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm guessing Obama being president does not throw even some slight wrench into this notion?

mayniac 8y ago
>What does this mean? I was born in and grew up in the US and I have no idea what you're talking about That basically proves his point. If you haven't noticed any discrimination then you're likely in a position of supremacy, whether or not you want to be. Talk to minorities, especially in impoverished neighbourhoods, and ask them how they feel about the police. Most of them will have likely felt discrimination at some point. And that's just the quantifiable stuff, there's far more under the surface that makes minorities feel very, very persecuted. There was a good read on HN about this a few weeks ago [1] which I fully recommend reading, it's eye opening. >I'm guessing Obama being president does not throw even some slight wrench into this notion? Well if Obama threw a wrench in, Trump took it back out. And as much as I admire Obama, after the initial high of America finally having a black president wore off after the first year of his first term, not much happened. Dealing with decades, if not centuries, of institutionalised racism in the US is not an easy task, especially when you have to answer to congress/senate and try and appease Republicans who more often than not stood in the way of Obama's goals.....well you can see why he may not have been the end of discrimination. Interracial marriage only became acceptable to a majority of the population in the late 90s, there's still a massive amount of progress that needs to be made. White supremacy in this context does just mean "whites have an advantage" by the way. Nobody is accusing all white people of being white supremacists. I personally hate the term "all whites are racist" or whatever people say nowadays, it has the same intention but is hugely misleading. [1] https://lithub.com/walking-while-black/ https://lithub.com/walking-while-black/ edit: should've had more coffee this morning. Privilege would be a much better word than supremacy in this context.
- ehvatum 8y ago
  It's interesting to consider the result of anti-white stigma in South Africa, a once prosperous nation, and Zimbabwe before it. Why is Botswana quietly and miraculously successful, while nations so deeply steeped in racial group identity politics, possessing the finest farmland in the world, starve?

by b6 8y ago

mayniac 8y ago

>What does this mean? I was born in and grew up in the US and I have no idea what you're talking about That basically proves his point. If you haven't noticed any discrimination then you're likely in a position of supremacy, whether or not you want to be. Talk to minorities, especially in impoverished neighbourhoods, and ask them how they feel about the police. Most of them will have likely felt discrimination at some point. And that's just the quantifiable stuff, there's far more under the surface that makes minorities feel very, very persecuted. There was a good read on HN about this a few weeks ago [1] which I fully recommend reading, it's eye opening. >I'm guessing Obama being president does not throw even some slight wrench into this notion? Well if Obama threw a wrench in, Trump took it back out. And as much as I admire Obama, after the initial high of America finally having a black president wore off after the first year of his first term, not much happened. Dealing with decades, if not centuries, of institutionalised racism in the US is not an easy task, especially when you have to answer to congress/senate and try and appease Republicans who more often than not stood in the way of Obama's goals.....well you can see why he may not have been the end of discrimination. Interracial marriage only became acceptable to a majority of the population in the late 90s, there's still a massive amount of progress that needs to be made. White supremacy in this context does just mean "whites have an advantage" by the way. Nobody is accusing all white people of being white supremacists. I personally hate the term "all whites are racist" or whatever people say nowadays, it has the same intention but is hugely misleading. [1] https://lithub.com/walking-while-black/ https://lithub.com/walking-while-black/ edit: should've had more coffee this morning. Privilege would be a much better word than supremacy in this context.

ehvatum 8y ago
It's interesting to consider the result of anti-white stigma in South Africa, a once prosperous nation, and Zimbabwe before it. Why is Botswana quietly and miraculously successful, while nations so deeply steeped in racial group identity politics, possessing the finest farmland in the world, starve?