tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4516524448870006829.post2052887550943893130..comments2023-10-17T08:04:08.714-04:00Comments on The Examined Life: The Problem with White GuiltAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04614116686638969278noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4516524448870006829.post-26723197274694141852012-04-11T21:23:36.938-04:002012-04-11T21:23:36.938-04:00Not sure I deserve an opinion, but here it is, gre...Not sure I deserve an opinion, but here it is, great post!Ken Richeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09425810816600512504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4516524448870006829.post-52081756232852910492012-04-11T18:01:35.464-04:002012-04-11T18:01:35.464-04:00The problem with Mike Judge and his ilk is that th...The problem with Mike Judge and his ilk is that they imagine black on white crime (which is far less frequent than Eyewitness News would leave us to believe) is somehow racially motivated. Therefore they tally up all such instances and line them up against instances of white on black racism and say "See, we're even." Getting mugged sucks, certainly, but any mugger will tell you his motivations had nothing to do with race. A crime perpetrated by a black person against a white person for a real or perceived gain is equivalent to a white person committing a crime against a white person for a real or perceived gain. It is not equivalent to a white person perpetrating a hate crime against a black person merely because they are black, and solely to inflict harm. These false equivalencies have got to go.<br />The other problem is that white privilege is invisible to white people, to us it's just normal. Of course we don't get followed around in a store, for example, or have to warn our kids about being extra respectful to police officers who pull them over for no reason at all. (because white kids don't get pulled over for no reason at all.) Just because you can't see your privilege, fellow white people, doesn't mean it's not there. Does that make you a racist? No. But you can at least acknowledge that you benefit from being part of the predominant power-wielding class.<br />The white whiners who complain about how easy the system makes it for poor black people make me laugh. Not a one of them would take a pill to wake up black tomorrow, not for a million dollars, much less a low-income housing voucher and Medicaid. And yet when I posed this question to the black men I was in prison with, a lot of them said they'd be very curious to know what it was like to be white, even poor. Mmhh. If being black is so much easier, why is that?Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17173711110500689117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4516524448870006829.post-89428459809589289622012-04-11T17:26:37.159-04:002012-04-11T17:26:37.159-04:00Sheria,
You said a mouthful, and every word of it ...Sheria,<br />You said a mouthful, and every word of it ran incredibly true. I am a 62-year-old white woman recently retired as of this past February. I worked for the VA Medical Center for almost 20 years. We were for the most part successfully integrated, working with blacks, whites, hispanics, asian, straight, gay... you name it. I learned a lot about people in those years. Now that I'm retired, I have more time to pay attention to all the bullshit that goes on in America on a daily basis. I'm reminded about many things I forgot while working at the VA. Don't even get me started on the current political enviroment. It's all very disturbing. The people who keep hope alive in me are some of the brilliant people whose blogs I follow (Tom Degnan in particular who led me to read your piece). I have to remember that there are those of us out there who want a better, more just world. Otherwise, now that I'm 62 and tired, I would lose all hope. <br /><br />I was very relieved to see that nosey idiot George Zimmerman who murdered Trayvon Martin was indicted for that murder today. I think decent people will be watching this case closely, to make sure his charges don't get watered down. I hope they are fair enough to charge him with 1st degree murder.<br />God Bless,<br />Sally SindenSalnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4516524448870006829.post-8547225541709143272012-04-10T14:12:09.899-04:002012-04-10T14:12:09.899-04:00Great post, Sheria. Can't argue with a word o...Great post, Sheria. Can't argue with a word of it.Lisa :-]https://www.blogger.com/profile/02237889098638895390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4516524448870006829.post-45100819797762647602012-04-10T06:12:10.080-04:002012-04-10T06:12:10.080-04:00Good one, Sheria. And on another related topic:
h...Good one, Sheria. And on another related topic:<br /><br />http://tomdegan.blogspot.com/2012/04/21st-centurys-emmit-till.html <br /><br />All the best,<br /><br />Tom DeganTom Deganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17911175264811957550noreply@blogger.com