USARiseUp

This system is set up like this. I had to represent all minorities in my politics class. This show me racism rely too much with being privilege in order to make someone else seen as lower than anyone.

So far from what I have experienced, the most difficult part of getting people to talk about this issue is directly related to my ability to effectively respond to the initial comment. After moving down to Louisiana I have found myself hearing racist comments on what seems to be a daily basis. Initially I would get mad at these people but when I eventually realized that didn't work I shut down. I stopped commenting, but that just made me feel worse. Then I tried a new approach. I listened to what they had to say and then offered them question or criticisms about their thoughts. If I ever have the time to engage in a long conversation I prefer to have long **educated** conversations about why the person made the comment they did, but there isn't always the time and resources for that. So often I try to listen and then comment in a respectful manor that makes the person think about why the said what they did.

The resistance of many white people to this concept of privilege is a result of them feeling as though they are being told they don't deserve what they have. It is important in every response to make sure that the people on the defense know that they are not being told they don't deserve what they have, but instead that everyone deserves what they have.

When the Constitution was created by the founding fathers, they established that every person was created equal. I feel that slavery, industrial capitalism and patriarchy were inscribing forces that surrounded their discourse of freedom. To me this means what it means to be human meant white, propertied and male. This is why it is important to study white domination first to understand why white privilege occurs. This is why I believe that it is at of utmost importance to thoroughly dissect why ethnicity determines culture, and race determines social position. I feel that it is white people that need to take responsibility for races because they sort have invented the idea. It is funny to me that we have different months out of the year to praise race such as Black History Month. Why don’t we have a White History Month? Studying whiteness means studying institutional racism especially practices that create and recreate white privilege. I feel that when beginning to unfold what whiteness is, many whites enter a stage of white guilt. This involves denials and confessions of whites. White privilege being systemic and not personal, Leonardo’s approach helps to resist this stage. Silence about whiteness allows people continue to harbor prejudices and misconceptions of the history that influences the notion of white as the habitual.

I am sooo glad to see comments taken apart to see what they really mean and what their consequences are. I am saddened by the entire human race sometimes due our incredible injustices to each other -- we all have to live on this planet and because we are so selfish thinking there's not enough to go around - we hoard things and refuse to help our fellow man out. So sad!!

I am glad to see people speaking up about the white privilege - this was very eye opening to me when I first heard it and as I observed around me, I began to experience the racism. Before I got married and did not have a wedding ring, I would be followed around stores - I'm a hispanic female - now that my ring shows...that has stopped, as if getting married has this difference...? I could steal now too you know, I chose not to, but why even categorize me in the first place..?? it's actually easier for me to steal now that you're not watching me! HA! -- you get the point.

My husband, being of anglo descent, has no idea about this - he does not see it whatsoever - he feels people should just work hard and get what they want - we can all achieve...I have tried to talk to him about this, but he says it's socialism....he denies it....if I can't get my husband to see this -- how much harder is it to get others who have grown up this way?

I like the booklet - I will definitely show it to him.

I agree with this article in which privileged people tend to excuse themselves from the issue and take no responsibility. They don’t take responsibility because they don’t feel like they have individually contributed to racism in our society. In addition, I agree that ‘privileged people’ aren’t fully aware of the discrimination and inequalities that minorities have faced but ignoring their struggle doesn’t justify color blindness. It is naïve to think that everyone has the same universal experience that ‘privileged person’ may have experienced. By being aware of this unearned privilege, it allows you to consider a less narrow way of thinking and viewing the world. Also, avoiding color blindness doesn’t solve this current type of racism. Our whole isn’t perfect and hasn’t progressed as far as many would like to think it has, in regards to the issue equal rights. As I white female, I remember hearing racist comments when I was younger but never thought it had anything to do with me or my identity, but I understand now that I wasn’t as aware of the oppression and discrimination because it seemed like a “social norm”. I believe now that it is important to not only be aware of the inequality that takes place in the world but to be an advocate for change and break this notion that colorblindness is a social norm because ignoring or denying the privilege we were given unearned doesn’t resolve the decades of oppression and discrimination that have taken and are taking place, it simply abuses the power. Privileged people need to take off their blinders, realize the discrimination and inequality prevalent in our society, take responsibility and change societal norms.

Something I found interesting was at the beginning of the article it addressed simple privileges that white Americans have, such as finding a band aid to match skin color. That something so small, can actually be a big deal. When I was a little girl, I had a ridiculous number of dolls. All of my dolls were white. When we look at comic book heroes, Captain America, Superman, Batman, Spiderman, the most common heroes are all white. The article mentions that white privilege includes being able to assume that most of the people you or your children study in school will be the same race, and being able to go shopping without being followed. I went to school with a majority of white students, and in history classes we talked about white people except for one month out of the year. When I go shopping with a friend who isn’t white, doesn’t even matter what race they are, the majority of the time we are followed. Sometimes we seem to forget that there are privileges that come with being white. We forget that racism and inequality still exist. We say that racism and inequality are fading and then we turn a blind eye to the things that are happening every day because it is so much easier to just pretend it isn’t there, and that it doesn’t really happen. The responses that are listed in the article are all too common, but the one I most hate to hear is “I’m just one person, I can’t change anything.” History is full of examples of one person who stood up, one person who changed things. Every person who claims to be a Christian should be ashamed of that response because our whole faith is based on one person, who changed everything.

Too often we view privilege as a purely racial, ethnic or gender issue, where one status enables more privilege than its counterpart in the binary. Yet, after reading the article I think that the issue of privilege is much more complicated. Every individual has various types of privilege based on how well they assimilate and accommodate societal norms, thus the closer one is to a heterosexual white male in American society the more privilege one has. This hierarchy of privilege creates stratification even in already oppressed groups, such as the ostracizing of gay males in the African-American community, and transgender individuals in the gay community. The idea of taking advantage of the privileges one either acquires or is born with is so ingrained that even those who have relatively little privilege exercise that privilege over those who have even less. Therefore I think the only way to begin addressing this issue is to queer it by acknowledging that it is not a cut and dry issue of white individuals having more privilege than non-white ones, and exploring and deconstructing power abuses in the multidimensionality of this complicated problem. Only then can we begin to liberate society from the inequality of inborn privilege and aim for a fair and equitable starting point for all.

I will have to say that I am one of those people that does not believe that inequality is pervasive. But then again, I have also said some of those same things that were quoted. However, I think some of the points that were made might trivialize the point of the information that we were reading. I have never thought of band-aids as a unearned nature of privilege. I think we might be taking things to far if we think that was can really have an issue or problem, and that band-aids can even be involved in the conversation. I know that the point of the argument really was not meant to have attention focused on that aspect, but it made me wonder if maybe there really is not a problem. This might also be due to the fact that I do believe equality for the most part has been achieved. If we have moved into a color-blind society, logically, there cannot be anything like new racism. I just wonder at one point where we will stop creating new things to discuss, and when we will get down to the business of actually changing problems that might exist. Creating new terms just gives people more things to be angry about, where is the action that tells us how to proceed.

That last excuse, “I’m just one person! I can’t change anything!” strikes me as being the crux of the problem. Or it is at least the closest to the problem: “I can’t do anything about that, so it’s not my problem”. It’s just an excuse to not face a problem that makes us feel uncomfortable. Thing is that I have known several people (myself included) who had problems with depression. When you’re in the midst of a major spell, you often find yourself making excuses as to why you can’t take action or change your ways. You have to learn how recognize when you’re thinking like that to prevent your own mind deceiving you or it can be difficult to downright impossible to function on a day-to-day basis. Facing this new “color-blind” racial inequality works much the same way. You have to teach yourself how to recognize when you’re falling into that trap; learn to avoid rationalization; take time to really think and contemplate on issues.

I totally agree with her statements about how color blindness is affecting our society because many white people just think color people must have done something to cause discrimination towards them but that its wrong. I think people have to brake the silence and collaborate with others to solve this issue.

Today racism is manifesting itself in a different form: color blindness as mentioned here, where the ‘privileged’ population is trying to ignore the inequalities faced by minorities, just by pretending they are not there. One of the theories of racial attitudes that explain this attitude is: Social Dominance Theory. The people that are on top of the scale keep benefiting and therefore assume that the rest of society is having the same privileges. The reality is that someone who has been in the ‘privilege’ side of society would hardly be able to understand the inequalities that still exist in this country, for example not feeling related to your classmates since your color skin and culture is completely different, or as it was mentioned in the article not having to worry about going shopping without the concern of been stopped. The reality is that racism exist, it may be in a different form than years before but is still there. Our society needs to stop pretending that things have changed, because it has just transfer to a different form of racism, when society acknowledges this then, and only then is when change can start to happen.

What struck me most in this discussion was the idea of “color-blindness,” or treating people has humans without regard for race. This is an issue that I myself have considered before, and this discussion gave a name to it. I agree that it is a myth that discrimination no longer exists, just as I believe that race still exists and matters. Race is identity, and ignorance of it would be denying people of part of their own identity. And the problem with wanting to ignore race in favor of “the human race” is that biases always exist, whether intentional or not. The white experience isn’t necessarily the same as the black experience or the Hispanic experience. As stated in the discussion, “ people of privilege often do not realize the extent to which inequality is still pervasive. Looking at life from their own narrow experience, they fail to recognize that their own experience is not universal.” So when people talk about race no longer being significant and wishing to focus on a the human race as a whole, perception and bias of the individual will still affect their thinking. The expectation of the human race from the white perspective could then be affected by the bias of having lived a white experience. The human experience then becomes the human experience from the white perspective. So the question I ask is, how can we preserve and embrace race, culture, and identity while at the same time diminishing stereotypes, discrimination, and inequality?

There are definitely times when I have used or heard some of the excuses that Ferber and Samuels mention. Often we choose not to see the prejudice in front of us because that would mean admitting that parts of our "perfect" society would need to change. As a white female, it is easy to ignore the blessing that have been given to me. Because I have not personally faced discrimination, I tend to not notice it. I think one great way that everyone can start to recognize that discrimination still exists is by taking about it. I for one know that it is really hard for me to see what others are facing. However, if we talked more about how people were effected by their race or ethnicity, I think many people would be able to see the prejudice that still exists in the world today.

These responses are very similar to the ones that I have hear as well. The most important is this idea of being separate of history. It has felt as though when discussing the issue of privilege we tend to get lost in the idea that it remains along the same lines as racism. This is far from true. People have assumed that since they have not been involved, historically in their lives as well as a society, that they have no privilege. This goes along with colorblindness. Because we pretend or assume that race has nothing to do with privilege it does not mean that we are now in an age without racism, bigotry, and discrimination. I agree with the author of the article. It is very interesting seeing privilege alive aside from the blatant racism of the past (compared to the current racism we are facing today, covert). Privilege has to continue being critically analyzed in order to bring attention to covert discrimination. We must be ready to confront the resistance of those who deny that they have privilege.

A few years ago I was introduced to the term of one being racially 'color-blind' in a Sociology class. The professor first asked the simple question, "What do you think about racism in the United States? Has racial and ethnic equality been achieved?" Most students excused their belief as racism no long existing by the fact that they feel that society has ability to see someone as a human being, and that they feel racism has ceased because most people 'look past ones skin color and treat others all equally.' One problem with this concept, however, is that by 'looking past one's skin color' is denying them the acknowledgement of their culture. The ability to 'see one as a human being' seems to me as an animalistic way of thinking. Americans were thought to be over that hump after the 1960's Civil Rights Movement. It was then when we were maneuvering past a concept as simple as allowing our children drink from the same fountain with an African American child. It was then that seeing someone as a mere human being would have been more credible to deem as an accomplishment. Considering the achievements so many minorities have fought for through serious efforts, the modernity of the study of humanity and science as a whole, and the mutual and basic understanding of our core makeup in our existence on this planet, the ability to label one as a person just because they can walk and talk is nothing less than barbaric on an intellectual scale. Lastly and mostly, what is even more disconcerting is that most of white privilege Americans think that color-blindness proves acceptable against the issue of modern prejudice.

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I’m torn about the issue of being colorblind—not because I disagree that it avoids actually solving the issue of racism, but because I’ve gone most of my life being colorblind. I don’t really pay attention to people’s ethnicities or races in the sense that I don’t let it consciously affect my perception of them. Of course I notice the race/ethnicity, and I can’t deny that I must have some subconscious stereotypical and prejudicial thoughts towards them, but I would never actually act towards a person differently based on their ethnicity, in the sense that I wouldn’t treat them as anything less than a human being that deserves full respect and dignity and compassion. But me living that way isn’t enough: if I want the whole country and world to run on such principles of equal treatment (which I do), then I need to be an advocate, to actively encourage community leaders to set policies that forbid discrimination and implement equality. It’s nice to see people living out equality in their daily interactions, but as the article says, our interactions alone are not enough to combat institutional discrimination. As whites we have the privilege of treating others with equality and knowing we won’t be discriminated against in return, whereas minorities may live out equality towards others yet still experience discrimination, either by individuals or institutions. Because we are privileged, it is our responsibility to use that privilege to help those in need. If we don’t, we are taking the potential power of that privilege for granted, or worse, misusing it. Ignoring privilege doesn’t make it disappear: it just goes unnoticed, its potential for good unfulfilled. It’s time to put our colored lenses back on so we can see where discrimination is taking place (because we know it is) and speak out against it.

I highly agree with the various of points the article is making. I believe that there many individuals who don't realized white privilege. But if you take a closer insight on who gets the positive attention in the mall, they are always the white people. People from other races seemed to get follow around the store. White privilege doe exist in our nation and we can no longer denial it.

Many people believe that our world is equal, that everyone is treated fairly and there is no discrimination. In the year 2011 were not even close to being free of racism. I believe that every race goes through its own idea of being privilege or lacking of it. Although the truth is no one is completely correct. For instance, I'm hispanic and I know some of my friends joke around stating that I'm lucky that I'm hispanic because I can get scholarships and grants easier then they can because they are caucasian. In my opinion each race doesn't understand all the change that is happening in their individual culture. We don't see the full effect of how some things we say are putting others down and bringing ourself up. We maybe privileged at a certain time in our lives but we should also remember to help bring others up with us to build a strong bond as a community.

I don't like the word "just". It takes away truth behind a statement. When the statement was made that if people would "just" try harder they could succeed. But that statement does not take into account the years and years of oppression that minorities have experiences. White people are privileged, and it is arrogant and insensitive to not acknowledge this truth. Though the world has made headway, there is still so much room for improvement and growth. We each have to take personal responsibility for how we treat people, all people.

Being born into a the millenium that we have born into i do not see this as equivalent as it might have been in the 60's, 70's, and maybe even the early 80's. I feel like in this day and age that more often than not everyone has equal oppurtunity in everything and that it is more of a choice to do what you want to do with your life than it is having a certain priveledge. Yes, i believe in some instances their is still a so called supremacy, but it so far and wide in between. Being brought up the way i was, i feel like no matter what i am doing, i have to work hard for what i want and not expect that things are going to be given to me. I also feel like most minorites feel this way too just for the fact that a lot still think there is a big case of the white supremacy. I don't believe anyone, no matter what the color or race is should strive and work hard for what they want in life, and no one should ever expect for things to be handed over to them on a silver platter.

The response I immediately thought of after reading the article is, "Oh, I don't see color." I completely understand this statement because I spent much of my life feeling this way. I laugh at myself when I look back on myself when I felt this way because it was really easy for me not to see color, and I am assuming that is how many of the people who say this still feel. It took exposure to new thoughts and ideas about power and privilege before I understood why 'not seeing color' doesn't work. Color is everywhere and it determines many things each day. Regardless of whether a person, regardless of color, is aware of the color-based decisions they are a factor in occur each and every day. Some of us see positive results from our skin color, some of us meet negative results. This is how our society functions in the modern world, and we must all accept responsibility for the roles we are born into.

Being raised the way I was, I do not fell as though I recognize comments or even realize when they are being said. When I was growing up my older brothers and parents had a very diverse friend group and we were taught as children not to say unkind things about anyone at all and when it did happen we got in pretty big trouble. My parents taught us how to love like Jesus loves and even though it is hard at times we suck it up and do it. Sadly I do think I tune a lot of the common responses out because we should look for the good in what people are trying to say and trust in the fact that God will teach them what they need to learn and show them correction where correction is needed. I dont like reading too much into the things people say, i would like to believe that they say what they mean and that they mean what they say. So why spend our time disecting remarks and instead show better examples and when we proclaim something let it be true.

Not only has this article help me understand and realize that white privilege is still around but one of my classes as well. I would have never realized things that I do now if it wasn't for these two things. I have totally opened my eyes to anything and everything that has to do with race and white privilege. I have come to realize that I am the privilege and need to open my mind up to others of different race/color. I take too many things for granted that many others have to deal with everyday.

While recognizing and owning up to white privilege is not difficult for me, I really struggle with confronting others about white privilege. I’ve always been shy and subsequently avoided making my feelings known, especially if they differed from the general consensus of the group. I feel like much of white privilege is obvious and undeniable once it is pointed out and I’m sure I could convince others of its existence if I could just get the words to come out. Like many other white men I assume, I fear being alienated from or ridiculed by my peers.

I agree with the comment that to be colorblind is actually a form of racism. When you act blind and make yourself distant, you are actually bringing issues to the forefront. What we need to do instead, is to not ignore the fact that people are different from us, but to rather embrace them for their differences and get to know their cultures. I take pride in having a diverse group of friends. If I hung out and spent the majority of my time with people that were exactly like me, I would be very ignorant, bored, and above all- empty.

It is true that racism today is quite different than it was years ago. I like how they have separated racism today (The new racism) with that we tend to picture racism as (The way it was years ago) Just because white families don’t own slaves and there are no longer segregation rules or laws limiting the legal rights of a certain race doesn’t mean that racism is no longer existent. I am only half white but I look white so I too get the white privilege that people seem to think doesn’t really exist. When I first read or heard about this privilege my immediate response was oh well I’m only half white so surely this doesn’t apply to me. However, for the most part, I look white and therefore receive the same privileges. Police don’t look at me suspiciously when I walk into a store or drive by in a nice car. It saddens me to think that racism is still strong today, but I know it is. As for my “white privilege” I don’t want it, but I know it exists, and that I don’t know what it is like to be a minority in this country.

The reality of white privilege is quite evident today. It is not as overt (as the article mentioned) as the privilege that existed before the Civil Rights movement or even before slavery was outlawed, but it does still exist. There are many who do not accept this reality and many that do not accept that people do not accept it. In other words, there are people who don't believe there is still any semblance of racism or privilege in our country. At the same time, there are people who don't believe the previous statement is true. Both of these people would be incorrect. Racism does still exist and there are people who are unaware of it. However, it is important for these people to note, in my opinion, that the overtness of an injustice does not directly correlate to the level of injustice. For one, the fact that racism is not supposed to be in existence anymore makes it all the worse that it still is.
The final sample response in the article of "I'm just one person...." does resonate with me. It is very difficult to accept responsibility for changing attitudes, especially on such a large scale. It may even seem futile, which gives us the justification we think we need to not act. However, futility does not excuse the pursuit of justice. This is important for us all to remember, including especially myself.

As a white male, I find that my educational upbringing has systematically taught me the opposite of this article. Many of my teachers in a small private school espoused ideas that the privilege belonged to the poor who were reaping the benefits of others hard work. (And by others, they almost always meant affluent white folks.)

Yet after many years of being taught to see myself as the victim of reverse discrimination, affirmative action, and economic redistribution, I was taught a different way. Loving and patient mentors took the time to open my eyes to the privileges of being a male and having light skin. I can better recognize how I am taken much more seriously a a minister because I am a white male. Even though I have been in college for 8 years trying to get a 4 year degree, this never reflects poorly on my race as a whole. Even in this economic climate, I am confident that I will be able to find a job after graduation relatively easily.

My status as a white male affects many areas of my life. The privileges people inherently grant to me are important to recognize, so that I can effectively work for better equity.