Why is it considered acceptable...

[devildog_jim]

While reading some of the material posted here, I was struck by something.  Why is it considered acceptable to post unsubstantiated comments, anecdotes, and generalizations about "white people," but no other group?  Why is it assumed that because someone is white that they benefit from legacy status, are a racist, or have ancestors that benefited directly or indirectly from slavery or Jim Crow (before you answer, remember that all of the comm bloc refugees from the late 70's and early 80's were both economically disadvantaged and "white")?  I'm just curious.

[Ninja1]

Sort of for the same reason blacks can claim that white people don't know what it's like to be black, which necessarily implies that blacks DO know what it's like to be white... poor logic and black on white racism, basically.

[Netopalis]

Uh, I was a poster in the thread you're probably referencing, and it wasn't seen as acceptable...The guy ended up being banned.

[Ninja1]

Uh, I was a poster in the thread you're probably referencing, and it wasn't seen as acceptable...The guy ended up being banned.

Granted, I have no idea what in particular you're talking about, but this seems like a pretty common thread here and throughout society.

[devildog_jim]

I referenced no particular thread...

[Netopalis]

Maybe he IS expressing a general statement and I'm just projecting my own thoughts on it or something, but there was a guy recently banned for hoping he could one day own white slaves...The whole thread was really, really weird.  Anyway, probably not the incident he's referring to, so I'll bow out here.

[Matthies]

While reading some of the material posted here, I was struck by something.  Why is it considered acceptable to post unsubstantiated comments, anecdotes, and generalizations about "white people," but no other group?  Why is it assumed that because someone is white that they benefit from legacy status, are a racist, or have ancestors that benefited directly or indirectly from slavery or Jim Crow (before you answer, remember that all of the comm bloc refugees from the late 70's and early 80's were both economically disadvantaged and "white")?  I'm just curious.

What does economically disadvantaged have to do with anything, that’s, um a choice, if you have no other reason for being poor and white?

[devildog_jim]

Economic disadvantage seems to be a major argument for racial preferences.  I have yet to figure out why myself.  It's interesting that you would say that being "poor and white" is a choice though.  Is it a choice to be poor and African American?  Or poor and Latino?  Or are those environmental conditions that require that the playing field be adjusted?

[Matthies]

Economic disadvantage seems to be a major argument for racial preferences.  I have yet to figure out why myself.  It's interesting that you would say that being "poor and white" is a choice though.  Is it a choice to be poor and African American?  Or poor and Latino?  Or are those environmental conditions that require that the playing field be adjusted?

If you are white and have been here for more than two generations there is nothing stopping you from achieving the American dream except choices you made along the way, at least not a history of racism and being kept out of schools and professions until relatively recently. Many generations of Hispanics or blacks were here long enough that had they not had those impediments to entering many schools and professions in addition to racism they could have gone from lower class to upper class by now at least so some degree of parity when comapred the percentage of whites that are middle or upper class. Unfortunately that has only been a reality for one generation or so, so they have much more to make up for and fewer success stories.

[Netopalis]

Well, my great-great-grandparents were locked into a cycle of poverty in the mines of appalachia due to the predatory practices of the mine companies of the 1920s.  Check out the Matewan Massacre and the events surrounding it - there are plenty of people who are white and not wealthy due to no fault of their own.  My family has worked hard to get where we are today, with me becoming the first member of my family to graduate college this May, and I think that what you have said is a rather far-reaching statement...